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| Home Counties to Himalayas | Home Counties to Himalayas |
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| By Megan Lane BBC News Magazine | |
| Julie Tullis, who died on K2 in 1986Nineteen years after Julie Tullis died on K2, an audio diary she'd made - and lost - in the Himalayas was found, unscathed. Now her family has made their own as they visit the mountain that claimed her life. | Julie Tullis, who died on K2 in 1986Nineteen years after Julie Tullis died on K2, an audio diary she'd made - and lost - in the Himalayas was found, unscathed. Now her family has made their own as they visit the mountain that claimed her life. |
| Julie Tullis came to mountaineering late in life. In her early 40s, the Kent mother of two teenage children made her first visit to the Himalayas in 1981. She was hooked. | Julie Tullis came to mountaineering late in life. In her early 40s, the Kent mother of two teenage children made her first visit to the Himalayas in 1981. She was hooked. |
| Five years later, in August 1986, she became the first British woman to reach the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain at 8,611m. Caught in bad weather during the descent, she never made it down. Her body has never been found. | Five years later, in August 1986, she became the first British woman to reach the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain at 8,611m. Caught in bad weather during the descent, she never made it down. Her body has never been found. |
| To mark the 20th anniversary of Julie's death, her son Chris, his wife - also Julie - and their teenage children, Matthew and Stephanie, journeyed to the Himalayas to retrace her footsteps. A 180-mile trek, none had attempted such a feat before. | To mark the 20th anniversary of Julie's death, her son Chris, his wife - also Julie - and their teenage children, Matthew and Stephanie, journeyed to the Himalayas to retrace her footsteps. A 180-mile trek, none had attempted such a feat before. |
| "I've wanted to go to K2 - well, the Himalayas - ever since she started going, but was a bit dubious in case I got hooked on it like she did. So I didn't go. Then when she died, I felt the need to go," says Chris. | "I've wanted to go to K2 - well, the Himalayas - ever since she started going, but was a bit dubious in case I got hooked on it like she did. So I didn't go. Then when she died, I felt the need to go," says Chris. |
| Resting place | Resting place |
| Whereas Julie's goal was to stand atop the summit, the family's sights were set on reaching her memorial - a battered tin dinner plate stamped with her name and date of death, tied to a pile of rocks at 5,000m. | Whereas Julie's goal was to stand atop the summit, the family's sights were set on reaching her memorial - a battered tin dinner plate stamped with her name and date of death, tied to a pile of rocks at 5,000m. |
| JULIE TULLIS Born 1939, started climbing near Tunbridge Wells in 19561976: Met famed Austrian climber Kurt Diemberger 1981: First Himalayan expedition to Nanga Parbat1986: First UK woman to reach summit of K2, died on descent To further follow her lead, the family recorded an audio-diary of their trek. For Julie tape-recorded diaries of her expeditions with her climbing partner, the noted Austrian mountaineer Kurt Diemberger. Last year, a cassette she made and lost on an expedition in 1982 was found in a glacier, perfectly preserved. | JULIE TULLIS Born 1939, started climbing near Tunbridge Wells in 19561976: Met famed Austrian climber Kurt Diemberger 1981: First Himalayan expedition to Nanga Parbat1986: First UK woman to reach summit of K2, died on descent To further follow her lead, the family recorded an audio-diary of their trek. For Julie tape-recorded diaries of her expeditions with her climbing partner, the noted Austrian mountaineer Kurt Diemberger. Last year, a cassette she made and lost on an expedition in 1982 was found in a glacier, perfectly preserved. |
| Nor was it the only memento to turn up after Julie's death. Soon after she was reported missing, a postcard arrived, saying that she would do no more trips as she'd seen too many deaths on the mountain. | Nor was it the only memento to turn up after Julie's death. Soon after she was reported missing, a postcard arrived, saying that she would do no more trips as she'd seen too many deaths on the mountain. |
| Chris has found that following in his mother's footsteps helps him understand what drove her to leave the Home Counties for the Himalayas. | Chris has found that following in his mother's footsteps helps him understand what drove her to leave the Home Counties for the Himalayas. |
| "It's not so much just standing on top of a mountain. I learned that she just had so much determination, that was what really struck home - seeing the amount of effort it took to get to those places, to climb those mountains and the drive that she had to do that. It's just awe-inspiring." | "It's not so much just standing on top of a mountain. I learned that she just had so much determination, that was what really struck home - seeing the amount of effort it took to get to those places, to climb those mountains and the drive that she had to do that. It's just awe-inspiring." |
| Ray of light | Ray of light |
| To even get within sight of K2 involves two days of very heavy trekking, during which mother and daughter wondered if they'd even catch a glimpse of Julie's mountain of mountains. | To even get within sight of K2 involves two days of very heavy trekking, during which mother and daughter wondered if they'd even catch a glimpse of Julie's mountain of mountains. |
| K2 through Matthew's eyesBut see it - and climb it - they did, driven on by 17-year-old Stephanie's desire to be in the place the grandmother she never knew had died. "I want to get closer to my Nan, to see what she did and what it was like," she says in the family's audio diary. | K2 through Matthew's eyesBut see it - and climb it - they did, driven on by 17-year-old Stephanie's desire to be in the place the grandmother she never knew had died. "I want to get closer to my Nan, to see what she did and what it was like," she says in the family's audio diary. |
| While resting at Concordia, three-hours hike from K2's base camp, the mountain reared above them - the first time in 14 months that it had not been obscured by clouds, the guides told them. | While resting at Concordia, three-hours hike from K2's base camp, the mountain reared above them - the first time in 14 months that it had not been obscured by clouds, the guides told them. |
| Setting off from base camp to find the memorial, Chris spotted it glinting in the sunshine. "See that silver plate? That silver plate is where it is." | Setting off from base camp to find the memorial, Chris spotted it glinting in the sunshine. "See that silver plate? That silver plate is where it is." |
| Once there, the family shed a few tears and added mementos to Julie's memorial, including a battered snow stick Chris had found in the loft. | Once there, the family shed a few tears and added mementos to Julie's memorial, including a battered snow stick Chris had found in the loft. |
| "I didn't feel like I was approaching a graveside," says Chris. "It was a closure for me to have been and seen what she'd achieved. When I first sighted K2, it was crystal clear, there was no cloud on the mountain at all. After we'd been up to the memorial and we were leaving, it was covered in cloud and we never saw it again. | "I didn't feel like I was approaching a graveside," says Chris. "It was a closure for me to have been and seen what she'd achieved. When I first sighted K2, it was crystal clear, there was no cloud on the mountain at all. After we'd been up to the memorial and we were leaving, it was covered in cloud and we never saw it again. |
| "She is where she wanted to be. If I died where I wanted to be, I'd be perfectly happy." | "She is where she wanted to be. If I died where I wanted to be, I'd be perfectly happy." |
| It's My Story: Return to Mother's Mountain is broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio 4 on 27 October at 1100 BST, or for 7 days afterwards at Radio 4's Listen again page. | It's My Story: Return to Mother's Mountain is broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio 4 on 27 October at 1100 BST, or for 7 days afterwards at Radio 4's Listen again page. |