Tuesday, February 6

top of bessy bell 02/01/07

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

To the uniformed, Bessy Bell is a little hill outside Omagh, Norn Iron - nothing more!! If any of these "mountaineers" try to tell you of their struggle to get to the top, just nod your head and humour them!

penfold tm said...

Bessy bell recieved its ominous moniker from the Bessy Party during the Tyrone gold rush of the early 1860's. Scaling the craggy heights of this ferocious obstacle mid-winter proved too much for this hardy bunch, and one by one they perished amid the snow and ice.

As the last of the pary, a Nepali Sherpa named Uumtang (born half way up the southern slopes of Everest), felt his life ebbing away, he grabbed out and grasped a nearby bell. Mustering the very last of his strength, he rang it hard as a warning for all to hear, a warning of the dangers found by the ill-fated Bessy party.

The mountain claimed not only the lives of the 20-strong team, but also, in the death knell of that Sherpa, claimed a name: Bessy Bell.

true story.

Anonymous said...

it also almost claimed the life of jimmy wrights jeans by all accounts. at least, he cried and moaned that hard about getting them dirty that you could swear it was life or death.

oh, and that jumper was really warm. so there.

Anonymous said...

The ones on the left are much better looking. Men should be clean shaved.