RolandSmith
TableofContents
TitlePageTableofContents...CopyrightDedicationMapMOLESKINE#1THEASSIGNMENTTHEHOOKACOUPLEOFSTITCHES&THESLAMMERCIRCLINGTHEDRAINTHETWINSROCKRATSBANGKOKTHESUMMITHOTELGEAROFTHEDEADTIBETPEAKEXPERIENCEROCKWEASELSGASPLATECOMERSGAMOWBAGABCLETTERSFROMHOMEMOLESKINE#2SECRETSBEARANDBULLCAMPFOURARRESTFAMILYHISTORYUNRESTBLINKSHORTCUTCAMP3½CAMPSFIVEANDSIXTOPOFTHEWORLDDOWNTHEMOUNTAINSIDEDENOUEMENTACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
HARCOURT,INC.OrlandoAustinNewYorkSanDiegoLondon
Copyright©2007byRolandSmithAllrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopy,recording,oranyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.Requestsforpermissiontomakecopiesofanypartoftheworkshouldbesubmittedonlineatwww.harcourt.com/contactormailedtothefollowingaddress:PermissionsDepartment,HoughtonMifflinHarcourtPublishingCompany,6277SeaHarborDrive,Orlando,Florida32887-6777.www.HarcourtBooks.comFirstHarcourtpaperbackedition2008TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedthehardcovereditionasfollows:Smith,Roland,1951–Peak/RolandSmith.p.cm.Summary:Afourteen-year-oldboyattemptstobetheyoungestpersontoreachthetopofMountEverest.[1.Mountaineering—Fiction.2.Everest,Mount(ChinaandNepal)—Fiction.3.Survival—Fiction.4.Comingofage—Fiction.]I.Title.PZ7.S65766Pe2007[Fic]—dc222006024325ISBN978-0-15-202417-8ISBN978-0-15-206268-2pbTextsetinPlantinDesignedbyAprilWardHGFEDCBAPrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaThisisaworkoffiction.Allthenames,characters,organizations,andeventsportrayedinthisbookareproductsoftheauthor'simagination.Anyresemblancetoanyorganization,event,oractualperson,livingordead,isunintentional.
ThisbookisforMarie,forgivingmeallthethingsthatmatter
MOLESKINE#1
THEASSIGNMENT
MYNAMEISPEAK.Yeah,Iknow:weirdname.Butyoudon'tgettopickyournameoryourparents.(Oralotofotherthingsinlifeforthatmatter.)Itcouldhavebeenworse.MyparentscouldhavenamedmeGlacier,orAbyss,orCrampon.I'mnotkidding.Accordintomymomallthosenameswereonthelist.Vincent,myliterarymentor(atyourschoolthiswouldbeyourEnglishteacher),askedmetowritethis
formyyear-endassignment(nogradesatourschool).When Vincent reads the sentence you just read he'll say: Peak, that is a run-on sentence and
chaoticallyparenthetical.(That'showhetalks.)Meaningit'salittleconfusingandchoppy.AndI'lltellhimthatmylifeis(parenthetical)andthechaosisduetothefactthatI'mstartingthisassignmentinthebackofaToyotapickupinTibet(akaChina)withanautomaticpencilthatdoesn'thaveaneraserandit'snotlikelythatI'mgoingtofindaneraseraroundhere.Vincenthasalsosaidthatagoodwritershoulddrawthereaderinbystartinginthemiddleofthestory
withahook,thengobackandfillinwhathappenedbeforethehook.Onceyouhavethereaderhookedyoucanwritewhateveryouwantasyouslowlyreelthemin.IguessVincentthinksreadersarefish.Ifthat'sthecase,mostofVincent'sfishhavegottenaway.He's
writtensomethingliketwentyliterarynovels,allofwhichareoutofprint.IfheknewwhathewastalkingaboutwhydoIhavetosearchthedark,molderingaislesofused-bookstorestofindhisbooks?(NowI'vedoneit.Butrememberthis,Vincent:Writersshouldtellthebrutaltruthintheirownvoice
and not let individuals, society, or consequences dictate their words! And you thought no one waslisteningtoyouinclass.YoualsoknowthatIreallylikeyourbooks,orIwouldn'twastemytimetryingtofindthem.NorwouldIbetryingtogetthisstorydowninthebackofatruckinTibet.)Speakingofwhich...Thismorningwesloweddowntogetaroundaboulderthesizeofaschoolbusthathadfalleninthe
middleoftheroad.IntheU.S.A.wewouldusedynamiteorheavyequipmenttomoveit.InTibettheyusepicks,sledgehammers,andprisoners in tattered,quiltedcoats tochiptheboulderdowntonothing.Theprisonerssmiledatusaswetriednottorunovertheirshackledfeetonthenarrowroad.Theircheerfulfaces were covered in nicks and cuts from rock shrapnel. Those not chipping used crude woodenwheelbarrows tomove theman-made gravel over to potholes,where very oldTibetan prisoners usedbatteredshovelsandrakes tofill in theholes.Chinesesoldiers ingreenuniformsandwithriflesslungover their shoulders stood around fifty-gallon burn barrels smoking cigarettes. The prisoners lookedhappierthanthesoldiersdid.IwonderediftheboulderwouldbegonebythetimeIcamebackthrough.IwonderedifI'devercome
backthrough.
THEHOOK
IWASONLYTWO-THIRDSupthewallwhenthesleetstartedtofreezeontotheblackterra-cotta.Myfingerswerenumb.Mynosewasrunning.Ididn'thaveafreehandtowipemynose,orenoughrope
torappelaboutfivehundredfeettotheground.Ihadplannedeverythingoutsocarefully,exceptfortheweather,andnowitwasuh-ohtime.Agustofwindtriedtopeelmeoffthewall.Idugmyfingersintotheseamandhuggedtheterra-cotta
untilitpassed.IshouldhavewaiteduntilJunetomaketheascent,butno,moronhastogoupinMarch.Why?Because
everythingwas ready and I have a problemwithwaiting. I had studied thewall, built allmy customprotection,andpickedthedate.Iwasready.AndifthedatepassedImightnottryitatall.Itdoesn'ttakemuch to talkyourselfoutofastunt like this.That'swhy thereareoversixbillionpeoplesittingsafelyinsidehomesandone..."Moron!"Ishouted.Option#1:Finishtheclimb.Twohundredsixty-fourfeetup,oraboutahundredprecariousfingerholds
(providingmyfingersdidn'tbreakofflikeicicles).Option#2:Climbdown.Alittleoverfivehundredfeet,twohundredfiftyfingerholds.Option#3:Waitforrescue.Scratchthatoption.NooneknewIwasonthewall.Bymorning(providing
someoneactuallylookedupandsawme)Iwouldbeanicygargoyle.AndifIlivedmymomwoulddropmeoffthewallherself.Upitis,then.I timedmymovesbetweenviciousblastsofwind,whichwerebecomingmore frequent thehigher I
climbed.Thesleetturnedtohail,peltingmelikeaswarmoffrozenhornets.Buttheworsthappenedaboutthirtyfeetfromthetop,fifteenmeaslyfingerholdsaway.Ihadstoppedtogivethelacticacidsearingmyshouldersandarmsachancetosimmerdown.Iwas
mouthbreathing(partlyfromexertion,partlyfromterror),andItoldmyselfIwouldmakethefinalpushassoonasIcaughtmybreath.WhileIwaited,athickmistdriftedinaroundme.Thetopofthewalldisappeared,whichwasjustas
well.Whenyou'retiredandscared,thirtyfeetlooksaboutthelengthoftwofootballfields,andthatcanbeprettydemoralizing.Scalingawallhappensonefootholdandonehandholdatatime.Thinkingbeyondthat canweaken your resolve, and it's yourwill that gets you to the top asmuch as yourmuscles andclimbingskills.Finally,Istartedbreathingthroughmyrunnynoseagain.Kindofsnorting,really,butIwasabletoclose
mymoutheveryotherbreath.Thisisit,Itoldmyself.FifteenmorehandholdsandI'vetoppedit.Ireachedupforthenextseamandencounteredalittlesnag.Well,abigsnagreally...Myrightearandcheekwerefrozentothewall.Toreachthetopyoumusthaveresolve,muscles,skill,and...AFACE!Minewasanchored to thatwall likeabolt, andaportionof it stayed therewhen Igatheredenough
resolvetotearitloose.NowIwasmad,whichwasexactlywhatIneededtofinishtheclimb.Cursingwitheveryverticallunge,Istoppedaboutfourfeetbelowtheedge,temptedtotagthismonster
withthebloodrunningdownmyneck.ButinsteadItookthemountainstenciloutofmypack(cheating,Iknow,butyouhavetohavetwofreehandstodoitfreehand),slappeditonthewall,andfilleditinwithbluespraypaint.Thisiswhenthehelicoptercameupbehindmeandnearlyblewmeoffthewall.
"Youareunderarrest!"anamplifiedvoiceshoutedabovethedeafeningrotors.Ilookeddown.Mostofthemisthadbeenswirledawaybythechopperrotors,andforthefirsttimein
anhourIcouldseethebusystreeteighthundredfeetbelowtheskyscraper.Ablackropedroppeddownnexttome,andtwoalarmedandangryfacesleanedovertheedgeofthe
roof."Taketherope!"Iwasn'tabouttotaketheropefourfeetawayfrommygoal.Istartedup."Taketherope!"Whenmyheadreachedthetopoftherailingtheyhauledmeupandcuffedmywristsbehindmyback.
TheywerewearingSWATgearandNYPDbaseballcaps,andtherewerealotofthem.Oneofthecopsleanedclosetomybloodyear."Whatwereyouthinking?"hesaid,thenjerkedmeto
myfeetandhandedmeofftoaregularstreetcop."Getthismorontoemergency."
ACOUPLEOFSTITCHES&THESLAMMER
WHENISTEPPEDOUToftheelevatorintothelobbyIwasshockedbytheswarmofreporterswithflashingcameras.Howdidtheygettheresoquickly?"He'sjustakid.""What'syourname?""He'sbleeding.""Why'dyoudoit?""Didyoumakeittothetop?"Ididn'tansweranyoftheirquestions.Infact,Ibarelylookedatthem.Thewholepointofaspectacular
tagisnottheartwork;it'sthemysteryofhowitwasdone.Asubwayridergoesbythesameseventeenabandonedfreightcarsparkedonasidetrack,weekafter
week,yearafteryear,thenonemorningallseventeenofthemhavebeentaggedtoptobottomwithwildbeautiful graffiti. Or a driver in bumper-to-bumper traffic drives under the same overpass a thousandtimes,barelynoticingit,untilthemorningtheentirespanispaintedDay-Gloorangeandgreen.How'dtheydothat?Scaffolds?Inonenight?Howmanyofthemwerethere?Wherewerethecops?What'sthepoint?Themystery.That'sthepoint.Andthereisn'tenoughofit,inmyopinion.Mylittlebluemountainsweresmall,butImadeupfortheirsizebyputtingtheminaudaciousplaces
wheretheymightneverbeseenexceptbyaboredofficeworkerorwindowwasher.Thiswasmysixthskyscraper.Ihadplannedtodoninealltogether.Why?Ihavenoidea.NoweveryonewouldknowhowIdidit.Themysterywasgoneandthatwastheworstpartofgettingcaught.OrsoIthought.Iexpectedmymomtoshowupintheemergencyroomandtearoffmyleftear,butshedidn't.(Andit
turnedoutthatmyrightearwasstillattachedtomyhead,aswasmostofmycheek.)TheEastIndianemergencydoctookalookatmyfaceunderthelightforaminuteortwo,thenasked
mewhathappened,eyeingthetwocopsstandinginthedoorwayasiftheyweretheoneswhohadmessedmeup."Myfacefrozetoawall.""Youshouldhaveusedlukewarmwatertounfreezeit.""IfI'dhadsomehandyIwouldhave.""I'mgoingtocleanitupandputinacoupleoflittlestitches."Iwasoutof there in less thananhour.The twocopsdrovemeto thepolicestationandputmeina
filthyroomwithatwo-waymirror.Ididn'tlooksohot.Ididn'tfeelsogood,either.Myheadthrobbed.Myarmsandlegsached.AndIhadfourfingernailssplitallthewaydownthemiddle.Itfeltlikesomeonehadlitthemonfire.Theemergencydochadn'tevenbotheredtolookatthem.Afterwhatseemedliketwodaysthedooropenedandatired-lookingdetectiveinarumpledsuitcame
in carryingmy backpack and a thick file. He dumped the contents of the pack on the table and wentthrougheverythingpiecebypiece.Whenhefinishedhescoopedthestuffbackin,thenlookedatmeandshookhishead."Youmessedup,Pete.""Peak,"Isaid.
"Likein'mountainpeak'?""Right.""Weirdname.""Weirdparents.""Yeah,Ijusttalkedwithyourmother.ShesaidthatIhadherpermissiontobeatyoutodeath."GoodoldMom."Igotanotherphonecall,"headded."Themayor.I'vebeenacopforthirty-fiveyears,andI'venever
gotten a personal call from themayor. He's upset. Turns out hewas at a reception in theWoolworthBuilding.Theythoughtyouwereaterrorist,butit'sprettyclearnowthatyou'rejustamoron."Hestaredatme,waitingforareaction.Ididn'tgivehimone.Iwasamoron.Ishouldhavecheckedthe
building'seveningschedulemorecarefullybefore I scaled it.The reportershadn't rushedover to snapphotosofme.Theywerealreadythereforthemayor'sreception,andsowerethecops."They'lltakeyouovertoJDCinabit.""What'sJDC?"Ihadn'tbeenarrestedbefore."JuvenileDetentionCenter.You'llstaythereuntilyou'rearraigned."Iwasn'tsurewhatthatmeant,either,andthedetectivemusthavesensedthisbecauseheexplainedthat
therewasa separatecourt systemfor juveniledefendants.Thedistrictattorneywoulddecidewhat thechargeswouldbeandIwouldhavetogobeforeajudgeandpleadguiltyornotguilty."Thenthey'llletmeout,"Isaid."Maybe,maybe not. Depends on howmuch the bail is andwhether your parents can cough up the
dough.Or,theymightdenybailalltogether,whichmeansyou'llbeinJDCuntilyourtrialorsentencingdate.Thatcouldbemonths.Thecourtsarebackedup."Mymouthwentdry."Ihaven'tbeenintroublebefore,"Isaid."Youmeanyouhaven'tbeencaughtbefore."Thedetectiveopenedthefilefolderandspreadoutthree
photographsonthetable."We'vebeentrackingthesetagsforquiteawhilenow.Lookslikewecaughtthetaggerred-handed."Thephotosweregrainy,obviously takenwitha longtelephotolens,but thebluestenciledmountains
wereclearenough.Twouniformedcopswerewaitingformeoutsidetheinterrogationroomalongwithmymom,whowas
somadshecouldbarelyspeak.ShelookedatthebandagesonmyfaceandmanagedtoaskifIwasokay."Yeah,I'mfine.""We'vegottotakehimtoJDC,ma'am,"oneofthecopssaid.Momnodded,thenlookedatme."We'llseewhatwecando,Peak.Butyou'vereallydoneitthistime."Thecopsledmeaway.
BYTHETHIRDDAYatJDCIwasclimbingthewall(literally)untilmycounselor(that'swhattheycalltheguardshere)toldmetostop.SpiderBoy,FlyBoy,TheGeckoKidwasfront-pagenewseverymorning.Eacharticledugdeeperand
deeper intomy family's past:mymom,dad, stepfather, evenmy twin sisterswere targets.Therewereinfraredphotosofmeclingingtothescraper,photosfromschool,photosofmymomanddadwhentheywererockrats.Andmyothertwobluemountaintagshadbeendiscovered.I stopped reading the newspaper accounts after the secondday and left the common roomwhen the
newscameonthetelevision.TheylimitedourphonecallsatJDC.IwasonlyabletocatchMomoncetoaskherwhatwasgoingon,
butshewasmeetingwiththeattorneysanddidn'thavetimetotalk.
Onthemorningofthefourthdaymycounselorcameintomyroom(that'swhattheycallthecells)andsaidIhadavisitor.Finally!IwasprettydisappointedtoseeitwasVincentinthevisitingroominsteadofmymom.(Nooffense,
Vincent.)Helookedalittleshockedwhenhesawmyscabbed-overfaceandear."Ibroughtsomebooksforyou toread,"hesaid,pushingacoupleofpaperbacksacross the table."I
imagineitgetsabitboringinhere.""Yeah.Thanks.""IalsobroughtalongacoupleMoleskinenotebooks."Hetooktwoblack,shrink-wrappednotebooks
outofhisbagandsetthemonthetableliketheyweresacredtexts."TheyaremadeinItaly.VanGogh,Picasso,ErnestHemingway,BruceChatwindreworwroteinMoleskines.""Really?"IguessI'dbettertellyoualittlemoreaboutmyschool.It'saspecialschool.Infact,sospecialthatit
doesn'thaveanofficialname.It'ssimplyknownastheGreeneStreetSchool,orGSS,becausethat'sthestreetit'son.Thereareonehundredstudents,kindergartenthroughhighschool,fromalloverManhattan.Most of the kids are prodigies—meaning they play music, sing, dance, act, solve math problemscomputerscan'tsolve—andme...whocan'tdoanyofthesethings.Igotinbecauseofmystepfather,RolfYoung.He's on their advisoryboard anddoes all of their legalworkprobono,meaning for free.Theschoolis twoblocksfromourloft,andmytwinsistersgothere, too,butunlikeme,theydeservetobethere.Theyarebothpianowizards.Ittookthemayeartofigureoutmytalent,whichIthinktheymadeupsoRolfwouldcontinuetodostuff
forfree."Peak is ourwriter!" the headmistress declared one day, holding up an essay I'd scrawled out that
morningasIgulpeddownabowlofcerealbeforeleavingforschool.I would have preferred to be their climber, but GSS doesn't recognize sports as a worthy human
endeavor.Don'tgetmewrong,IlikeGSS.Thestudentsandteachersareaquirkybunchandwildlyentertaining.
I'veevenmanagedtolearnsomethingsthere.TheproblemisthatIdon'thaveanyfriendsattheschool.Thisisn'tanyone'sfault,really.Mymaininterestisclimbing.Theotherstudentsareinterestedinthingslikenumbertheory,whatkindofguttouseontheirviolinorcellobows,andpaintingtechniques.Anyway,thisishowIgothookedupwithVincent.Astheschool'sEnglishteacherhegotstuckwiththe
jobofmentoringtheallegedwriter.Heunwrappedoneof theMoleskinesandshowedmehowtherewasa littlepocket inback tostore
notesandhowtheelasticbandstretchedtomarkyourplaceorholdthenotebookclosed."Ibroughtyouapen,"hesaid."Buttheywouldnotletmegiveittoyou.Theywereafraidyouwould
writeonyourwallwithit."IthinktheywereprobablymoreafraidthatIwoulduseittostabsomebody(ormorelikelysomeone
wouldtakeitawayandstabmewithit)."IwillseewhatIcandoaboutgettingyousomethingtowritewith,"Vincentsaid.Healwaysspoke
slowly,enunciatingeachwordprecisely,andIhadneverheardhimuseacontraction."Someofthebestliteratureeverwrittenwascomposedinsideprisoncells."Ididn'tplanonbeingatJDClongenoughtocomposeanything."Whether you come back to school or not, you can still complete this year. I have talked to the
headmistress.FourotherauthorsandIwillevaluateyoubythewordsyouputinthenotebook."EvaluatemeantgraduateatGSS."IbroughtyoutwoMoleskinesincaseyouwritealongerpiece.Itmustbeastory—notadiary,ora
journal—withabeginning,middle,andadenouementattheendtotiethestorytogether.Thestorycanbebasedonyour life, someone else's life, or events completely fromyour imagination.Youonlyhave to
completeoneoftheMoleskinestofulfillyourrequirement,usingsomeofthewritingtechniquesIhavetaughtyouduringthepastyear.""I'mcomingbacktoschool,"Isaid.Hedidn'tlooklikehebelievedme."Regardless,"hesaid."Theassignmentwillremainthesame."
LATERTHATMORNINGIhadasecondvisitor.Awoman.Longbrownhair,paleblueeyes,olive-coloredskin,carryingagarmentbag.Shewasshort,butpowerfullybuilt,withgoodmuscletoneinherarms.Asidefromaslightstiffnessinherback(whichyou'dhavetoknowhertonotice),theonlyflawshehadwereherhands.Theywerescarredfromyearsofclimbing."SorryIcouldn'tgetoutheresooner,"Momsaid."Withthetwins,andtheattorneys,and—""That'sokay,"I interrupted.JDCwasat leastanhour-and-a-halfdrivefromourloft inManhattan.In
additiontoeverythingelse,Momworkedfull-timeatabookstoresheandafriendowned.Still,Iwouldhavelikedtohaveseenherbeforethis.ShewalkedovertowhereIwassittingandlookedatthescabsonmyface."Ugly,"shesaid."Thanks."Shestartedpacing."Howarethetwins?""Theyhaven'tstoppedcryingsinceyougotbusted."Iwinced.Itwasonethingtoupsetmymom,butIdidn'tlikeupsettingPatriceandPaula."Twopeasina
pod,"asMomandRolfcalledthem,or"Pea-Pea"asIcalledthem,whichalwaysmadethemgiggle.Theyweresixyearsoldandlookeduptothethird"Pea"(me)likeIwasagod."You'vereallydoneit this time,Peak.Sixskyscrapers!They'regoingtoeatyouupandspityouout.
Rolfhascashedineveryfavorhehasinthecity,butIdon'tthinkanyofitisgoingtowork.Hegotyourarraignmentdelayed,andtriedforaseconddelay..."(I had seenmymom agitated before, but I had never seen her like this. She was pacing the small
holdingcelllikeacagedleopard.)"...hopingthat thepublicitywoulddiedown,butafter lastnight that'salldownthe tube.Thedistrict
attorney,whoRolfwenttoschoolwith,andthejudgenixedthatidea—""Wait,"Isaid."Whathappenedlastnight?"Shestoppedpacingandglaredatmewithhermouthopenandhereyeswide."Youdidn'thear?"Ishookmyhead."AboyfellfromtheFlatironBuilding.He'sdead."Istaredather."Whatdoesthathave—""Todowithyou?"sheyelled."It'sbecauseofyou,Peak.Theboyhadallyournewsarticlespinnedup
inhisbedroom.Hehadacanofbluespraypaintinhispack.Hehadneverbeenclimbinginhisentirelife,whichexplainswhyheonlymade itupseventy-five feet.But the fallwasenough tokillhim,andenoughtokeepyouinjailforthenextthreeyears.""What?"Iwasonmyfeetnow."Unbelievable!"Sheletoutaharshlaugh."You'recirclingthedrain,Peak,andyoudon'tevenknowit."Circlingthedrain—atermfromourpastlivesoutWest.Ihadn'thearditinyears."Whatdoyoumean'threeyears'?""Andthreemonths,"shesaid."That'swhenyou'llbeeighteen."Istartedpacingnow.AllIdidwasclimbtheWoolworthBuilding.Ididn'tbragaboutitorpostitonthe
Internet. Itwasmylittlesecret.Mywayof ...Well, Ididn'tknowexactlywhyIhaddone it. I feltbadabouttheotherboy,butitwasn'tmyfault."DidyoutellDad?"Iasked,meaningmyrealdad,notRolf.Thiselicitedanotherharshlaugh."He'sinNepal.IlefthimamessagewithaSherpawhobarelyspokeawordofEnglish.I'mnoteven
surewhyIcalledhim.Desperation,Iguess."Shetookadeepbreath."Look,Ihavetogo.RolfandIaremeetingwiththeattorneys.""Attorneys?"IthoughtRolfwouldbemyattorney."Twoofthem.Rolfcan'trepresentyou.He'syourstepfather,conflictofinterest.""Doyouthink—"HerwholedemeanorchangedwhenshenoticedhowscaredIwas.Shesoftenedandherpaleblueeyes
filledwithtears."Ihopeso,Peak,"shesaidquietly."ButI'mnotoptimistic.Thecitywantstomakeanexampleoutof
you."Sheturnedawayandwipedhereyes,thenhandedmethegarmentbag."Thisisasuit.You'llhavetowear it tomorrow. And I talked to them downstairs. A barber is going to come in and cut your hairsometimethisafternoon."Isatdownheavilyinthechair."Buckup,"shesaidwithstrainedcheerfulness."Idon'tthinkhe'llbutcheryourhairtoobadly.You've
gottolooklikeyou're—""I'mnotworriedaboutmyhair!I'mworriedaboutthosethreeyears.I'malreadygoingcrazyinhere.I
can't—"Itallhitmeatonce:theclimb,thearrest,thekidfallingfromtheFlatiron....Ibrokedown.Mymomheldme.
CIRCLINGTHEDRAIN
ICOULDTIEABACHMAN,bowline,butterfly,figureeight,doublefisherman,andahalfdozenotherknotswithonehandinthedark,butIcouldn'tgetthetieknottedproperlyaroundmyneck.ThefewtimesI'dwornone,Rolfhaddonethehonors.Theguardassignedtoescortmetothecourtroomfinallycametomyrescue.Betweenus,wefigureditout,thenheledmeintothecourtroom.Sittingatatabletotheleftofthebenchweretheprosecutingattorneys(amanandawoman)shuffling
papers,barelylookingupatthepersonwhoselifetheywereabouttoruin.Atthetabletotherightweremyattorneys(anothermanandawoman).Theytoowereshufflingpapers,
but they stopped when the guard passed me off to them, smiling, shaking my hand, introducingthemselves....I didn't quite catch their names. Iwas too busy staring at the five people sitting behind them.Rolf,
lookingdapperandprofessionalwithaperfectlyknottedtie.NexttohimwerePatriceandPaula.Theywerealittleteary-eyed,butexcitedtoseeme,wearingtheirfavoritedresses.(Matchingofcourse.)TheywavedandtriedtostiflegiggleswhenImouthed"Pea-Pea"atthem.(Don'tgetmewrong:Iwasn'tinajokingmoodatthatmoment,butIfeltthetwinscoulduseaboost.Theyhadbeenthroughenoughthepastfewdays.)Nexttothetwinswasmymom,lookingworried,butdistinctlymorerelaxedthanshehadbeenatJDC
thedaybefore.Maybethiswasbecauseoftheguysittingnexttoher.(AlthoughIdoubtedit.)HisnamewasJoshuaWood—arguablythegreatestmountaineerintheworld.Hewasalsomyfather.Ihadn'tseenhiminsevenyearsandhelookedaboutascomfortableinhissuitasIfeltinmine.Hehad
shavedhis trademarkbeard. (Recently,by the looksof it.)Theskinbeneathwaspalecompared to theupperpartofhishandsomeface,whichwaswindburnedandsunburned.Hislipswerechappedandhisnose was peeling, giving him the overall look of someone who had just been dug out from under anavalanche.His eyeswere the samepaleblueasmymother's.Hegavemeanodanda smile,which Iwas too
stunnedtoreturn."Allrise,"thebailiffsaid,startlingmeoutofmystupor.Oneoftheattorneysturnedmearoundandgavemeadazzlingsmile.Iexpectedhertosay,"Lovethe
tie."Butwhatshesaidinsteadwas,"Don'tsayonewordunlessItellyouto.Actremorseful."Shewasobviouslymyleadattorney.IthoughthernamewasTraci.The judge—atough-lookingguywithawhitecrewcut—tookhisseatbehind thebenchandmadeus
standforafewsecondsmorebeforenoddingatthebailiff."Beseated,"thebailiffsaidwithaslightquiverinhisvoice.Mymomwasright:Thejudgewasgoingtoeatmeupandspitmeout.Heputonapairofglassesand
went over some notes, then started reading the charges aloud. "Criminal trespass, vandalism, recklessendangerment..."Itwentonandon.Finallyreachingtheendofthelist,hepushedhisglassestotheendofhisnoseandlookedoverthetop
ofthemdirectlyatme."Howdoyouplead?"Tracipulledmetomyfeetandwhisperedtheanswerinmyear.Iwasn'tsureIhadheardherright.She
whispereditagainwiththesamesmileplasteredonherfacefrombefore.Itookadeepbreath."Notguilty,"Isaid."Toallcharges?"thejudgeaskedincredulously."That'sright,YourHonor,"Tracianswered,hersmileunwavering.
"You'vegottabekiddingme.ThestatehasvideotapeofhimclimbingtheWoolworthBuilding.Therewere twenty-three cops on the roof that saw him being pulled over the railing.He signed a statementattestingtothefacts.""Duress,"Tracisaid."Hewasexhausted,injured,andhalffrozenatthetime.""Oh please. This kid has received absolutely every consideration the system can offer, including
delayingthisarraignment.Now,what'sthisallabout?""Wewanttogototrial,"Tracianswered.Thearteriesinthejudge'snecklookedliketheywereabouttoburst.Heglaredoverattheprosecutors'
table."Doyoutwoknowanythingaboutthis?"Theprosecutorsshooktheirheads,vigorously."Perhapsweshouldretiretoyourchambers,"oneofthemsuggested."Yes,"Traciagreedcheerfully."The fourofyoucrammed intomyoffice," the judgesaid. "Forget it.There'snooneherebut..."He
noticedPatriceandPaulasittingbetweenmymomandRolf."Oh,"hesaid,thenlookedoverattheguardwhohadbroughtmedownintheelevator."Doyouthinkyoucantaketheseyoungladiesoutandfindthemsomeicecream?""Whatabouttheprisoner?"theguardasked."Ithinkhe'llhangaroundforthis."Helookedatthetwins."Doyoulikeicecream?""Chocolate,"Paulasaid."Vanilla,"Patricesaid."Ithinkthatcanbearranged.""Doyouwantustobringyoubacksome,Peak?"Paulaasked."Ibettheyhavestrawberry,"Patricesaid(myfavorite),butitsoundedlike"awe-berry"becauseshe
hadrecentlylostherfrontteeth."Nah,"Isaid."Ihadabigbowlforbreakfast.""Youdidnot!"theysaidinunison,giggling,astheguardtookthemout.The judge waited for the door to swing completely closed before continuing the proceedings. He
noddedatthecourtreporter."We'reofftherecord."Sheturnedoffherrecorderandstoppedtyping."It'sjustusnow,"thejudgecontinued,lookingatTraci."YouknowaswellasIdothatwedon'twantto
gototrialwiththis.It'sturnedintoamediacircus.Aboywaskilledtwodaysago.I'msureyouandPeakandhisparentsdon'twantthattohappenagain.""Ofcoursenot,"Tracisaid."ButbythesametokenIcan'tletmyclientbeunfairlyincarceratedbecause
themediaisoutofcontrol.Thiswholethinghasnotbeenhandledwellbythepolicedepartmentorthemayor'soffice."Thejudgelookedatherforamoment,thenlookedoverattheprosecutors."Shemakesagoodpoint.
Whatdoyouthink?"The older of the two prosecutors (the woman) stood. "Prior to the arraignment we offered a plea
bargain of two years with six months off for good behavior. Eighteen months is a pretty good dealconsideringthecharges."Notifyou'reservingit,Ithought.Butitwasbetterthanthreeyears.Tracipickedupasheetofpaper
fromthetable."Inthelastfiveyears,fifteenadultshavebeenarrestedforclimbingskyscrapersinNewYorkCity.The
longestsentencehasbeensixmonths,andseveraloftheseclimbersservednotimeatall."Shelookedattheprosecutor."Wecanbeatthisincourt.We'regoingtotrial."Theprosecutorgaveherasourlook.Ifeltthedrainbeingplugged,butitwasn'twatertightyet.
"What'syourbottomline?"thejudgeasked."Afinewithprobation,"Tracianswered."Andnotimeserved.""Forgetit,"thejudgesaidgruffly."WhatifwecouldarrangeforPeaktoleaveNewYorktoday?"Traciasked."Outofsight,outofmind,
outofthenewspaper.Nointerviews.Thestorydiesbecausethestoryisgone.Poof!"Thejudgealmostsmiled."Adisappearingact,huh?Explain.""Peak'sbiologicalfatherhasofferedtotakecustodyofhim."IwhippedaroundsofastIhurtmyneck.Myfatherhadgottentohisfeet."Itakeityou'rethefather?""Yes,sir.JoshuaWood.""Theclimber?""Yes,sir."ThejudgeglancedatRolfandMom,thenlookedbackatJoshua."Mr.Wood,howmuchtimehaveyou
spentwithyoursonlately?""Notmuchthepastfewyears,"headmitted.Notanyforthelastsevenyearstobeexact,Ithought."WhenTeriandRolfgotmarried,"hecontinued,"wedecideditwouldbebestforPeakifIkeptalow
profile."ThiswasthefirsttimeI'dheardofthis.Infact,Iwasn'tsuremyfatherknewthatRolfandmymother
hadmarrieduntilhe stepped into thecourtroom.Maybe shehad senthimapostcardor something.Hecertainlyhadn'tbeeninvitedtothewedding."Whydoyouwanttodothis?"thejudgeasked."Peakismyson.It'stimeIsteppedforwardandtooksomeresponsibility."IlookedatmymotherandRolf.Theywerebothstaringstraightahead,expressionless."Whatdoyouthink?"thejudgeasked.TracielbowedmeinthesideandIturnedbackaround."Me?"Thejudgenodded."Uh...thatwouldbegreat...uh...YourHonor."Thejudgeturnedhisattentionbacktomyfather."Doyouhavethewherewithaltosupportandraisea
fourteen-year-oldboy?""We'vepreparedacompletefinancialstatement,"Tracisaid.Shegrabbedasheafofpapersfromthe
deskandtookituptothebench.Thejudgeflippedthroughthepages."Asyoucansee,Mr.Woodisaverysuccessfulbusinessman.""On paper," the judge said begrudgingly. He looked at my father again. "Where do you live, Mr.
