16 September, Barcelona. Carlos Soria, an 82-year-old Spanish mountaineer, is deeply saddened. On Wednesday, Sherpas were tying ropes to reach the top of Dhawalagiri. But then Carlos and his friend Lewis were descending from Camp One to Base Camp.
“On a good day, my friend Lewis and I decided to drop the base cap. Because of the condition of the mountain and the condition of my feet, it was almost impossible to reach the peak, ‘said Carlos sadly and shared his feelings on social media.
This time Carlos understands that there is a lot of snow in the mountains and the weather in the mountains is different from other times. Carlos could not reach the heights because of the extreme cold in the mountains and the pain in his legs. The base camp fell, postponing the ascent from Camp One.
“I tried very hard. He used all his strength. He kept working hard till the end. The pain in my leg muscles was severe. There was also pain in his legs. The situation remained uncomfortable due to heavy snowfall and leg pain, ‘he said. He had undergone knee surgery about three years ago.
His 12th attempt to reach the summit of Dhawalagiri also failed. ‘I have been here many times. But every time I came here I fell on my own feet. So far no one has been able to rescue me from the Himalayas, ‘said Carlos.
Carlos had a bouquet of flowers made by Mrs. Christina de Ghancio. He thought of climbing to the top of the mountain. But could not. “The flowers my wife gave me could not be delivered to Chuchuro this time. I’ve been to the base camp for worship, “said Carlos.
Many people in his age group have lost their lives due to the Corona epidemic. Remembering all those old people, Carlos came to climb Dhaulagiri. In their memory, Carlos also planned to lay flowers on the hill. “I will be back in the spring next year. Thank you so much to everyone who encouraged me. I have never cheated anyone in my life. I will try not to cheat anyone in my life, ‘he said.
Carlos also reached Dhaulagiri in April this year. But his journey was limited to Camp One. The second wave of Corona in Nepal increased the tragedy. As a result, the Spanish government repatriated Carlos and other mountaineers by charter flight. However, he had planned to reach Dhaulagiri in 2020 BS on the occasion of Nepal Tourism Year. The corona virus epidemic became a stumbling block for him.
Carlos’s dream is to set a record by climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in the world at the oldest age. All he has to do to set the record is to kiss the peaks of Dhaulagiri and Sisapangma in Tibet.
His first attempt was in 1998. Carlos tried to kiss Chuchuro for the 12th time in two decades. However, they have not succeeded. He had reached an altitude of 8,050 meters, but his dream of climbing Dhawalagiri is still unfulfilled.
He climbed Kanchenjunga at the age of 75 and Annapurna at the age of 77. At the age of 62, he climbed Mt. Everest. The record for the oldest person to reach the world’s highest peak remained in his name for some time and was later broken.