River Ahmad<\/a> told me at Mount Everest Base Camp in early May. \u201cAnd I was the only woman.\u201d<\/p>\nIt was 2014, the final year of the U.S. and NATO combat operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan, and River Ahmad was taking the bus from Ghazni province in the country\u2019s southeast to Kabul. River had told her father she was traveling to the capital to study dentistry, and he\u2019d agreed to buy her a bus ticket. But secretly, River, who was 18 at the time, hoped to become a journalist in Kabul, so that she could report on women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n
The Taliban fighters entered the bus, River said. Then, without warning, they opened fire on the passengers. Amidst the flying bullets, River thought quickly. By chance, she happened to be on her period. She quickly wiped handfuls of blood across her face and pretended to be dead, as the gunmen walked down the aisles looking for survivors.<\/p>\n
As the two gunmen walked the length of the bus, they stopped at her seat. \u201cThe gunmen checked me,\u201d she said. \u201cOne said \u2018this prostitute is dead already\u2019 and they walked away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twelve people on the bus were killed, she said. River was one of only three survivors.<\/p>\n
A Quest to Become Afghanistan\u2019s First Woman on Everest<\/h2>\n It\u2019s been 12 years since River survived the bus attack, and her life today is far different from what it was in Afghanistan. This spring, River, who is now 30, is one of the 492 permitted climbers at Mount Everest Base Camp aiming\u00a0to reach the summit.<\/p>\n
But she is the only woman from Afghanistan here to climb the peak. If she succeeds, River will be the first woman from her country to ever reach the world\u2019s highest point.<\/p>\nRiver Ahmad is raising money to cover the cost of her Everest journey <\/span> (Photo: River Ahmad )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cI would love to inspire women in Afghanistan,\u201d River told me. \u201cI would love for the world to understand that women can do different things, and we are strong. You cannot put us in a box.\u201d<\/p>\n
By climbing, she wants\u00a0to continue her life\u2019s work of advocating for women back home in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
I met River at 17,500 feet above sea level in a warm dome tent at Everest Base Camp, and felt immediately at ease in her presence. She gave off a warmth that cut through the cold, snowy day. River was quick to laugh and even quicker to smile. Her small frame was lost underneath a pink Gore-Tex\u00a0 jacket with the sleeves rolled up to fit her arms. A small jeweled septum ring hung from her nose as she spoke to me. Over many glasses of steaming ginger tea, she recounted her story. I hardly believed\u00a0that she started learning English only two years ago.<\/p>\nRiver Ahmad works as a radio journalist <\/span> (Photo: River Ahmad)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUnlike many Everest hopefuls I\u2019ve met at Base Camp, River is not new to climbing. She honed her mountaineering skills as a teenager in the rugged mountains of her home district, Ghazni, in Afghanistan. The Ghanzi mountains soar above the high plateau, with the tallest peaks reaching above 15,000 feet.<\/p>\n
From a young age, River knew that the traditional gender roles of Afghan\u00a0society weren\u2019t for her. When she turned 12, many of her friends who were girls were married. She was no longer able to associate with the male friends she grew up with. Instead of following the societal path, she cajoled her father into letting her join the local mountaineering club.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mountains were the only place I felt safe from people judging me, trying to put me in a box, trying to tell me to just get married,\u201d she told me. \u201cJoining the mountaineering club was very difficult because I was a lady, I was a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
River explained how mountaineering has been a coping mechanism for her from a young age.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I felt pressure, I just went to the mountains anyway with a book to read,\u201d she said<\/p>\n
Finding a New Life and a New Name in Australia<\/h2>\n River also told me about her life after the fateful bus attack in 2014. After she finally arrived in Kabul, River started a successful career as a radio journalist. She frequently covered women\u2019s issues and advocated for equality, but under a pseudonym. But her anonymity and her work didn\u2019t last. Once the Taliban figured out who was behind the voice, it was no longer safe for her to stay in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of 2019, I got a warning from the government and the Taliban,\u201d she said. \u201cThey told me I should not keep advocating for women\u2019s rights. I was also attacked many times. It wasn\u2019t safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
River fled Kabul for India, where she lived for three and a half years. Then, she obtained a humanitarian visa and relocated to Australia.<\/p>\nRiver Ahmad is climbing to inspire other Afghan women <\/span> (Photo: River Ahmad)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe move to Australia had a dramatic impact on her life. \u201cRiver\u201d is not the name she was given at birth. While in Australia, she was inspired to change her first name to reflect her new beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was on a hike in the forest. I sat and looked down at the river below me and thought about how beautiful it was, how pure. How it continued on without stopping,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I decided to change my name to River.\u201d<\/p>\n
River\u2019s family followed her to Australia, believing they could be targets of the Taliban as well. The transition wasn\u2019t easy for them. River said her brother died by suicide. Her father blamed her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father told me that if I hadn\u2019t been a journalist, that if I had just followed Islam, my brother would still be alive,\u201d she said. \u201cThen I was homeless for a while, I was not able to cope and to be happy in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
River remembered her roots in climbing. One day, she set out to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the world\u2019s largest steel-arch bridge. Guided tours lead groups across the bridge, and at the top, tourists can enjoy panoramic views of the city. When River reached the top, she looked out over the harbor and the city and felt something shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was there, above the sky, and felt like my life was different. I realized I have to do different things. I have to feel happy again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She was overcome by memories from her past, of the mountains she had climbed in Afghanistan, from her school days. \u201cThat\u2019s when I decided that I wanted to climb Everest,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
River started raising funds for her expedition. She worked night shifts at Ikea and in a packing plant. During the day, she trained for her climb, and also worked as a radio journalist. Eventually, she convinced an Everest expedition company to take her on for 50 percent of the total cost, with a promise to pay the rest after the trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still used all my savings,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A Strong Climber at Extreme Altitude<\/h2>\n River has been in Nepal this spring, and has already shown that she excels at high altitude. She completed acclimatization ascents of 21,247-foot Mera Peak and 20,075-foot Lobuche East.\u00a0She quickly made her way from Camp II at 21,000 feet up to Camp III at 23,300 feet on Everest on her first acclimatization rotation, and returned to Base Camp in a single day.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a route that most climbers take at least two days to complete.<\/p>\n
I asked River how she feels about\u00a0<\/strong>being in the mountains again. I also wondered aloud if maybe being in danger again was something that helped her process her traumatic past.<\/p>\nRiver Ahmad has already climbed Mera Peak and Lobuche East<\/span> (Photo: River Ahmad)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cI think war is more scary than the mountains,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
River told me that living amid\u00a0the icy rock walls of Everest, and the looming towers of ice in the Khumbu Icefall, feels much safer to her than her old life back in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I climbed, my brain was thinking about how you can survive in war. I feel like this is much safer than being back home,\u201d she said. \u201cThis climb is making me stronger, it\u2019s teaching me to understand dangerous situations more nicely and calmly. In a human way.\u201d<\/p>\n
River marveled at how Everest and the other high peaks in the Himalayas are places for personal challenge and recreation,\u00a0which is far different from how the high peaks in Afghanistan are used.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Afghanistan, we use our beautiful mountains for war,\u201d she continued. \u201cHere, people challenge themselves in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n
As I poured the last mug of ginger tea from the large stainless steel thermos, our conversation came to a close. We hugged, and I watched River skip down the stone steps set atop the glacier towards her camp. She moved across the frozen path with confidence and grace. I watched her for a long time, remembering another thing she told me: \u201cIf I climb Mount Everest, I will show women in Afghanistan, you can do whatever in life you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
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