Wood?""ChiangMai,"myfatheranswered."Whatstate'sthatin?""It'sinThailand."Thiswasfollowedbyaverylongsilence,andIfeltthedrainplugloosen."WhataboutPeak'sschooling?"thejudgefinallyasked."There'sanInternationalSchoollessthanfivemilesfrommyhouse,"myfatheranswered."I'vealready
enrolledhim.He'llbegininAugust.""PeakiscurrentlyattendingtheGreeneStreetSchool,"Tracisaid."Heonlyhasonerequirementleftto
completethisyear.ItshouldbeeasilyaccomplishedinThailand."
"TheGreeneStreetSchool?"Thejudgesmiledforthefirsttime."ItjustsohappensthatIwenttoGSSwhenIwasakid."Ididn'tknowtheyhadlegalprodigies.Thejudgewavedtheprosecutoruptothebench,wheretheyhadalongwhisperedconversation.When
itwasoverhelookedatallofusonebyone."Allright,"hesaid."Thisiswhatwe'regoingtodo.Peak,youareonprobationuntilyoureachtheage
ofeighteen.If,duringthattime,youbreakalawinthestateofNewYork,thusviolatingyourprobation,youwillimmediatelyserveouttherestofyourtimeinajuveniledetentionfacility.Doyouunderstand?""Yes.""Furthermore,thecourtfinesyouonehundredfiftythousanddollars..."Myshockmusthaveshown,becausethejudgeputuphishandformetocalmdown."Themoneywillbeheldinescrowbythestateandreturnedifyoufulfillthetermsofyourprobation."
Helookedoveratmythreeparents."Iassumeyoucanscrapethemoneytogether.""Noproblem,YourHonor,"myfathersaid.MomandRolfconcurred."IfI'mgoingtocutPeakloose,wehavetomakethislookgood,"thejudgecontinued."I'mputtingagag
order on all of you. You are not to discuss any aspect of this case with the media or anyone else.Especiallytherefundablefine.WewanttodiscouragepeoplefromcopyingPeak'sidioticstunt.Inotherwords,wewantthistogoaway."HelookedatTraciandme."Poof!"hesaid.
THETWINS
THEJUDGETOLDUStherewasaswarmofreporterswaitinginfrontofJDCandwewouldhavetoleavethebackway.Myfatherwasthefirsttogo.Hesaidhehadsomeerrandstorunandhewouldmeetmeattheairport.
ItoccurredtomethatIshouldthankhim,butbythen,hewashalfwaydownthehallway,tearingthetieoffhisnecklikeitwasananaconda.IguessedIwouldhaveplentyoftimetothankhimlater,sinceweweregoingtobespendingthenextthreeyearstogether.Momgavememypassport anda smallbackpack stuffedwithclothes.Rolfhadgoneoff to find the
twins."Areyoucomingtotheairport?"Iasked,stillfeelingalittlenumb."Ofcourse,"shesaid."Butwemaynothavetimetowaitforyourflighttoleave.Rolfhasatrial."Iflippedthroughthepagesofthepassport."So,youknewIwasleaving?""Notreally,"sheanswered."Joshgotinlateyesterday,andwespentthewholenighttryingtoputthis
together.""Areyouokaywiththis?""Idon'tknow,"shesaid."Itwouldhavebeennicetoplanitoutabitmore,butJoshhastogetback.It's
probably justaswell. I think the thing that tipped it for the judgewas the fact thatyouwouldbegonetoday.""Poof,"Isaid.Shesmiled."Andwecangetyoubackasfastasyoudisappeared."Shepulledoutacreditcardandan
internationalcallingcardfromherpurseandgavethemtome."Ifthingsgosour,oryoujustwanttocomehome,usethese."IslippedthecardsintothepocketofoneoftheMoleskinesinmybackpack."Onceyougetthere,we'llshipwhateverclothesyouwant.""Howlong?"Iasked."That'suptoyou,Iguess.Ifyoumakeittotheendofsummer,we'llreevaluate.Butifyouwanttocome
back sooner all youhave to do is call.The judge didn't put any restrictions onwhenyou could comeback.""WhataboutDad?"Iasked."Imean—""Iknowexactlywhatyoumean,"shesaid."Joshseemstohavemellowedsincethelasttimewesaw
him.He traveleda longway tohelp. I can't tell youhowshocked Iwaswhenhe stepped intoTraci'soffice.Atthatpointwewereabsolutelydesperate.ThebestTracithoughtshecoulddowasgetareducedsentence. Josh listened to the situation, then proceeded to outline exactly what happened today in thecourtroom.Whenyou'reattheendofyourropethere'snoonebetterthanJoshuaWood.Unfortunately,hedoesn't pay much attention until you're dangling." She laughed. "Rolf and Traci said he should havebecomeanattorneyinsteadofamountainclimber.""I'dbettergotalktothetwins,"Isaid.
ASSOONASROLFandMomleftusalone,PatriceandPaulaburstintotears."Who'sgoingtowalkustoschool?""Who'sgoingtowalkushome?""Who'sgoingtoplaywithusatthepark?""Whataboutourbirthday?""Whydidyouhavetoclimbthatstupidbuilding,anyway?"
ItwaseasytobecomeconfusedaroundthetwoPeas.Theyhadamysteriouswayoflookingatthings.Theyalsotendedtofinisheachother'ssentencesasiftheysharedthesamebrain.IguessIshouldexplainourrelationship.Theywerebornonmyeighthbirthday,whichatfirstdidnot
gooververywellwithme.Youdon'twanttospendyoureighthbirthdayinaloftwithababysitterwhileyourmother andnervous stepfather are at thehospitalhaving twins.From thenonyour special day isgoingtobethetwins'specialday,too.Ittookmeagoodtwoyears,butthetwinsfinallywonmeover.Theywerebrilliant,hilariouslittlePeasandworshippedthegroundIwalkedon(whichreallyhelped).Theyhadafull-timenannyforthefirstfewyears,butIstartedspendingsomuchtimewiththem,MomandRolflethergo.PaulaandPatricewereprobablythebestbirthdaypresentsIcouldhaveevergotten.Andfor thefirst timesinceI'dgottenbusted,I reallyregrettedclimbingthatstupidskyscraper.What
wasIgoingtodowithoutthetwoPeas?"Wereadthatyourdaddyisnotthesameasourdaddy."Patricesniffled.Icringed.Anotherterribleresultfromthemoronclimbingtheskyscraper.WehadnevertoldthemthatIwastheirhalfbrother.RolfandMomthoughtitwouldjustconfusethem.
(Theyalwaysunderestimatedthetwins.)ButIhadn'twantedthemtolearnaboutitfromthenewspaper.Ithadn'ttakenthereporterslongtofigureoutSpiderBoywasJoshuaWood'sson."We'rehalfsisters,"Patricesaid.Paula shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I already explained that to you.One half plus one half
equalsone.That'sawhole.Togetherwearehiswholesister.""That'sright,"Patricesaid."Iforgot."(Itoldyoutheyhadamysteriouswayoflookingatthings.)"Wealwayswonderedwhyyourlastnamewasdifferentfromourlastname,"Paulasaid."Ithoughtit
wasbecauseweweretwinsandyouweren't.Somekindofnamerule."WhenMom and Rolf got married I keptMom's maiden name,Marcello. Rolf offered to adopt me
legally,butIpassed.Ilikedmylastnameanddidn'twanttochangeit.AndIdidn'tlikeRolfallthatmuch.(Therewasnothingthematterwithhim,really.It'sjustthathewasn'tmyrealfather.Moreonthatlater.)"You'regoingtoThailand,"Patricesaid."Wheretheymakethese."Shepulledonmynecktie."Notquite,"Isaid."ThailandisacountryinSoutheastAsia,justsouthofChina.""Whenwillyoucomeback?"Paulaasked."I'mnotsure,"Isaid."Willyoubehereforourbirthday?""Birthdays,"Patricecorrected."Willyou?""Ihopeso,"Isaid."ButitcostsalotofmoneytoflyfromThailandtoNewYork.""Wehavemoney.""Sixty-fourdollarsandthirty-fivecents."Paulashookherhead."Sixty-fourdollarsandforty-sevencents.""Isthatenough?""Maybe,"Isaid."Look,I'mgoingtomissyou,andIwantyoutowritemealotofletters.""Wepromise,"theysaidinunison.MomandRolfcamebackintotheroom."We'dbettergetgoing,"Rolfsaid.
ROLFPULLEDUPtothedeparturecurbattheairportandweallgotout.Momstartedcrying,andwhenthetwinssawhercrying,theystartedcrying.Igavethemagrouphug.AsIheldthemIglancedatRolf.Hewasstandingofftotheside,awkwardly
asusual, and I realized that Iwasgoing tomisshim, too. Igentlyuntangledmyself from thegirls andwalkedovertohim."I'msorryaboutallthetrouble,"Isaid.Rolfputhishandonmyshoulderandsmiled."It'sgoingtobeprettyboringwithoutyouaround.Take
careofyourselfanddon'thesitatetousethosecards."HelookedatMomandthetwins,andforthefirsttimeeverIsawtearsinhiseyes."We'regoingtomissyou."
ROCKRATS
MYDADWASN'TattheairlinecounterwhenIgottotheairport.Ourflightwasn'tscheduledtotakeoffforanotherthreehours,soIwasn'tworried...yet.Iwent into the restroomanddiscoveredMomhad filledmypackwithall theclothesshe liked (not
necessarilymyfavorites),buttheywerebetterthanthesuit,whichIstuffedintoagarbagecan.Itwastoosmallforme,anyway.Twohours and fifty-fiveminutes togo.Waiting at an airportmight be theworst ...well, except for
waitinginjail.Iboughtanevil-lookinghotdogandwolfeditdownwithaflatsoda.Twohoursandfifty-threeminutes.IwentthroughmypackandfoundthetwoMoleskines,andIthoughtaboutstartingmyassignment.AllI
hadtodowasfilloneofthem,butatthatpointIhadnoideawhatIwasgoingtowriteabout.Ifoundanautomaticpencil inanairportstore,butwhenIsatdownandpulledthewrappingoff, the
erasershotoffintospace,andIcouldn'tfindit.Iwrote:Moleskine#1onthefirstpage,thenputthepencilandtheMoleskineaway.Discouraging.Twohoursandthirty-sevenminutes.AsIsattherewatchingeveryonecomingandgoing,itfinallydawnedonmethatIwasfree,andthisgot
methinkingaboutwhathadleduptothis—andIdon'tmeanclimbingskyscrapers,orgettingarrested,orthetrial.Imeanwayback.BackbeforeIwasborn...
IWASCONCEIVEDinatwo-mantentundertheshadowofElCapitaninYosemiteNationalPark.Atleastthat'swhenmymomthinksithappened.Myparentsweretwenty-fouryearsoldatthetime.Thedaybeforethetent,theyhadreachedthesummit
ofElCapalongtheIronHawkrouteintherecordtimeofthirty-twohoursandforty-threeminutes.Andthis was not the only climbing record they had broken that year: HallucinogenWall, BodyWax, theFlingusCling,anddozensofotherrecordshadfallentotheclimbingteamofTeriMarcelloandJoshuaWood.Climbingmagazinesandequipmentcompanieshadstartedtopayattentiontothem...andtopaythem
money.Therustyoldvantheyhadlivedinforthreeyearswasditchedforabrand-newfour-wheel-drivetruckcamper.Nomoretempjobstoscrapetogethermoneyforgasandfood,nomoremoochingofftheweekendclimbers.TheyboughtapieceofpropertyinWyomingandbuiltalogcabininfrontofaninety-footverticalwall,perfectforconditioningclimbs.Therockratswereontheirwayup.I'd seenphotosof themback then.My father looked like abodybuilder, buthewas as flexible as a
gymnast.Myfavoritephotoofhimwastheonewherehewasstandingonahighledgetouchinghiskneeswithhisnose.Mymotherwas a foot shorter thanmy father. Shewas lean,with dreadlocks tickling her powerful
shoulders, muscles in her arms and legs like knotted ropes, and abs like speed bumps. She wasbulletproof.Butshewasnotbabyproof.TwomonthsafterElCapshetoldmyfathershewaspregnant.Ihavenoideawhathisreactionwas,but
Idoubthejumpedupanddownforjoywhenhegotthegoodnews.Itwasadifficultpregnancy.Therewerecomplications.Shewastoldtostayinbedorshewouldlose
me.She did, butmy fatherwas on themove, teaching seminars, endorsing equipment, and climbing—
shatteringrecordsonMountKilimanjaro,MountMcKinley,andAnnapurna,whichiswherehewasthenightIwasborn.HecalledherfromBaseCamponasatellitephoneafterreachingthesummit."Whatdoyouwanttonamehim?"Momasked."Peak.""Pete?""No,Peak.P-E-A-K.Like'mountainpeak.'"Hedidn'tlayeyesonmeuntilIwasthreemonthsold,andthat'swhenmymotherhadheraccidentinthe
backyard.Iwasthere,strappedintoacarseatatthebaseofthewall(andatthatage,probablystaringattheprairiedogspoppingoutoftheirholes,onlydimlyawarethatIhadparentsatall).Theywerethirtyfeetupthewall,free-climbing.Forrockratslikethem,thiswaslikestrollingacrossa
levelparkinglot.Momreachedupandgrabbedahandfulofrottenrock.Itwasstillclutchedinherhandwhenmydadgotdowntoher,whichwasprobablyfivesecondsaftershehittheground.Thirtyfeet.Shatteredhip.Brokenback.My dad canceled all his seminars, climbs, everything, staying right at her side through the whole
orthopedicjigsawpuzzle.Ittooknearlyayeartoputherbacktogether.Wheelchair,crutches,andfinally,whenshewasabletohobblearoundwithacane,Dadleftagain,showingupacoupletimesayearforadayortwoatatime.IttookMomtwomoreyearsofphysicaltherapytoditchthecane,butsheneverclimbedagain.DadtookmeclimbingforthefirsttimewhenIwasfiveyearsold.(Wetriedtokeepitasecret,butthe
flyrodsandfishinggeardidn'tfoolMomforoneminute.)Onlyfourmoreclimbswithhimoverthenexttwoyears,but inbetweenImadehundredsofsoloascentson thewall inbackof thecabinwithMommanningthebelayrope,shoutinginstructionsuptome.Then Rolf showed up on our doorstep. The NewYork lawyer in shining armor. He andMom had
actuallygrownuptogetherinNebraska.Neighbors.Rolfhadbeensmittenwithhersincetheywereeightyearsold.Afterhighschool,Momhittheroadtoclimbrocks.RolfwenttoHarvardtostudylaw.Hearrivedatthecabinatnightinthemiddleofablizzard.Weweresittinginfrontofthewoodstove
reading. (Wedidn'thavea televisionback then.)Therewasaknockon thedoor (actuallymore likeadesperatebanging),joltingbothofusfromourbooks.Ourcabinwassixteenmilesfromthenearesttown.People didn't drop by at ten o'clock at night (except for Dad, who never announced his arrivals andwouldn'tthinkaboutknocking).MomopenedthefrontdoorandtherestoodRolf,althoughshedidn'trecognizehimatfirst.Hewasn't
dressedforaWyomingwinter.Hehadonalightjacket,khakipants,andtennisshoes.Hewastryingtocontrolit,buthisteethwerechattering.Therewasaquiverinhisvoice,whichcouldhavebeenfromthecold,butIthinkitwasmorefromfear.Ithadbeenovertenyearssincehehadseenmymother."Hi,Teri,"hesaid."Rolf?""Yeah...uh...myrentalcarkindofslidofftheroadamilebackorso.Iwouldhavecalled,butyou're
notlisted.""Weuseacellphoneouthere.It'sjusteasi—Well,nevermindthat..."Shepulledhiminsideandmade
himacupofhotchocolate,thengavehimsomeofmydad'sclothes,whichweretoobigforhim.Iwenttobed,soIdon'tknowwhathappenedthatfirstnight,buthebecamearegularguestatthecabin
forthenextseveralmonths,flyinginforlongweekendswheneverhecould.RolfmademymomlaughandIlikedhimforthat,butasidefromthatwedidn'thavemuchincommon.IguessIresentedhimforhorninginonthesimplelifewehadmadeinthewilderness.HetookustoNewYork,whichwasinteresting,butnoisyandconfusingcomparedtotheprairie.Atthe
endofourtwo-weekstay,theysatmedowninRolf'skitchenandtoldmetheyweregoingtogetmarried.
"Okay,"Isaid,notreallyknowingwhatthatmeantatthetime.IlaterlearnedthatitmeantweweresellingthecabininWyomingandmovingtotheloftinNewYork.
Itmeantthatmyrealdadwouldnolongerbepoppinginforvisits.ItmeanttheGreeneStreetSchool.ItmeantthattheclosestIwasgoingtogettoarockwallforthenextfewyearswasthefifteen-footerattheYMCAdownthestreet,whichIcouldhaveclimbedbackwardwithoutprotectioniftheguysmanningtheropeswouldhaveallowedit.NoneofthishelpedtosweetenmyrelationshipwithRolf.The twins saved me. And it also helped that my mom let me subscribe to a half dozen climbing
magazines.In thebackofoneof thosemagazinesIdiscoveredsummerclimbingcamps.It tooka lotofsulkingtogethertoletmegotooneofthem.Whatcincheditintheendwasthatsheknewtheclimbinginstructor.Aformerrockratgonelegit.Afterthis,aslongasIdidwellinschool,sheletmesignupformorecamps.Thenthe timelagbetween theclimbsbecameaproblem.Istartedeyeingskyscrapers, tellingmyself
thatIwouldjustplantherouteupbutnotclimbit.Right.Togetuparockwallyoustudytheoutside,tryingtopickthebestfootholdsandhandholds,guessing
whereyou'regoingtoencounterproblemssoyouhavetherightequipmentwithyoutogetaroundthem.Toclimbaskyscraperyouhavetoknowtheinsideaswellastheoutside.(WhichiswhereIscrewed
uponmy last climb.)Youdon'twant to be dangling outside of awindowwhen someone is at a deskworkingorvacuumingthefloor.Youalsohavetoplanyourexits.Minewereprettysimple.Iusedtheelevators.Rooftopshavedoors.Lateonthedayoftheclimb,whilethebuildingwasstillopen,I'dgouptothe
roofandputapieceofducttapeoverthelatch.AfterIclimbedtothetopI'dslipintothestairwellandspendthenight.Inthemorning,whenthebuildingstartedtofillupwithworkers,I'dwalkdownafewfloors,getonanelevator,punchthelobbybutton,andwalkoutasifIhadjustfinishedanearlydentistordoctor'sappointment,gettinghomebeforeMom,Rolf,orthetwinsknewIwasgone.Iguessmyplandidn'tquiteworkoutintheWoolworthBuilding.
BANGKOK
ONEHOURANDFORTY-THREEMINUTES.Andstillnosignofmyfather.IhadmadeonetripoutofthecountrywithRolf,Mom,andthetwins(London,twosummersago)and
knewthatyouhadtocheckinearlyforinternationalflights.Wherewashe?Whatkindoferrandswasherunning?Whatifhedidn'tshow?(Andalltheotherboring
questionsthatrunthroughyourmindwhenyou'rewaiting.)Iwalkedovertotheflightinformationmonitor,thinkingthatmaybeourflightwasdelayed.ONTIME,it
read.AbovethemonitorwasaregularTV.Iglancedatit,andwasgoingtoturnawayuntiltheanchorsaid:
"The state ofNewYork has reached a plea agreementwith PeakMarcello, the boywho climbed theWoolworthBuildingearlylastweek.Hewassentencedtothreeyearsofprobationandfinedawhoppingonehundredfiftythousanddollars!ThisisthesteepestpenaltyevergivenforcriminaltrespassinNewYork'shistory..."Thecameracuttoashotofthemayorgettingintothebackofablacklimo.Heturnedtothereporter
andsaid:"Thisshouldputanendtopeopleclimbingskyscrapers in thecityofNewYork.This illegalactivitywillnolongerbetoleratedunderanycircumstances.""PeakMarcelloandhisfamilywereunavailableforcomment,"saidthereporter,"anditisbelievedthe
boyhasleftthestateofNewYorkforanundisclosedlocation."Notyet,Ithought,turningaway,gratefultheyhadn'trunaphotoofme."Peak!"Finally.Myfatherwaspushingahugecartwithamountainofgearpiledonit.Itrottedover."Giveme
ahand."Ihelpedhimpushthecartuptothecounter."Whatisallthisstuff?""I don't get toNewYork very often and thought I should stock up on some supplies.Giveme your
passport."Heput it downon the counter alongwithhis ownbatteredpassport,which looked like it hadbeen
throughthewashacoupletimes."You'recuttingitalittleclose,Mr.Wood,"theattendantsaid."Iknow,"myfathersaid."Familyemergency."Theattendantpointedatthecart."Thisexceedsyourbaggagelimit."Myfathertookacreditcardoutofhispocket."Justputitonthis."Bythetimewehadeverythingcheckedwehadonlyminutestocatchtheflight.Wewerethelastones
downtheJetway."Icouldn'tgetusseatstogether,"hesaidaswesteppedontotheairplane."Butatleastwe'rebothin
businessclass."Hepointedoutmyseat,thentookhisown,whichwasthreerowsbehindme,andthat'sthelasttimeItalkedtohimforthirteenhours.Wehadathree-hourlayoverat theNaritaairportnearTokyo,butIdidn'tgetachancetotalktohim
there,either,becausehespenttheentiretimeonhiscellphonespeakinginwhatsoundedlikeChinese,butit could havebeenThai orNepalese, as far as I knew.Hewas still jabberingon the phonewhenweboardedtheplaneforBangkok,whereIwasdisappointedagaintoseethatwewereinseparaterows.Anothersixhourspassed.OnthewaytocustomsinBangkok,Ifinallycaughthimbetweencalls."I'mreallysorryaboutallthis,DadyouhavingtocomeallthewaytotheStates,themoney,beingstuck
withme—"
"Whoa,"hesaid,holdinguphiscallousedclimbinghand."First,youdon'thavetocallmeDad.Idon'tdeserve the title. For the time being, let's pretend I'm your big brother. Just callme Josh like allmyfriendsdo.Second,don'tworryaboutthemoney.Rolfandyourmomputabigchunkofchangein.I'llgetmyportionback.And finally, I'mnot stuckwithyou. I couldn'tbehappier tohaveyouwithme. I justhaven'thadmuchtimetoshowitbecauseI'mtryingtoputsomethingtogether.""What?"Iasked."Asurprise,butinthemeantime,noworries."Wecontinueddown towardcustoms,where therewasanother littleproblem. Ididn'thaveavisa to
enterThailand.[[strikeout]]MyfatherJoshtookmypassportanddisappearedintoaroomwithacouplecustomsofficersandcamebackouttenminuteslater."We'reintheclear,"hesaid,hurryingthroughtheairporttowardtheterminal,bypassingbaggageclaim."Whataboutyourgear?""We'llgetittomorrow.Noworries."Outsideweclimbedintothebackofacab."We'renotgoingtoChiangMai?""Notyet.We'llgetthereeventually."It was well after midnight, but Bangkok was wide awake. The cabbie crazily swerved between
bicycles,motorcycles,andcarsfortwentyminutes,finallycomingtoastopinfrontofahotel.Joshpaidthedriverandwewalkedintothelobby,wheretheconciergebeamedatus."Mr.Wood,Ihaveyourroomsallready."Hehandedeachofusakey."Okay," Josh said as we got into the elevator, "I have some more errands to do tomorrow. In the
morning I'llhaveadriverwaiting foryou in the lobby.Nineo'clock.He'll takeyou to theclinic foraphysical.""Physical?""Yeah...Uh...animmigrationformality,andIwantthemtocheckyourfaceandear."Hetookmyhands
andlookedatmydamagedfingers."We'llneedtogetthosefixed,too.Anyway,I'llcomebytheclinicandpickyouupwhenyou'refinished,andwe'llbeonourway.IfI'mlate,justwaitformethere.Trytogetsomesleep.Idon'twantyoutoflunkthephysicalbecauseyou'retired."
WHENIWOKEUPIdidn'tevenknowwhatdayitwas.Couldn'trememberifyoulostadayorgainedadayinThailand.Iatebreakfast,wentforawalk,andgotbacktothehotelandwaitedformydriver.TheclinicturnedouttobeahugehospitalandittookawhileformeandthedrivertofindDr.Woo's
office.Hewasexpectingme.Infact,itturnedoutIwastheonlypatienthehadthatday.I'dhadphysicalsbefore,butnothinglikethis.Dr.Wooandhisnursedidn'tspeakEnglish,sotheyhad
to pantomimeme through the battery of tests. IwasX-rayed,CAT-scanned, and jabbedwith countlessneedles.Theyputmeontreadmillsandstationarybicycleswithsomanyleadsattachedtomybodyandtubesjammedinmymouth,Iwouldn'thavebeenabletoaskthemwhattheyweredoingevenifIspokeThai.Theymusthavedrawnaquartofbloodover thecourseof theday.Theycheckedmyeyes,ears,mouth, and other holes I don't evenwant to think about.They took the stitches out ofmy ear.Anotherdoctor came in and looked atmy feet, knees, shoulders, hips, elbows, wrists, and finallymy fingers,whichhe put some salve on andbandaged, thengaveme instructions onhow to do itmyself,which Ibarely understood.By the time they finishedwithme, itwas late afternoon, and Iwas so exhausted Iwantedtocheckmyselfintothehospitalasapatient.ThenurseledmetothewaitingroomandIpromptlyfellasleeponanuncomfortablechair.Andthat's
whereJoshwokemesometimeafterdark.Apparently,hehadbeenthereforawhiletalkingtoDr.Woo
becausehehadathickfileinhishand,whichIassumedwereDr.Woo'sfindings."AmIgoingtolive?"Iaskedgroggily."Noworries,"Joshsaid."I'mnotsurprisedyou'reinsuchgreatshapewithmyandyourmother'sgenes.
Let'sgo;wehaveanairplanetocatch."IwaslookingforwardtoChiangMai,whereIcouldfinallygetsomerest.Hisgearwaswaitingforhimoutsidetheairport,guardedbyaporterthesizeofasumowrestler.He
paidtheporter,wheeledthecarttothecounter,andsaid,"We'rebookedontheflighttoKathmandu."Iwasn'tsureIhadheardhimright."DidyousayKathmandu?""Right.""IthoughtweweregoingtoChiangMai.""Wewill,"hesaidashetransferredgeartotheconveyorbelt."Butwehaveastoptomakefirst."HemusthaveboughtthegearforsomeoneinKathmandu."Actually,acoupleofstops,"headdedashethrewonthelastbox."Where'sthesecondstop?"Iasked."Everest,"hesaid.Istaredathim.Foraclimber,sayingthatyouarestoppingbyEverestislikesayingyou'regoingtostop
byandseeGod.Joshwasgrinningatme."Ididn'twanttotellyouuntilIhaditallworkedout.Yourphysicalwasthe
lasthurdle,thatandtheChinesevisa.""KathmanduisinNepal,"Ipointedout."Right,"Joshsaid."Butwe'renotgoingup thesouthside inNepal.We'regoingup thenorthside in
Tibet.YouhavetobesixteentogetapermittogouptheNepaleseside.TheChinesearen'tquitesopicky.Theydon'tcarehowoldyouareaslongasyoupaythefee.Andthentherearethetwenty-fiveclientsIhavewaitingat—""I'mclimbingEverest?"Iasked,morestunnedthanI'veeverbeeninmylife."I don't know if you'llmake the summit," he said. "But ifwe get you up there before your fifteenth
birthdayyou'llbe theyoungestperson in theworldever tostandabove twenty-nine thousandfeet."Hepickeduptheticketsandstartedtowardthegate.Ifollowedhimnumbly.Hedidn'thavetoaskifIwantedtogo.Everyclimberintheworldwantsto
summitEverest,oratleastgiveitatry.OntheairplaneJoshwavedmeintothewindowseatandsatdownintheseatnexttomine.Theplane
backedawayfromtheJetway."DoesMomknowaboutthis?"Iasked."Uh...no,butI'llgiveheracall.Noworries."
THESUMMITHOTEL
WHENTHEMESSAGEaboutmyarrestreachedJoshhehadbeeninTibetonhiswaytoBaseCamponthenorthsideofEverest.Withhimweretwenty-fiveclients,fifteenSherpas,andaboutfiftyportersandtheiryaks.Twelveof theclientswere tryingfor thesummit, theother thirteenhadsignedupforoneof thefour
lowercampsalongthenorthernroute.Thehigheryouclimbed,themoreitcost."I caught a truck heading back to Kathmandu and sent the others on to Base Camp," he explained.
"That'swhyI'vebeenrushingaround.Idon'twanttolosemyacclimatization,andIneedtogetbacktomyclients.Theyweren'ttoohappyaboutmeabandoningthemonthewaytothemountain.""Thanksagainforbailingmeout,"Isaid."Forget it,"hesaid, leaninghisseatbackandpullinghiscapoverhiseyes.Withinaminutehewas
soundasleep.Whyhadhedoneit?Thatwasthequestionbouncingaroundinmyjet-laggedbrain.Hewasmyfather,
butthatwasatechnicalitymorethanafact.I hadwritten him at least a dozen letters over the years, but I had never gotten a letter (or even a
postcard)inreturn.MomsaidthatJoshwasn'tmuchforletterwriting,andthattherewasagoodchancehenevergotmyletters.Thereweren'ttoomanypostofficesintheplaceshehungout.Sowhy,afteralltheseyears,didheshowup?Guilt?Notlikely.Thatemotiondidn'tseemtofithim.
Mymother toldmeonce that Joshalwaysslept likeababybecausehehadnoconscience tokeephimawake.Hewasdemonstratingthatrightnow,quietlysnoringaswewingedourwaytoKathmandu.
KATHMANDU. For me the name conjured up mystery, adventure, possibilities, but the reality wassomewhatdifferent.Thecityisnoisy,grimy,andpolluted.MyeyesburnedandIstartedchokingassoonaswesteppedoutsidetheairport."Takessomegettingusedto,"Joshsaidasourtaxisputteredintoanunbrokenlineoftraffic."You'llbe
stayingattheSummitHotel.""Me?""Justforacoupledays,"Joshsaid."IneedtogetuptoBaseCampbeforethere'sarevolt.Idon'thave
timetostaywithyouwhileyouacclimatize,andyouneedtoacclimatizeslowly.Youknowtheroutine."I did know the routine. I'd read at least a dozen books about conquering 8,000-meter peaks (peaks
above26,000feet),includingthethreebooksmyfatherhadwritten.Therearefourteenofthesepeaksintheworld.ItcantakeatleasttwomonthstogettothetopofEverest,whichisactually8,850meterstall.Thelong
climbingtimeisnotbecauseofthedistance,whichislessthanfivemiles,butbecauseit'sup.Mostoftheclimbingtimeisspentsittinginthesixcampsalongtheroute,lettingyourbodygetusedto
the thin air. If you go up too fast youmight getmountain sickness, or high altitude pulmonary edema(HAPE).Here'showHAPEworks:Yourlungsfillwithfluid,youcan'tbreathe,yougointoacoma,thenyoudie.The only way to treat HAPE is to get to a lower altitude where there's more oxygen (or "Os," as
climberscall it). Itdoesn'tmatterwhatkindofphysicalconditionyou're in.Ifyouclimbupfaster thanyourbodycanadjust,you'llgetHAPEandyourclimbisover—maybeforever.TheonlychanceyouhaveofreachingthetopofEverest(orany8,000-meterpeak)isto"climbhigh,sleeplow"untilyourbodyisreadytomakethepushtothesummit.Inotherwords,youhavetomakesureyourlungskeepupwithyourlegs—it'saverybadideatoleaveyourlungsbehind.
