Blog Assignment #29: Nature Writing Complete

There are a lot of different qualities required to climb Mt. Everest. One needs to be physically strong, able to rappel up mountains like a spider monkey up a tree, grip a vertical wall of rock with a miniscule amount of footholds and survive conditions more extreme than any average human would ever face. The amount of training required to take on such a task is astounding and is enough to turn just about anyone off to the thought of scaling this monstrous block of a mountain. Yet, in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, it becomes apparent that there is much more to this feat than just pumping iron at the gym or running laps around the block. One must be self-motivated, yet cannot let his selfish desires overtake him or let his emotions get in the way of his success.

One of the many requirements to be a climber of Mt. Everest is a goal. The climber must have something driving him that isn’t money, fame, wealth or anything material. There needs to be a self-motivation, a fire inside. Krakauer confides in the reader about how he feels his team is not up to the task of climbing Everest. Because of all the struggle a climber must go through to reach the summit, there’s no way that a nonchalant climber could possibly make it. Fame—or a story in a magazine—isn’t enough to make someone want to summit Everest. It has to come from the heart, which is something Krakauer lost for a long time. Fortunately, the magazine article caused him to regain the fire necessary to make it to the top.

Emotions are another thing that could possibly get in the way of summiting Everest. When people get caught up in their emotions, they tend to act irrationally. They also tend to turn to an ‘every man for himself’ mentality, which, when applied to something as risky as a Mt. Everest climb, could lead to tragedy. For example, in chapter thirteen, Krakauer notices that the climbers are so caught up in summiting that they continue to climb and climb, not caring that they have various health problems and could very easily run out of oxygen before they reach the top. But, since they have each paid so much money to be on this trip, they keep going and going. Another example is Boukreev’s stupidity. As a guide, it should be his job to carry extra oxygen and supplies. Yet, because of his selfish goals and determination to meet them, he puts himself and others in jeopardy.

Finally, the camaraderie between the climbers might act as a road block in some instances. During the descent, Krakauer notices that guide Andy Harris is suffering from hypoxia—but not before Harris depletes all of Krakauer’s supplemental oxygen. It is a tough decision for Krakauer to make, but he decides that Hall is a lost cause and leaves him 28,000 feet up the mountain. This decision could quite possibly inhibit Krakauer’s success in reaching the foot of the mountain and finishing his descent. Luckily, it didn’t, but because Harris and Krakauer had become friends (or at least acquaintances) during the trip it was a risk factor. The best thing to do for such a dangerous trip might be to adopt the ‘every man for himself’ mentality, but as stated above, that may also lead to disaster. The only real way to completely avoid the possibility death on Mt. Everest is just staying on the ground.

Obviously there is more to climbing than just physical strength. Sure, many of the climbers on that expedition may have been in top physical form, but their own aspirations, emotions and motives stopped them from performing at their best. If they had been more level-headed and had taken more precautions against illness and the like, much of the tragedy that occurred on Everest could have been avoided.