Into Thin Air

I just finished reading author Jon Krakauer's book, "Into Thin Air". It's an older book, 1997, about several expeditions climbing Mount Everest in 1996. In total 12 people ended up dying while climbing or attempting to climb the mountain. Why it took me so long to pick this book up from the library is beyond me, it fits right into my preferred reading genre.

Krakauer is a long time writer for Outside Magazine and "volunteered" to climb with an experienced guide, Rob Hall, and his company. Krakauer had a lot of experience climbing himself, but not peaks like Everest. Several companies specializing in climbing Mt. Everest still are in operation. RMI is one. For $74,000 they will do their best to get you to the top of the mountain.

Krakauer does a fantastic job of describing the trials and tribulations of attempting to climb the peak. In this book he examines mistakes he made and others within his group and other groups. Climbing Everest, being helped by professionals, is a controversial topic, even today. It doesn't mean dying on the mountain isn't still a possibility, but it gives someone with perhaps limited experience climbing a chance to complete the challenge.

I've completed nineteen marathons, finished a dozen or so triathlons, run many snowshoe races, but never thought seriously about mountain climbing. I've hiked many trails that led to small peaks, but those wouldn't be a toe on Everest. I did outdoor rock climbing with ropes once, with Jan belaying me. Fortunately she didn't let me drop, but it wasn't easy to lean back and "walk" down the hill.

A few reasons one shouldn't attempt Mt. Everest, even if you have a spare $74k.
1. It's ridiculously cold. At points during Krakauer's climb the air temperature would be -30, without figuring in the wind.
2. Higher up the mountain it can take hours to go 1,000 feet. Hours. For less than half a mile.
3. Even with carrying oxygen you can still run into many issues. It's not like you can carry a scuba tank on your back. There are limited supplies that have to be meted out carefully. (read the book to really get an idea of what can go wrong).
4.  People die. They fall, make mental mistakes due to the cold or lack of oxygen.
5. Rescue is next to impossible. A person has to get down thousands of feet to have any chance of having a helicopter brought in.
6. The food. Not exactly gourmet. Often you are so sick from the altitude, or trying to get adjusted to the altitude, that eating isn't number one on your list.
7. Everest is far from everything. You aren't being brought there on roads to the base. It's days to reach base camp.
8. There isn't a path like hiking through the woods. There are known routes, but weather and landslides can change them or make it impossible to follow. Hillary Step, one of the most challenging sections, can get backed up if too many teams are going up or down the mountain. Krakauer had to sit there for a long time, freezing, running low on oxygen, waiting to get down.
9. The weather can turn deathly bad within an hour or two. This was one of the main problems when Krakauer and others were attempting a summit climb on this particular day People didn't heed, or didn't, know the signs. What began as a decent day went south quickly. Stubbornness, an unwillingness to turn back when so close, cost people their life.
10. I'm not a huge fan of heights. I have issues being on high bridges and looking down. I didn't finish the last 100 feet of hiking to the top of Whiteface Mt. (4,867') because I was scared of falling off the rocks. (as 10 year old kids went by me). Whiteface is a pimple compared to Everest.

I think I'll stick to running and biking the roads and trails of flatter terrain. At this old age I'm learning my limits and am okay with that.