Super Exciting Expedition Everest: Close Encounters of the Abominable Kind!

Yes, you caught me. I stole the advertisement attributed to Sir Ernest Shackleton for his Endurance expedition. (Fun fact: the sunken ship was finally found this year, just over a century later!¹)

While the words are meant to describe a journey across the Antarctic continent, I think they’re fitting for Expedition Everest, as well. Perilous, cold, but with an undeniably tantalizing call to adventure. I knew it would attract the right people to this expedition—people like you!

However, there is one teeny, tiny thing I probably should have added to Sir Shackleton’s blurb. You see, there is something on Mount Everest that is not in the Antarctic.

A monster.

Yeti: Legend or Alive?

Located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest will transport you to a small village in the Himalayan Mountains. Our goal is to definitively prove or disprove the existence of a creature known by the locals as the Yeti. (Others call him the Abominable Snowman.)

Thankfully, we won’t be hiking up Mount Everest. (At 200 feet high, it’s the tallest “mountain” in Florida!²) Instead, we’ll be taking an open-air train ride to the very top and wind our way through the snow-capped peaks.

As we wait for our train to arrive, you can immerse yourself in the culture of Serka Zong, the quaint mountain village here in the Himalayas. You’ll notice the brightly-colored prayer flags fluttering above you, as well as some intricately carved shrines. Look closely at the statues—they are depictions of the Yeti.

Here is Serka Zong, the locals look to the Yeti as their guardian. However, explorers like us have come back with tales of anything but a protective figure. Professor Pumba Dorjay, a conservation biologist, has set up this little “Yeti museum” here in the queue, both as an educational experience and as a warning. The shredded tent is, perhaps, the most compelling piece of evidence you’ll lay eyes on.

But that’s still not enough to satisfy me. I must see the Yeti with my own eyes before I can truly believe—and I know you feel the same way. Together, we’ll bring back definitive proof of its existence (or nonexistence, as the case may be).

The Forbidden Mountain: Turn Back Now

The locals call it the “Forbidden Mountain,” but that’s not enough to scare us away! …Right?

Explorers have been climbing these snowy slopes in search of the Yeti ever since Himalayan Escapes (a tour company) opened up in Animal Kingdom back in 2006. That’s a long time to search for a myth, but with an intrepid explorer like you by my side, we’re sure to be successful. Imagine the headlines upon our triumphant return! Imagine a photograph of the Yeti plastered on the front page, and our names beneath it in bold, black ink…

Oh, but I suppose I should’ve mentioned that there are a few prerequisites for joining me on this venture. A longing for adventure is the biggest one, but you also need to be at least 44 inches tall, in decent health, and preferably not too prone to motion sickness. If you’re easily scared of the dark, loud noises, or going 50 miles per hour…you may want to turn back now.

Once the train begins its trek up the mountain, there’s no coming back until the expedition is over.

I mean, unless something absolutely crazy happened, like finding the tracks torn out partway through. That would certainly force us to turn around. But that’s totally silly! Even if the Yeti does exist, no creature is strong enough to derail a train…

Expedition Everest Ride: Off the Rails!

Okay. I spoke to soon.

At the top of the summit (whose snow seems so real, you might swear there’s a chill in the Florida air), you’ll find yourself speeding toward the edge of the mountain, where the tracks have been bent and broken. You’ll screech to a stop just before careening over the precipice. (Hopefully.)

What could have done this? Could it really be the Yeti??

There’s only one way to go now, and that’s backward, practically free-falling into the caverns at the heart of the mountain. This is where the villagers say the Yeti lives. As you plummet down through pitch-black twists and turns, you may catch a glimpse of an eerily ape-like shadow.

Clutched in its enormous hands are metal bars, and he’s twisting them like a couple of pipe-cleaners…

It’s the tracks, up ahead! He’s ripping those out, too!

This creature—not only is he real, but he’s devilishly intelligent. He’s meaning to put an end to our Expedition Everest ride. The locals were right. This mountain is forbidden, and we never should have come here! But we can’t give up yet. Now we know the Yeti is real. We just need proof to show the rest of the world! (Then we’ll get busy putting the “escape” in Himalayan Escapes!)

Launch out of the caverns at full speed and find yourself screaming down Mount Everest, making sharp turns and wide loops around the mountainside. Beware the final tunnel of the mountain pass—caught in the beam of your flickering flashlight is the Yeti, arms outstretched to grab you!

You did see him, too, right? Gone just as quickly as he came, but exactly as the locals have described in the ancient tales. Well over six feet tall, covered in hair, and almost human. I think I shall always shudder at the memory of this creature.

I don’t suppose you managed to get a photograph of him? Me neither.

Nevertheless, what a tale we shall have to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of our expedition! It shall stir the heart of every explorer. Whether or not they choose to believe us…is up to them.

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Have you dared to ride Expedition Everest? As a general rule, it’s one of the most beloved rollercoasters at Disney, but what are your personal thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

(And, yes, my last remark did sound rather similar to Captain Robert F. Scott’s Terra Nova expedition diary…)

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Photo: Photo: Jennifer Lynn via Flickr

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