Mount Everest: Closed for Maintenance
The Chinese government is closing Mt Everest for maintenance. I found an article about it in The Independent, along with the photo below.
40,000 hikers visited the Chinese side of the mountain in 2007 - they left 120 tons of garbage. 120 tons is about the equivalent of 20 large elephants. Many hikers ditch their equipment at the top of the mountain to lighten the load on the way down. Garbage isn’t the only thing left on the mountain; officials estimate that Everest is a grave for 120 people who failed to make it back down the mountain. A grim thought eh?
So, it is time for a clean up. If everything goes the way Chinese environmental groups plan, the clean up will take place in the first half of 2009.