TheotherproblemwithEverestisthatthereisonlyasmallwindowwhentheweatherisgoodenoughtoget to the top.Twoweeks,maybeless. (Someyears, thewindowisonly twodays.)Youhave tobepositionedintherightplace,attherighttime,intherightphysicalcondition,oryou'llnevermakeittothesummit.BecauseJoshhasspentmostofhislifetrainingandclimbingathighaltitudeshecouldalmostjogupto
BaseCamp(18,000feet).Well,notreally,buthecouldcertainlygetupthereinhalfthetimeitwasgoingtotakemecomingfromsealevelinNewYorkCity.WithoutmehewouldbeatBaseCampinfourorfivedays.IfhewaitedformylungstocatchupwithhisitwouldtakehimtendaystotwoweekstogettoBaseCamp.Whathehadn'texplainedwashowIwasgoingtogettoTibetonmyown,andhedidn'tgetachanceto
tellmerightthenbecausethetaxihadjustpulledintothecourtyardoftheSummitHotel,wherewewereimmediatelysurroundedbyaswarmoflaughing,smilingNepalese."Hotelstaff,"hesaid.They obviously knew he was coming and were overjoyed that he was there. We got out and he
introducedme.NotspeakingNepalese,Ididn'tknowifhetold themIwashissonorhis littlebrother.Regardless,bytheirexpressionstheywereveryhappytomakemyacquaintance.They unloaded the gear and we followed them into the lobby, where we encountered more
pandemonium—this time from the guests. Women, men, trekkers, mountain climbers, old and young,gathered around Josh like he was a rock star (no pun intended). He signed autographs and answeredquestionsuntiltheconcierge,politelybutfirmly,dispersedthecrowd."Please,please...Mr.Woodneedstorestafterhislongjourney."Mr.Woodhadnointentionofresting.Whenwegottotheroomhestartedsortingthroughthegearand
stuffingwhathewantedintohisbackpack."You'releavingnow?"Iasked,tryingnottosoundtoowhiny."Haveto."Thelastthinghejammedintohispackwasaboxofenergybars.Ididn't say,"Whataboutme?"because there isnoway tosay thiswithoutsoundingpitiful, so I just
staredathim."ZopawillbetakingyouuptoBaseCamp,"hesaid."Asidefrommyself,he'stheonlyoneItrusttodo
it.Heknowsallaboutyou.""Who'sZopa?Andhowdoesheknowaboutme?"Hesatdownontheedgeofthebed."Zopausedtobesirdar.Youknowwhatthatis?""HeadSherpa,"Isaid.SherpasaremountainpeoplewholiveontheslopesoftheHimalayas.Withoutthemandtheirclimbing
skills,noonewouldgettothesummitofEverest."Right," Josh said. "Zopagotme to the summit ofAnnapurna the dayyouwere born.Hewas there
whenTericalledandgavemethenews.Sincethen,he'saskedmeaboutyoueverytimeI'veseenhim.Buggingme,really...sayingthatit'snotgoodforafathertoneglecthisson."Obviously,Joshhadnotlistenedtohim."Zopastoppedclimbingyearsago,"hecontinued."He'saBuddhistmonknow.LivesattheIndrayani
temple.TheLamatherehasgivenhimpermissiontoforgohisvowsforafewweeksto takeyouuptoBaseCamp.""Forgohisvows?""It's not as big a deal as it sounds. I don't knowall the details, but leadingyou toBaseCampwas
considered to be auspicious,meaning the right thing to do." Josh smiled. "And I'm sure the donation Imadetothetempledidn'thurt.They'realittlestrappedformoney.""So,Zopaisokaywiththis?""Absolutely.He'scuriousaboutyou.Andhedidn'tsaythis,butIthinkhe'sgettingkindofboredwith
beingamonk.""What'shelike?""Cagey,"Joshsaidwithasmile."Ifheagreestodosomething,he'lldoit,buthemaynotbedoingitfor
thereasonyouthinkhe'sdoingit.Andhe'llneverletyouinonwhyhe'sdoingit.""Huh?"JoshwasbeginningtosoundlikePaulaandPatrice."It'shardtoexplain,"hesaid."YouneverknowwhatZopa'srealmotivationis.Iaskedhimtotakeyou
uptoBaseCamp.Hesaidhewould,buthe'snottakingyouuptherejusttodomeafavororbecauseIgavemoneytothetemple.There'sanotherreason—morelikelyhalfdozenreasons—heagreedtodoit.AndyouandIwillprobablyneverknowwhatallofthemare."Itwasasaddaywhenheretired,Icantellyouthat.He'sbeenonthesummitofEverestmorethanany
otherhumanbeing.Atleastthat'stherumor.Zopasayshecan'trememberhowmanytimeshe'sreachedthetop,butIthinkheknowsexactlyhowmanytimesit'sbeen.HespeaksperfectEnglish,andalthoughhedoesn'ttalkverymuch,whenhedoesyouneedtolistenverycarefullytowhathe'ssaying.TheSherpasdo.Alotofthemdropbythetemplebeforetheyclimbtohavehimdoareading.Ifhetellsthemnottogo,theywon'tgoup,nomatterhowmuchmoneyweofferthem.""HowdoIgetintouchwithhim?""He'llcomebyinadayortwo.Inthemeantime,youneedtosortthroughthisgear.Mostofit'syours
andyou'llneedallofittogetupthemountain.Iwasn'tsureonthesizes,butifsomethingdoesn'tfitrighttellZopaandhe'll swap it out atoneof the shopsdowntown."He lookedathiswatch. "I'dbettergetgoing."Hestartedtowardthedoorandstopped."Chargewhateveryoueatattherestauranttotheroom.Doyou
haveanycash?"Ishookmyhead.Hepulledoutathickwadofmoneyandpeeledoffseveralbills."It'snotasmuchasitlookslike.SeventhousandrupeesisaboutahundredandfiftybucksU.S."Itookthebillsandsetthemonthedresser."I'llseeyouinacoupleofweeks,"Joshsaid."MaybelessifZopathinksyou'reready.Oh...BeforeI
leavetownI'llcallyourmomandtellheryou'reokay."I interpreted this tomean thathewouldcalland lie toheraboutwherewewereandwhatwewere
doing.Betterhimthanme."Enjoythetrip,"hesaid,andwiththishewasgone.Istoodthereforafewseconds,staringatthedoor.Myheadwaskindofspinning,butitwasn'tfrom
altitude.IthinkitwasJosh'senergythatwasmakingmedizzy.Therewasalighttappingonthedoor,sofaintIbarelyheardit.Iopenedit.Itwastheconcierge.Hegavemeaslightbow."Iwillturndownyourbed."Hewove hisway through the junk as if itweren't there, pulled the comforter back, and fluffed the
pillows.Whenhefinishedhelookedatthewindow.Thecurtainsweredrawn."Thiswillnotdo!"hesaid."Youaremissingthesettingofthesun."Hepulledthecurtainsbackwithaflourish.BehindthemweretheHimalayaswashedinorangeandpinklight.TheyweremuchbiggerthanIhad
everimagined.
GEAROFTHEDEAD
THENEXTMORNING, after a huge breakfast in the dining room, I came back upstairs and startedsortingthroughthegear.Allthestuffdidn'tmakeupforallthebirthdaysandChristmasesJoshhadneglected,butitcamepretty
darn close. It was all state-of-the-art equipment, most of which I'd only seen advertised in climbingmagazines.Campstove,coilsofrope,cams,titaniumiceax,crampons,thermalgloves,digitalcamera,O2regulatorandfacemask,tent,subzerosleepingbag,sleepingpad,altimeterwatch,carabiners,batteries,ascenders,pitons,harnesses,climbinghelmet,headlamp...EverythingIneededtogetthroughthedeathzone.Mostoftheclothesweretoosmall,especiallytheboots.IsupposeJoshcouldn'thaveaskedmymother
formysizeswithouttippingheroff.Andhecouldn'thaveaskedme,becauseuntilIpassedthephysicalhewasn'tsureIwasgoing,whichgotmetowonderingwhathewouldhavedoneifIhadfailedthephysical.Butonlyforamoment.Thegear called tome, andnothingmatterswhenyou areup toyourknees inbrand-new, expensive
climbingequipment.Ittookmetwohourstofigureouthowthealtimeterwatchworked.Anhourtosetupthetent.Ifacedit
withtheopeningtowardthewindowsoIcouldseetheHimalayas.Isnappedacouplephotosofmyviewwiththedigitalcamera,thenIgothungryanddecidedratherthangoingdowntothediningroomI'djustcookupsomefoodonmybrand-newcampstove.(Iknowthissoundsgoofy,butIgetalittleoutofcontrolwhenitcomestogear.IopenedthewindowsoIdidn'tgetcarbonmonoxidepoisoning.)As the freeze-driedbeefStroganoffwassimmeringaway therewasaknockonmydoor. I thought it
washousekeepingagain.Theyhadcomebyearlierasking toclean the room,but I told themthat Ihadeverything I needed and to comeback tomorrow. I slitheredout of the tent, carefully steppedover thestove(soIdidn'ttipitoverandburndownthehotel),andcrackedopenthedoor,hopingtheywouldn'tsmellthegasburningorthefoodcooking.Itwasn'tthehousekeeper.ItwasaNepaleseboy,aboutmyagebuttwoinchesshorter.Hewassmiling
upatmyhead,which is all Ihad revealed through thecrack.Belowmyhead IhadnothingonbutmyboxersbecauseIhadbeentryingongearalldayanditwasgettinghotintheroomfromthestoveandthesuncomingthroughthewindow."PeakWood?"heasked."Actually,it'sPeakMarcello,butyeah,that'sme.""MynameisSun-jo.Zopasentmeovertobringyoutohim.""Ohsure...uh..."Iglancedatthemessbehindme.Ididn'twanttoleavehimstandinginthehallway
whileIgotready,whichwasgoingtotakeawhile.Appearinglikeatotalidiotwonoverbeingrude.Ilethimin.Sun-jolookedabitshockedatthesetup,buthedidn'tburstoutlaughing,whichImighthavedoneifI
hadstumbledontosomethingequallyasstupid-lookingasmyindoorcampspot."Mydad...uh,ImeanJosh,gotmesomenewgearandIwas...uh...testingitout,soIwouldknow..."
Ah,forgetit,Ithought."I'mjustmakingsomelunch.Areyouhungry?"Sun-josaidhewas.AsIgotdressed,Iwatchedhimcheckingouttheequipment,andIknewhewasaclimber.Nooneelse
wouldfondlegearaslovingly.Hepickedupvariousitemsliketheyweremorevaluablethangold,whichtheywerewhentheyweretheonlythingkeepingyoufromfallingoffarockfaceorintoadarkbottomlesscrevasse.IclearedaspotforusonthebedandservedhimabowlofStroganoffandanenergybarfordessert.It
turnedoutthatSun-jo'sfatherhadbeenaSherpa.Unfortunately,hehaddieduponK2thepreviousyeartryingtorescueagroupofclimbers.Onlyoneoftheclimberssurvived.K2wasdiscoveredin1856byasurveyornamedT.G.Montgomery.TheKstandsforKarakoram.The
2means itwas thesecondpeakMontgomery listedonhis survey.At28,250 feet it'sabit shorter thanEverest,butmostclimbersagreeit'salothardertoreachthesummit.ItoldSun-johowsorryIwastohearabouthisfather,butheshruggeditoff,sayinghehardlyknewhis
dad.HeandhistwoyoungersistershadspentmostoftheirlivesataprivateboardingschoolinnorthernIndia."MysistersandIonlycamebacktoKathmanduonholiday,"hesaid."Myfatherwasusuallyuponthe
mountainduringthosetimes."HearingabouthissisterscausedalittleacheinmybellyforPaulaandPatrice,butitwentawayasI
watchedSun-jocasuallytiealengthofSpectracordtoahexslungwithatriplefisherman'sknot."Wheredidyoulearntoclimb?"Iasked."Mygrandfatherinstructedme,"heanswered.His English was better than mine. He had kind of a British/Indian accent. Mine was kind of a
Bronx/Cody,Wyoming,accent—whichdidnotsoundnearlyascoolorrefinedashis."So,you'reonholiday?""No," Sun-jo answered. "Whenmy father diedwe did not have the funds to keep all three of us in
school.Thetuitionisveryexpensive.MysistersarestillinschoolandIamheretofindworksotheycanstaythere.WithoutaformaleducationthereisnofutureforgirlsinKathmandu.Iwouldliketogobacktoschoolmyself,butitisunlikelyIwillbeableto.Itismoreimportantthatmysistersattendschoolthanitisforme."Sun-jowasn'tmucholderthanIwas,andIwonderedwhatkindofjobhecouldgetthatwouldpaythe
tuition.Helookedatmyaltimeterwatch,whichhehadbeenplayingwiththroughoutlunch."Weshouldleave
soon.ZopaiswaitingforusattheIndrayanitemple."Iturnedoffthestoveandputthedishesinthebathroomsink."Didyouknowthereisadiningroomhereinthehotel?"Sun-joasked."Ihavenotdinedtheremyself,
butIhearitisquiteexcellent.""Yeah,Iatetherethismorning.It'sgreat.ThereasonIcooked...well,youknow...thenewgear..."Sun-josmiled.HeknewexactlywhatIwastalkingabout.
OURTRANSPORTATIONtothetemplewasthesaddestmotorcycleIhadeverseen.Therewasmoresilverducttapeonitthanchrome.Ittookhimsixviciouskickstogetitstarted,andwhenitfinallycaught,themotorcyclebelchedouta
columnofgraysmokesothickIthoughtthebikehadburstintoflamesalongwithmynewfriend.Butthesmoke cleared, revealing a coughing Sun-jo with tears running down his face and a mostly intactmotorcycle—exceptfortheboltlyinginapoolofoilundertheengine."Itismuchbetterwhenwearemovingforward."Hegasped."Inthiswaythesmokecannotcatchus."Ithoughtaboutrunninguptotheroomandgrabbingmyclimbinghelmet,butIwasafraidSun-jomight
dieofasphyxiationbeforeIgotbackout,soIclimbedonbehindhimandwelurchedintotraffic.Sun-joyelledsomethingthatsoundedlike,"Onlytworootbeers,lastgo!"ButIthinkhemeantthatthe
motorcycleonlyhadtwofootgears,fastandslow.Hewasrightaboutourexhaustbeingbehindus;theproblemwasthatwewerenowspeedingthrougheveryoneelse'sexhaust.ForthenexttwentyminutesIsqueezedshutmyburningeyesandburiedmyfaceinhisback,therebymissingmostofKathmandu."Wehavearrived,"Sun-joannounced.
Iunclutchedmysweatyhandsandopenedmyeyes."Youmustremoveyourshoesbeforeenteringthetemple."Itookthemoffandputthemnexttoaboutfiftyotherpairsofshoesandsandals."Ifyoudon'tmindmyasking,"Sun-josaid,"whathappenedtoyourface?""Itgotfrozentoabuilding."Sun-jolaughed."No,really...""Climbingaccident,"Isaid."That'swhatIthought."I followed him into the Indrayani temple, which was like walking into another world. One where
peoplewhisperedratherthanshouted.Therewerenowanderingcows(wehadnarrowlymissedthreeofthemonthewayover),nohornshonking,noscreechingtires.Thesmellofflowersandincensesaturatedthe air.Worshippers were kneeling in front of shrines, spinning prayer wheels, lighting butter lamps.Mystery,possibilities—thiswastheKathmanduIhadexpected.Sun-joledmetoateakbenchintheshadeofabanyantree.Wesatforawhilewatchingtheorange-
robedmonkstalkingquietlytovisitorsandofferingthemblessings."WhichoneisZopa?"Iwhispered."Noneofthese.""Shouldn'twelethimknowwe'rehere?"Sun-joshookhishead."He'llbealongwhenhe'sready."Waitingagain,but Ididn'tmind. I spent the time trying to figureouthow togracefullybowoutofa
returntriptothehotelonthedeathmotorcycle."Herehecomes,"Sun-josaid.I expected Zopa to be a frail old holyman.And themonk striding toward uswas old, but hewas
anythingbutfrail.Hisarmandcalfmuscles(whatIcouldseeofthembeneaththehemofhisorangerobe)werewelldefinedandpowerful.You'd expect aBuddhistmonk to have a spiritual presence, butwhatever spiritualityZopa hadwas
overwhelmed by his physical presence.When he reached us he put his palms together and bowed. IfollowedSun-jo'sleadbygettingtomyfeetandreturningthebow.Zopalookedmeover,frowningatthescabsonmyfaceandear."Climbingaccident,"Sun-joexplained.Zopapointedatmybandagedfingers."Splitnails,"Iexplainednervously."They'realmosthealed.""Youlooklikeyourfather,"Zopasaid.Actually,I lookedmorelikemymother,butIwasn'taboutto
disagreewithhim."Howdidyougethere?""Motorcycle,"Sun-josaid.Zopashookhisheadindisgust."Whenyougobacktakeataxi."Hereachedintoafoldinhisrobeand
cameoutwitharollofrupeesasbigashisfist.Ididn'tthinkBuddhistmonkswereevensupposedtolookatmoney.HepeeledoffhalfaninchofbillsandhandedthemtoSun-jo."Whataboutmymotorcycle?"Sun-joasked."Ifyouarelucky,"Zopasaid,"someonewillstealit.Waitformeatthehotel."Themonkturnedandwalkedaway.Iwasrelievedaboutthetaxi,butthatdidn'texplainwhywehad
comeallthewaydowntotheIndrayanitemple.WhenIaskedSun-joaboutithejustshruggedandsaidthatZopahadhisownwayofdoingthings.Mysteriousways,asitturnedout,becausewhenwegotbacktothehotel,Zopawasalreadywaitingfor
usinthelobby.Ididn'trecognizehimatfirstbecausetheorangerobehadbeenreplacedbyregularstreet
clothes and an expensive-lookingpair of sunglasses.The sunglassesmadehim look like somekindofcelebrity,whichIsupposehewastothetrekkersandclimbersgatheredaroundhim.Ithadtakenustenminutes tops tocatcha taxioutsideof the temple.Wedrovestraight to thehotel,andtrafficwasn'tanyworsethanithadbeenonthemotorcycleonthewaytothetemple.Andyet,therewasZopachattingwiththehotelstaffandguestsasifhehadbeenthereallafternoon.IlookedatSun-jo,expectinghimtobeasshockedasIwas.Hewasn't."Zopadoesthingslikethat,"hesaid."How?"Anothershrug,whichIlearnedlaterwaseveryone'sanswertoquestionsaboutZopa."You'llgetusedtoit,"Sun-joadded,thenwentoverandgreetedthevacationingmonk.Now,you'reprobablywonderingwhyIdidn'taskZopamyself.BelievemeIwastempted,butIdidn't
thinkhewouldtellme.Orworse,hemightgivemesomereasonableexplanation.It'ssortoflikeaskingamagician to tell you how he does a trick.Or asking a tagger how he got those seventeen freight carspaintedinasinglenight.It'sallaboutthemystery.Sometimesit'sbetternottoask.Upintheroom,Zopasortedthroughthegear,puttingitindifferentpileswhileSun-joandIwatched.
Onceinawhilehewouldstopandhavemetrysomethingonsaying,"Fits,"or"Doesn'tfit."Whenhewasfinishedtherewerethreepiles.Hepointedtooneofthepiles."Wewilltakethisandtradeforthingsthatfit."Myboots,bluesnowsuit,andseveralotheritemsofclothingwereinaseparatepilewithsomeother
stuff.Ipointedoutthatnoneofthethingsinthatpilefit,either."Ihaveanotheruseforit,"Zopasaid.Ididn'tknowwhat thatcouldbe,butIdidn'tpursueit. InsteadIpointedtothetradepile,whichhad
severalhundreddollars'worthofpitons,cams,ropes,andotherexpensiveequipment."Thisgearisbrand-new,"Isaid."Youwon'tneedittogetupSagarmatha."ThisiswhattheNepalesecallEverest."Mydadboughtit,"Iargued."Hemightneedit.""Yourfathertoldmetomakesurethatyouhaveeverythingyouneedtoclimbthemountain.Howmuch
moneydoyouhave?"Itoldhim,butIdidn'tmentionthecreditcardMomhadgivenme.Ididn'tthinkshe'dbehappyabouta
hugebillforEverestgear."It'snotenough toget the thingsyouwillneed,"Zopasaid."Hopefully,wewillbeable to tradeall
this."Hestartedtogatherupthegearfromthetradepile."Bestnottoargue,"Sun-jowhispered,andheandIhelpedhaulthegeardownstairs,whereaToyota
truckanddriverwerewaitingforus.
ITTOOKHOURStogetthereplacementgear.IntheprocessIgotquiteatourofKathmandu.ItseemedthatmostoftheplacesZopalikedtoshopwerelocateddowndarkscaryalleys.Hewaswarmlygreetedwhereverwewent, until the bartering started,whenhe and the proprietorwould end up in a shoutingmatchuntilabargainwasstruck.Themostdifficultthingstofindweremyboots.I'dtryonapairIliked,tellZopatheyfitgreat,thenhe
wouldmakemewalk,andshakehishead."Notright,"he'dsay."Whatdoyoumean?"I'dinsist."Theyfitgreat.""Toosmall,"he'dsay."Butwhenyourtoesfalloffinsidefromtheswellingandpinchingtheywillfit
perfectly."
Wefinallyagreedonapairthatdidfitgreat,buttheywereprettybatteredupontheoutside.Infact,allthestuffweboughtwasbangedup."Ihopethisgearwasn'ttakenfromdeadclimbers,"Isaidoffhandedly.Zopa looked horrified. "Bad luck to use gear of the dead. No, this is from people who come to
Kathmandutoclimbanddecideitisbettertostayinbaranddrink."Imusthavelookedhorrifiedmyself."Don'tthinkillofthem,"hesaid."Theylived."ZopaalsoboughtafewthingsforhimselfandSun-jo,whoIguessedwascomingwithustoBaseCamp
bythegearhewasgetting.Unlikeme,helistenedcarefullytoZopa'sopinionsandbowedeverytimethemonkgavehimsomething.Itwaslatewhenwegotbacktothehotel.Wewentuptotheroom,packedeverything,thenloadedit
intothetruck."WeleaveforTibettomorrowmorningatsix,"Zopasaid.HeandSun-jogotintothetruckanddroveaway.
TIBET
THENEXTMORNINGSun-jo,Zopa,thedriver,andtwoSherpasweresittingonthetailgatedrinkingtea.Bythelookoftheirdisheveledhairandrumpledclothestheymusthavesleptinthetruck.Sun-joconfirmed that theyhad. "Butonly for twohours,"he said. "Wewereoutgetting suppliesup
untilthen."Hewasn'tkidding.Therewassomuchstuffpiledinthebed,Ididn'tknowwhereweweregoingtosit.WesqueezedourselvesbetweenthegearalongwithtwoSherpas(brothers,namedYogiandYash)and
leftthebluehazeofKathmandubehindus.
WETOOKOURTIME, stopping at Buddhist temples and monasteries along the way, where Zopapickedupboxesoffoodandsupplies.Wealreadyhadplentyoffoodandsomeofthefoodhewasgivenwasn'tgoingtolastverylonguponthemountain.Iaskedaboutitbutgotthestandardshruginreply.Awayfrom thecity,Nepalwaseverything Ihad imagined it tobe.Beautifulvalleys, rusticvillages,
fields tilledbyoxen-pulledplows,allagainst thebackdropof themassive,sparklingHimalayas. Ihadbeen up onMountMcKinley andMount Rainier, but they would be dwarfed by these snow-coveredpeaks.We stopped for the night outside a tiny village. Sun-jo and I started to help set up camp, but Zopa
wavedusoff."Youtwogoclimb."Hepointedtoawallaboutaquartermileaway."Don'tfall.Comedownbefore
dark."He didn't have to tell us twice.We jogged over to the wall. It wasn't a difficult climb, but about
halfway up I had to stop to rest and catchmy breath. Sun-jo, who had picked amore difficult route,scrambleduptherocklikealizard,smilingasheclimbedpast,whichtaughtmeacoupleofthingsabouthim.Hehadmuchbetterlungcapacitythanme—andhewascompetitive.Climberswilltellyouthatthethingtheyloveaboutclimbingisthatit'sjustthemagainsttherock,blah,
blah,blah....Thatmaybetrueiftheyarealoneontherock,butputanotherclimbernexttothem,andtheraceison.Iwasshockedwhenheblewbymesoeffortlessly.IwasthekidwhowasgoingtoclimbEverest,and
Sun-jowas just along for the ride up toBaseCamp.Then I remindedmyself that ten days ago Iwasclingingtoaskyscraperafewhundredfeetabovesealevel—notexactlythebesttrainingforscalingthehighestpeakintheworld.IfIwasgoingtosummitIwasgoingtohavetodobetterthanwatchSun-jo'sbuttdisappearoverthetopasIhungbelowhimgaspingforbreath."Ithinkyoupickedthemoredifficultway,"hesaidwhenIfinallysatdownnexttohimontherim.We
bothknewthiswasn'ttrue,butIappreciatedhissayingit.Wesatontheedgeforawhile takingintheview.Itwastoolate toclimbdownbeforedark,sowe
decided to rappel to the bottom.Sun-jo offered to letme go first, but I shookmyhead. First up, firstdown.Whenwegotbacktocampdinnerwasready.Zopadidn'tsayanythingabouttheclimb,buttherewasa
spottingscopesetuponatripodpointedatthewall.Hemusthavewatchedthewholething.ThenextmorningZopatoldusthetruckwasoverloadedandthatSun-joandIwouldhavetowalkwith
ourheavypacks."WhydidZopadothat?"Sun-jocomplainedaswewatchedthetruckdriveuptheroad."Thetruckis
fine.Wehaven'tpickedupmorethanfiftykilosofsupplies."Ishrugged,butIthoughtIknewtheanswer.Zopathoughtthatahikewithafullpackwoulddomegood
anddidn'twantmetowalkalone.Sorry,Sun-jo.Thewalkwashard,butitwasbetterthanbouncingaroundinthebackofatruck,anditgaveSun-joand
meachancetogettoknoweachotherbetter.Sun-jo'sfatherdidn'twanthimtobecomeaSherpa."ThereasonIclimb,"hehadtoldhim,"issoyouwon'thaveto.""Doesyourmotherknowyou'reonyourwaytoBaseCamp?""No.Andshewouldbeveryupsetifsheknew."Later thatday I spilledmygutsaboutclimbing the skyscraper,which I immediately regretted.When
Sun-jofiguredoutthatIwastellingthetruth,hestoppedinthemiddleoftheroadandlaughedforatleastfiveminutes.Itdidn'tseemthatoutrageoustome,butIguesstosomeonewholivesintheshadowofthehighestmountainintheworld,climbingaskyscraperisprettylame."DoesyourmotherknowyouareonyourwayuptoSagarmatha?"heasked."Idon'tthinkso.Andshewouldmurdermeandmyfatherifsheknew."Wefinallycaughtuptothetruckthatevening.Zopasuggestedwetakeanotherclimbbeforeweate,but
Sun-joandIrevoltedandtoldhimtoforgetit.Thenextdayhemadeuswalkagain.
HEGAVEUSABREAKonthefourthdaybecausehewantedusalltocrossintoTibettogether.WereachedtheFriendshipBridgeaboutnoon.Isupposeifyou'recrossingsouthfromTibetintoNepal
thenamefits.Butifyou'regoingnorthfromNepalintoTibetthere'snothingfriendlyaboutit.TheChinesebordersoldiersweresurly,suspicious,andrude.Theyexaminedourpapersfornearlyan
hourandpeppereduswithquestionsIdidn'tunderstand.Zopahandledtheanswerscalmly,buttherestofus were nervous—especially Sun-jo, who had started to sweat even though it was only thirty-fivedegrees."What'sthematterwithyou?"Iwhispered."Nothing,"hewhisperedback."Chinese."The soldiers nearly dismantled the truck looking for contraband. They didn't find any, but they did
managetostealsomeofourstuffintheprocess.Foodmostly.Butnoonecalledthemonit.Thedaybefore,aswehadwalked,Sun-johadgivenmeashorthistorylessonaboutTibetandChina.It
wasn't pretty. The People's Republic of China invaded Tibet fifty years ago. Since that time over sixthousandBuddhistmonasteriesandshrineshavebeendestroyedandhundredsof thousandsofTibetanshavebeenkilledorjailed.Whichbringsmetothatboulderinthemiddleoftheroadtheprisonerswerecrackingintogravel.We
passedbyitanhourafterwegotovertheFriendshipBridge,whichsortofsumsupwhat'shappeningtotheTibetans.OrasZopaputitlaterthatnight,"OurbrothersinTibethavebeenmadeslavesintheirowncountry."Westoppedateverymonasterythathadn'tbeenburnedtothegroundordismantledbytheChinese—
someofthemwelloutofourway.Themonksweregratefulforthefood,supplies,andgossipZopaandtheSherpasbrought.Itwasclear that thiswasoneof thehalfdozenreasonsZopahadfor takingmetoBaseCamp.Sun-joand Ihikedeverydayandclimbedeveryevening.By the timewearrivedatBaseCamp ten
dayslaterIwasfeelingstrong.SowasSun-jo.
PEAKEXPERIENCE
WEARRIVEDATBASECAMP just intimetoseeJoshget intoafistfightwithsomeone.At18,044feet,though,itwasn'tmuchofafight.Anolder,red-facedmantookaswing,whichJosheasilyduckedandcounteredbypushinghiminthe
chest.Themanlandedonhisbuttinthesnow.Afterthisitwasprettymuchoverexceptfortheshouting."Iwantafullrefund!"themanshouted."IfyouthinkI'mgoingtositaroundBaseCampwhileyouand
theothersclimbtoglory,youhaveanotherthingcoming!"(HewasobviouslyoneofJosh'sclients,andnotaveryhappyone.)It'shardtogetupwhenyouareoutofbreath,swaddledindownclothes,withcramponsstrappedto
yourboots.Joshofferedhishandtohelphimup,butthemanslappeditaway."George,you'reinnoshapetogoanyfartherupthemountain,"Joshsaid."YouheardwhatDr.Krieger
said.Youhaveabadheart,whichyoushouldhavetoldmeaboutbeforeyousignedup.""Myheart'sfine!Thatwitchdoctorofyoursdoesn'tknowwhatshe'stalkingabout."Aprettywomansteppedupnext to Josh. "Youhaveaheartmurmur,George," shesaidwitha slight
Germanaccent."Blockedarterieswouldbemyguess.Youneedtogetitlookedatassoonasyougetoffthemountain.""Well, I'mgettingoff this stupidmountain today,"Georgewheezed,getting tohis feet. "Andmyfirst
appointmentisnotgoingtobewithmydoctor.It'sgoingtobewithmyattorney!I'llsueyouforeverythingyouhave,Josh.""Ifyouwanttosuemeforsavingyourlife,"Joshsaid,"goahead."Heturnedandstartedtowalkaway,
thennoticedusandstopped."Lookslikeyouhaveanextraclimbingpermit,"Zopasaid."Two, actually. We had a woman leave two days ago, hacking up her larynx. Apparently I'm
responsiblebecauseshe'sthreateningtosueme,too."Joshlookedatme.Thebeardhehadcutoffformyarraignmentwasgrowingbackinnicely."So,how
wasit?"heasked."Itwasgood."HelookedbackatZopa."Canhemakeitupthemountain?"Zopashrugged.JoshglancedoveratthetruckwhereSun-jo,Yogi,andYashwerestanding."Doyouhaveroomtotake
Georgebackdown?"Zopanodded."Thosethreearestaying.Thatisifyouhavework.""We'llsee,"Joshsaidwithoutmuchenthusiasm."WemightneedsomeBaseCamphelp,butwithtwo
lessclimberswedon'tneedanymoreclimbingSherpas."He lookedbackat the small truck, then lookedbackatZopa. "It'llbea tight fit.You'llhave tohaul
George'swifedown,too,andalltheirgear.She'sinhertentsickasadog.You'llneedtogetthembothtothehospitalassoonasyougettoKathmandu.""Therewillbeenoughroom,"Zopasaid."I'mstayinghere,too.Atleastforafewdays.I'lltalktothe
driver.He'llgetthemtoKathmandusafely."Zopastarted toward the truckbutdidn'tgetvery far.AJeepcameroaringupandskidded toastop,
blockinghispath.Joshswore,thensaidunderhisbreath,"CaptainShek.Becool.Letmedothetalking."A tall Chinese officer in a crisp green uniform got out of the Jeep andwalked up to us, frowning.
"Papers!""Goodafternoon,"Joshsaidwithasmile.
"NoonegountilIseepapers!""Ofcourse,"Joshsaid.Butthecaptainwastoolate.Sun-jo,Yogi,andYashwerealreadygone.(Poof!)"Showhimyourvisaandpassport,"Joshsaid.Idugthemoutofmypackandhandedthemover.CaptainShekcarefullyscrutinizedthem,glancingbetweenmeandthephoto."Youclimb?""He'smyson,"Joshanswered."He'sonmyclimbingpermit.""Lastnamenomatch.""Hehashismother'sname.We'redivorced."(Iguessitwastoocomplicatedtoexplainthattheywerenevermarried.)The captain handed back my passport. Next he checked Zopa's papers, then the driver's. After he
finishedhelockedhisdarkeyesoneachofusandsaid,"Wewatchingallyou."HeclimbedbackintotheJeepanddroveaway."He'snotkiddingaboutthat,"Joshsaid."CaptainShekandhismenarealwayswatching."Hepointed
toasmallrisewitharamshacklebuildingontopofit."Theyhaveaspottingscopesetupthere,andtherumor is thathehasnightvisionequipment aswell.Theymonitor the radio transmissions, looking forviolations.Shek'salreadybootedtwoclimbingpartiesthisyear.Trytostayclearofhim.""Andhedoesn'talwaysshowupdressedinuniform,"Dr.Kriegerwarned."Hesometimesdresseslike
aclimberandwandersaroundcampcatchingpeopleunaware.I'llbeintheAidtent."Shewalkedaway."WhatdoyouthinkofBaseCampsofar?"Joshasked.BecauseoftheargumentandCaptainShekIhadn'tpaidmuchattentiontothecamp,butIsawnowthat
itwasgigantic.Red,blue,green,andyellowtentswerescatteredaroundforwhatseemedlikeamile."Howmanypeoplearehere?""Three hundred fifty or so," Josh answered. "Maybe another fifty acclimatizing farther up the
mountain."Mostofthemmusthavebeenintheirtentstryingtostaywarmbecausethereweren'ttoomanypeople
wandering around. I looked at the temperature onmywatch: fourteen degrees.According to thewindgauge(thewatchJoshgavemedideverything),thewindwasblowingtenmilesanhour,whichbroughtthetemperaturedowntothreedegreesabovezero.Joshlookedmeover."Youbreathingokay?Anyproblemsonthewayup?"BothweregoodquestionsconsideringthiswasonlythesecondtimeI'dbeenthishighonamountain.
