The Final Ascent

We lost Fitzroy this morning

On the brutal, unforgiving, final ascent

The team bent against themselves and the mountain

Looked to the rear and Fitzroy had gone

The weather closing in to kill man and attempt alike

Rendered rescue impossible with survival the only stake

Fitzroy last seen with bead-like eyes and fixed jaw

Defying the mountain

He knew the risks, he wanted it so

Slid or fell into an eternal icy grave

And we his companions left to struggle back to camp

Each of us with our own thoughts

Of guilt, of loss, of pain, of doubt

But there was one thing we could all agree

The final ascent of this mountain was no place

For a teddy bear.