Because you can die if you climb. Actually, it's not so much the climbing that's the problem, it's the coming down that's the problem. A dear friend of mine died in 1980 when he fell off the Great Pyramid of Giza during a college study abroad program. Tragic. I climbed it with some other friends that day before the accident. As long as you don't have a fear of heights, it's not that difficult for a reasonably fit person to clamber up in 10-15 minutes.
But to get down you have to jump - from rock to rock hundreds of times. The pyramid was originally covered with polished limestone and was not designed as a staircase. What remains are uneven ruins where the limestone was removed to make way for the construction of local buildings. The stones are uneven and between 100-200cm high (see photo).
Most of the landing is slick and slippery, covered in 4000 years of sand and rockfall. It is sloping downwards, small and broken. There are no reliable handrails. The climb is not life threatening in the ignorant fearlessness of youth. No small misstep would be fatal.
Think of it like climbing the outside of a 45-story building without safety gear. You don't realize how dangerous it is until you're up there and in serious danger. Imagine flying off the edge outside your office window on the 35th floor.
I had intended to climb all the way to the top, but was about three-quarters of the way up when I first stopped, turned around to look down, and immediately changed my mind - the unobstructed view 100 metres below me was dizzying.
My friend was quite athletic, but he must have lost his footing on the way down. Looking back, it could have happened to anyone. It's steeper than it looks, and once you lose your footing, you'll fall all the way down until you reach the ground.
I later found out that her fall was not an isolated accident. Below is a photo I took. I learned from a friend in the 1980s that it was illegal to climb the pyramids back then, but you could sneak a few tips to the guards and have them look the other way. The funny thing is, I just walked up and started climbing and no one said a word.
The view on the way to the summit
The view from the ground
Photo (c) 2018 Ross Fishman
No comments:
Post a Comment