ThesummerbeforeIhadalmostmadeittothetopofMountMcKinleyinAlaska.Wewereat18,000feet(2,000feetshortofthesummit)whenourguideturnedusbackbecauseofweather."I'vehadaheadachethepasttwodays,"Isaid."Butit'sgoingaway."JoshpointedatGeorge,whohadreturnedtohistentandwasangrilypackinghisgear."Myheadache's
goingaway,too,"hesaid."Atleastoneofthem."Helookedoveratthetruck.Sun-joandthebrothershadreappearedandwerehelpingZopaunloadit.
"Who'sthekid?""Hisname'sSun-jo.""IshewithZopa?""Yeah.""Interesting,"hesaid."DidZopatellyouhewasgoingtostayatBaseCampforafewdays?"Ishookmyhead."Likeyousaid,Zopadoesn'ttalkmuch.""Yeah...Well,he'suptosomething.""Likewhat?"Joshsmiled."He'llletusknowwhenhe'sready.Let'sheadovertoPeakExperienceheadquarters.I'll
introduceyoutotheBaseCampcrew.""PeakExperience?""Ididn'tnameitafteryouexactly,"Joshadmitted."ButIprobablyshouldhave.""Whatareyoutalkingabout?""PeakExperienceismyadventuretravelcompany.Westarteditlastyear.AlmostwishIhadn'tnow."Ifollowedhimtoagiantorangetentwithpeakexperiencetaggedonthesides.TheAinPeak looked
likeamountain.Hepulledbacktheflapandwavedmethrough.InsidewereseveralpeopleandmoreelectronicequipmentthanIhadeverseeninatentat18,000feet
(oranytent,forthatmatter):laptops,satellitephones,two-wayradios,faxmachines,televisionmonitors,andothergizmos.Thecrewwassobusytalkingonphones,listeningtoradios,tappingonkeyboards,theydidn'tseemto
noticeus.Noneofthemlookedlikeclimbers."Whatisallthis?"Iasked."Thisiswhathappenswhenyougetoldandstartworryingaboutyourfuture."Hepointedtoapudgy
guytalkingonasatellitephone."Thatguyoverthereismybusinesspartner,ThaddeusBowen.Therestofthepeoplearesupportstaff.ThereisanotherbunchofthembackintheofficeinChiangMai,andsomeuponK2andAnnapurna.""You'rerunningthreeexpeditionsatthesametime?"He smiled. "Get this:Most of our clients are rank amateurs—somehaven't been higher than twelve
thousand feet.Stupid,huh?But I'mnot alone.There are at least tencommercialoperations like this atBaseCamp.Someof themarerunningfourseparateexpeditions.ThingshavechangedsinceyourmomandIwerelivingoutofthebackofthatrustyoldvanatElCap."WhenhesaidthathehadclientsIassumedhemeantexperiencedclimbers,nothinglikethis."People!"Joshsaid."Thisismyson,Peak."Ifeltaflushofpride.Someofthemnodded,somesmiled,thoughnoneofthemfullystoppedwhatthey
weredoing.Thaddeuswalkedover,coveringthemouthpieceofhissatellitephone."How'dGeorgetakethenews?""Hetookapunchatme,"Joshsaid."Sayshe'sgoingtosue."Thaddeus rolled his eyes. "Great. I'll call our attorney and tell him to get ready."Hewalked away
resuminghisphoneconversation.A woman came over and handed Josh a sheet of paper. "The film crew should be here later this
afternoon.AndIfinallytrackeddownthewhereaboutsofHollyAngelo."Thenamesoundedfamiliartome,butIcouldn'trememberwhereI'dheardit."Whereisshe?"Joshasked."She'swiththefilmcrew,"thewomananswered."Apparentlyshecameinonthesameflight.Thefilm
crewisthreateningtomurderher.Shebroughtalongherownpersonalchefandmassagetherapist,andsomuchgeartheyhadtorentasecondtruck.""Itoldhershecouldn'tbringanybody,"Joshsaid."Andtotravellight.""Shedidn't listen,"thewomansaid."She'salsofoundoutthatyouhaveanopeningonyourclimbing
permit.Shewantstogotothetop."Joshswore."How'dshefindoutaboutthat?""Wordtravelsfastathighaltitudes.""She'sheretocoverPeak,notherself.""Whatdoyoumean?"Iasked."I'lltellyouaboutitlater,"Joshsaiddistractedly."Canyoureachheronthesatphone?""Ifshe'snotinthemiddleofamassage,"thewomananswered,thenstartedpunchinginnumbers.Joshturnedtome."Ineedtotakecareofthis.There'saspotforyourtentnexttomine.Theblueoneout
back.Whydon'tyougooutandgetsetup."Sun-johelpedmehaulmygearandsetupthetent.Whenwefinishedwetookalittletour.Now,youmightbe thinking thatBaseCamponEverestwouldbeoneof themostpristineplaceson
earth.Thetruthisthatyouhavetowatchwhereyoustep.Andhere'satip:Avoiddiggingupyellowsnowtomeltforyourdrinkingwater.Attendegreesbelowzeronoonestraysfarfromhistenttotakecareofbusiness.EverestBaseCampisa frozenouthouse/garbagedumpwithdecadesofcrap,discardedfoodcontainers,andbustedgear.IhadreadthatsomeoftheclimbersandSherpasweretryingtocleanitup,but by the looksof the camp theyhadn'tmademuchof a dent. Sardine cans, chip bags, cartons, toiletpaper,andothertrashblewaroundthetentsliketumbleweed.Climbers fromall over theworldwerehere. Japan,Bolivia,Mexico, Italy,Canada,Luxembourg ...
Therewerewomen'steams,militaryteams;therewasevenateammadeupexclusivelyofpeopleoverfifty. (They had a placard outside their camp that read: THE GERIATRIC TEAM. BEWARE OF GRUMPY OLDCLIMBERS!)Youcouldpickoutthecommercialclimbingoperationsbythesizeoftheirtentsandtheircampspots,
whichwereusuallythebestontheslope.Icountedelevenofthem,andthat'swhenitbegantodawnonmethatJoshmightbejustascageyasoldZopa.Therewasalotofcompetitionsittingonthemountainunderthoselargetents.Gettingadozenclientsto
thesummitcouldbring inasmuchasamilliondollars,and ifyouweresimultaneouslymountingotherexpeditionsonother8,000-meterpeaks,severalmilliondollars.IfanEverestwannabewasgoingtoplopdownahundredgrand(orseveralthousandtogettooneof
thelowercamps)whoweretheygoingtogivetheirmoneyto?Thecompanywiththebestsuccessrate?The companywith the best safety record?Ormaybe, the companywhoput the youngest person in theworldontheworld'stallestmountain,whoalsojusthappenedtohavethesamefirstnameasthecompanythatputhimonthetop.AnddidyouhearabouthimclimbingthoseskyscrapersinNewYork?Don'tworryaboutthemoney.I'llgetmyportionback.Thefilmcrewshouldbeherelaterthisafternoon.She'sheretocoverPeak,notherself.IsuddenlyrememberedwhereIhadseenthenameHollyAngelo.Itwasabylineunderanarticleabout
meclimbingtheskyscraper.Shewasthereporterwhobrokethenewsaboutwhomyrealfatherwas.Didshedigupthisinformationonherown?OrdidJoshgiveheracallandspillhisguts?The youngest person so far to reach the top of Everestwas a fifteen-year-oldNepalese girl named
MingKipaSherpa.IfIwereoneyearolderImightstillbein...Istoppedinmidstep."What'sthematter?"Sun-joasked."Nothing,"Isaid.Would Josh have bailedme out if I had already turned fifteen? I didn't think so.Was he usingme?
Probably.Did Imind? Iwasn't sure at thatpoint.Hewaspayingmoreattention tome thanhehadmywholelife."I'mgoingtoheadback,"Isaid."Ishouldgo,too,"Sun-josaid."Zopawantsmetotalktothecookabouthelpinginthemesstent.""Ajob?"Iasked."Forroomandboard."Sun-josmiled."Ortentandfood,Ishouldsay.Perhapsitwillleadtosomething
else."Tentandfoodwasnotgoingtogetthetuitionpaid."Icouldtalktomyfather,"Ioffered."IfIaskedhim,
Ithinkhe'dhireyouformorethantentandfood."Sun-joshookhishead."WehadbetterleavethatuptoZopa.Hebroughtmetothemountain.Itisfor
himtodecide."
ROCKWEASELS
RATHERTHANCONFRONTJOSH,Icrawledintomytent,wrappedmyselfinmysleepingbag,andfellasleep.Iknowwhatyou'rethinking:CHICKEN!Maybeyou'reright.ButwhatwasIgoingtosay?"Iwillnot
beused,Father!"Orhowaboutthis:"SendmebacktoNewYorksoIcandomytime.Takethat,Dad!"Besides,IneededsomesleepbeforeItalkedtohim.Walkingaroundat18,000feetwearsyoudown.
AnditturnedoutthatIdidn'thavetofindhimbecausehefoundme."Youawake?"heasked."Yeah,"Isaid,althoughIhadn'tbeenuntilhestuckhisheadintomytent.Hecrawledinandzippedtheflapclosed."Didyougetachancetolookaroundthecamp?""Alittle.There'salotofcompetitionforyourcompanyuphere.""You noticed, huh? Next year there won't be somany commercial operations. There's only a finite
numberofpeoplewhohavethemoney,time,anddesiretogetupthismountain.Thiswillbethelastyearforalotoftheoperations.""IncludingPeakExperience?"Iasked.Hegrinned."Yourmomtoldmethatyou'resmart,"hesaid."Iguessyougotthatfromher."Flatteryhasneverworkedonme."So,howmuchtroubleareyouin?""Likethejudgesaid,Ilookgoodonpaper.Butthetruthis,I'mindebtuptomycrevasse."Humor,ontheotherhand,alwaysworkedonme.Ilaughed."Ifwehaveagoodseasonthisyear,"hecontinued,"wemightbeabletorecoupsomeofourlossesnext
year. It's all riding on howmany people we get to the summit in the next fewweeks and howmuchpublicityweget.""WhichiswhyI'mhere,"Isaid.Hegavemeasheepishlook."Notentirely,"hesaid."Butyeah,that'soneofthereasons."That'sthemainreason,Ithought.Mightaswellgetitoverwith."IfIhadbeenfifteenwouldyouhave
cometoNewYork?"Hehesitated,thensaid,"Probablynot.Iwasrightinthemiddleofleadingagroupofamateurclimbers
toEverest."IwouldhavelikeditalotbetterifhehadcometoNewYorktosavemebecauseIwasintrouble,not
becausehewasintrouble."TheyoungestAmericans to topEverest are a couple of twenty-year-olds," he explained. "So, your
being fifteenmight haveworked, but truthfully, getting a fourteen-year-oldup there has a lotmore sexappeal,especiallyafteryourclimbinNewYork."Therearealotofcelebritiesclimbingthisyear:acoupleofrockers,anactor,afootballplayer.There
aresevendocumentaryandTVcrewsonthissideofthemountainalone,andjustasmany,ifnotmore,onthesouthside.So,whenwetriedtogetthemediainterestedinourclimbtherewerenotakers.Withoutpublicitywe'recirclingthedrain."Yourskyscraperstuntwasbeamedallover theworld. Iknewabout itbeforeyourmomcalledand
askedifIcouldhelpout.SomeoneinourChiangMaiofficesawitonTV,figuredouttheconnection,andcalledupheresuggestingwetrytoputyouontop.AtfirstItoldthemnoway,butthenyourmomcalled.IthoughtIcouldtakecareofyourproblemandmineatthesametime.""DidyoutalktoMomaboutwhatwe'redoing?""Yeah,beforeIleftKathmandu.""Whatdidyoutellher?""ItoldherIwasgoingtotakeyouonaclimb,butIdidn'ttellherwhere."
"She'snotgoingtolikeitwhenshefindsout.""Don'tbesosure.Shemaynotclimbanymore,butsheunderstandswhatit'sallabout.That'swhyshe
letyougotothoseclimbingcamps.SheknowsthatImightriskmyownlifetosummit,butIwouldneverriskanyoneelse's,especiallymyownson's,togettothetopofamountain.""What'sgoingtomakehermadisyournottellingherbeforehand,"Isaid."You're probably right, but the reason I didn't tell her is thatwe can't let this out until you're back
down.""Whataboutthefilmcrew?""They'renotgoingtosayanything.We'repayingthem.Theyworkforus.""WhataboutHollyAngelo?"Hegaveadeep,foggysigh.(Itwascoldinthetent.)"Blackmail,"hesaid."Orwhatamountstoit,anyway.Somehowshefigureditallout.IthinkshemighthavealinetoDr.Woo."Andbytheway,ifyouhadflunkedthephysicalIwouldn'thavebroughtyouuphere.Period.Iwould
havesentyouontoChiangMai.AndIdidenrollyouintheInternationalSchoolthere."Anyway, Holly calledme here last week and said that she was going to print a story about your
EverestattemptunlessIgaveheranexclusive.""Andnowshewantstoclimbthemountainherself,"Isaid."Yeah, and it looks like I'm going to have to give her a shot. Otherwise, she's going to start filing
reportsassoonasshegetsuphere.""Whydowehavetokeepitquiet?""BecauseoftheChinese,"hesaid."There'snoagelimitonthissideofthemountain,butiftheyfindout
we'retryingtoputafourteen-year-oldonthetop,theymightpullourclimbingpermit.They'vebeentryingtogetateenagertothesummitforyears.Theywouldn'tbetoohappyifanAmericanteenagertoppeditbeforeoneoftheirown."He let out a harsh laugh. "Politics, publicity, advertising, sponsorships, endorsements:Climbinghas
reallygonedownhill.Ican'ttellyouhowmuchImissourrockratdayswhenweshowedupatthebaseofawallwithabagof trailmix,abottleofwater,andanoldrope.We'rerockweaselsnow,anditwillneverbethesame.""Josh!"Ahigh-pitchedscreampiercedthecoldmountainair."ThatwouldbeHolly,"Joshsaid."Youknowhervoice?""Ihaven'thearditinfifteenyears,butI'drecognizeitanywhere.Kindoflikefingernailsscrapingona
chalkboard.""Josh!"Webothwinced."HollywasonthecircuitwritingfreelancearticleswhenyourmomandIwereclimbing.Sheactually
wroteacoupleofgoodpiecesaboutus.Sheclimbed,too—kindof."Heshookhishead."Itwasascarythingtowatch.""Josh!""So,I'lltakeyoutothetop,"Joshsaid."ButonlyifIcandoitwithoutkillingyou.Ifyoumakeityou'll
befamous...andyou'llhelpyouroldmanliveincomfortfortherestofhislife.Myplanistosellthebusinessinafewyearsandretireontheproceeds.Arewesquare?"Iwasn'tsureaboutthefamouspart,andIwasn'thappyabouthisreasonforbringingmetoEverest,but
Ididwanttogettothetop."We'resquare,"Isaid."Butnomorecaginess.Iwanttoknowwhat'sgoingon.""It'sadeal."Hestuckouthisglovedhandandweshook.
"Josh!"Heunzippedtheflapandpeekedout."We'dbettergoandsayhellobeforeshecausesanavalanche."
GASP
HOLLYANGELOLOOKEDlikearedheadedscarecrowdressedinpinkgoosedown.Shewasoversixfeettallwithlimbslikeadaddylonglegs.AssoonasshesawJoshshewrappedher
armsaroundhimwithashriekso loudeveryheadforaquartermilepoppedoutof its tent like turtlescomingoutoftheirshells.StandingnexttoherwereseveralcuriousSherpas,threecameraguys,apersonalchef,andamassage
therapist.Thechefandthemassagetherapistwereshiveringandwouldbedeadbeforemorningunlesssomebodyfoundthemwarmergear.Joshwriggledoutofher tentaclesandheldherat arm's length so shecouldn't snaghimagain. "You
haven'tchangedabit,"hesaidwithhistrademarkgrin.(Meaning,Ithink:"Holly,youarestillapaininthecrevasse.")Herhawklikebrowneyesdartedaroundforhernextvictim,whichhappenedtobeme."Peeeeak!"Luckilythedrawn-outversionofmynamedoubledheroverwithacoughingfitandshewasn'tableto
gettome.Youwouldthinkthathercheformassagetherapistwouldhavecometoheraid,buttheyjuststoodthereshivering,watchingtheiremployerbentoverclutchingherknees."Badcough,"Joshsaid,whenshewasfinallyabletorightherself."Nobig...gasp...deal.Youknow...gasp...thealtitudeand...gasp...dryair...gasp...""We'll haveDocKrieger take a look at you."Hewas still smilingbut the grin looked a littlemore
genuine.HedidnotwanttotakeHollyAngeloupthemountainanyfartherthanhehadto.Inhercurrentconditionitdidn'tlooklikeshewasgoingtogetveryfar.Ifollowedhimovertomeetthefilmcrew:JR,Will,andJack.Theyalllookedfit.Hethankedthemfor
comingup."Happytobehere,"JRsaid,thenwhispered,"Dousafavor,Josh.PutusasfarawayfromHollyas
possible.""Noproblem."Joshlookedoveratthegaspingreporter.HollywasalreadytellingtheSherpaswheretopitchherpinktent,whichwasonlyslightlysmallerthan
theHQtent.Joshfrownedwhenhesawshewaserectingthemonstrosityrightnexttohisandmytent,buthedidn't
sayanythingtoher.HelookedbackatJRandpointedtoaspotaboutseventy-fivefeetaway."BestIcando.""Fine,"JRsaid.Heandtheothersheadedovertothespotwiththeirgear.Joshrubbedhistemples."Iprobablydon'tneedtotellyouthis,butyouneedtobeverycarefulabout
whatyousaytoHolly.She'sareporterandanythingyoutellherisfairgame.Justrememberthatsheismoreinterestedinherselfandhercareerthansheisinyou.""Whataboutthefilmcrew?"Iasked."Noworries there.Weown the footage.Whenweedit itdownwe'llmakeyou lookgoodnomatter
howyouscrewup."Hegrinned."Justkidding.Let'sgoovertothemesstentandI'llintroduceyoutotheotherclimbers.Justkeepinmind,theyknowyou'remyson,butwehaven'ttoldthemthatwe'retryingtogetyoutothetop.""Why?""Becausethey'vepaidupwardtoahundredgrandtosummit.Inaway,we'reusingtheirmoneytoget
youupthere.Theymightgetupset.""So,whatamIsupposedtotellthem?""Thatyou'reherewithmeanddon'texpecttomakeitpastCampFourorFive."Helookedbackoverin
Holly'sdirection."IguessIbetterfillherin,too,soshekeepsherbigmouthshut.I'llmeetyouoveratthe
mess tent." He sighed, put on his charming grin again, and headed toward Holly, who was shriekingordersattheSherpas.TheSherpas,forthemostpart,wereignoringhereverycommand.
THEMESSTENTwasnearlyasbigastheHQtent,butalotmorecrowded.Itwasalsosmokyfromthekerosenelampsandstoves,andcigarettes.Noneoftheclientsweresmoking,butalmosteverySherpahadacigarettedanglingoutofhismouthashestoodtothesideholdingaplateoffood.Sun-jowasmanningthenoodles.Iwentovertosayhello."How'sitgoing?""Whatwasthatterriblesoundoutside?"heasked."Areporter.""Injured?""Notyet."IlookedaroundandnoticedZopawasn'tthere."Where'sZopa?"Sun-joshrugged.Aclimberwalkedoverandheldouthisplate.Sun-joscoopedsomenoodlesontoitwithabigsmile.
Themansniffedthepile,grunted,thenwalkedaway."Whatdoyouthinkofyourfellowclimbers?"Sun-joasked."Ididn'tlikethatguy,"Isaid,thenlookedaroundthetentanddidaheadcount.Sevenwomen,sixteen
men(includingtherudegrunter).Tenofthemhadsignedupforasummitattempt.Itriedtopickoutwhichonestheywere,butitwashardtofigureout.Fitnesshelped,butgettingthroughthedeathzonewasmoreaboutyourbloodoxygenation, and luck: things even the fittest climberhad absolutelyno control over.Mostoftheclimbersappearedtobeintheirthirtiesorearlyforties,andofthese,onlyfiveorsixlookedingoodenoughshapetogettothetop.IcouldseewhyJoshwasworriedabouttheclimbingseason.ItoldSun-jothatIwassurprisedtoseetheSherpassmoking."Mostof thembelieve theywilldieon themountain,"hesaid."So,whynotenjoy themselveswhile
theywait?""Butdoesn'tsmokingmessuptheirclimbing?""Onlyiftheyrunoutoftobacco,"Sun-joanswered."ButZopabroughtupseveralcartonsofcigarettes
toselltothem."Monksweren'tsupposedtouseanystimulants.Iguessthisruledidn'tprecludethemfromsellingthem."Don'tlooksosurprised,"Sun-josaid."ZopawillgivetheprofitstotheTibetanmonks.Theyarevery
poor.Asyousawonthewayhere,theChinesearenotfavorabletowardthem.""Cageymonkreasonnumbertwo,"Isaid."What?""Nevermind,"Isaid."IguessI'dbetterminglewiththeotherclimbers.""Doyouwantsomenoodles?Theyareverygood.""Sure."Theyweregood.I'm notmuch of amingler,which droveRolf crazy, since he is perhaps the greatestmingler on the
planet.Ihaveseenhimgouptoacompletestrangerandaskforthetime(eventhoughRolfalwayshasaperfectlygoodwatchonhiswrist) just toget a conversation started.But Idon't thinkevenRolf couldhavecrackedthiscrowd.TheyhadbeenatBaseCampforacoupleofweeksnowandhadbondedintoinseparablegroups.This
wasn'tthefirsttimeI'drunintothis.GSSalwaysgotoutlateforsummer.BythetimeIarrivedatclimbingcamp the other kids had already picked their climbing partners. This left me with the kids who hadvirtuallynopreviousclimbingexperience,orifIwaslucky,theclimbinginstructor.Vincenttoldmethatgoodwritersarelousyminglers.Theyaretoobusyeavesdropping,orasheputsit:
Gatheringgristfortheirliterarymills.
So,becausenoonewaspayinganiotaofattentiontome,Ijustwanderedaroundgatheringgrist....
"WESHOULDHAVEbeenupatABCbynow."(ABC stands for Advance Base Camp, which is the next permanent camp up the north side of the
mountain.)"WewouldhavebeenifJoshhadn'tditchedusforhisso-calledson."(Theso-calledsonwasstandingfivefeetawayfromthetwoguystalking.)"Ididn'tevenknowhehadason""Neither did I—and I read every article ever written about him before I plopped down my life
savings.""Ihearthereasonwe'restuckdownhereisbecausehe'swaitingforafilmcrewandreporterfrom
NewYork""Theycameintoday.Nofilm,noglory,Iguess.Joshisapublicityhound."
"DR.LEAHKRIEGERisthecoldestfishI'veevermet""Straight fromNaziGermany, if youaskme. I think she'shere toperformexperimentsonus,not
treatus""PoorGeorge.Doyouthinkhereallyhadaheartcondition?""I don't know, but I heard that George's wife begged Krieger to put in a bad report. She never
wantedhimtoclimbthemountaininthefirstplace,andshe'stheonewithallthemoney.Beforetheygotmarried,Georgedidn'thavetwopenniestorubtogether."
"IWANDEREDOVERtoWilliamBlade'scampthismorning.Icouldn'ttellifIsawhimornot,butIthinkIgotclosebecauseoneofhisbodyguardsrushedoverandblockedmywayasItriedtowalkpasthistent.""Thinkhe'llmakeittothetop?""Healreadyhas,asfarasI'mconcerned""YouknowwhatImean:thesummit.""Ifhecan'tdoitonhisowntwofeet,hisbodyguardsarebigenoughtocarryhimupthereontheir
backs."(WilliamBladewasafamousactor.I'dseenmostofhisfilmsandthoughthewasgreat.)"IheardtherearethreepeopleupatABCwithHAPE.They'recomingdowntomorrow.""Well,they'reluckierthantheguywhodiedonthesouthsideyesterday.Steppedoutofhistentin
themiddleofthenighttopee.Idiotwaswearingslippers.HeslidtwohundredyardsdownaslopeintoacrevassesodeeptheSherpassayhe'sprobablystillfalling.""Heshouldhavebeenwearingcrampons.""Oratleastcarryinghisaxsohecouldself-arrest"
(SELF-ARRESTHASNOTHINGTODOwithlawenforcement.It'soneofthefirstthingstheyteachyouinmountaineering.Ifyoustartslidingdownanicyslopewithnothingtograbonto,you'dbetterknowhowtostopyourselfbydigginginyourcrampons,orpunchingyouraxintotheiceandhangingonfordearlife.Allsteepslopesendbadly, in trees,solidwalls,ordeepholes."Screamingin terrordoesn'tslowyoudownonebit," one ofmy instructors toldme. "If youwant to live you'd better learn to avoid the
void."Self-arrestwasn'tmybestclimbingskill.Hearingaboutaguydyingbecausehesteppedouttogotothebathroommademyskincrawl.)
"JOSHISSOCUTE!Whatdoyouthinkhe'ddoifIsnuckintohistentonenight?""Idon'tthinkthat'sincludedinthepermitfee.""Ifyouwaituntilyou'reabovetwentythousandfeetnothingwillhappen.Morethanyourlungsshut
downat—"
THEMOSTINTERESTINGPARTofmygristgatheringgotcutoffbytheentranceofHollyAngelo."Hello everyone!...gasp ... My name is Holly Angelo. I'm a journalist from New York and I'll be
joiningyou...gasp...ontopoftheworld!"Hollydidnotmingle,shemangled.Hergaspsweremetwithothergasps,butnotbecauseofthethinair,
althoughalotoftheoxygenwassuckedoutofthemesstentwhenshewalkedin.Allconversationstopped.Aplateoffooddropped.ASherpanearlyswallowedthecigarettehewassmoking,thenmadeamaddashforthebackentrance
with five or six other Sherpas. I was going to join them, but I was too slow. Talonswith bright redfingernailpolishlatchedontomyparka."Where...gasp...doyouthink...gasp...you'regoing?"Hollywhippedmearoundtofaceherwithsurprisingstrength."Uh...,"Istammered."Ineedtotalktoyou.""Uh...okay.""Now...gasp...Ihaveseenyourpitiful...gasp...tentandIthinkyouwillbealot...gasp...more
comfortable...gasp,gasp...inmytent."IthoughtIwouldfaint."Ihavealot...gasp...ofroom...gasp...anextracot..."NoonehauledacotallthewayuptoBaseCamp,butshehadaspare."...andmyfoodismuchbetterthan...gasp...thisswill.Pierreiscreatingsomethingrightnow...gasp
...andRalphhashismassagetablesetupifyouneedarubdown.""Uh...""Yourfathersaiditwasupto...gasp...you."Thanks,Dad.Coughingfit...Ithoughtaboutsneakingoutwhileshewascoughing.ShewouldstraightenupandolePeakwould justbegone.Poof!ThenI thoughtaboutwhatJoshhad
toldme:Beverycarefulaboutwhatyousay...andfiguredthatitalsoappliedtowhatIdid.It'srudetodisappearwhensomeoneishackingtheirlungsout."We have so much to discuss," she said when the fit was over, which seemed to have helped her
gasping."YourmomandIgowayback.We'vebeenfriendsforyears."IfthathadbeenthecaseIwouldhaverecognizedhernamethefirsttimeIsawitinthebylineabovethe
articleshe'dwritten."ShewouldneverforgivemeifIdidn'twatchoutforyouuphere.""Iappreciatetheoffer,"Isaid,tryingtogivehermyversionofJosh'scharminggrin(whichprobably
lookedmorelikeascowl),"butIthinkI'llstayinmyowntent."
Thiswasreturnedwithagenuinescowl.Ididn'tcare.TherewasnowayIwasgoingtobecomehertentmate."Butyouwillhaveyourmealswithme,"shesaid,asifthiswasn'tevenopentoquestion.Iwasholdingtheplateofnoodles,whichhadcooledandcongealedandwasn'tlookingitsbestatthat
moment."Noteverymeal,"Ihedged."Butyeah,I'lleatwithyouonceinawhile."HerscowldeepenedandIthinkshewasabouttosaysomethingnasty,butIwassavedbyJoshcoming
intothetent."Okay,people,"heannounced."TomorrowweheaduptoABC."Acheerwentup."It'lltakeusthreedaysandtwonightstogetupthereifeverythinggoeswell.We'llspendtwonightsat
ABC,thencomebackdown.Youknowtheroutine.""Climbhigh,sleeplow,"theteamchantedinunison."Leahwillcheckyoutonighttogetabaselineonyourblood,etcetera,thencheckyouagainupatABC
toseehowyou'redoing."Thisnewswasmetwithmuchlessenthusiasm."She'swaitingforyouintheAidtent."Hepinnedasheetofpaperonthetentpole."Shewrotedown
yourexamtimes.Don'tbelate.""HeilHitler,"aclimbermutteredunderhisbreath.Joshshothimalookandheturnedbrightred.Nobodygotuptothesummitunlesstheexpeditionleader
saidtheyweregoingup.Itwasbesttostayonthecaptain'sgoodside."Whataboutthepujaceremony?"someoneasked.Apuja is a Buddhist blessing ritual that most climbing parties went through prior to going up the
mountain."We'llbegoingup toABC twomore times in thenext fewweeks," Joshsaid. "We'llholdourpuja
beforeoneofthose.Iwanttogetanearlystarttomorrow."AcoupleoftheSherpasdidn'tlooktoohappyaboutskippingthepuja."Packjustenoughfoodforthetrip,"Joshcontinued."Itwillbeahardclimbandyoudon'twanttobe
carryinganymoreweightthannecessary."Thespeechendedandtheclimbersgatheredaroundthesheet.JoshwalkedovertoHollyandme."You two won't be coming," he said. "I'm holding JR, Jack, and Will back, too. You haven't
acclimatizedenoughtogohigher.""Thenwhydon'tyouwaitafewdays?"Hollyasked."Wecan...gasp...allgouptogether."Itwasagoodquestion.MostlybecauseIcouldn'timaginebeingstuckincampalonewithHollyforthe
nextseveraldays.Joshloweredhisvoice."I'dlikenothingbetterthantowait,butmostofthesepeoplehavebeenhere
forweeks.IfIdon'tgetthemhigherthey'llriot.AthirdofthemhaveonlysignedupforABC.Whenwecomebackdownthey'regone,whichwillmakethingsaloteasieraroundhere.I'lltakeyouuptoABCassoonasIgetbackdown.Ican'tholdthembackbecauseoflatecomers."
LATECOMERS
JOSH'SABSENCEWASN'TASBADasIthought,althoughZopaworkedSun-joandmelikedogs.ThemorningJoshheadedup themountainhehadusbuildasix-foot-tallcairnoutof rocksarounda
centralflagpoleforthepujablessingceremony.Wethenplacedsmallerpoles in thegroundaroundthemainpoleandstrungupdozensofprayerflagsbetweenthemonstrings.Theflagscomeinfivecolors—red,green,yellow,blue,andwhite—representingtheearth'sfiveelements:fire,wood,earth,water,andiron.Astheflagsflutterinthewindtheyreleasetheprayerswrittenonthemandpacifythegods.WhenwefinishedJoshhadSun-joandmegathergearfromourteam'stentsandleanitagainstthecairn
tobeblessed.ZopaheldtheceremonythateveningforaGermanandItalianclimbingpartygoingupthenextmorning,
andforourgroupinabsentia,whichhesaidwasn't ideal,but itsometimesworked.HerecitedseveralBuddhist prayers, then asked themountain for permission for us to climb it—inGerman,English, andItalian,whichwasimpressive.The ceremony took about three hours, and just as it was ending, a black bird landed on the main
flagpole,whichZopasaidwasveryauspicious."Whatkindofbirdwasthat?"Iaskedasweheadedbacktocamp.Itlookedkindoflikeacrowora
raven.Sun-joshrugged.
