Sam Brito
Elan
3-6-14
Into Thin Air has certainly captured my attention for sure. I have always been interested in Mt. Everest itself, and this book has continued to make me wonder why on earth would someone want to risk their life climbing this mountain? Was it for thrill and new excitement? Possibly having some sort of accomplishment in your life. People have attempted to climb this mountain countless times, and for the ones that made it alive yet have failed only try again to succeed this goal. It costs a pretty penny for climbing this mountain, and still people want to know what the thrill is behind climbing the treacherous mountain. So I am just curious and still wonder why people would risk themselves a second time to try and make it to the top even if it means not coming back at all.
Krakauer has been speaking so far about how people have taken an attempt to climb this mountain that stands at 29,028 feet. Sadly, according to wiseGEEK, the effects on people are just horrific if you think about it too much. The lack of oxygen can screw you up majorly, such as altitude sickness where you can suffer from nausea, dizziness, and major fatigue. It goes on saying that having not a good amount of oxygen can lead to something called HACE or High Altitude Cerebral Edema. This is where fluid can enter the brain and cause major damage. Another condition is when fluid enters the lungs and that is called HAPA or also known as High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. The cold then causes you to either have frostbite or suffer from hypothermia. There may be thrill to this climb, but your life is at major risk here as well as you can see. This will forever be something I will wonder about, like most crazy and death related things.
My overall view on this book so far that it is realistic explaining what Mt. Everest is like and the many dangers it has. I'm looking forward to reading further into this book to see what lies ahead.
My overall view on this book so far that it is realistic explaining what Mt. Everest is like and the many dangers it has. I'm looking forward to reading further into this book to see what lies ahead.
I too have asked myself what it is that makes Everest so alluring, despite the many dangers. I first wondered about it in the book when Krakauer said that he had set his dream to climb Everest aside and decided it was unreasonable. However, the second he got the offer, he immediately felt the rush of his dream return and decided to go.
ReplyDeleteObviously the reason for climbing such a mountain varies person to person. While researching I found a really interesting quote from George Mallory, that said people climb Everest "because it is there." I believe this quote was also mentioned in the book. According to a sherpa interviewed by BBC News, the allure of Everest is that it is the tallest mountain in the world. No matter how much more physically demanding or dangerous another mountain may be, Everest will outshine it in pure scale. Perhaps those who climb Everest feel as if they have conquered some untamable part of nature. Perhaps they do it just to prove others, or themselves wrong. I think that the allure really is this prestige we have built around climbing the tallest, the biggest, the seemingly best mountains. People are drawn by the fact that at the end you will be able to say "I climbed that." To a mountaineer Everest will always be a goal, and hopefully an achievement. No matter the number of lives it takes, Everest continues to attract growing amounts of hopeful young climbers from throughout the world.