After summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, and then others, Saray Khumalo's ultimate goal was to summit Everest. After three unsuccessful attempts, Khumalo became the first black African woman to summit the world’s highest peak. Her success was hard won, though – along the way, she suffered severe personal setbacks, serious health issues and life-threatening injuries. Here is an excerpt from her book 'My journey to the top of the world' which details an incident in which several sherpas were killed.
Very early the next morning, on 18
April, well before dawn, I woke to the sound of chanting and the smell of
incense. A group of sherpas were preparing to leave camp to go through Khumbu
Icefall, which is above Base Camp, at the foot of the Western Cwm.