Struck by lightning on the Aiguille du Chardonnet - 12546ft (3824m) | ||||||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | ||||||||
Introduction | ||||||||||||
-Moving again | ||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||
It felt like only a couple of minutes before JC suddenly straightened and announced that we'd better try and leave. I was desperate to go and took no persuading. Any height loss had to improve our chances. I thought that JC must be getting some feeling back but as he slowly got to his feet it was obvious that his leg was just dead weight. We may have had a brief discussion about who should lead. It made sense for JC to go first. I was undoubtedly better off and could use the rope on steeper ground to help safeguard JC's descent. I hated the thought that I may be climbing down steep rock and ice without protection but there was no escaping the fact that it was the best way for the two of us to move. As we set off I hoped the movement would improve JC's leg. We still did not know where the couloir off the ridge was. It was imperative that we found it. Before moving off we quickly scanned the slopes where I had fallen to see if there was any sign of the guide book. Although we spotted it not far down the slope our need to get going quickly meant it was left on the mountain. As we set off once more down the west ridge I sincerely hoped that we hadn't passed the couloir earlier. We were agonisingly slow. It was very hard for JC to move at all. He had to brace himself firmly with his hands or on an ice axe. Only then could he half hop, half step onto another rock. I could do nothing to help. The ridge was too narrow and broken for me to get close enough to provide any useful support. The rope was of little use because the ridge gradient was slight. We'd not gone any distance before a small rock tower appeared out of the mist. The only way past was to make an exposed traverse around it. This was going to be a very tough obstacle for JC. He moved carefully, spending time finding good handholds. Then he could risk trying to hop onto the small footholds poised over the drop. With painful slowness he eased his way out round the rock. The weather seemed to be worsening. Although the middle of the day it was growing noticeably darker. It had been a while since we'd been paralyzed by the lightning and we feared another discharge at any time. As I waited by this high point on the ridge I felt incredibly vulnerable and I found myself wondering how much longer I should stay with JC. He'd got past the rock tower and I followed. He remarked that he was beginning to feel his leg again. He was definitely moving a little more easily after the rock tower and I grew optimistic about his recovery. | ||||||||||||
 | | | | | | | | | | | | |