As I read Into Thin Air, I keep finding myself on the edge of my seat wanting to know more and more. Jon Krakauer is a great author that uses a lot of suspense in his writing which makes this piece ten times more interesting than it already is. In chapter six we come to an understanding on how great of a team leader Hall really is. He constantly studies new information to make sure the team doesn't encounter anything that is unexpected. This to me proves how good of a relationship Hall had with his team; they had a very strong, inseparable bond. We also find out in this chapter about how the team will set up four different camps leading to the summit of Mt. Everest. Imagine how difficult it truly was for the team. They had to carry food, oxygen, and water to each different camp. I really can't even imagine going through what they did! Its mind-blowing! The first acclimatization ascent is on April 13. As they assemble all their gear, Krakauer notices that some of his teammates are wearing new mountaineering boots. He worries about those climbers, because one of the elementary rules of climbing is not to wear boots that aren't broken in. He also worries about the fact that most of his teammates hadn't climbed in the last year or two. Krakauer points out the differences between training in a gym, and training by climbing an actual mountain. This to me also proves that Halls team had a great relationship. They worried for one another.
In Chapter Seven, we learn about some other climbers that tried to climb Mt. Everest. For instance, Earl Denman and Maurice Wilson. Krakauer talks about the criticism surrounding the increasing number of unqualified climbers attempting to climb Everest, but he is quick to point out that just because someone pays a large amount of money to climb the mountain doesn't necessarily mean th at he or she is unqualified. On page 104 Krakauer says, "With so many incompetent people on the mountain," Rob said with a frown one evening in late April, "I think it's pretty unlikely that we'll get through this season without something bad happening up high." Would you ever do something where you put your own life in serious danger?
No Alexa, I personally would never do something that would put my own life in serious danger. If I were to ever even think of doing something as crazy as climbing mount everest, I would make sure I was as prepared as I could be and have trained for at least a few years. To think that some of the people that Krakauer was climbing with had never climbed before is mind blowing to me. When reading this, I also felt that Krakauer was extremely selfish in his relationship with his wife. He says "Linda would have never considered asking me to abandon the sport, but the announcement that I had intended to quit had reinforced her decision to marry me." He knew that his wife did not want him to blog and clearly got upset by it, but he continued to do it anyways. We need to value the loving relationships we have and with marriage comes sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteI believe that whether or not someone wants to but their own life in danger, is their decision. Some people love living on the edge and love that feeling of adrenaline while others wouldn't take such a risk, fearing for their own lives. When you find others who share that same passion of "doing the impossible", an immediate connection forms. Just like Alexa said, Krakauer's relationship with Hall. Their constant dependence on each other for both survival and leadership. It is almost strange that Krakauer, as Stephanie pointed out, has almost a better relationship with Hall than his own wife. His enthusiasm for hiking shows to be a better priority for him than marriage. It is possible that Krakauer is a kind of individual who puts his own personal desires before others, even it means the cost of intimate relationships with others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeanine; some people love living on the edge, even if it does mean putting your life at risk. I believe in this too an extent. I think that if you're smart about it and are trained properly, then the experience could be life-changing. I think it's great that Krakauer can now trust Hall from seeing how serious he is about the climb. It would be horrible if Krakauer had none to trust on the mission. I do think he was selfish when it came to his wife though. He shouldn't have told her he would never climb again if he really has such a passion for it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Jeanine says about these people that love to live on the edge and have death one foot away form them. What i find very interesting is that the professional Guides like Hall knowingly accept un qualified climbers that aren't physically trained to climb everest as well as don't have the mountain skills to climb onto their group. They know this can be dangerous for the group if theres an accident and others will be forced to risk their lives on the sake of another random person. This is in Krakauer's thoughts because he discusses the Taiwanese expedition in which one man was killed because of poor climbing judgement. Krakauer needs to prioritize his relationships with his wife and climbing though if he wants his marriage to last. His wife must come first if he doesn't want her to leave him.
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