ITTURNEDOUTthateventhoughHollyAngelowasrightnextdoortome,shewasrelativelyeasytoavoid.Sheneverlefther tentbeforeten.Iwasoutofminebyseveneverymorning.Becausetherewereso
manypeopleinthecamp,itwaseasytogetlostamongthetents,unlessyouwereHolly,whoworethemostgarish-coloredsnowsuitsontheslope.Icouldpickheroutamileawayandhide.Shedidmanage tosnagmefordinner thefourthnightJoshwasgone. Imade themistakeofheading
back tomy tent to drop offmy ice ax before dinner (Zopa had been giving Sun-jo andme self-arrestlessons),andHollywaswaitingformelikeaguarddog.Thefoodwasbetterthanwhattheyofferedinthemesstent,buttheatmospherewasgrim.Ralphsaton
hismassagetablewithapermanentpoutonhisface,asifhewerewaitingforcustomersheknewwouldnevercome.ChefPierrewatchedeverybiteof foodI tookandmutteredabout thebarbariccookingconditionsat
18,000feet.AndHolly...Well,myheadachecameback,butitwasn'tfromthealtitude.Insideatenthervoicewas
shrillenoughtosouryakbutter.Shewasnolongergasping,whichImissedbecausethepausesgavemyearsachancetorest.I thought shewasgoing to interviewme,but it turnedout that Iwas there to listen toher interview
herself.Duringthetwo-hournonstopmonologueshefilledmeinonherlife,yearbyboringyear.Ididn'treallystarttuninginuntilsheturnedeighteen,buteventhenitwasn'tveryinteresting.She'dbeenmarried three timesandhercurrenthusband lived inRomeandshe rarely sawhim.She
camefromawealthyfamilyanddidn'thavetoworkforaliving.Shebecamea"journalist"(asshecalledit)againstherfather'swishesbecauseshefeltitwasher"moralresponsibilitytotellthetruth."(Ididn'tmentionthat in thearticleshe'dwrittenaboutus therewereseveral thingsthatwereblatantlyuntrue.)Ialso think she exaggerated her climbing conquests, becausewhen I asked herwhatmountains she hadclimbed,shesaid,"Youknow,all thebigones,"andquicklychanged thesubject todreams,asking if I
everhavethem."Yes.""Well,letmetellyouaboutoneIhadjustlastnight,"shesaid.I hate hearing about people's dreams, but I was spared by the arrival ofWilliam Blade and three
bodyguardsthesizeofyetis.In his filmsWilliamBlade had been shot, stabbed, starved, beaten, and tortured, but he had never
lookedworsethanwhenhehobbledintoHolly'stent."Hisbackwentout,"oneofthebodyguardsexplained."Wewerewonderingifyourmassagetherapist
canputhimright.""Ofcourse!"Hollysaid,pushingthingsoutoftheway(includingme)tomakeroom.Ralph smiled for the first time since he had arrived on themountain and gleefully began laying out
linimentsandlotionsandflexinghismuscles(whichweren'tveryimpressive).I stayed longenough towatch themgetBladeoutofhisclothesandonto the table,wherehestarted
yellingandswearingateveryoneinthetentasifwewerepersonallyresponsibleforhisbadback.Ididn'tseewhathappenedthenextday(ZopahadSun-joandmeclimbingatreacherousicefalloutside
camp)butweheardallaboutitwhenwegotbackthatafternoon.AfterRalphworkedhismagiconthefilmhero'sback,BladeofferedtopayhimtwiceasmuchasHolly
waspayingtomoveovertohiscamp.Apparently,Ralphcouldn'tgethisgeartogetherfastenough.WhenPierre saw thishebeggedBlade to takehim, too,whichhedid, leavingHollyabsolutelyalone inhergiantpinktentscreaminginrage.Thebetwasshewasgoingtoquitthemountain.Theonlypersonwhoputcashdownonherstayingwas
Zopa.Hemeteveryone'swagerwiththemoneyhehadgottenfromhiscigarettesales.ItwashoursaftertheincidentbeforeHollyemergedfromhertent.Itturnedoutthatshewasn'taboutto
headhometoherUpperEastSidepenthouseapartment.WewereinthemesstentwaitingtohearfromJoshandtheteamupatABC.Theyweresupposedto
leavethatmorningforBaseCamp,butgotpinneddownbyasnowstorm.WehadheardthatsomeofthepeopleuptherehadHAPE,butthestormhadknockedoutfurtherradiocommunication,sowedidn'tknowwhowassickorhowbaditwas.Iftheteamwasn'tabletostartdownthenextday,thesituationwouldturncritical.TheyhadbroughtonlyenoughfoodfortwodaysatABC.AcoupleoftheSherpasweretalkingabouthaulingupsomefoodforthem."Nottonight,"Zopasaid."Thestormismovingdownthemountain."TheSherpasandasmallgroupofotherclimberswerearguingwithZopaabouthisweatherprediction
whenHollysaunteredintothemesstent."I'mgoingtothetop,"sheannouncedcalmly,thenwalkedoverandgotaplateoffood.TheonlypersonsmilingwasZopa.Andwhynot?Hehadjustwonapotofmoney—literally.Themess
cookhadbeenkeepingthebetsinaten-gallonricecooker,whichwasnowoverflowingwithrupees.Sun-johadtoldmethatifZopawonthebethewouldgivethemoneytotheTibetanmonks.Theywouldhavetowaittogettheircash.Ididn'tknowthisyet,butjustlikeHolly,Zopahadnoplans
togohomeanytimesoon."Thesnowishere,"oneoftheSherpassaid."That'simpossible,"Isaid.Ihadn'tbeeninthetentmorethantwentyminutes.WhenI'dwalkedover
fromHQtherewasn'tacloudinthesky.Thecookpulledtheflapbackandwestaredoutsideindisbelief.ThesnowwassothickIwasn'tsure
howIwasgoingtofindmytent.
GAMOWBAG
IMADEITASFARastheHQtent,butnofartherthatnight.ThestormdumpedaboutfourfeetofsnowonBaseCamp.ItwasmuchworseupatABC.Joshmanagedtogetthroughontheradioonlyonceduringthenight.Itwasscratchyandbroken-up,but
wethinkhesaidthereweresustainedwindsofseventy-threemilesanhourandgustsofoverahundred.Theteammemberswerehunkereddownin their tents,but therewasnowayforJoshtocheckonthembecauseoftheweather.Atfirstlighthedugoutandreportedinagain."Base,we'reallaccountedfor,butwehavetwocasesof
HAPE.FrancisandBill.Onesevere,onemild.How'stheweatherdownthere?""Clear," the radio operator, Sparky, answered. "I just checked themeteorological maps and there's
nothingnewcominginuntiltonight.""When?""Storm'sETAisnineteenhundred,giveortakeseveralhours."Joshgaveaharshlaugh,followedbyacoughingfit.Whenhefinallyrecoveredhesaid,"Ihearyouon
thatweatherwindow.I'llstarteveryonedownassoonaswegetthemrehydrated.We'regivingBillextraOsandhe's respondingwell. I thinkhe'llbeable tomake itdownonhisown.LeahandIwill followbehindhimwithFrancisandacoupleSherpas.We'llgiveBillahandifheneedsit.We'retryingtogetFrancisintoaGamowBag."Franciswastheguywhogruntedatthenoodles.AGamowbag(pronounced"GAM-off")wasinvented
byIgorGamowinthelate1980sandhassavedalotofclimbersfromdyingofHAPE.It'slikeanairtightbodybag.Athighaltitudes theairpressure isextremely low.Youzip thevictim insideaGamowbag,pumpitfullofairuntilit'saboutthesamepressureasitwouldbeatsealevel,andbingo,theclimbercanbreatheagain...hopefully."We'llstartlookingforthefirstclimbersinabouteighthours,then,"Sparkysaid."Becarefulcoming
down.Avalancheriskishigh.""Keepuspostedontheweather.""Roger."
IDUGMYTENTOUTofthesnow,thenZopaaskedSun-joandmetodigoutHolly'stent,whichtookushours.Shedidn'thelpus,butshedidkeepussuppliedwithhotteaandcookies.Latethatafternoonthefirstofourteammembersstartedtostragglein,lookinglikezombiesfromNight
oftheLivingDead.Ittookthemeachthreemugsofsteamingsweetteainthemesstentbeforetheywerefinallyabletoputacoherentsentencetogether."Itwasanightmare....ThesnowstartedathousandfeetbelowABC.Itwassothickwehadtofixa
ropeandtieourselvestogethersowedidn'tloseanyone.""Couldn'tseeabloodythingpastyoureyelashes.Thenitreallystartedsnowing.""Twenty-twobelowatABCwithoutthewindchill.Wenearlyfrozetodeathtryingtogetourtentsup."The guy talking gingerly pulled the glove off his right hand. Three fingers were discolored and
blistered."KriegersaysI'llkeepthedigits,butthelittletoeonmyleftfootisgoingtosloughoffinaboutaweek.Neverlikedthattoe,anyway."Helaughed,butitwasn'tamerrysound."I'dshowittoyou,butitwouldjustmakeyousick.""Theblizzardwasn'ttheworstofit,"anotherclimbersaid."Notbyafarsight."Hewasacowboyfrom
Abilene,Texas."Anavalanchehitusatabouttwointhemorning.Soundedlikethebiggestdangstampedeyoueverheard.Wipedoutseventents.Didn'tloseasoul,thanktheLord,butwehadtodoubleandtriple
upintheremainingtentslikesardines.""Thenthefoodranout,"themanwiththefrostbittenfingerssaid."Joshonlyhadusbringenoughforthe
tripupandback.Thismorningtherewasn'taraisintoeatbetweenus.We'reluckyitclearedup.Acouplemoredaysandwewouldhavestarvedtodeath.""You'rerightaboutthat,partner,"theTexanagreed."WhenIcrawledoutthismorningIwaseyeingone
of themyakswithmurder inmyheart.Guesswe shouldhavehad that dangpuja ceremony beforewestartedupthehill.""Where'smy—where'sJosh?"Iasked."HimandKriegerarestillhaulin'Francisdown,"theTexandrawled."Theydidn'tleavetilllate,from
whatIhear.TurnsoutFrancisisclaustrophobic.Shouldhaveguessedit.He'salwayssleepingwithhalfhisheadoutsidethetentdoor.Heaboutwentplumbcrazywhentheyzippedhimintothatbag.Theonlythingthatsavedhimwasthathepassedoutafterabit."Youmightbethinkingthattheaboveconversationwasalittlecoldhearted.Andyou'dberight.Itwas
tenbelowzerooutside,slightlywarmerinthemesstentbutnotbymuch.Whenyouareexhausted,havingahardtimecatchingyourbreath,freezing,starving,waitingforyourlittletoetodropoff,youhaveotherthingsonyourmindthanthewelfareofyourfellowclimbers.ZopawavedSun-joandmeovertohimandtoldustogetourgear.Weweregoingupthemountainto
helpJoshandLeah.
JR,WILL,ANDJACKjoinedus.TheyhadbeenfilmingourclimbinglessonswithZopathepastfewdays,andIwasn'tsuretheywerecomingwithustohelportogetfootageoftheGamowbaginaction.Ididn'tthinkathousandfeetwouldmakethatmuchofadifference,butatthataltitudeevenahundred
feetmadeadifference.Havingtoplowthroughfreshlyfallensnowdidn'thelp.AbouteverytwentystepsIstopped,suckinginraggedbreathsoffreezingair.Atthisstage,myhopeofgettingtothesummit,amileandahalfabovewhereIwascurrentlysuffocating,seemedaboutaslikelyasmeflyingaGamowbagtoJupiter.MyonlyconsolationwasthatSun-joandthefilmcrewwerehavingasmuchtroubleasIwas.Theonepersonwhowasn'taffectedwasZopa.He'dwaitforusuntilwewereaboutfiftyyardsbehind
him,thencontinueuptheRongbukGlacierlikeamountaingoatbreakingtrail.BylateafternoontherewasstillnosignofJoshandtheothers.Ifwedidn'tfindthemsoon,we'dbe
searchinginthedark,butevenworse,cloudswerestartingtocomein.Zopaletuscatchuptohimjustasthesunstartedslippingbehindthemountain."Maybe they're spending the night at Camp Two or the intermediate camp," JR suggested between
gasps.TherearetwocampsonthewayuptoABC:anintermediatecamp,andCampTwo,whichliesthree-
quartersof thewayup toABC.The intermediatecampwasnowhere insight,whichmeantweweren'tnearlyasfarupthemountainasitfelt."Andif theyarenotat the intermediatecamporCampTwo?"Zopaasked.(MeaningifJoshandDr.
Kriegerhadpassedthecamps,orhadn'treachedthemyet,theycouldfreezetodeath.)"Goodpoint,"JRconceded."Whatshouldwedo?"Zopalookeddowntheglacier,thensquintedupatthedarkeningsky."Astormiscoming,"hesaid."YoucangetdowntoBaseCampinanhourandahalf,maybetwohours.
Ifyouleavenowyoucanbeatit."JRgavehimaskepticallook.Wehadbeenclimbingforoverfourhoursnow."Downhill,"Zopasaidbywayofexplanation."Thetrailisbroken.Don'twanderoffit.""Whataboutyou?"Iasked.Hepulledhisheadlampoutofhispackandstrappeditaroundhisparkahood,thenstartedtosliphis
pack back on. "I know your father. He will not watch that man die. He will try to get him off themountain."I thinkallofuswanted togobackdowntoBaseCamp(IknowIdid),butnoneofuswanted togo
downwithoutZopa,especiallywithbadweathermovingin.WeputonourheadlampsandfollowedZopa'slight.Twohours later, in thedark,withthesnowbeginningtofall,wespottedtwoheadlampsflickeringa
fewhundredyardsaboveus.JoshandLeahlookedcompletelydonein.Idon'tthinktheywouldhavemadeitmuchfartherontheir
own.AndIdon'tknowwhowashappiertoseewho.TheywerehappyweweretheretohelpgetFrancisdown,andwewerehappytofindthembecauseitmeantwegottogodown."DidyoubringOs?"Joshasked,kindofslurringhiswords.Zopapulledanoxygentankandmaskoutofhispack.Joshcrankeduptheregulatorandhandedit to
Leah,whotookinseveraldeeplungfuls.Joshwasnext.Whenhefinishedheofferedittous,butweallbravelyshookourheads.Wehadn'tbeenupaslongorashighasheandLeah,andtheonlyreasontheytookhitswasbecausetheywereexhausted.Climbersusuallydidn'tstartsuckingOsuntiltheygottoCampFive.Zopapointedtothebag."Howishe?""Alive...atleastthelasttimewelooked.ButhehasHAPEbad."JRpointedhisheadlampatthetransparentwindowonthetopofthebag,butitwastoofoggedupto
seeinside."Youstillwithus,Francis?"Joshshouted.IthoughtIheardamuffledreply,butitwashardtotellinthehowlingwind."He'swritingamessage,"Leahsaid.Westaredasafeeble,backwardseyappearedinthecondensationonthewindow.Joshmanagedtolaugh,thenlookedatLeah."Shouldwelethimout?"Sheshookherhead."You'rethedoctor."Hesquattedandgotclosertothebag."Helphasarrived,Francis!We'llhaveyou
downtoBaseCampsoon!"Soonturnedouttobefourmorehours.Theglacierwassteepandicy.Wehadtoplaceicescrewsand
lowerthebagonropesafewfeetatatimesoitdidn'ttakeofflikeatoboggan.Westumbled intoBaseCamplongaftermidnight.Thecampwasusually litup likeaChristmas tree
withblue,red,andgreententlights,butthislate,mostoftheclimberswereasleep.WehauledtheGamowintotheAidtentandlaiditonacot.Leahpulledoffherouterandinnerthermalgloveswithherteeth,thenslowlyunzippedthebag."Howareyoufeeling?"sheasked.Franciswasthecolorofacorpse.Heblinkedhiseyesopenandmanagedtogiveheraweaksmile.He
whispered,"I'mnotclaustrophobicanymore."Leahsmiledandputastethoscopetohischest."ButyoustillhaveHAPE.""I'mnotgoingtothesummit?""Not this year," Josh said, looking just as disappointed as Francis. He had another opening on his
climbingpermit.
WELEFTFRANCISANDLEAHandwentintothemesstent.Ahandfuloftheteam,staff,andSherpaswerestillupdrinkingteaandplayingcards.JoshreportedonFrancis'scondition.WhenhefinishedheaskedhowBillwas."Nottoogood,"theTexananswered."Hedoesn'twanttogobackup."
Joshswore.Anotherclimberdown—andnoonehadclimbedhigherthanABCyet.Themess tentclearedoutpretty fastafter that, leavingme,Sun-jo,Zopa,andSparky. It feltgood to
drinkhotteaandtobreatheandhaveairactuallyfillmylungs.IfeltlikeIwassittinginanoxygentent,notamesstent."PeakandMissAngeloneedtogetuptoABC,"Zopasaid."Iknow,"Joshsaid."IwasgoingtotakethemandthefilmcrewupwhenIgotback,butI'llhaveto
waitafewdaysnow.I'mwiped.""I'lltakethemalluptomorrow,"Zopaoffered.Icouldn'tevenimaginewalkingbackuptheglacierinafewhours,butIcouldn'tprotestinfrontofJosh
orZopa. Iwished that JR,Will, andJackhadn'theaded to their tentsafter filmingFrancisbeing freedfromtheGamowbag.IftheyhadbeentheretohearZopa'ssuggestion,I'msuretheywouldhaveprotestedforme."Ican'taskyoutodothat,"Joshsaid."Youdidn'taskme,"Zopasaid."Ioffered.Theyneedtogoup.Theweatherwillbreakinafewhours.""NotaccordingtothesatellitemapsIjustlookedat,"Sparkysaid.Zopashrugged."Themapsarewrong.""WhataboutHolly?"Joshasked."Ihadadoctorfromanothercamplookatherearliertoday,"Zopaanswered."Shecango."Joshgrinned."So,youalreadyhadthisfiguredoutbeforeyoucameuptogetme."Zopaignoredthecomment."Wewilltakesomeoftheportersandyaks,"hesaid."Resupplywhatwas
lostinthestorm.TherearesomeSherpasIwouldliketovisitatABCbeforeIleavethemountain.""DidyoutalktoPa-sang?"Pa-sangwasJosh'ssirdar,whoIhadseenaroundcampbuthadneverofficiallymet.Hewasconstantly
rushingaround,yellingattheporters,arguingwithSherpas,orintheHQtenttalkingtotheBaseCampcrew."Hehadtheporterspackwhatwasneededthisafternoon,"Zopaanswered.Joshlookedatme."Areyoureadyfortwenty-onethousandfeet?"IsaidIwas,butIhadsomeseriousdoubts.IhopedZopawaswrongabouttheweather.
ABC
THENEXTMORNINGIpokedmyheadthroughthetentflap.Crystalclear, twenty-eightdegrees,nowind—byfarthebestweatherwe'dhadsincegettingtoBase
Camp—andIcouldnothavebeenmoredisappointed.Ihadasorethroatanditfeltlikethemusclesandjointsinsidemyskinhadbeenreplacedwithbroken
glass.Sun-jowassittingoutsidewaitingforme,dressedinmyformerclothes, includingmyso-calledjunk
boots.Andtherewasanaddedtouch:ThePeakExperiencelogohadbeensewnonboththeparkaandhisstockingcap.IthoughtZopahadtradedallthatstuffaway.WhywasSun-jowearingmyclothes?"Youdonotlookwell,"hesaid."Idonotfeelwell,"Icroakedbackathim."What'swiththeclothes?""Theydidn'tfityou,"heanswered."Zopagavethemtome."Iwastoooutofittopursueitanyfurther.Ireachedbackintothetentformywaterbottleandfoundit
wasfrozensolid.Iwassotiredthenightbefore,Ihadforgottentoputitinthesleepingbagwithmetokeepitfromfreezing.I'dspenthourspackingandrepackingmygearforthetripuptoABC.Sun-jopulledhiswaterbottleoutofhisbackpack.Itookadeepswigandhandeditback,wondering
whyhehadabackpack."AreyougoinguptoABCwithus?""Yes,"heanswered."AndIwouldliketoleavebeforetheherders.Idon'tlikesteppinginyakdung.""Meeither,"Isaid,althoughIhadneverseenyakdung.Theporterskeptyakscorralledatthefarendof
camp.Ihadn'tbeenoverthereyet,butyoucouldsuresmelltheshaggybovineswhenthewindblewfromthatdirection.IwonderedwhyZopahadn'tmentionedSun-jogoinguptoABCwithusthenightbefore,butIwastoo
tired,hungry,andworriedabouttheclimbtoaskSun-joaboutitrightthen."Guesswe'dbettertrytowakeupHolly.""SheandZopahavealreadyleft,"Sun-josaid.Ilookedatmywatchinapanic,butitwasonlynineo'clock."Whendidtheyleave?""Twohoursago.""Whydidn'tZopawakemeup?"Iasked(althoughIwasgladfortheextrasleep)."MissHollyisaslowclimber.Wewillovertakethem."Igrabbedmygearandcheckeditonelasttime,thenwewentovertothemesstenttogetsomethingto
eat. The only person inside was the cook. I was disappointed Josh wasn't there to see me off, butconsideringwhathehadbeenthroughthepastfewdays,Icouldn'tblamehimforsleepingin.Halfwaythroughmybreakfast,JR,Will,andJackdraggedin,blurry-eyedandirritable,butafterhalfan
hourofcoffeeandcarbstheybegantoperkup."Let'sgetthisoverwith,"Willsaid,smearingglacialcreamonhisfacetopreventitfromburning.
***AT FIRST ITAPPEARED that Holly was a faster climber than Sun-jo thought, but her speed wasexplainedafewhourslaterwhenwefinallycaughtuptohernearastreamofglacialmeltwater:ZopahadbeencarryingbothhisandHolly'sheavybackpackastheymadetheirwayupthesteepglacier.Evenwithoutthebackpackshewashavingahardtimecatchingherbreath.Shetriedtosmilewhenshe
saw us but couldn't quite manage it. Zopa looked a little haggard, too, which wasn't too surprisingconsideringhewascarryingasmuchweightasayak.Speakingofwhich,theyakherdhadbeengainingonusalldaylongandwerenowlessthanahundred
yards behind. Each yak carried over a hundred pounds of supplies and their own fodder—there was
nothingelseforthemtoeatthishigh.WithagrimexpressionZopalookedatthelonglineofanimals.Iguesshedidn'twanttotrudgethrough
theirdunganymorethanwedid."Thosecowsaregoingtoruinourshots,"JRsaid."They'renotcows,they'reyaks,"Isaid."Andhowaretheygoingtoruinyourshots?""We'refilmingyou,notabunchofherdersandtheiryaks."Ithoughtthatat19,000feetallmyhotbuttonswereoutofreach,butJRhadjustmanagedtopunchone
ofthemdeadcenter.Ihatedtelevisiondocumentarieswheretheyfilmedtheintrepidscientist,climber,orexplorerinthemiddleofsomedreadfullyhostileenvironmentallalone.Ohyeah?Thenwho'soperatingthecameraastheybattletheelementsallalone?BackatBaseCampIhadoverheardclimberscomplainingabout the"filthy"portersandherdersand
their"stinking"yaks.Whensomethingwasmissingfromoneofthecamps,theportersandherderswerealwaysthefirstsuspects.Sure, I didn't want to step in yak dung, but it was pretty humbling to hear those same herders and
porters in their cheapboots, ratty clothes, andheavypacks comingupbehinduswith the strength andbreathtowhistle,chant,andsingastheyhauledourgearupthemountain.Noneofuswerewhistlingorsingingandwewerecarryingatenthofwhattheyhadontheirbacks."Withoutthoseherders,yaks,andporterswewouldn'tbehere,"IsaidtoJR."Leavingthemoutofthe
filmislikeleavingEverestoutofthefilm.They'remoreimportanttoaclimbergettingtothesummitthantheclimber."Ididn'thaveenoughbreathforanymore,butIthinkImademypointbecauseZopalaughed,longand
hard (which is hard to do at that altitude).Andwhen the yaks and herders and porters reached us JRfilmedtheentireprocessioncrossingthestream,includingthebloodyspotsinthesnowleftbytheyaksthathadcuttheirhoovesonsharprocks.Wegladlyfollowedtheirdungtrailallthewayuptotheintermediatecamp.Thecampwasn'texactly
whatIexpected.Itwaslocatedattheveryedgeofanunstablecliffabovearoaringglacialriver.Behinduswasaslope
that looked like it was going to come tumbling down on top of us. I pointed out these two potentialdisasters to Zopa, and as an exclamationmark, a boulder popped loose and came tumbling down theslope,slidingtoastopaboutfiftyfeetfromwherewewerestanding."It's level," Zopa said as if a comfortable sleepwere all thatmattered beforewewere crushed to
death.I lookedaroundat theothers.Noneof themseemedbothered,but thatmighthavebeenbecause they
weresoexhausted theycouldbarelymove.Iknewexactlyhowtheyfelt.Thesimplest tasksseemedtotakeforeverandweweren'tevenupatABCyet.Therewerethreehighercampsabovethat.Aftersettingupourtent(Sun-joandIhaddecidedtobunktogethersowedidn'thavetocarryupan
extratent)wesetupHolly's.Shehadn'tutteredasinglewordsincewe'dcaughtuptoher.Shewassittingslumpedonaflatrocklikeapuppetwithitsstringscut,watchingusthroughdull,lifelesseyes.Sun-jowenttohelpZopaandtheotherSherpasgetdinnerready,andIwalkedoverandaskedHolly
howshewasdoing.Shetookseveraldeepbreaths,andonthelastexhalemanagedawheezy"Fine."Atsea levelanyonewho looked likeshedidwouldbe in thebackofanambulanceon theirway to
emergency,butat19,028feettheemergencythresholdwasproportionatelyhigher.Evenso,Ididn'tlikeHolly'schancesforgettinganyfartherupthemountainintheconditionshewasin.AshotofOswouldperkherrightup,butitwouldalsodefeatthepurposeofacclimatization.Herbody
wasactuallyclimbingasshewasslumpedonthatcoldrock,whichwasthewholepurposeofclimbhigh,sleeplow....
"Redbloodcellsaremultiplyingbythemillionstoprotectourbodiesfromthethinair.Thesenewredcellsstickaroundduringtherestperiodsatloweraltitudes,makingiteasierthenexttimeyougoup.Soeventhough—""Shutup,Peak,"Hollymanagedtosaywithasmallsmile."What?""Iknow...gasp...how...gasp...redbloodcells...gasp...work."IstaredathercompletelydumbfoundeduntilIrealizedthatsomewhereinthemiddleofmythoughtsI
hadstartedtalkingoutloudwithoutrealizingit,whichshouldgiveyousomeideaofwhatkindofshapeIwasin."Sorry."Hollynodded."Helpmetomytent."When Igotherup she swayed,but a coupleof shallowbreaths steadiedher. It tookus agood five
minutestowalkthefifteenfeettothetent,andbythetimewegottherewewerebothgasping.Itfeltlikesomebodyhadcutmystrings.Whatwashappeningtome?IdepositedHollyinhertent,thenslowlymademywayovertoSun-joandZopa,wonderingifIwas
goingtomakeittherewithoutcollapsing.Zopahandedmeacup.Itookitfromhim,butIwasn'tsurewhatIwassupposedtodowithit."Drink,"hesaid.Ohyeah,Ithoughtsluggishly.Acup.Youdrinkfromit.Thatfirstsipfloweddownmyesophagusand
hitmybellylikesomekindofmagicelixir."Whatisthisstuff?"Zopastaredatme."Tea,"hesaid."Withsugar.""Whatkindoftea?""Plainoldgreentea."HereachedintotheinsidepocketofmyGortexcoat,pulledoutmywaterbottle,andshookit.Itwas
nearlyfull."Dehydration,"hesaid. "Youarenotdrinkingenough.Thiswillkillyou faster than the thinair."He
noddedtowardSun-jo,whoalsohadhishandswrappedaroundamugoftea."Sun-joisguilty,too."Ihadn'tfeltthirstyallday,butIknewZopawasright.Ifyouwaitedtodrinkuntilyouwerethirstyat
thisaltitudeitmightbetoolate."Holly!"Isaidwithalarm,thinkingshewassufferingfromdehydration,too.Zopashookhishead."MissHollyhashadplentyoffluids,"hesaid."Imadecertain.""She'snotdoingwell,"Isaid."Ihaveseenworse,"Zopasaid."Andsomeofthosemadeittothesummit.Youcannevertellwhothe
mountainwillallowandwhoitwillnot."
IHADAMISERABLENIGHT.Iwent a littleoverboard inmyhydration andhad toget up three times topee.Then, it seemed that
every time I started todozeoff, aboulder from the slope let loose, causingme to situp in terror as Iwaitedforittocrushus.Buttheworstproblemwasmythroat.BymorningitfeltlikeIhadahard-boiledgooseegglodgedinit.Withallmytossingandturningandpeeing,Idon't imagine thatSun-jogotmuchsleep,either,buthe
didn'tcomplain.Onabrightnote,themorningwasasmildasthepreviousmorning,andHollywasmuchimproved.She
managedtowalktothemesstenttohavebreakfastwithus.(Thenightbefore,Zopahadservedherdinnerinhertent.)Theherdersandyaksleftanhourbeforewedid.TheywouldgostraightuptoABCwithoutstoppingat
CampTwo,whichshouldgiveyousomeideaofthekindofshapetheywereincomparedtous.JRcameupasIwaspackingthetentandsaidhewantedtodoaninterviewwithmebeforeweheaded
up.Sun-joandZopawerepackingupHolly'sgear.IhadalreadydoneseveraloftheseinterviewsdownatBaseCampandIdreadeddoinganymore.Ihad
discoveredthatacamerainmyfaceandamicrophoneboomdanglingabovemyheadturnedmeintoababblingidiot."Justactnatural,"JRwouldsay."Beyourself."Right.Thenhewouldgivemelittlepromptslike:"What'sitfeelliketobeupontheworld'sgreatestmountain
withyourdad?"Or:"HowdoesbeinguponEverestcomparetoclimbingskyscrapers?"Iwould try toanswer thequestionswith straightforwardhonestyandendup spewing forth themost
incrediblylameanswersimaginable.Istoppedpackingandjoinedthecrew,tryingnottolooktooglum.Theyhadpositionedthecamerain
frontoftherottingslope,andIwasupallnightlisteningtotheslopebelchboulders.Willmademesquat,pulledthehoodoffmyheadsotheycouldseemyface,andwipedoffallmyglacialcream,whichIhadjustcarefullyapplied."Man,wouldn'titbegreatifoneofthosebigbouldersletloosewhilewe'redoingthis?"Jacksaid.(He
was the sound guy and was always hoping that something horrible would happen when the filmwasrolling.)"Okay," JR said. "We're going to keep it real simple today. I justwant you to repeatwhat you said
yesterday about theyaks andporters.Thatwas reallypoignant.Andyouwere absolutely right. I don'tknowifthey'lluseitinthefinalversionbuttheysureoughtto."Iwasthrilled.Infact,duringmysleeplessnightIhadthoughtaboutwhatIsaidandwishedthey'dhad
thecamerarolling.JRgavethecue."Onthree...two...one...taperolling..."Iopenedmymouthandnothingcameout."We'rerolling,"JRsaidimpatiently.(Thecamerabatteriesdidn'tlastverylongincoldweather.)Itriedagain,butnothingcameout."Anytime,Peak.""Aboulder'scomingloose,"Jacksaidexcitedly."Comeon,Peak!"Ipointedtomymouthandshookmyhead.Myvoicewasgone.JRswore."Thatboulder'sreadytopop,"Jacksaid."Ithinkit'sgoingtomissus,butitwilldefinitelybeinthe
frame.""Zopa!"JRyelled."Canyoucomeoverforalittlestand-up?"ZopashookhisheadandpointedatSun-jo."LetSun-jodoit.""Getoutoftheframe,Peak!"JRshouted.ImovedandSun-joquicklysteppedintomyplace."We'restillrolling,"JRsaid."Talkaboutyourfeelingstowardthemountain,Sun-jo.Maybesomething
aboutyourfather.Onthree...two...one...""MyfathercametoSagarmathawhenhewasmyage,"Sun-Josaidinhiscoolaccent."Hestartedasa
porterandworkedhiswayup tobecomeaSherpaandanassistantsirdar.He toldme thatheclimbedmountainssoIwouldnothaveto,butIthinktherewasmoretoitthanthis..."TheboulderJackhopedwouldfalldid,alongwithatonofotherdebris.Sun-jodidnotflinch,oreven
glancebehindhimatthemini-avalanche.Hejustkepttalking,andJRkeptfilming."My father was a stranger to me, but here on the mountain I am getting to know him through the
conversations of the Sherpas and climbers and porters. I came here to see themountain, butwhat I'mdiscoveringismyfather.""Beautiful!"JRsaid.Itwasbeautiful.AndIhatetoadmitit,butIwasalittlejealousofSun-jo'ssmoothperformance.Unlike
me,hewastotallycomfortableinfrontofthevideocamera.JRhadneverpraisedmeafterataping.OfcourseIwaslousyatit,butstill...JackandWillwerepattingSun-joontheback,tellinghimwhatanaturalhewas.Iwalkedbacktoour
tentandfinishedpacking.Idon'tthinktheyrealizedIhadleft.
ATMIDMORNING theweather turned,withgraycloudscoming in fromthewestandabitterlycoldwindblowingdownthemountain.Wehadtostopandputonmorelayersofclothes.Icoveredmyfacewith a silk balaclava and wool scarf.My throat was no better, but I trudged on, one step at a time,stoppingeveryhalfhour,unwindingmyshroudtodrink,andgaggingoneverygulp.Zopawalkedbehindus,stillcarryingHolly'sloadandgentlycoaxingheruptheslopeasifhewereher
personal Sherpa or something. I didn't know if she had hired him, or promised to givemoney to theTibetanmonks,orifitwassomethingelse.Butwithouthim,shewouldhavebeengoingdownhillinsteadofup.Ittookuseighthours(halfamileanhour)togettoCampTwo.Thereweresomanyclimberstherewe
barelyhadroomtopitchourtents.SomeoftheclimberswerecomingdownfromCampFouraboveABC,somewereontheirwayuptoABC,andsomewereusingthesiteastheirBaseCamp,whichwashardtoimaginebecauseIcouldbarelybreathe.Thefilmcrewhadtosetuptheir tentsonthefarsideofcampfromus.Thecampwasatthejunctionoftwoglaciers:EastRongbukandBeifeng.Youcouldn'tseetheEverest
summit from the camp, but there was a spectacular view of three other Himalayan peaks: Changtse,Changzheng,andLixin.Therewasn'tenoughroomtosetupthemesstent,sowewereonourownfordinner.IgotthestovegoingwhileSun-jowalkeddowntoaglacialpondtogetwater.Bythetimehegotback
ithadstartedsnowing.Weputthewateronthestoveandwaitedforittoboil,whichwastakinglongerandlongerthehigherweclimbed.Iwasn'thungry,andIdon'tthinkSun-jowas,either,butwebothknewwehadtoeat.Sun-joaskedmehowIwasdoing.Itriedtoanswer,butallthatcameoutwasahissingcroak.Itdidn't
bothermethatIcouldn'ttalk.Whatworriedmemorewasthatthesorethroatmightbethebeginningofsomethingworse.TherewasanastyvirusgoingthroughBaseCampthathadeveryoneinanuproar.Ifyoucatchsomethingbadenoughyourclimbisover.Asaresulttheteamshadcircledthewagonsbystayingintheirowncampsandsuspiciouslyeyeingtheapproachofotherclimbersasiftheywereplaguecarriers.Typically,oneoftheporterswasaccusedofbringingthevirustocamp,asiftheclimberswereincapableofcarryingavirustoEverest.Aswewaitedfor thewater toboilwewatchedZopasetupHolly's tent,whichshecrawledintoas
soonasitwasup.Hethenputuphisowntentandstartedmakingtheirdinner."Iwastalkingtooneoftheotherclimbers,"Sun-josaid."Hetoldmethattomorrowwillbeabigtest.
