THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shaikh Hasan Khan, like any other Malayali, had aspirations to land a plush post in government service and ease his way into his 30s whilst also attempting to crack the civil service exam. However, after nine unsuccessful attempts, the idea of getting into civil service became a painful memory for him. But no more! The 36-year-old has found a bigger calling.
Shaikh, now an assistant section officer with the state secretariat, is on a mission to script history. After conquering Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa; Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world; and finally, Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America, the Pandalam native is on a spree to scale the highest peaks in all seven continents.
Shaikh’s love for mountains began in 2015 when he was transferred to New Delhi as part of his job. From here, he used to steal trips to the mountains. On one such journey to Uttarakhand, he and his friends, ushered on by curiosity, visited the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. “That was the turning point in my life. I felt a spark within me,” Shaikh told TNIE.
Alongside his civil service training, Shaikh underwent a 28-day basic mountaineering course from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. “By then, I was totally into the activity. Shortly after the course, I climbed the 7,000-metre-high Mount Satopanth,” he said.
The next thing his friends and family learned - Shaikh was well on his way to scaling Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This was in 2021. Kilimanjaro is the highest, single, free-standing mountain above sea level in the world. It is 5,895 metres tall. “It was an eight-day journey. Compared to other mountains, it was comparably easy to climb,” said the now-experienced mountaineer. The confidence persuaded him to target Mount Everest in Nepal - the highest peak in the world (8,848 metres).
“While I had amble confidence, I didn’t have enough to finance the trek. I ran from pillar to post to find sponsors, but all in vain,” Shaikh said. At last, he found the money by pawning his wife’s jewellery and his friends getting him Rs 12 lakh. The state government, too, pitched in. The tourism department gave Rs 2 lakh, while the lottery department gave Rs 1.5 lakh.
On April 1, 2022, Shaikh reached Kathmandu. After a 13-day trek, he reached the base camp at a height of 5,464 metres. After successfully completing the trial, Shaikh and the team waited for perfect weather, which finally arrived on May 9. After short rests at Camps 2 and 3, the team headed to Camp 4 on May 14. The climb to Camp 4 is known as the death zone because of the low oxygen level.
“Here, in this zone and at the height of 8,400 metres, I ran out of oxygen. I was stuck in an ice wall that stood at 70 degrees. Although I asked for help, no one could, as they all had only one oxygen cylinder with them. I could feel my breath getting feeble. Soon, I felt at peace and was ready to die,” Shaikh said.
Thankfully, a climber got close enough and gave Shaikh his oxygen mask and cylinder. “After that, there was no giving up,” he added. On May 15, at 9.30 am, Shaikh reached the top of Mount Everest.
The success of conquering Mount Everest brought with it two things – a debt of Rs 30 lakh and the haunting question of ‘now what?’. “I felt that I had nothing to do. It was terrible. The next natural step was to scale the next big mountain. So I headed to North America,” Shaikh said.
Here, Shaikh conquered Mount Denali, the highest mountain in North America, at 6,190 metres, and Mount Elbert, situated in Colorado state. Now, the 36-year-old has set his eyes on Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, situated between Georgia and Russia, and Mount Fuji, an active volcano mountain in Japan. “Finding a sponsor is harder than scaling mountains. I hope to find a good sponsor soon,” Shaikh said.