Ellie Zimmermann
Esprit
3/6/14
So far, Into Thin Air has been quite an interesting book. A trip to the top of Mt. Everest just seems so invigorating yet extremely rewarding and based on the stories Krakauer has told, completely terrifying. Reaching the top of Everest would be an amazing and life changing experience, but there is no way that I could physically or mentally be able to succeed.
I have enjoyed reading the first third of this book, there are so many details that I was unaware of; like the cost (which is insanely expensive), the length of a trip, the preparation, and the organization. You certainly have to be brave to take on a trip like this, especially knowing that you may not make it back alive. To me, that's the most frightening part...the chance of death. Hundreds of people have died on Everest, the idea of spending $65000 to put yourself on a life threatening situation seems pretty psychotic, but I'm sure that the people doing it are exactly where they want to be before their death. Avalanches alone would be an awful way to die, I couldn't imagine being on the side of a huge mountain during one. However, avalanches are the leading cause of death on Everest (mtneverest.net).
I have enjoyed reading the first third of this book, there are so many details that I was unaware of; like the cost (which is insanely expensive), the length of a trip, the preparation, and the organization. You certainly have to be brave to take on a trip like this, especially knowing that you may not make it back alive. To me, that's the most frightening part...the chance of death. Hundreds of people have died on Everest, the idea of spending $65000 to put yourself on a life threatening situation seems pretty psychotic, but I'm sure that the people doing it are exactly where they want to be before their death. Avalanches alone would be an awful way to die, I couldn't imagine being on the side of a huge mountain during one. However, avalanches are the leading cause of death on Everest (mtneverest.net).
One of the wonderful things about these expeditions to the top of Mt. Everest is the mixture of all the people from around the world joining together and doing something they love. It's amazing how things like this can bring the people farthest away from each other closer than they will ever be again.
Krakauer has done a great job with telling his story thus far and I am looking forward to hearing about the rest of his experiences, challenges, and beautiful moments.
I also found it astonishing that someone would want to spend 65,000 dollars to put their life in grave danger. I learned that not only could a trekker die from an avalanche, but you could also die from physical sickness you develop on the mountain. According to Angelfire.com you can get severe frostbite, hypothermia, snow blindness, and acute mountain sickness from being up on high altitude mountains. Frostbite is one of the most common dangers on Mt.Everest. It normally occurs to the hands or feet. It can happen from not keeping different body parts warm enough. Once the frostbite starts to kick in, it will turn that body part blue-ish black. If it goes to long without being properly treated, the limb/body part will likely have to be amputated. Hypothermia is another sickness you can get and is not as common, because it affects the entire body, and is very preventable. The cause is when your body temperature goes down faster than its made. Your body is then unable to move, almost like your in a frozen coma. You can barely breathe and hardly able to talk, the only thing you say is barely understandable. Your blood flow slowly starts to stop and that is how hypothermia eventually kills you. Another sickness you can catch on the mountain is snow blindness, once again this is not as common. This is caused by looking at the suns reflection on the snow. Once their eyesight is impaired, it will make the persons eyes ooze and swell. This is very preventable if you wear the proper sunglasses. Lastly is acute mountain sickness (AMS), this on the other hand is very common and it has many symptoms, but you might not necessarily get them all. One of the most common symptom is a headache, the others are nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, and fatigue. AMS makes you unable to think clear, and after a while you collapse and you can't do practically anything.
ReplyDelete