He'sbeenuptoABCandhasspentonenightupatCampFour.Hesaidifwemakeitthatfarweshouldbeabletomakeittothesummit..."IshouldhavebeenpayingmoreattentiontowhatSun-jowassaying,butatthatmomentIwashavinga
minorcrisisthathadnothingtodowithmysorethroat.WhatwascausingthemeltdownwasthefactthatithadbeenarelativelyeasydaybutIwasacompletewreck.Youcannevertellwhothemountainwillallowandwhoitwillnot.Zopa'swordshadbeenechoingin
mybrainallday—andIwasbettingthatPeakMarcellowasinthe"not"crowd,rightbesideGeorgewiththecloggedheartandFrancisoftheGamowbag.Dr.WoohadbeenwrongaboutmyconditioningorelseIhadscrewedmyselfupbygettingdehydrated.
But if thatwas the case,whywasn't Sun-jo suffering? I looked over at him.Hewas stirring the pot,chatteringawaylikewewerecampedonabeach.
THENEXTMORNINGZOPAdraggedusoutofourtentbeforedawn.Therewasaboutafootofnewsnowontheground,butithadstoppedfalling."Hardclimbtoday,"hesaid."Andweneedtogetupfast,ortherewon'tbeaplacetopitchouttents.
How'syourthroat?"Ishookmyhead.Myvoicewasstillgone,butIdidn'tfeelanyworsethanIhadthenightbefore,which
Iconsideredavictory.
OUTSIDECAMP we started up the Trough, a depression that sits between two rows of jagged icepinnacles that looked likegiant canine teeth.Themainpathwaswellwornandclearlymarkedby theyaks.Zopawarnedustostayonthepath."Ifyouwanderoffit,eventotakeapee,youcouldbelostforeverintheicemaze."(IpromisethisisthelasttimeI'mgoingtotalkabouthigh-altitudebodilyfunctions.Answeringacallof
natureonthemountainisahugeordealbecauseatthataltitudeyoucan'tdoanythingfastandyouhavetotakeofflayerafterlayerofclothing.Itcandelayyourclimbbyahalfhourormore,whichcanruinyourchancesofgettinghigherbecausebadweathermovesinsoquickly.Thisiswhyyoutrytotakecareofallthisbeforeyouleavecamp.)Aboutnoonweranintotheporters,yaks,andherdersheadingbackdowntoBaseCamp.Theywere
stillwhistlingandsingingandIwastemptedtogetinlinewiththem.Ithinktheonlythingthatstoppedmewas thatHollyhadbeen infrontofmeallday long,andIwasn'tabout to lethergetanyhigherup themountainthanme.TwohourslaterwegotourfirstlookatABC.Sun-jopointedoutthetinycoloredtentsinthedistance,
butthecampwasn'tascloseasit looked.Itwasthreemoretorturoushoursaway.Theonlybrightspotwas thatSun-jo and Imanaged topassHolly andZopaabout ahundredyardsbefore they reached thecamp.ABC:21,161feet.HigherthanKilimanjaroandMountMcKinley.AndIfeltit.Thecrudecampmade
everyotherplacewehadstayedseemlikeparadise.Itwassituatedonapileofrubblebetweenaglacier(thatlookedlikeithadbeenformedbyfrozensewage)andarottenrockwall.Thegroundwaslitteredwithankle-breakingrocksandlife-endingcrevasses.JRfilmedourtriumphantarrival.IbarelyhadthestrengtheventolookatthecameraasItrudgedbyit.Therewereonlyaboutsixtentssetup,sotherewasplentyofroomforustostakeoutanareaforthe
team.UnlikeatBaseCamp,peopleweren'twanderingaroundsocializing.Theywereeithertoopoopedtomoveorterrifiedabouttwistingsomethingthisclosetothetop.BythetimeZopaandHollyarrived,wehadourtentssetupandafiregoingfromthewoodtheporters
hadleft."How'syourthroat?"Hollyasked.Sun-joandInearlyfelloff therocksweweresittingon.Thiswasthefirstfullsentenceshehadput
together sincewe leftBaseCamp, and her voice almost sounded normal.We had passed her, but sheseemedinbettershapethanwewere."It's...still...sore,"Isaidwithdifficulty.
"Ithinkthere'sadoctoruphere,"shesaid."I'llgofindhim."Bythetimewehadhertentupshewasbackwiththedoctorintow.Helookedlikeheneededadoctor
himself,butheexaminedmythroat,thencalledLeahKriegerdownatBaseCamp.Theydecidedtoputmeonantibiotics.Joshcameontheradioandaskedmehowitwasgoing.Icouldn'tanswer,soIturnedovertheradioto
Holly,whogaveaglowingreport.JoshsaidtheywereheadinguptoABC,thentoCampFourforanightandwouldnodoubtseeusonourwaydown.(Ishouldmentionsomethingabouttheradioshere.Thefrequencieswerewideopen,andpeoplehad
nothing better to do than sit in their tents andmonitor the chatter. This includedCaptain Shek and thesoldiers.Asaresult,everyonewascarefulaboutwhat they talkedabout,especiallyexpedition leaderslikeJosh.)Thenextdaywasbasicallyspent lying inour tents trying tobreathe,hoping thatourredbloodcells
weredoingwhattheyweresupposedtobedoing.Whenwemoveditwasinslowmotion,likewewereon themoon.You'd get a plate of food and stare at it, thinking a coupleminutes had passed, and tellyourselfyoushouldtrytoeatbeforeitcooledoff....Forktomouth.Icecold.Huh?Lookatwatch.Halfanhour?How?Bythemorningweleft,theantibioticshadkickedinandmythroatwasbetter.Ievenmanagedtocroak
outacoupleofunderstandablesentences.Sun-jo,ontheotherhand,wasn'tfeelinggood.Hehadspentagooddealofthenightvomitingoutside
our tent door. Every time he puked, Zopa would come over and make him drink, worried aboutdehydration.Ifeltbadforhim,buttobehonest,hisgettingsickperkedmeupalittle.(Terrible,Iknow.)IfeltbetterknowingthatIwasn'ttheonlyonehavingadifficulttime.Thethree-daytripuptookusninehourstocompleteonthewaydown.WeranintoJoshbetweenthe
firstandsecondcamps.Heaskedhowmythroatwas,thencontinuedtowardABC,shoutingdowntousthathewouldseeusinafewdays.Hollynotonlycarriedherownbackpackonthewaydown,shebeatustoBaseCampbyhalfanhour.
Youcannevertellwhothemountainwillallowandwhoitwillnot.
LETTERSFROMHOME
THATFIRSTNIGHTBACKinBaseCampIsleptforfifteenhours.WhenIfinallywokeupIfeltasgoodasIhadeverfeltinmyentirelife.Icouldhaveeasilygoneout
foran18,044-footjog,butinsteadIwalkedtothemesstentandateaboutninepoundsoffood.Dr.Kriegercameinandwatchedmewolfdownmylastplate,thentookmeovertotheAidtenttolook
atmythroat.Shesaidthatitwasbetter,butIneededtokeeptakingtheantibioticsforthenextweektomakesureitwentaway.Mynext stopwasHQ,where they congratulatedmeonmaking it toABCand gaveme a packet of
lettersfromhome.TherewasacardfromRolf,twolettersfromMom,andfivethicklettersfromPaulaandPatrice.Theenvelopeswerecrumpledandsmearedwithdirtandgrease.Ilookedatthepostmarks.ThemailhadbeensenttoJosh'sofficeinChiangMai,forwardedtoKathmandu,andfromthere,nodoubt,thrownintoatruckheadedtothemountain.Thin-airmail.Getting the letters causedmygoodmood to tank. Ihadn't spentoneminute thinkingaboutmy family
sinceI'darrivedatBaseCamp,andIfeltalittleguilty.ButwhatreallybotheredmewasthatthelettershadarrivedatBaseCampinthefirstplace.ThismeantthatsomeofthoselettersIhadsenttomyfatherwhenIwasakidprobablyhadarrived,too.Hehadgoneintoatentatsomehigh-altitudecampjustlikethis,andcomeoutwithastackofletters,
whichincludedaletterfromhisson.Iwas somad Iwanted to runup toABCandpunchhim in thegoggles. Instead, I decided to finish
Moleskine#1(whichyouarereading)andsendittomymom.Kindoflikealongletter.Iwasnotgoingto ignoremy family the sameway that Josh had ignoredme.And it would fulfillmy requirement forVincentatGSS.ThenextmorningIwenttothemesstenttogetsomethingtoeatbeforegettingbacktotheMoleskine.
Sun-jowasn'tthere."Boyverysick,"thecooktoldmeItookathermosofhotteaovertoSun-jo'stent.Hewascocoonedinhissleepingbaglikeacaterpillar
larvawithonlyhisstocking-cappedheadstickingout."Youshouldn'tbehere,"hecroaked,butIcouldtellhewashappytoseeme.Hiseyesweresunkenandbloodshot.Andmaybe itwas thedimlightcoming through thebluenylon
tent,buthelookedlikehehadlosttenpoundssinceIlastsawhim.Ipouredhimacupoftea."Youshouldn'tbehere,"herepeated."Forgetit,"Isaid."YouandIhavebeenswappinggermsforweeks.I'mimmune."Iputthecuptohis
lips,hopingIwasright."Iwillbebetterinafewdays."Lookingathim,thatwashardtobelieve,butIsaidIwassurehewasright.IstoppedbytheAidtent.Iwasn'tsureifDr.Krieger'sdutiesincludedtreatingkitchenhelp,butifthey
didn'tIwasgoingtotalkherintoit.Shewastappingawayonherlaptop,butstoppedwhenIcamein."Howareyoufeelingtoday?""Fine,butI'mworriedaboutSun-jo."Shemademeopenmymouthandshonealightdownmythroat."Inflammation is almost gone," she said, clicking off the light. "But you need to keep taking those
antibiotics,especiallyifyouinsistonvisitingsickpeopleintheirtents."
"Soyou'veseenhim?"Isaid."Lastnightandthismorning.""And?""Andhe'ssick,buthe'lllive."I spent the next two dayswriting andmanaged to finish the firstMoleskine on the day Joshwas to
return fromABC andCamp Four.When I got to the end of the notebook Iwrote letters to Paula andPatricethankingthemfortheartworktheyhadsentandtellingthemhowIhadpinneditupinmytentsoitwasthefirstthingIsawinthemorningandthelastthingIsawatnight.ItoldthemthatImissedthemsobad,IwasthinkingaboutrustlingayakandridingitbacktoNewYork.Last,IwrotetoRolf.HehadsentmeacardwithaphotoofKingKongclingingtotheEmpireState
Building.Insidewerethreeone-hundred-dollarbillsandahandwrittennote:Hanginthere,Peak.Imissyou.Iwantyouhome.
Love,RolfNot"we."Imissyou.Iwantyouhome.WiththesetwosentenceshehaddonemoreformethanJosh
hadeverdone,orcouldeverdo.IwentovertoHQandaddressedtheenvelopes.Sparkytoldmethemailwouldgooutthefollowing
morning.When Josh arrived late that afternoon, I didn't tell himabout theMoleskineor the letters.Hedidn't
deservetoknow.
MOLESKINE#2
SECRETS
THEMEETINGWASSECRET,heldatHQaftertheotherclimbershadallgonetosleep.By invitation only: Josh, the film crew, Sparky,Dr.Krieger, ThaddeusBowen, and Zopa,who had
broughtSun-jowithhim.(Sun-jolookedalittlebetter,butnotmuch.)Joshglaredathim,andIthoughtforamomenthewasgoingtoaskhimtoleave,butheletitgo."Where'sHolly?"Nooneseemedtoknow."We'renotwaiting,"Joshsaid.HeturnedtoDr.Krieger."How'sPeak'shealth?""Ithinkwemighthavegottentheinfectionwiththeantibiotics.Aslongasitdoesn'tmigratetohislungs
he should be fine. Therewere three new cases of pneumonia reported in camp today. I suspect it's asecondaryinfectionfromthevirus.WilliamBladeisoneofthem.Everyoneinhisteamissick.Theyleftthisafternoonandwequarantinedeverythingtheyleftattheircampsite."ThenewsaboutWilliamBladeandherformerentouragewasgoingtopleaseHollytonoend.JoshturnedtoZopa."CanPeakmakeittothetop?"IwasstillseriouslyannoyedwithJoshoverthelettersandthiswasnothelping.Ihateitwhenpeople
talkaboutmeasifI'mnotthere.Zopashrugged."WewillhavetoseehowhedoesatCampFour.HewasfineatABC."Iwasn't"fine"atABC,butIappreciatedhimsayingso."ThanksforgettinghimuptoABC,"Joshsaid."Isupposeyou'llbeheadingbacktoKathmandu."Zopagavehimanothershrug."WhataboutHolly?"Joshasked."She'sstrong,"Zopasaid.Joshlookedalittlesurprised.Iwas,too.ShewasfinewhenshefinallygottoABC,andontheway
down,butIwouldn'thavecharacterizedherclimbasstrong.WhatwasZopaupto?"Itwon'thurtustogetHollytothesummit,"Thaddeussaid."She'lltalkandwriteaboutitfortherestof
herlife.GoodPRforPeakExperience.""Isupposeyou'reright,"Joshreluctantlyagreed.Hepulledanotebookoutofhispocketandflipped
throughthepages."Okay.Wehavetenpeopletogettothetop,countingPeakandHolly.Outofthose,sixorsevenhavea
decentchanceiftheyhittheweatherwindowright."HelookedatSparky."Doyouhavesomedatesformeyet?""I'm lookingat theweekofMay twenty-fifth throughJune fourth."Sparky lookedoveratZopa."But
astrologymightgiveusabetterideathanmeteorology.""Anyideas,Zopa?"Joshasked.Zopashookhishead."Ijustlookupatthesky."Thisgotalaughfromeveryone,butIdon'tthinkZopameantittobefunny."Ifyourweatherpredictionisright,"JoshsaidtoSparky,"thatdoesn'tgiveusmuchtime."Hewalked
tothecalendaronthewall."Peak'sbirthdayissixweeksfromtoday.Thatgivesusaboutfiveweekstogethimintopositionforasummitattempt.AndI'dliketogethimupthereearlierthanthat.""I agree,"Thaddeus said. "If something happens and Peak can't get to the summit,wemight have a
chanceforasecondtry.""Thaddeus, therewon't be a second chance," Josh said. "Peak eithermakes it on the first try or he
doesn't."Joshwasright.SecondtrieswerevirtuallyunheardofonEverest.IfyoufailyouhavetoreturntoBase
Camp.There'snotenoughoxygenattheothercampstogetyourstrengthbackandrecover.Ittakesthreedays togetbacktoBaseCampwithanightatCampSixandanightatABC.FivedaysatBaseCamp(longerifyou'rereallyhammered),thenbackup,whichcantakeeightorninedays—alltogethernearlythreeweeks.Itwouldbemid-JunebeforeIcouldmakeanotherattempt,longaftermyfifteenthbirthday.Climbershavebeen stoppedonehundredyards from the summit (byweather, exhaustion,or time) andhavenevermadeanotherattemptaslongastheylived."Here'swhatI'mthinking,"Joshcontinued."There'sacouplesigneduptogotoCampFour,butthey're
strongenoughtogoalothigher.Infact,theyhaveabetterchanceofgettingtothesummitthanmostoftheothersontheteam.Ifweputthemonthetwoscratchedpermitsitwouldincreaseoursummitpercentagebyatleasttwentypercent.""Didyoutalktothem?"Thaddeusasked."Yeah,butnopromises.Iwantedtodiscussouroptionsfirst.""IthinkyoushouldsendSun-jotothesummit,"Hollysaid,startlingallofus.Uncharacteristically,she
hadslippedintothetentquietly."Who?"Joshasked,annoyed."Zopa'sgrandson,"Hollyanswered.Thissuregoteveryone'sattention.WestaredatSun-joandZopawithourmouthshangingopen.Ithink
mymouthwasopenalittlemorethantheothers.Joshlookedlikehehadbeenslappedintheface.Whyhadn'tSun-jotoldmethatZopawashisgrandfather?Sun-josatwithhischincuppedinhishands,seeminglyoblivioustoourshock."What'syourfather'sname?"Joshaskedhim."HisnamewasKi-tarSherpa,"Sun-joanswered."Iknewhim,"Joshsaidquietly."Ididn'tknowhehadason."HelookedoveratZopaandgavehimhis
trademarkgrin."Whatareyouupto?"Zopaansweredwithashrug.Noneofusbelievedhim.TherewasalotmoretothisthanJosh,Sun-jo,
andZopawerelettingon.JoshlookedbackatSun-jo."Howoldareyou?""I'mfourteenyearsold,"heanswered.IthinkwehadjustgottentothemainreasonZopahadagreedtoleavetheIndrayanitempleandtakeme
toBaseCamp.Joshwasnolongergrinning,norwasanyoneelse,especiallyme.IconsideredSun-joafriend.Hemust
haveknownaboutasummitattemptbackinKathmandu.HecertainlyknewthatZopawashisgrandfather.IshouldhaveguessedsomethingwasupwhenZopaoutfittedhiminmyclimbinggear.Hollyclearlyhadbeenletinonthesecret,whichmightexplainwhyZopahadallbutcarriedheruptoABC."Whenisyourbirthday?"Joshasked.Sun-jolookedatZopa,whogavehimanod."Maythirty-first."Sixdaysbeforemybirthday.Joshwasvisiblyrelieved,butonlyforasecond."Howdoweknowthat?"Thaddeusasked.Sun-jo reached into thepocketofhis (my)parkaandproduceda tatteredpieceofpapersealed ina
Ziplocplasticbag.HepulledoutthepaperandhandedittoThaddeus."ThisisinNepalese,"Thaddeussaid.Josh took it fromhimand read it over. "No, it'sTibetan,"hecorrected, then lookedbackatSun-jo.
"YouwereborninTibet?""Yes,sir,"Sun-joanswered."Iwasfivewhenmyfathermanagedtogetmymotherandmeacrossthe
borderintoNepal.IamafreeTibetan."
"Thereisnosuchthing,"Joshsaid."HowdidyougetbackintoTibet?Youcertainlydidn'tusethis."Hehandedthepieceofpaperback."Forgeddocuments,"Zopasaid.Josh swore. "Well,yourgrandson isn'tgoing tobea freeTibetan for long ifCaptainShek findsout
abouttheboguspapers,"Joshsaid."They'llarresthim.You'llprobablybehauledaway,too."ThisexplainedSun-jo'sdisappearingactwheneverthesoldierswerearound."Asummitattemptisworththerisk,"Zopacommented.JoshlookedatSun-joforamoment,thenbackatZopa."Ioweyou,Zopa,butIhaven'tdecidedifSun-
jo'sgettingashotatthetop.Andbesides,wedon'thaveenoughclimbingSherpastogetthreeteamstothetop.Andthat'swhatwe'retalkingabout.Threeseparateteams.""YogiandYash,"Zopasaid.Joshlaughedandshookhishead."YouhadthisallfiguredoutbeforeyouleftKathmandu,didn'tyou?"Zopadidn'tanswer,butitwasclearhehad."MaybeyouandIshouldgosomeplacealittlemoreprivatetotalkaboutthis,"Joshsuggested."Thatisuptoyou,"Zopasaid."ButIdon'tmindspeakingaboutithere.""Suityourself."JoshlookedateveryoneinturnbutlingeredwhenhegottoHolly."Thisistotallyoff
therecord.Nothingwesayhereistoleavethistent—andImeanever.IftheChinesegetwindofthistheycouldshutdownourexpedition—butworse,theymightgrabSun-joandputhiminprison."IthoughtoftheshackledroadgangwehadpassedafterwecrossedtheFriendshipBridgeandgavean
involuntaryshudder.IwasmadatSun-jo,butIdidn'twishthatonanyone.BeingarrestedintheU.S.wasnothinglikebeingarrestedinTibet.Ilookedathim.Heseemedworried,almostasifithadjustdawnedonhimwhatwouldhappenifCaptainShekcaughthimwithfalsepapers.Everyonenoddedinagreement,althoughIthinkthefilmcrewwouldhavelovedtohavetheircamera
rolling.(NotthatJoshwouldletthemuseanyofthefootageinthefinaldocumentary.)"Sun-jo'smotherwasborninasmallvillageonthissideofthemountain,"Zopaexplained."Myson
metheronanexpedition.IttookhimyearstogetherandSun-jooutofTibetintoNepal.Sun-joisbothTibetanandNepalese.""TheChinesewon'tseeitthatwayifSun-jogetscaughtuphere,"Joshsaid."Ifweputhimonthesummitthey'llnevergiveusaclimbingpermitforthenorthsideagain!"Thaddeus
shouted."Thatcouldtakeawayhalfourbusiness.TheTibetrouteisharderthantheNepalroute.Ithasmoreprestige.BybringingSun-johereyou'vejeopardizedourentireseason.Andforwhat?IfPeakandSun-jomakeittothetop,Sun-jostillwon'tbetheyoungesttoreachthesummit.""But hewould be the youngest freeTibetan to summit," Zopa pointed out. "It's amatter of national
pride.""We'reinbusiness,"Thaddeussaid."Notpolitics.""Whatisthedifference?"Zopasaid."Enough,"Joshsaid.HelookedoveratJR."How'sthefilminggoing?""Okay,"JRanswered."Wehavesomedecentclimbingsequences,acoupleofgoodinterviews."Icringedalittlehearingthis.Hecouldn'tbetalkingabouttheinterviewswithme."AnyfootageofSun-jo?""Alot.HeandPeakhavebeenclimbingtogether.Whatareyouthinking?""Yeah,"Thaddeusaddedalittlebelligerently,"whatareyouthinking?""I'mnotsureyet,"Joshsaid.Helookedoveratme."Howdoyoufeelaboutsharingtheglory?""You'vegottabekiddingme,"Thaddeussaid.Joshignoredhim."Whatdoyouthink,Peak?"Iwasn'tdoingthisfortheglory.OrwasI?IlookedoveratSun-joandZopa.Theywerebothstone-
faced. I was furious with both of them—Sun-jo more than Zopa because Zopa never told anybody
anything.Iwanted to tell Josh to sendSun-jopackingback toNepal, but instead,withoutmuchenthusiasm, I
said,"It'sokaywithme.""CanItalktoyou,Josh?"Thaddeusasked."Alone.""Sure."After they left everyone sat there for a fewmoments without saying anything. JR finally broke the
silence."Poker?"Hepulledadeckofcardsoutofhisparka."Mightaswell,"Sparkysaid."JoshandThaddeuscouldbeawhile.""I'min,"Hollysaid.IwalkedovertowhereSun-joandZopaweresitting."Thankyouforsupportingme,"Sun-josaid."Youshouldhavetoldme.""Idid,"Sun-josaid,glancingatZopaguiltily."Atleastindirectly.""Whatareyoutalkingabout?""OurfirstnightatABC,"heanswered."ItalkedabouthowifwegotuptoCampFourwehadagood
chanceatthesummit."Hewas rightabout itbeing indirect. Ibarely remembered theone-sidedconversation. "That'spretty
lame,"Isaid.Zopacametohisdefense."Sun-jodidnotknowinKathmandu,"hesaid."HethoughtIwastakinghim
heretobecomeaSherpa.Itwasn'tuntilwewereonourwaytoABCthatItoldhimaboutthesummit."SoJoshandIweren'ttheonlyonesZopaplayedcageywith.Iglancedoveratthepokergame,which
wasinfullswing,withapileofmoneyinthecenterofthetable.TheywereluckyZopawasn'tplaying."I'mgoingovertothemesstentforsometea,"Zopasaid.I waited until he was out of the tent, then asked Sun-jo why he hadn't told me that Zopa was his
grandfather."Zopathoughtitbestifwekeptthattoourselves,"heanswered.IfZopaaskedmetokeepsomethingtomyselfIprobablywouldhave,too,butitstillbotheredmethat
Sun-jodidn'ttellme.Zopa returnedwith a thermos of tea and severalmugs. I tookmymug over andwatched themplay
poker.Iwasn'treallyinterestedinthegame,butIdidn'twanttohangwithZopaandSun-jo.Hollywoneveryhand,muchtoeveryone'sannoyance.About twentyminutes later Josh andThaddeus came back intoHQ.At first I thoughtThaddeus had
gottenhiswaybecausehewasallsmiles.Sun-jonoticedhisexpression,too,andlookeddisappointed."Allright,"Thaddeussaid,smilingatSun-joandZopa."You'vegotyourshotatthesummit.""You'reallheadingbackuptoABCthedayaftertomorrow,"Joshadded.Thefilmcrewgroaned.
BEARANDBULL
THREETEAMS:A,B,AND(SHH!)C.WeweretheCteam:Sun-jo,me,thefilmcrew,andHolly—ledbyZopa,Yogi,andYash.(Iguessthe
brothershadnothitchedaridetofindajobonthemountain.Theyalreadyhadajob.ZopahadhiredthemtohelphimgetSun-jotothesummit.)AndIthinktheCstoodfor"covert,"notthird,becauseweweregettingthefirstsummitshot,notthelast,andsomehowweweresupposedtokeepallofthisquiet.Thenightbefore,JoshandThaddeushadn'ttoldustooutrightlietotheotherclimbers,buttheycame
prettyclosetoit."We'llhave tokeep this toourselves,"Thaddeushadsaid, loweringhisvoicedespite thefact that it
wastendegreesbelowzerooutsideandthewindwashowlingdownthemountainatabouttwenty-fivemilesanhour.Itwasn'tlikelysomeonewasstandingoutsidetheflapeavesdropping."Thaddeusisright,"Joshagreed."Someoftheotherclimbersarerealheadcases.There'llbeafight
overwhogoesfirst.It'sridiculous,butit'sthesameeveryyear.Theycan'tgetitintotheiroxygen-starvedbrainsthatreachingthesummithasnothingtodowiththeorderyouclimb.Itdependsontheweather."Joshwas fudging thisa little.SittingatBaseCamp,orupatABCwaitingyour turn, increasesyour
chancesofcatchingavirusortwistinganankle,tosaynothingofthesheerboredomandpsychologicaldamageoflyinginyourcrampedtentdayafterdaywonderingifyouaregoingtomakeittothetop.Weweregettingthefirstshotbecauseofmybirthday.Period.Itcouldtakeeveryoneofthosethirty-
plusdaystogetmetothetopbeforeIturnedfifteen."Incaseanyoneasks,"Thaddeussaid,"thisiswhatwe'redoing."Helookedatthefilmcrew."You're
makingadocumentaryaboutSherpas."He lookedatHolly."You'rewritingastoryaboutSherpas."Helooked at me. "You're just tagging along to help with the filming. As far as anyone knows, a summitattemptisnotpartofthedocumentary.""Sun-jo'sgoingtohavetomovetotheportercamptonight,"Joshsaid."It'stheonlywaywecankeep
himunderwraps.Canyouarrangethat,Zopa?"Zopanodded.JoshlookedatSun-jo."CaptainShekandthesoldiersrarelygototheportercamp,butjusttobesafe,
you need to dress and act like a porter. No fancy western climbing clothes. The porters are haulingsuppliesupthemountainthedayafter tomorrow.You'llallgowiththem.Whenyouget toIntermediateCamp,outofsightof theChinese,youcanchangeintoyourclimbinggear.Whenyoucomebackdownyou'llneedtochangeyourclothesandstickwiththeporters.IfShekcatchesyou,you'retoast.""Toast?"Sun-joasked."You'llbechippingbouldersintogravel,"Iexplained."Oh."AlookofdreadcrossedSun-jo'susuallycalmandcheerfulface."So,"Joshcontinued,"Zopawill lead theC team.I'll lead theAteam.AndPa-sangwill lead theB
team."I was disappointed that I wouldn't be trying for the summit with my father, but I wasn't surprised.
("Changeofplans"hadbeenthethemeofourrelationshipmywholelife.)IwasalsoworriedaboutZopaandSun-jo."Paranoiafeedsonthinair..."That'sadirectquotefromoneofJosh'sclimbingbooks,andthefeeling
wasbeginningtognawatmyguts.WithSun-jointhemixitseemedtomethatheandZopahadeverythingtogainifIdidn'tmakeittothe
summit. I'm not saying that they would try to stop me, but even the slightest mistake, accidental orintentional,couldendmyclimb.Andnoonewouldbethewiser.Badthingshappenonmountains.It'spartofeveryclimb.Andwhensomethinggoeswrongit'susuallyblamedonbadequipment,badweather,bad
luck—rarelyontheclimbersthemselves."Anyquestions?"Joshasked.Ihadacoupledozenquestions,like:IfZopacouldgetforgedpapersgoodenoughtogetSun-joover
theFriendshipBridge,whyshouldwetrusthistatteredbirthcertificate?Hecouldbesixmonthsyoungerthanmeforallweknew.Zopaknewexactlywhenmybirthdaywas.Hewas therewhenMomradioedJoshonAnnapurna.WasJoshhedginghisbetsbysendingSun-joupwithme?IfIdidn'tmakeit,Josh'scompanywouldstill
receivethecreditforgettingtheyoungestclimbertothetopofMountEverest.Sun-jowasonhisclimbingpermit.DiditreallymattertoJoshwhichofusmadeittothetop?ButIdidn'taskquestionsorevenmakeacomment.Iwassoconfusedandmad,Ididn'ttrustmyselfto
openmymouth."There'snowaywe'llbeabletokeepthisasecretfromtheotherclimbers,"JRsaid."There'sonlyone
finalapproachtothesummitandwe'llallbetakingit,singlefilelikeants."Joshgavehimthegrin."Noworries.OncetheAandBteamsgettoCampFourtheonlythingthey'llbe
thinkingaboutiswheretheirnextbreathiscomingfrom.""WhataboutwhentheygetbacktoBaseCamp?"JRasked."Iftheygettothesummittheywon'tcarewhomadeittothetopandwhodidn't,"Joshanswered."The
important thing is togive themagoodchance.Your teamwillbe fouror fivedaysaheadofAandB.WhenyougetaboveCampFourbecarefulwhatyousayontheradio.Oneslipofthetongueandeveryoneonthissideofthemountainwillknowwhatwe'reupto.Whenyoupassusonyourwaydowndon'tsayanythingaboutthesummit.We'llsortitoutlater.""Theotherclimbersaredonewith theirsecondtrip toABC,"JRpersisted."They'reat leastaweek
aheadofusintermsofacclimatization."Hewasright.ThethirdtriptoABCwaswhenyouusuallytriedforthesummit.Wewereatripbehind
Josh'sotherclimbers."Iftheweatherbreaksourwaywe'lltrytogetthemtothetopsooner,"Joshsaid."Ifnot,they'llhaveto
waititoutinBaseCampalongwitheveryoneelse.Wecan'tallheadtothetopatthesametime.Thereisn'tenoughroom."Whichmeant theother climbers couldbe sitting atBaseCamp for another sixweeksbefore getting
theirshotatthesummit.AndIknewthatwouldnotsitwellwiththem.
IHADALOUSYNIGHT lying inmy sleeping bag, thinking of all thewaysZopa and Sun-jo couldsabotagemysummittryiftheywantedto.Itwasadepressinglylonglist.Late the nextmorningwhen I finally pokedmy head out ofmy tent, a light snowwas falling. I got
dressedandwentovertothemesstent,whereIfoundZopaandthefilmcrewtalkingquietlyabouttheshiftinthedocumentary.(Orwere they talking aboutme until they sawmewalk up? Joshwas sure right about that thin-air
paranoiathing.)"Areyousickagain?"Zopaasked.Don'tyouwish, I thought,but toldhim that Ihadnever feltbetter inmy life.Hedidn't look likehe
believedme.Idishedupabowlofoatmeal,thentookaseatatthetablenexttothem.Wehadthetenttoourselvesexceptforthecookcleaningupafterthebreakfastrush."Assoonasyoufinisheating,"JRsaid,"I'llshowyouhowtousethecamera.""Why?""Becausethere'sadecentchancethatJack,Will,andIwon'tmakeittothesummit.Someonehastoget
itonfilm."
