Krakauers Inspirational Climbs - 1st Post

"None of the climbs I'd done in the past, moreover, had taken me to even moderately high altitude" (p. 28).
          I was interested in what other major mountains he had climbed and having read some of his other books, which climbs, if any, influenced his writing.
According to The Daily Show, in 1978 he spent three weeks by himself in the wilderness of the Stikine Icecap region of Alaska and climbed a new route on the Devils Thumb.  This climbed went on to inspire and was described in, Eiger Dreams and in Into the Wild.  In 1992, he made his way to Cerro Torre in the Andes of Argentine Patagonia.  Cerro Torre is a sheer, jagged granite peak and is considered to be one of the most difficult technical climbs in the world.
Krakauer's most recognized climb was a guided ascent of Mount Everest that became known as the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. During their decent, four climbers in Krakauer's team, including group leader Rob Hall, died due to a dangerous decent in the middle of a storm. Upon returning Krakauer wrote and published the book Into Thin Air which described his treacherous climb of Mount Everest.

By Kayla Augustine

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