Theywereallstrongclimbers.Ithadn'toccurredtomethattheymightnotmakeittothetop."We'lltry,"Jacksaid,"butyouneverknow.""This ismy third trip toEverest," JR said. "The closest I've gottenwas just aboveCampSix. The
weather turnedusbackand thatwas it. I'llgiveyouoneofourminicameras."He lookedathiswatch."We'llmeetyouandZopaoutsideHQinfifteenminutes,thenheadovertotheportercamptoshootsomefootage."Theygotupandleftthetent.IlookedatZopa."HaveyouseenJosh?""Hetooksomeofhisteamupthemountaintopracticeclimbingtechniques."ImusthavelookedalittleannoyedbecauseZopastudiedmeforamoment,thensaid,"Howdoyoufeel
aboutyourfathernowthatyouhavespenttimewithhim?""Ihaven'treallyspentmuchtimewithhim,"Ianswered,dodgingthequestion.Zopasippedhistea,thensaid,"Hecan'thelphimself,youknow.""Whatdoyoumean?""Inclimbinghehasfoundsomethingheisverygoodat,somethinghehasapassionfor.Notmanymen
findthat.""Butwhatdoyoudowhenyougettoooldtoclimbmountains?"Zopalaughed."Mostclimbersdonotgetold.""Youdid.""Istoppedclimbing.""Why?""Mychildrenweregrown.Inolongerneededthemoney.""Youmusthaveclimbedformorethanmoney.""Ofcourse,butifIwasn'tpaidIwouldnothaveclimbedatall.Youclimbforsport;Sherpasclimbto
supporttheirfamilies.""Soyou'reheretohelpSun-jobecomeaSherpa,"Isaid."No.I'mheresoSun-jodoesnothavetobecomeaSherpa.""Whatdoyoumean?""Iknowyou'reangryatmefornottellingyouaboutmyplanforSun-jo.Andyou'reupsetwithSun-jo
fornottellingyouthatIamhisgrandfather.""WhatdoesthathavetodowithyournotwantingSun-jotobecomeaSherpa?""TogethimthisfartherewerethingsIhadtokeeptomyself.ThingsIaskedSun-jotokeeptohimself.
Hereallydidn'tknowwhatIhadinminduntilItoldhimatABC.IcouldnottellhimuntilIsawhowhedidonthemountain.Ifhemakesittothesummit,thenotorietyitbringshimwillallowhimtogobacktoschool.I'mhopingheneverhastoclimbagain.""Isthatbirthcertificatereal?""Yes.Sun-joisaweekolderthanyou.""WhatifImakeittothesummit,too?"Zopashrugged.Thiswasnot theanswerIwashopingfor."Iknowwhatyou'rethinking,"Isaid."Youcannevertell
whothemountainwillallowandwhoitwillnot."Zopasmiledandgotupfromthetable."I'llseeyouoveratHQ.""I'mgoingtomakeittothesummit,"Itoldhimashewalkedoutofthemesstent.Inastrangewaytheconversationhelpedtocenterme.Itremindedmethatclimbing,eventhoughthere
mightbeotherpeopleinyourparty,isasolosport.Yourlegs,yourarms,yourmuscles,yourendurance,yourwillareyoursalone.Apartnercanencourageyou,maybeevenstopyoufromfalling,buttheycan'tgetyoutothetop.That'sentirelyuptoyou.
IfinishedmybreakfastfeelingalittlebetterandwalkedovertoHQtomeetthefilmcrew.Zopawasthere,butHollywasn't."She's alreadyover at the porter camp," JR explained. "Dr.Krieger had somemeds forSun-jo, but
didn'twanttotakethemtothecampherself.CaptainShekwouldfindthatsuspicious.Doctorsdonottreatporters.Hollytookthemoverforher."I guess Iwasn't theonlyonebeing transformedby themountain.Hollyhadundergone a remarkable
changesincewegotuptoABC.AnditwasclearbyJR'sattitudethatIwasn'ttheonlyonetonotice.Hervoicewasstillalittleshrillandshestillworehergarishclothes,butshehadtakencareofmeatABCandnowshewaslookingafterSun-jo.Idon'tthinkshewouldhavedonethatthefirstdayshegottoBaseCamp.JRhandedme a small camera about the size of a sandwich. "I know it doesn't look likemuch," he
explained."Butit'sreliableathighaltitudesandittakesprettygoodvideo—notasgoodastheonewe'vebeenusing,buthaulingthebigunittothesummitisapainintheass."Heshowedmehowtozoominandout,howtoframeashot,howtousethebuilt-inmicrophone,and
howtochangethememorycard,whichheldaboutanhourofvideo."Youhave tobeprettyclose topickupavoice,"Jackexplained."Especially if thewind'sblowing.
Whoever'stalkingwillprobablyhavetoshout.""Considerthecamerayoursuntiltheclimbisover,"JRsaid."Wehaveanotheronewe'lltaketothetop
ifwemakeitthatfar.Youneedtopracticewithit.Thehardestpartishittingthelittlebuttonswithgloveson.Sopracticewithgloves.IfyoutakeoffyourglovesaboveCampFiveyourfingerswillfalloffandyou'llbepushingbuttonswithyournosefortherestofyourlife."Pleasantthought."WhatamIsupposedtobefilming?"Iasked."Thestory,"Willsaid."Whatstory?""That'sthebigquestion,"JRanswered."Andpartofthefun.""Andthemystery,"Jackadded."Joshhiredus to filmyou," JRcontinued. "NowSun-jo'sbeenadded to themix,whichchanges the
story.IfyouandSun-jodon'tmakeittothesummitthestorywillshiftagain.Itmightbeabouthowyoudidn'tmakeit—whatstoppedyou.Itmightbeaboutthefriendshipbetweenyoutwo..."(Whichwasprettyshakyatthemoment,butIdidn'ttellJRthat.)"...orSun-joandZopa,oryouandyourfather.Thepointisthatwewon'tknowwhatthestoryisabout
untilweknowhowthestoryends.Allwecandonowisfilmdetails.Whenwegetdonewe'llpiecethedocumentarytogetherlikeajigsawpuzzle."WhichisexactlyhowVincentatGSStaughtmetoputastorytogether.Hewouldn'tletmewriteaword
untilI'dfinishedmyresearch.Holdthestoryinsideuntilyouarereadytoburst.Hemademewritemyresearchnoteson three-by-fivecards.Oneachcardwasascene,acharacter
note,oradetailfrommyresearch.When you do your research write down whatever interests you. Whatever stimulates your
imagination.Whateverseemsimportant.Astoryisbuilt likeastonewall.Notall thestoneswill fit.Somewillhavetobediscarded.Somebrokenandreshaped.Whenyoufinishthewallitmaynotlookexactlylikethewallyouenvisioned,butitwillkeepthelivestockinandthepredatorsout.(IwonderedifVincentwouldacceptadocumentaryinplaceofaMoleskine,butIdoubtedit.)"Itwouldbegreat,"JRcontinued,"ifyoucouldwritedownyourshots.It'snoteasytodo,especiallyat
highaltitudes,butitwouldhelpuswhenweedit.""Ifyoucan'twritethemdown,"Jacksuggested,"youcanrecordwhatyou'redoingonthemicrophone."
FROMADISTANCEtheportercamplookedneatandprosperous,butaswegotcloseritbecameclearthatitwasneither.Itseemedthateverythinginitwasmadeoutofcastoffs—asiftheportershungaroundafter the climbing season and collected the leftovers fromour campandput it in theirs.Therewere acoupleofshacksthathadmoreflattenedtincansnailedtothemthanwood.Thetentsweresewntogetherfrombitsandpiecesofothertents.Theyakhaltersweremadefromfrayedclimbingropes.Thecamphadadifferentsmelltoitaswell:dung,wood-smoke,andtheoldpalmoilthattheporters
cookedtheirfoodin.ButthesmellanddisarrayweresoonforgottenintheminorstampedeofmenthatcamerunningwhentheysawZopa.Sun-joandHollycameoutofabatteredtentandjoinedus.Sun-jostilllookedprettyweak,whichIwasn'tunhappytosee.IwonderedhowhewasgoingtodotomorrowwhenweheadedbackuptoABC.Hepulledmetotheside."Iappreciateyourstandingupformelastnight,"hesaid."IamsorryIdidn't
tellyouaboutZopa.""Forget it,"Isaid,althoughIhadn'tcomeclosetoforgettingitmyself."Howwasitstayingherelast
night?""It'snotascomfortableastheclimbingcamp,buttheportershavebeenkind."TheportershadlinedupinalongrowandZopawaswalkingdownthelinegreetingeachinturnand
giving blessings.When he finished we sat down in a large circle on blankets and sleeping bags andtalked,withZopatranslating.AgoodwaytounderstandwhattheportersdoforalivingistothinkofthemasHimalayantruckers.
Theonly difference is that their trucks have legs insteadofwheels and are fueled bygrass insteadofdiesel.ThenearestrestauranttoourcabininWyomingwasatruckstop.MomandIusedtogothereall the
timeandwelovedit.Thetruckerswerefriendly,funny,andfullofstories.Itwasnodifferentwiththeporters.Igotsoinvolvedintheirstories,Icompletelyforgotaboutusingmycamera.TheporterswerefromalloverTibetandNepalandspentninemonthsoutoftheyearawayfromhome.
When theyweren't hauling gear upEverest and othermountains theywere guiding trekkers ormovingsuppliesatloweraltitudes.MostoftheyoungerporterswantedtobecomeclimbingSherpasbecausethemoneywasbetter.Theolderportersseemedsatisfieddrivingtheiryaks inspiteof thehardships.Theytoldusstoriesaboutfallsandgettinglost,butthemostgrimstorywasrelatedattheendofthedaybyanoldporternamedGulu,whowasfromthesamevillagewhereSun-jowasborn.(GuluknewSun-jo'smotherwellandclaimedtohavetakenSun-joonhisfirstyakridewhenhewasa
baby.TheportersandSherpaswerespreadoutoverthousandsofbarrenmiles,buttherealwaysseemedtobeconnectionslikethisbetweenthem.)OnthewaybacktocampJRsaid thatGulu'sstorywascompellingbuthecouldn'tuse it in thefinal
documentary.Noroom.WhichiswhyIincludeithere.(Vincenttaughtmethatwhatmakesastoryuniqueisnotnecessarilytheinformationinthestorybutwhatthewriterchoosestoputinorleaveout.)
WHENGULUwasayoungmanheboughtabeautifulyakbullfromadistantvillage.Ithadtakenhimthreeyearstosavethemoneyforthebull,whichheplannedtousetoincreasethesizeofhissmallherd."Itwasalongdistancetothevillagewheretheyakwasbeingsold,"Gulusaid,shakinghisgrayhead.
"TheChinesesoldierswereeverywhere,anditwasdangerousontheroad.Itraveledatnightandhidinthehillsduringthedaysotheydidnotroborkillme."Ittookhimsolongtogettothevillagethathewasafraidthebullwouldbegonewhenhegotthere—
eithersoldtoanotherbuyerorkilledbythesoldiersforfood."Butthebullwasthere,"hesaid,"andmoremagnificentthanIremembered.Hishairwasasdarkasa
moonlessnight,hisbackwasasstraightasafloortimberandasbroadasIamtall."Helaughed."Theownerregrettedthepricewehadagreeduponandtriedtoraiseit."Theyarguedforthreedays.IntheendGulugavetheownerallthemoneyhehadandapromisetobring
himthefirsttwocalvesthebullproducedthefollowingyear."Allofthistooktoolong,"Guluexplained."Theweatherhadturnedbad.TocomplicatethingsInow
hadayakwithmethathadbeenpasturedforoverayearwithverylittleexercise.Hewasweakinthelegsfrombeingpenned.Ihadtostopoftenforhimtorestandeat.TheotherdifficultywasthatIhadnomoneyandImyselfhadtoscavengeforfood."Hedecidedtheonlywayhewouldmakeithomebeforeheandtheyakstarvedwastotakeashortcut
throughthemountains.Hehadheardabouttheshortcutbuthadnevertraveledit."At first the routewas good. Itwas far enough from the roads so that I could travel during the day
withoutfearofsoldiers.Thenthepathstartedtorise.Theweatherworsenedthehigherweclimbed.Thesnowwasdeep.Ishouldhaveturnedback..."Hegrinnedandshrugged."ButIwasyoungandfoolishandIcontinuedtoclimb,drivingthebullbeforeme."Theyreachedtheshortcut'ssummitandstarteddowntheotherside,Guluconfidentnowthatheandthe
bullweregoingtomakeithomesafely.Butashewaslookingforaplacetosleepanavalancheroareddownthemountainandburiedhimalive."Iwassocold,"Gulusaidwithashudder."MorecoldthanIhadeverbeeninmylife,beforeorsince.
I remember thinkinghowunfair itwas that the avalanchehadn't killedmewhen it struck. Iwaited fordeathinthatcolddarkplace,wonderinghowlongitwouldbe.AfterawhileIfeltatuggingonmyrightarmlikeafishnibblingonbait.AtfirstIdidn'tknowwhatitwas,thenIrememberedthebull.WhenwereachedthesummitIhadputaropearoundhisnecktokeephimclose.Itwasn'talongrope,twometers,maybealittleshorter.Hewasclose,andhewasalive,butwasheabovemeorbelow?ThesnowwassotightaroundmeIdidn'tknowifIwasfacedownorfaceup.IcouldhavebeenstandingonmyfeetforallIknew,orupsidedownonmyhead."Wealllaughed,butbeingburiedaliveisn'tfunny."Iamnotsurewhy,"Gulucontinued,"butitseemedimportanttoreachthebull.Totouchhimonelast
time.Toapologizefortakinghimfromthesafetyofhispasture.Istartedtopullmyselfalongtherope.Itwasslowandpainfulwork.ThefartherIgotuptherope,thehardertheyakpulled—sometimessmashingmy face into the ice before I could clear it away. Perhaps the bull is free, I thought, standing on thesurface, tethered by theman beneath. I finally broke through, gasping for breath. The bullwas on thesurface,buthewasnotstanding."AsIexaminedhimhekickedmeseveraltimes,butIwassonumbIbarelyfeltit.Mybeautifulbull
had twobroken legs. I felt shardsofbonesticking throughhis flesh.Therewasonlyone thing todo. Iunsheathedmyknifeandcuthisthroat."Thebulltookalongtimetobleedout.Guluwatchedwithtearsfreezingtohischeeks.Threeyearsof
hardworkandsacrificelayathisfeetbleedingintothesnow."Buttherewasnotimeforsorrow,"hetoldus."Ihadtogetbacktomyvillage.IfIdidn't,myfamily
wouldhavetopaythedebtofthetwocalves.ButfirstIhadtosurvivethenight."He slit the yak open, pulled his guts out onto the snow, then climbed into the body cavity towarm
himself."Earlythenextmorningmysleepwasinterruptedbyaviolentshaking.Ithoughttheyakwasslipping
downthemountain.Iputmyheadoutsidethecarcass,andIdon'tknowwhowasmoresurprised:Iorthebearpullingmypreciousbulldownthemountainside."Itreareduponitshindfeetandletoutaheart-stoppingbellowthatshookeveryboneinmybody.I
wascertainIwouldbeeaten.ButIwassavedbytheChinesearmy."Foursoldiershadbeentrackingthebearandcaughtuptoitjustasitbellowed.Theyfiredandmissed,
butthebulletswereenoughtofrightenthebearaway.Itlumbereduptheslopeanddisappearedintothetrees."All Ihad todonowwascontendwith the soldiers,"Gulu said. "But Ididn't think thiswouldbea
problem.Ihadnomoney.Iftheywantedtheyakforfoodtheywerewelcometoit."Astheyreachedthecarcass,Icrawledoutfrommybloodyshelter.Whentheysawme,thesoldiers
screamedlikefrightenedchildrenandthrewdowntheirrifles.BeforeIcouldspeaktheyranaway."AfterGulureturnedhomeheheardarumoraboutfoursoldierscomingacrossayetifeedingonayak.A
fewweekslatertherewasastoryaboutacowgivingbirthtoafull-grownman."Howdidyoupayforthecalves?"JRasked.Gulusmiled."Isoldthesoldiers' rifles.Therewasenoughmoneytopayfor thecalvesandtobuya
newbull.Hewasnotnearlyasmagnificentastheonethatgavebirthtome,buthewasagoodbreederandincreasedmysmallherdtenfold."
CAMPFOUR
ZOPAROUSEDHOLLYANDME out of our tents at sunrise. Another beautiful day: clear, crisp,twenty-two degrees and rising—whichmeant we'd have to pack our cold weather gear on our backsinsteadofwearingit.Tomakethingsworse,ZopagaveeachofusapileofSun-jo'sgeartohauluptothefirstcamp.Holly'ssharewasalotsmallerthanmyshare.Shefinishedrepackingquicklyandleftforthemesstent.
Ittookmeforty-fiveminutestoreorganizewhatI'dpackedthenightbefore.IwassloweddownbymyillfeelingstowardSun-joandZopa.Icouldn'tbelieveit.NotonlyhadZopatakenmygearandgivenittoSun-jo,butnowIhad tohaul itup themountainforhim.Itseemedthathewasdoingeverything inhispowertomakesureIwastooweaktogettothetop.WhenIfinallyfinishedmypackwasfifteenpoundsheavierthanitwasformyfirst timeuptoABC.
Notgood.Onepoundcanmakeahugedifferenceat thisaltitude. Iwas trying todecidewhat to leavebehindwhenCaptainShekwalkedup."Youtryforsummit?"hedemanded.Hewasoutofuniform,dressedlikeaclimber,whichisprobablywhyIdidn'tnoticehimsneakingup
onme."Nottoday,"Isaid."Howoldyou?"Hemusthavebeenwatchingandhadwaitedtocatchmealonelikethis."Howoldyou?"herepeatedaggressively.Trickquestion.He'dseenmypassport.HeknewexactlyhowoldIwas.Hewantedmetolie.Itoldhim
thetruth."Whereotherboy?"Uh-oh."Who?"I'materribleliar."Boyyouclimbmountainwithlastweek.Boyyouwalkwithincamp.Youandhegoodfriends."Captain Shek's English was a little rough, but the sarcasm was crystal clear. He had watched us
walkingaroundcamp.HehadseenusheadupthemountaintoABC."Oh,him,"Isaidstupidly."Ihaven'tseenhiminacoupledays.""Wherehego?"Ishrugged."Youlyingtome!"(ApparentlyIcouldn'tevenshrugalie.)"Ikickyouoffmountainifyoulie.""Goahead,"Isaid,zippingmypackclosed.Probablynotthebrightest thingtosay,butI'dhadabout
enoughofCaptainShekandeverythingelseonEverest.Helookedlikehewasabouttoexplode.Idon'tthinkhewasusedtohavingafourteen-year-oldcallhis
bluff.Heraisedhisarm,andforasecondI thoughthewasgoingtohitme,but thenhesmiledas ifherealizedthe"ThisisthePeople'sRepublicofChina,youhavenorights"thingwasn'tgoingtoworkwithme."Whatisotherboy'sname?"heaskedinamuchmorereasonabletone."Hedidn'tsay."Ipickedupmypack."Iwatchingyou."Iwalkedawayfeelinghiseyesdrillingintothebackofmyneck,proudofmyselffornoteventhinking
aboutrattingoutSun-jo.
AssoonasIfoundZopaI toldhimabout theconversation.Hewasa lotcalmerabout it thanIwas,sayingthatCaptainShekwastheleastofourproblems."InafewdaysyouwillbeatCampFour,"hesaid."Thisisallyouneedtoworryabout."Itturnedoutthathewasright.
WEJOINEDASMALLGROUP of porters and their yaksheadingup themountain.Sun-jowasnotwiththem.WhenIaskedZopaaboutthishesaid,"Hewillbealong."ThetripuptoIntermediateCampwasa loteasier than thefirst time.Iwasn'table tosingandchant
withtheporters,butIwasabletotalkasIwalked,whichwasabigimprovement.IevenmanagedtousethetinyvideocameraanddiscoveredthatIwasalotmorecomfortablebehinditthanIwasinfrontofit.The landscape had changed dramatically from the previous week. The warm weather had created
severalnewstreamsofglacialrunoff.Itwasdifficulttofindplacestocrosswithoutdrenchingourselves.Theotherproblemwastherocks.Thethawwascausingthemtopoploosefromtheice.Itwasliketheglacierwasabowlinglaneandwewerethepins.OneoftheportersandhisyakgothitbyalargerockandhadtoreturntoBaseCamp."Didyougetthestrikeontape?"Jackasked."Uh,no."Heswore.IspentmostofthetripwithHolly,whowasn'tdoingthatwell(Ithinkbecauseshewascarryingher
own pack). I offered to lug it for a while, but she insisted on carrying it herself (for which I wasrelieved).ShesaidshewasthinkingaboutheadinghomeafterwegotdownfromCampFourandwantedtoknow
ifIwouldgiveheranexclusiveinterviewafterIgotdownfromthesummit."You'regoingtoquit?""ReachingthesummitofEverestwasnotonmyto-dolistthisyear.Ifithadbeen,Imighthavedone
some practice climbs and visited the gym a littlemore leading up to this. Ormaybe even climbed askyscraperortwo."Shegrinnedandpointedatthepeak.Thecloudshadclearedenoughforustoseetheverytop."Idon'tknowifyou'venoticed,butthat'soneofthemostdauntingsightsonearth.""Youdon'tstrikemeaseasilydaunted.""Yeah,well..."She tookadeepbreath. "I've learnedacouple thingsaboutmyselfuphere.One, I'm
getting older.And two..." She took another deep breath. "Thismountain is a lot bigger than I am. It'shumbling.ThetruthisI'vehadtimetodosomethinking.Ican'ttellyouhowlongit'sbeensinceI'vebeenalone. That's been humbling, too. Pierre and Ralph taking off was probably the best thing that everhappenedtome."Beinginacampwithoverthreehundredpeopleisnotexactlybeingalone.ButIknewwhatshemeant.
Youdon'thavetobealonetofeelalone."Whataboutthatinterview?"sheaskedagain.I'dbeendoingsomethinking,too."We'llsee,"Isaid.IcouldtellthatHollywantedtoargue,butshewastoooutofbreathtopursueit.SheandIstraggledintocampaftereveryoneelseandwewerebothsurprisedtoseeSun-josittingona
rockwithacupofhotteainhishands,lookingalittlerumpledinhisporterclothes."Whendidyougethere?""Ahalfhourago.""Youleftaheadofus?""No,"hesaid,"Ileftthesametimethatyouleft."Ithoughthewaspullingmyleg.Therehadbeenadozenorsoportersandmaybehalfthatnumberof
yaks.Icouldn'thavemissedhim."IrodeonGulu'syak.""Yeah,right,"Isaid."Whenyouwereababy."IhadwalkedwithGulusomeonthewayup.Theonly
thingI'dseenonhisyak'sbackwasapileofhay."No,"Sun-joinsisted."Iwasconcealedbeneaththehay.""You'rekidding?"Heshookhishead."Itwashotanduncomfortable."ItoldhimaboutCaptainShek.Aworriedlookcrossedhisface."ThatmeansI'llhavetogoupthemountainagainontheyak.I'mnot
lookingforwardtothat.Thankyouforcarryingmythingsuphere."Iwishedhewasn'talwayssopolite.Itwouldbeeasiertobemadathim."Noproblem,"Isaid,and
realizedthattheextraweighthadn'tbeenaproblem.Thatwasencouraging.Ilookedaroundcamp.Ithadnotimprovedinthepastweek.Theboulder-belchingslopelookedeven
moreunstablethanthelasttimewehadbeenhere.Zopawaslookingattheslope,too,shakinghishead."Wecannotcampheretonight,"hesaid."Wewillgofartherup."Ididn'trecallanywheretocampfartherup,andIwasright.Hestoppedusaboutathousandfeetabove
thecollapsingwallandhaduscarvesleepingplatformsintotheice.Ittookhours,anditwasexhaustingworkatthataltitude,butIwashappytodoit.Anythingwasbetterthansleepingunderthewall.Thenextmorningthecoldwasback,whichwasgoodbecauseitlessenedthechancesofavalanches.
OnthewaytoCampTwoweheardover theradiothat therewerethreeclimbingpartiesmovinguptoCampFive.Theyweregoingtomakeasummitattemptthefollowingday.GuluwasconcernedbecausetheyhadtakenonlyoneloadofoxygentankstoCampFive.Zoparadioed
Josh."Iheard,"Joshsaid."Idiots.Noneofthemarefullyacclimated.Thisisonlytheirsecondtimeabove
CampFour.Asfarasthetanksgo,someofthemaregoingtotrytogettothetopwithoutsupplementalOs.Sothereshouldbeenoughforthosewhoneedit.""Iftheweatherholds,"Zopasaid."I talked to them about that, but their concern is that therewon't be another goodweatherwindow.
Nothingwecandoaboutit.AftertheygettoCampFivethey'reontheirown."WhathemeantbythisisthataboveCampFivethereislittlechanceforrescue.Theairistoothinfora
helicopterandat thataltitudeeveryone is toooutof it tohelpanyonebut themselves. IfyoudieaboveCampFiveyourcorpsestaysthereforever."Oh,"Joshsaid,"onemore thing.CaptainShekhasbeenaskingaroundaboutaSherpaboy.Sayshe
thinkshecameuponthetruckwithyou.""Sun-jo,"Zopasaid."Heleftafewdaysagotogobacktoschool.Hejustcameupfortheride.""I'llpassthatontothecaptain."ThispartoftheconversationwasobviouslycompletelyplannedforCaptainShek'sbenefit.Theonly
problemnowwasthatifthecaptaincaughtsightofSun-joagain,Zopawasgoingtobeintrouble,too."Everythingelseokay?"Joshasked."Yes.Weareallfine.""I'llcheckinlater."ZopasignedoffandJRpointedhisvideocameraatZopa."Doyouthinkthoseclimberswillmakeitto
thesummit?""Perhaps,"Zopasaid."Butitistooearlyintheseason.Iftheymakeit,otherswilltryandsomeofthem
willdie.TherearenoshortcutstothetopofSagarmatha."BythetimewereachedABCthefollowingafternoonwewereallexhausted,especiallySun-jo,who
was still feeling theeffectsofhis recent illness. In a role reversal fromour last timeatABC, Imade
dinnerforuswhilehelayinhissleepingbag.I'dliketosaythatIfeltsorryforhim,butthetruthisthatIdidn't.Iwasstillresentfulabouthishorninginonmyclimb.AfterweateIwentoutsideandfoundtheportersandSherpassortingthroughthegeartheyweregoing
tohauluptoCampFive.ZopaexplainedthattheyakscouldnotgomuchpastABC.TheSherpaswouldcarrythegearontheir
backstocampsFour,Five,andSixandestablishcampsafewdaysbeforewemadeoursummitattempt.InthemeantimeacoupleofthemwouldstayatABCtoguardourstuff."Peoplewouldstealit?"Isaid."It has happened,"Zopa said. "Not all expeditions are aswell equippedor funded as your father's.
Some climbers come to themountainwith nothingmore thanwhat they can carry, and sometimes theyborrowequipmenttheyfindalongtheway."Thenextmorninghehaduslightenourpacks,carryingonlywhatweneededforanightatCampFour,
which was a good thing because, three hours above ABC, we reached the foot of the Col, which isbasicallyapassbetweentwopeaks.ItwasclearwhytheColwasadeadendfortheyaks.Thewallleadinguptothepasswasenormous.
And from the base it looked terrifyingly unstable.Half of thewallwas smooth, roundedoff by strongwinds,givingitthelookofsofticecream.Theotherhalfwasmadeoutofnastyseracs(oricetowers)thatlookedlikegiantjaggedteeth.IfI'dhadenoughbreaththesightwouldhavetakenitaway.Ilookedatmyaltimeterwatch:7,000metersor22,965feet.Hollysloggedupandrestedherhandsonherkneesbeforelookingupattheterriblewall."No...gasp...way,"shesaid.Iagreed.YogiandYashwalkedupnext,frowningandshakingtheirheads.ZopaandSun-joarrivedlast.Zopa
wascarryingSun-jo'spack.Sun-jolookedreallybad.Whenhesawthewallhisfacefilledwithdread.Ialmostfeltsorryforhim."Imaginewhatitwasliketwodaysagowhenitwasthawing,"Zopasaid.Itwasagoodpoint.ThreeteamshadmadeituptotheColinworseconditionsthanthis.Thefirststagewasthehardest.Itwasupasteeppitchofsoftice.Sherpashadcutstepsintotheiceand
therewerefixedropes,buttheicewasslickandtheropeswerestillcoatedwithicebecausewewerethefirstupthatday.Wefellintoanagonizingrhythm.Slidethejumaruptherope.(Ajumarisamechanicalascenderwith
ahandlethatslidesuptheropeandgrabsonsoyouhavesomethingtoholdontoasyoupullyourselfup.)Step,breathe,jumar,step...Threehourslateritwasmorelike:jumar,think,lookup,thinkagain,step,rest,rest,rest,hugthewall,pray ...asachunkof ice thesizeofaHummerfellpast,crashingbelow,followedbythesoundofourleaders,YogiandYash,laughing.Realfunny.Theywerebreakingawaythelooseicealongourroutesoitwouldn'tunexpectedlypeelusoffthewallorknockourheadsoutofourbutts—helmetandall.Iwasnextinlinefollowedbythefilmcrew,Holly,Sun-jo,andZopa.Theclimbwasanythingbutquiet
withthebrothersshouting"Ice!"andZopashouting"Faster!"FourhoursafterwestartedupIreachedthesteepestpitch.Fiftyfeet.Itmightaswellhavebeenfifty
miles.Myarmsand legswerenumbandvirtuallyuseless,but theworstpartwas theair.Therewasn'tany.Orsoitseemed.Eachbreathseemedtoyieldonlyathimblefulofpreciousoxygen.Maybeenoughtokeepabirdalive,butnotenoughforanexhaustedfourteen-year-oldclimber.Dr.Woohadbeenwrong.Therewassomethingthematterwithme.YogiandYashwerealreadyontop.OneofthemwasmanningtheropesandIhopedtheotheronewas
boilingsnowatCampFour.Wewouldallneedasteamingcupofteawhenwegotthere.Ifwegotthere.Holly,Sun-jo, andZopahaddropped farther behind, but I could still hearZopa shouting at them to
movefaster.IwasaboutreadytogiveupandheadbackdownandgohomewhenJRcameupbehindme.Helooked
terrible.Hisbeardandgoggleswerecoveredwithice.Itwasawonderhecouldseewherehewasgoing."Thanksforwaiting,"herasped."Ineedtofilmyouarriving.Givemeacoupleofminutes'headstartto
settheshot."Ididn'thaveenoughbreathtotellhimthatIhadn'tbeenwaiting.Ilookedatmywatch,andbythetimeI
figuredoutwhattimeitwas,JRwasalreadyseveralfeetaboveme.WithoutactuallythinkingaboutitIstartedupbehindhim.Anhourlater,whenIfinallyreachedthetop,Yogihauledmeovertheedgebymybackpack,whichI
wassurewasnottheshotJRwanted.Yogi'sassistremindedmethatsevenweeksagotothedayacophaddonethesamethingtomeonthetopoftheWoolworthBuilding.I'dcomealongwayanditfeltlikeit.Ispentagoodtenminutesonmykneestryingtocatchmybreathuntilitdawnedonme(again)thatatthisaltitudetherewasnobreathtocatch.WithdifficultyIgottomyfeetandstumbledovertowhereYashwastryingtoboilwater.CampFourwas tiny, and tomake itworse, therewas a gaping crevasse running beneath the crest,
whichI'dreadwasgettingwidereveryyear.Somebelievedthatoneofthesedays(hopefullynottoday)thewholethingwouldcollapseandclimberswouldhavetodeviseanewrouteupthenorthside.Ilookedtowardthesummit,whichwasshroudedingraymist,butIcouldseeenoughtopickoutthe
routealongthenorthridgeandacrossthenorthfacetothepyramid.ItseemedlikeaverylongwayfromwhereYashandIweresquatting.Icouldn't imagine the threeclimbingparties tryingfor the topfeeling likeIdid.Myribsachedfrom
tryingtogetenoughOsintomylungstosurvive.IknewthatZopawascarryingatleasttwotanksincaseof emergency and I suspected thatYogi andYashhad a couple stashed aswell. Sherpas donot climbwithoutloads.Forthemthatwouldbeawasteofeffort.IthoughtaboutbeggingYashforahitoffthetank,butresistedtheurge,knowingitwoulddefeatthepurposeoftheclimb.Instead,Istartedtoputtogethermytent,whichseemedalotmorecomplicatedthanithadatABCthedaybefore.JackandWillcameoverthetopnext.Willspentagoodtenminutesonhishandsandkneespuking.(JR
didnotfilmthis.)Forty-fiveminuteslaterIwasstillworkingonthetentwhenYogihauledHollyovertheedge,followed
bySun-joandZopa.Zopawasshakinghisheadindisgustmuttering,"Tooslow,tooslow,tooslow..."Hebentdowntothe
twoslowpokes."Ifyouclimblikethatabovehereyoucanforgetthesummit."HollyandSun-jowereoutofitanddidn'tappeartohavetheslightest ideaofwhathewassaying.I
thoughthewasbeingprettyharshconsideringHolly'slackofconditioningandSun-jo'srecentsickness.HecameovertowhereIwasstrugglingwiththetentandIthought,hereitcomes,butinsteadhepattedmeontheback."Youdidgood,"hesaid."Youhaveachance."ThatwaslikeawholetankofOsflowingintomybloodstream.Maybehewasn'tgoingtotrytostopme
fromgettingtothesummit.Suddenly, the tentmade complete sense. I had it together in less than fiveminutes. I got everything
unpacked, the pads and sleeping bags spread out, then I started in on Holly's tent as she and Sun-jowatchedthroughdull,lifelesseyes.Theburstofenergycostme.AssoonasIfinished,itwasallIcoulddotogettomyfeet.Zopabrought
overthreemugsofteaandmadeusdrinkthemdown."Getyourstovesgoing,"hesaid."Iknowyouarenothungry,butyouhavetoeatanddrink."Helooked
upatthesky."It'sgoingtosnowtonight."
ARREST
ZOPA,THEWEATHERMONK,wasright.Nextmorning:twofeetofnewsnow.Sun-jo and I probablydidn't get three hours of sleepbetweenus.Hemust havebeen feelingbetter,
though,becausehegroggilyofferedtostartthestove.Theprocesssometimestakestenorfifteenminutesbecausethereisn'tenoughoxygentokeeptheflamegoingonthegaslighterlongenoughtolightthestove.IcrawledoutwithourpantocollectsomesnowtomeltandsawZopa,theSherpabrothers,andthe
filmcrewwerealreadyup.Anditwasobviousfromthesteamcomingofftheirpanofwaterthattheyhadbeenupforquiteawhile.Zopawastalkingontheradio.Thatcouldmeanonlyonethingthisearlyinthemorning.Someonewasintrouble.Iglancedtowardthesummitthroughtheswirlingsnow.Ifitwasthisbaddownhere,itwasmuchworseupthere."YogiandYashwillstayhereatCampFour,"Zopawassaying."Iftheweatherbreakstheywilltryto
getoxygenuptoCampFive.""I'mnotsurewecangetthemdowntoCampFive,"ashakyGerman-accentedvoicesaid."Youmust!"Zopasaidforcefully."ThereisnochanceofrescueatCampFiveorSix.Inthisweather
you will have to come down to Camp Four. You must leave Camp Six as soon as you can. Do youunderstand?"Thiswasfollowedbyalongsilence,thenadiscouragedandquiet,"Fa,versteheich."Heunderstood.ZopagavehimablessinginNepaleseandsignedoff."ArethesethesameGermansyoudidthepuja
ceremonyfor?"Iasked.Zopanodded."TheItaliansareupthereaswell.""What'sgoingon?""Two cases of HAPE at Camp Six," JR answered. "Maybe another mild case at Camp Five. Two
climbersheadeduptothesummitalittleaftermidnightandhaven'tbeenheardfromsince."Inthisweatherthatmeanttheywereprobablydead,orhypothermicandclosetodeath."MaybewecangouptoCampFivewithYogiandYashandhelp,"Isaid.Zopashookhishead."YouandSun-joandMissAngeloneedtogetdowntoABC.OtherSherpasare
cominguptohelp,butuntiltheclimbersgettoCampFivethereisnothinganyonecando.Assoonasyoueatpackyourthings.Weneedtoleavebeforetheweatherworsens."Becauseofthesnowandice,gettingdowntheColwasworsethangoingup—anditwasn'tmadeany
easierbythinkingabouttheclimbersdyingfartherupthemountain.Wepassed theSherpascomingup tohelp.Theywere loadedwithoxygenbottlesandGamowbags.
TheirplanwastogettoCampFourthatafternoon.Iftheweatherdidn'tholdthemback,theywouldheadup themountain the followingmorning to helpYogi andYash getwhoever hadmade it toCampFivedowntoCampFour.Iftheweatherbroke,arescuehelicoptermightbeabletogetthathigh,butevenonthe best day an airlift was dicey. If the chopper couldn't make it, the Sherpas would have to get theclimbersdowntoABCasbesttheycould.Wemade it down toABC in pretty good time in spite of the snow. I thinkwhat drove uswas our
eagerness tocrawl intoour tentsandsleepfor twodays.Thecampwasnearlyempty.Sun-jowasstillprettyweak,butconfidentthathewouldbebetterbythetimewecameup.Iwasbeginningtofeelalittlelesssurlytowardhim.ThisprobablyhadalottodowithZopa'scomplimentthenightbefore.Iwasprettysuretheyweren'touttosabotagemyclimb.Thenextmorning the filmcrewmemberswereallvomiting. It looked like theyhadcaught thesame
thingSun-johad.ZopacuttheiracclimatizationshortandarrangedtohavethemgodowntoBaseCampwithanotherclimbingparty.Noneofthemcomplained.
"I'mgoing,too,"Hollysaid.Zopashookhishead."Youarefine.Tocompletetheacclimatizationyouwillneedtostayhereatleast
twodays."Shegavehimasmile."It'soverforme,"shesaid."IhavenodesiretogohigherthanCampFour.""Youcouldmakeittothesummit,"Zopainsisted.Sheshookherhead,andgrinned."Tooslow.It'snotinmethisyear.Iappreciateallyou'vedone."She
shookhishand,thenturnedtome."Whataboutthatinterviewafteryougettothesummit?""Imaynotmakeittothesummit,"Ihedged."I thinkyouwill."She lookedatSun-jo."Howaboutyou?Willyougivemeanexclusive interview
afteryoucomedown?""Yes."Ithoughthewasbeingoverlyoptimistic,butIdidn'tsayanything."It'sadealandyourgrandfatherisourwitness,"Hollysaid."Itmeansyoucan'ttalktoanyotherprint
journalistuntilafteryoutalktome.""CallyouinNewYorkCity?""Yes."Shewrotedownseveralnumbers."Don'tlosethem."Before she left she gaveme a hug. I didn'tmind this time. In fact, I was going tomiss her, which
surprisedme."IfyouevergetbacktoNewYork,Peak,you'dbettercall.""Iwill."Astheyheadeddown,JRstoppedandshoutedbackformetoremembertousethecamera.Just before dark five climbers (twoGermans, three Italians) and their Sherpas stumbled into ABC
lookingliketheyhadbeenburiedalive.Mostofthemhadfrostbitesomeplaceontheirbodies—fingers,toes,ears,noses.Oneofthemhadsnowblindnessandhadbeenledintocampbyaropetiedaroundhiswaist.Therewasnodoctorincamp,soZopaandGulu(whohadstayedbehindwithhisyaksohecouldsneak
Sun-joback intoBaseCamp)did theirbest treating their injuries.When theyfinished itwasclear thatthreeoftheclimberswerenotgoingtomakeitdowntoBaseCampontheirown.TheothertwoGermanclimberswhohadHAPEwerenotgoingtomakeitdownatall.TheyhaddiedatCampSixtwohoursafter Zopa talked to the distraught German climber the previous day. Four dead, assuming the twoclimbersheadedtothesummitdidn'tmakeit(whichwasaprettygoodassumptionatthatpoint).It'shardtothinkstraightatthataltitude,butIhadenoughfeelinginmyoxygen-starvedbraintofeela
littleshameoverthewayIhadbeenthinkingaboutSun-jo.ClimbingEverestisnotacompetition.It'slifeanddeath.The survivingclimbers atCampSixheadeddown toCampFive.Yogi andYashwerehelping them
haultheclimberwithmildHAPEtoCampFour.ThosewhocouldwouldhavetomaketheirwaytoABCthenextday.ZoparadioedJoshandtoldhimwhatwasgoingon."WehaveachopperherewithaChinesepilotwilling to takearisk,"Joshsaid."But theweather is
goingtohavetogetalotbetteruptherebeforehecangiveitashot.Doyouthinkitmightclearbeforedark?"Zopadidnothavetolook.Visibilitywasdowntoabouttwentyfeet."Negative,"heanswered."Thenwe'llhave towaituntil tomorrow.Any ideawhen theclimbers fromCampFourwillmake it
downtoABC?""No,butwewillgouptomeetthem.Earlyafternoon,Ihope.""Thechopper'ssmall,"Joshsaid."ItwillholdonlyfourpeopleasidefromthepilotandCaptainShek.
You'llhavetochoosewhogetsarideandwhogoesdownontheirowntwofeet."
"CaptainShekiscomingup?""That'swhatIhear.He'sstilllookingforthatkid.""Why?Theboyleft.Heiscertainlynotuphere.""I told Shek that, but apparently he doesn't believe it.He searched the porter camp yesterday.And
todayhehassoldierscheckingeveryonecomingdowntoBaseCamp.""Iguesshecandowhathewants,"Zopasaid,butIcouldseehewasworried.SowasSun-jo.Iwasn'tsurehowtheyweregoingtogethimbackdowntotheportercamp.Gulu'syak
hadeatenitshay,sotherewasnothingforSun-jotohideunder.CaptainShekcheckingclimberswasnotgoodnews,norwashissearchoftheportercamp."We have a lot of injured climbers up here," Zopa continued. "We could use the room in that
helicopter.""Iknow,"Joshsaid."I'll talktoCaptainShekagain.Maybehe'llrealizethat takingupanemptyseat
mightbethedeathofaclimber,andthedeathwouldbehisfault."It was true, but the conversation was entirely for Captain Shek's benefit, who was no doubt
eavesdropping."Ihopeso,"Zopasaid,thenchangedthesubject."DidMissAngeloandthefilmcrewgetdown?""Theyjustarrived.Holly'spackinghergear.There'satruckleavingtomorrow.Totellyouthetruth,she
made it farther up themountain than I expected.Doc's taking a look at the film crew right now.Theybarely made it into camp. Almost everybody has the virus down here. Leah's going crazy treatingeveryone. The chopper brought in more antibiotics. Five more climbing parties pulled up stakes thismorningandleftthemountain,sickasdogs.IthinkI'mgettingit,too.Ifitkeepsupnooneisgoingtogettothesummitfromthisside."IhopedthatwhatI'dgottenoverwasthesameviruseveryoneelsewasgettingnowandthatIwouldn't
getitagain.I'dhavetobecarefulwhenIgotbackdown.Iwasn'tabouttohaveaviruswreckmychancesofgettingtothesummit.
EARLYTHENEXTMORNINGZopasenteveryonedowntoBaseCampexceptfortheclimberwithsnowblindnessandthemanwithfrostbittenfeet.Sun-joandGuluwentwiththem.Sun-jocouldn'tverywellstayatABCwithCaptainShekcomingup.Ididn'taskhowtheyweregoingtogethimtotheportercamp,butIguessedtheywouldkeephimatoneofthecampsbetweenABCandBaseCampuntilCaptainShekgaveup.ZopaaskedifIwantedtogo,too.Idid,butItoldhimI'dstayandhelphimwiththeclimberscoming
downfromCampFour.Theweatherhadbrokenduringthenight.Itwasstillcold,butthecloudshadthinnedandthewindhad
dieddownsome.TheclimberwithmildHAPEhadgottenworseduringthenightandtheyputhiminabag.Thismeanttheywouldnotbeabletobringhimdownthetreacherousicewall.ThechopperwouldhavetorescuehimatCampFour.OurjobwastohelpYogiandYashgettheremainingclimbersandSherpasdowntoABCasquicklyas
possible.IfsomeofthemneededtobeflowntoBaseCamptheyhadtobereadytogowhenthechopperlandedatABC.Therewouldonlybeoneflight.
WETRAVELEDLIGHT andgot to thebaseof theCol just asYogiwascomingdown.Hesaid thatYashwasstayingwiththeinjuredclimbersatCampFour."Howmany?"Zopaasked."Three.TwowithbadfrostbiteandtheonewithHAPE."
Helookedup."SomeofthosecomingdowncouldalsousearidetoBaseCamp."Thereweresixclimbersalltogether,exhaustedbuthappytogetoffthewall.Zopaofferedthemhitsof
oxygen,whichmostofthemgratefullytook.Nopointinacclimatizationnow.AftertheygottoBaseCamptheywouldbegoinghome.AhalfhouroutsideABCthechopperflewoverusonitswayuptoCampFour.Zopahurriedeveryone
alongthinkingthepilotwouldnotstaylongafterhelandedatABC.Itturnedoutthestaywaslongerthanexpected.Thechopperlandedtenminutesafterwearrived.Zopapickedtwoofthemostdebilitatedclimbersfor
theridedownandonebackupincaseCaptainShekhadlistenedtoreasonandstayedatBaseCamp.Hehadn't.Hesteppedthroughtheminiblizzardcausedbytherotorswearingafulluniformincludingapistol.The
pilotfollowedbehindhimandlookedasunhappyasallofusdid.Helicoptersaren'tdesignedtoflyatthataltitude.Iftheweathergotworseitwouldn'tbeabletofly.Captain Shek didn't appear to be in any hurry at all.He casuallywalked over to themess tent and
lookedinside,thensmelledthepotofstewsimmeringonthegasstovelikehewassomekindofgourmet."Iwillseeeverybodypapers,"hesaid.Hehadtobekidding.Itwasonethingtocheckeveryonecomingoffthemountain,buttodoitat21,161
feetwithinjuredclimberswaitingtobeevacuatedwasoutrageous.Severaloftheclimbersletoutahowlofprotestdespitethethinairandtheircondition."Whywouldwehaveourbloodypapersuphere?""Thisisanemergency!WeneedtogettheinjuredtoBaseCamp!""Areyoucrazy?"CaptainShekseemedalittleshockedattheresponse,andchangedhistact."Wesearchcampbeforewe
leave,"hesaid,causinganothervocaloutburst,whichheignored.Heandthepilotwentthroughallthetents(althoughthepilotwasclearlynothappyabouttheduty).WhentheyfinishedCaptainSheksaid,"Welookingforboy."Everyonelookedatme."Notthatboy.Nepalboy.Sameage.""Hewentbackhomeoveraweekago,"Zopasaid.CaptainShekshookhishead."Idon'tthink."Hepointedatthechopper."Youcomewithme.""We have injured climbers," Zopa said mildly. "I'll check in with you when I get to Base Camp
tomorrow.""No,"Sheksaid."Youcomewithmenow.Iarrestyou."OneoftheGermanclimberstookasteptowardthecaptain.Hewastheteamleaderwhohadtalkedto
usfromCampSix.HisnamewasDietrich.Hisfacewasbrightredanditwasn'tfromthecold.HebeganshoutinginGerman,whichIdidn'tunderstand.Idon'tthinkCaptainShekunderstood,either,butheputhishandonhispistol.Zopa stepped in frontofDietrichand said something tohim inGerman, then turned to thepilot and
askedsomethinginChinese.Thepilotthoughtaboutitforamoment,thenanswered."Hethinkshecantakefourclimbers,"Zopasaid.Thereweretwoadditionalclimberswhocouldhaveusedaride,butDietrichrelaxedalittleandgave
atersenod."Whataboutyou?"IaskedZopa.Zopashrugged."It'sjustamisunderstanding."HeandIknewitwasmorethanthat.Thequestionwas,howmuchdidCaptainShekknow?"I'llradioJoshandtellhimwhat'sgoingon."
"Becarefulgoingdown,"Zopasaid."You'llhavetoleaveearlyandgoslow.AskJoshtosendsomeSherpasuptomeetyouincaseI'mdetainedlongerthanIexpect."Tenminuteslatertheytookoff.IradioedJoshandtoldhimaboutZopa'sarrest."Shek'samaniac!"heshouted."TheSherpasandportersdownherearegoingtogonutswhentheyfind
out."IwonderedifCaptainShek'smenwouldpassthisontohim.Isuspectedtheywould.Ialsosuspected
that'sexactlywhyJoshsaidit.
FAMILYHISTORY
THENEXTDAYIexpectedtoseeSun-joatoneoftheintermediatecamps,buthewasn'thidingoutineitherone.Thismeant theyhadfiguredoutaway togethimdown to theportercamp,orelseCaptainShekhadgottenhishandsonhim.Whateverhisfate,Ididn'thavealotoftimetoworryaboutitbecauseourtripdowntoBaseCampwasanightmare.Onceagaintheweatherhadwarmedup,turningsomeoftheglacialriversintoragingtorrents.Ifwe'd
had boats and paddles instead of crampons and ice axeswe could have been down toBaseCamp inminutes.Bythetimewereachedthefirstintermediatecampabouthalfourpartywasreadytogiveupandspend
anothernighthighonthemountain."Weshouldpushon,"Dietrichurged them."Weneed toget the frostbite takencareof.Wecanbeat
BaseCampinthreehours."Unfortunately,nooneelseseemedtosharehisopinion(includingtheotherGermansonhisteam,whoI
thinkblamedhim for their summit failure).They saton rocks staringathimdullyas ifhehad losthismind.ButDietrichwasright.Wewereheadeddownhill.Evenwiththeirinjuriesitwouldn'ttakelongtogettoBaseCamp.Iknewtheyweretiredandhurting(sowasI),butspendinganothernightatacrummycampthisclosetoBasewasstupid.TheSherpasappearedtobebehindDietrich100percent.Noneofthemhadevensatdowntorest."IthinkDietrichisright,"Isaid.One of theGermans laughed. "Ah, nowwe have a child telling uswhat to do." Someof the others
laughedwithhim.Ouch.Ishouldhavekeptmymouthshut.Iwasn'treallyinapositiontotellthemwhattodo,evenifI
wasright."What'sthematterwithallofyou?"someonebehindusshouted.IturnedaroundandwasshockedtoseeJosh.Andhewasn'talone."Badweathercomingintonight,"Zopaadded."Youcannotstayhere."Joshwasgrinning,butIcouldtellhewasn'tfeelingwell.Hiseyeswerebloodshotandhelookedpale
andhaggard.HepattedDietrichontheback."Sorryaboutthetroubleuponthemountain."Dietrichlookedlikehewasaboutreadytocry.Iwasn'tsureifitwasfromgriefoverthedeadclimbers
orreliefthatJoshandZopahadshownuptogivehimahand.Joshwalkedovertothesittingclimbers."Ifweleaverightnowweshouldbeabletogetdownbefore
dark.Wehaveateamofdoctorswaitingtotreatyou.Hotfood.Getup.Let'sgo."Noonewas laughingat JoshuaWood. I rememberedwhatmymother saidabout therebeingnoone
better than Josh when you are at the end of your rope. He was obviously sick, but here he wasencouragingclimberswhoweren'tevenmembersofhisownexpedition.Slowly, one by one, they started getting to their feet. Zopa took the lead with Dietrich. Josh and I
followedbehind."HowwasCampFour?"heaskedtiredly."Anyproblems?""Itwashard,butnotasbadasIthoughtitwouldbe.Myribshurtfromtryingtogetenoughair.""Noworries.Everybodygoesthroughit.Zopasaysyou'rereadyforthesummit."ItwasonethingforZopatogivemesomewordsofencouragementafterahardclimb.Itwasanother
thingforhimtotellJoshthatIwasreadytosummit.Ididn'tknowwhattosay.Atthatpointthesummitseemedliketoobigofasubjecttotackle,andmaybeevenbadlucktotalkabout.IthinkJoshknewhowIfelt,maybebetterthanIdid,becausehedidn'tsayanymoreaboutit.Thesquirtofparanoiafromafewdaysbeforeseemedtohaveevaporated.
"WhathappenedwithZopaandCaptainShek?"Iasked."Aminirevolution. As soon as the porters and Sherpas heard about Zopa's arrest they all gathered
aroundShek'sheadquarterstoholdasilentvigil.Theyweretherewhenthechopperlanded.Shektriedtodispersethem,buttheywouldn'tbudge.HehauledZopaintothebuilding,hopingtooutwaitthem,butthatdidn'twork.They'dstillbethereifhehadn'tcutZopaloose.Hehadnochoicebuttolethimgo.""AndSun-jo?""That's thebestpart.Shekpulledall thesoldiersback toheadquarters,whichmade iteasy tosneak
Sun-jobackintotheportercamp.Ifhehadn'tdetainedZopa,I'mnotsurehowwewouldhavegottenSun-jo off themountain.Hemight have had to stay at one of the intermediate camps until he tried for thesummit.""WhyisCaptainSheksoworriedabouthim?""Ithinkheknowsmoreaboutwhatwe'retryingtodothanhe'ssaying.""How'dhefindout?"Joshshrugged."It'shardtokeepasecretuphere,evenifeverybodykeepstheirmouthsshut.Speaking
ofwhich..."Hesloweddown."Yourmomcalled."Thegrinwasgone.Hiseasygoingmoodhadcompletelychanged."Why'dyouwriteher?"heasked."Because shewrote tome," I said a littlemorebelligerently than I intended. (I guessmymoodhad
changed,too.)Joshlookedconfused.IknewthatonedayI'dhave thisconversationwithhim,but Ididn't think itwouldbeat20,000feet
withhimsickandmesotiredIcouldbarelyliftmyfeet.ButIguessthereisnoidealtimeorplaceforsomethinglikethis."Ithoughtwehadanagreement,"hesaid."Ithoughtweweregoingtoletmehandleyourmother.""Therewasnoagreement,"Isaid,andIdidn'tthinkanyonecould"handle"mymother.Weglaredateachother."Theleastyoucouldhavedone,"hesaid,"wastotellmethatyouwrotehersoIwasn'tblindsided.""Theleastyoucouldhavedoneistowritemeback!""Whatthehellareyoutalkingabout?""Isentyouletters.""Youmeanwhenyouwereakid?""Yeah.""So?""Yougottheletters?"Ishouted.Hestoppedandpulledhisgogglesaroundhisneck."Yeah,Igotyourletters.Whatdoesthathavetodo
withtellingyourmotheraboutEverest?""Everything,"Isaid.Hedidn'tgetitandhedidn'tseemtocare."Well,she'sroyallypissedoff,"hesaid."ItwasallIcould
dotostopherfromflyingoverhereandyankingyouoffthemountain.AtleastIthinkIstoppedher.ShewantsyoutocallherassoonasyougettoBaseCamp.""Fine,"Isaid."SheinsistedthatItakeyoutothetopmyself,whichscrewsupeverything.I'meithergoingtohaveto
gowithyouandSun-jo,oryou'llhavetojoinmyteam.Whichmeanstherewillbealongdelayinyoursummitattemptbecauseitlookslikewe'llbethelastteamtogo.I'minnoshapetoclimbandneitherisanyoneelseontheteam.""LuckyyouhaveabackupinSun-jo,"Isaid."Eitherwayyou'llgettheyoungestclimberintheworldto
thesummit.""Isthatwhatthisisabout?"heasked."You'remadbecauseit'snotaboutjustyouanymore?"
"Itwasneveraboutme,"Isaid."It'salwaysbeenaboutyou."Iwalked away fromhim, past the injured climbers, pastDietrich, pastZopa, arriving back atBase
Campahalfhourbeforeanyofthem.IbargedintoHQ,grabbedthesatphone,andpunchedinthenumberasIstompedovertomytent.Momansweredonthefirstring."Peak."IgotalittlechokedupwhenIheardhervoice,anditwasasecondortwobeforeIcouldrespond."Hi,Mom."Silence.ThatwentonsolongthatIthoughtI'dlosttheconnection."Youshouldhavetoldme,"shefinallysaid.IwastemptedtosaythatIhadtoldherintheMoleskine,butIknewthatwouldn'tfly."Sorry,"Isaid."Thatdidn'tsoundverysincere,butI'llacceptit.How'dyoudoatCampFour?"sheaskedquietly.Iwasshockedathowcalmshewas."Itwashard,"Ianswered."ButI'mgood.""Yourribsareokay?""Alittlesore,butyeah,they'refine.You'renotmad?""Furious."Thatwasmorelikeit,butshedidn'tsoundfurious."Joshtoldmeyouweresick.""I'moverit,butalotoftheothershaveitnow."(IncludingJosh,butIdidn'ttellherthat.)"Iknow,"shesaid."SinceIgotyourjournalI'vebeensurfingtheEverestwebsites.Lookslikealotof
climbersareleavingthemountain.IalsoreadaboutthedeathsatCampSix.""IwalkeddownthemountaintodaywiththeGermanteamleader,"Itoldher."HisnameisDietrich.""Andhowishe?""Idon'tknow...devastated,Iguess.""Andhowareyou?""Whatdoyoumean?""Well, four people died less than amile away from you," she said, sounding a littlemore likemy
mother."Anythoughtsonthat?Feelings?Reaction?"Ididn'tknowwhattosay."Ifeelbad"didn'tquitecutit.Momwasjustgettingwarmedup."Four people died on the mountain. Human beings, Peak, with mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,
children,wives,husbands,girlfriends,boyfriendssittingathomeworryingabout them.Bynowthey'vegottenaphonecallorane-mailwiththebadnews.'Sorry,yourhusband/wife/daughterisn'tcominghome.No,wecan'tretrieveabodyaboveCampFour.It'stoodangerous...'"Ireachedmytentandclimbedinside."Letmeaskyouaquestion,"shesaid."Goahead.""Doyouthinkyou'reabetterclimberthanthefourwhodied?""No.""Doyouthinkyou'reluckierthantheywere?""Iguess,"Isaid."I'malive.""That'snotwhatI'mgettingat.""You'resayingthatthesamethingcouldhappentome.""You'renotonthewallinbackofourcabinorataclimbingcamp.You'reonEverest.Peopledieup
there,Peak.Youmightdie.""Theguyswhodiedweren'tacclimatized,"Iprotested."Theyshouldhavewaited.Theysawabreakin
theweatherandgotsummitfever.Theymadeamistake.""Youthinkthatmeansanythingtothosewhowerewaitingathomeforthem?"IlookedupatthedrawingsthatthetwoPeashadsent."Well?"Mompersisted.
Oneofthedrawingswasastickfigureclingingtoaskyscraperwithahelicopterhoveringoverhead.Justabovethestickfigurewasalittlebluemountain."I'mtryingforthesummit,"Isaid."I'vegonethroughtoomuchtogiveupnow."Thiswasfollowedbyalongersilencethanthefirst."Iwishyouwouldn'tdoit,Peak,butI'mnotsurprisedbythedecision.IknowwhatIwouldhavesaid
tomymotherifIwereonEverestgettingreadyfortheclimbofmylife."She rarely talked about her parents. They still lived inNebraska and I hadmet them only twice. It
wasn'tmuchfuneithertime.Theydidn'tapproveofMom,me,Josh,Rolf,oreventhetwoPeas.Momhadlefthomerightafterhighschoolandneverlivedthereagain."I'llbecareful,"Isaid."Nooneclimbsamountainthinkingthey'renotcomingbackdown.""HowarethetwoPeas?"Iasked."You'rechangingthesubject.""Yeah."Momsighed."Hangonaminute."Aboutthirtysecondslaterthesatphoneearpiecewasfilledwithapairofscreaming,gigglingsix-year-
olds."Whereareyou?""Whenareyoucominghome?""Imissyou!""No,Imissyou!""Didyougetourletters?""Mommywasmadatyou.""Areyoucominghomeforourbirthday?"Thiswenton forawhileand I just listenedwithabig stupidgrinonmyface.Until Iheard them, I
hadn'trealizedhowmuchImissedthem.Momfinallytookthephoneawayfromthem."Okay,okay,"shesaid."YouhavetoletPeakansweryour
questions.I'mgoingtoputhimonspeakerphone.Youtwoaregoingtosittherequietly.Ifyoumakeonesound,thephonecall'sover."Iheardaclick."Imissyou,too,"Isaid."I'monabigmountaincalledEverest.InacountrycalledTibet.Ihaveyour
drawinghangingup inmy tent. I'm lookingat it rightnow. I'mnot sure if I'mgoing tobe there forourbirthdayornot.Ihavetogettothetopofthemountainfirst—""CanIask,Mommy?"Patriceasked."Yes, but only one question. Then Paula can ask a question. Then you both need to go back to the
kitchenandfinishbreakfastoryou'llbelateforschool.""But—""No."Momcutheroff."Onequestioneach,thenbacktobreakfast.Dowehaveadeal?"Thetwinsreluctantlyagreed."Didyougetourotherletter?"Patriceasked."Theheavyone?""Notyet,"Isaid."ButI'msureit'sonitsway.ThemailisveryslowwhereIam.""Myturn,"Paulasaid."MommygaveyourblackdiarytoMr.Vincent.""Ihopehelikesit,"Isaid."He'sfunny,"Paulasaid."Okay,that'sit,"Momsaid."ButIdidn'taskaquestion,"Paulacomplained."Wehadadeal.Bothofyougobacktothekitchen."Therewassomegrumblingandwhining,butthetwoPeasobeyed.
"Whattimeisitthere?""Alittleaftereightinthemorning."Ihadn'teventhoughtaboutwhattimeitwas.Momhadprobablybeenwaitingallnightformycall."How'sRolf?""He'soutoftownonabusinesstrip.He'llbebacktonight.Andhe'sgoingtobeupsetthathemissed
yourcall."Momsighed."Peak,Igaveitmybestshottotrytotalkyououtoftryingforthesummit.Butnowthatthe
decisionhasbeenmade,youneedtofocusonthetask.Youcan'tthinkaboutme,Paula,Patrice,Rolf,oranyoneelse.Tostayaliveyouaregoingtohavetothinkonlyaboutyourself."DoyouknowwhyIquitclimbing?""Yeah,"Isaid."Youfellfromthewallinbackof—""No,"sheinterrupted."Iquitbecauseofyou.""What?""Withsomework Icouldhavegottenmyclimbingconditionback. In fact, the reason Iwent for that
climbthedayIfellwasbecauseJoshwantedmetogetbackonthecircuitwithhim.JustbeforeIfellIwasthinkingaboutwhatwouldhappenifarattlesnakeslithereduptomybabystrappedinhiscarseatdownbelow. If I'd been thinking about the climb Iwould have realized the rock I grabbedwas loosebeforeIputweightonit.ToclimbatJosh'slevelyouhavetobecompletelyselfish,Peak.WhenyouwerebornIcouldn'tdothatanymore."IhavenodoubtyouhavethephysicalabilitytosummitEverestoranyothermountainyouwant.But
youmaynothavetheabilitytonotcare.Forthenextfewweeksyouhavetohardenyourselfinside.Yourgutsandheartneedtobestonecold."Ididn'tdoalotofhighaltitudewhenIwasclimbing,butIdidenoughtoknowthatthethinairmesses
with your brain. You need to forget everything else and concentrate on the climb. You have enoughexperiencetoknowwhenit'sover.Andwhenit'soverdon'ttakeanotherstephigher.Ifyoudo,itcouldbeoverforgood.Turnaround.There'snoshameinit.Livetoclimbanotherday.AndwhenyoucomebackdownIhopethatgoodandcaringheartofyours thaws.It's themost importantmuscleyouhave.I loveyou,Peak."Andwiththisshecuttheconnection.Idon'tknowhowlongIlaytherethinkingaboutwhatshesaid,but
Icantellyoutherewereplentyoftears.AsthebluelightthroughthetentfadedtodarkIwasstilllyingtherewhentheflapopened.ItwasJosh."Youhavethesatphone?"Isatup."Yeah...sorry.Ishouldhavebroughtitback."Igaveit
tohim."So,youtalkedtoyourmom?""Yes.""Onethingweneedtogetstraight,"hesaid."GettingSun-jotothetopisnotabackupplan.I'mgiving
himashotbecauseIowehimandZopa.""Whatdoyoumean?""TwoyearsagoKi-tarsavedmylife.""Sun-jo'sfather?""UponK2.""You'retheclimberwhosurvived.""We'dbeensnowedinforthreedays.Nofood,noOs,nohopeofsurvival.Iwatchedmyclimbingparty
dieonebyoneuntil Iwas theonlyone left. I shouldhavebeennext,butKi-tarcameup themountainthrough theworstblizzardI'veeverseen.Hecamealone.Noneof theotherSherpaswouldcomewithhim.Heallbutcarriedmebackdown.WhenwegottoBasewestumbledintotheAidtent.Itookonecot;Ki-tartooktheother.WhileLeahwastreatingmyfrostbiteandgivingmeIVfluids,themanwhosaved
mylifediednot four feetaway fromme.Hisheartgaveout. Ididn'tevengetachance to thankhim. Ithoughtyououghttoknow."HeclosedtheflapandIheardhisfootstepscrunchingthroughthesnowashewalkedaway.
UNREST
BEINGSELFISHANDFOCUSEDturnedoutnottobeaproblem.AfterJoshdroppedtheK2bombinmytent,hedroppedasecondbombonhisclients.Hetoldthem
about his plan to getme to the summit. Iwasn't invited to themeeting, but I certainly experienced theaftermathoftheexplosionthenextmorning.Isleptlateandwokeupsoreandfamished.IthadsnowedacoupleoffeetduringthenightandIhadto
digmywayoutofthetent.WhenIfinallygottomyfeetandlookedaroundIwassurprisedhowmuchthecamphademptiedout.(IguessIwassoupsetthedaybeforeIhadn'tnoticed.)Mostofthebigcommercialoperationswerestillinplace,butitlookedlikeatleastathirdofthesmallerexpeditionshadpulledupstakes.IglancedupatCaptainShek'scompoundandwastemptedtogivehimawave,butdecidednot to.I
didn'thavetimeforjuvenileantics.IhadtostayfocusedanddisciplinedifIwantedtogettothesummit.Besides,Iwasstarvingandthedeliciouswhitesmokebillowingfromthemesstent'schimneywascallingtome.Insidewasfood,warmth,andconversation,butIwasalittleworriedabouttheconversationpart.Ididn'twanttogettooclosetoanyoneandcatchthebugthatwasthreateningeveryone'sclimb.Ineedn'thaveworriedabouttheconversationpartbecauseassoonasIsteppedinsideallconversation
ceased.Theonlysoundwasthehissofthegasburnerandtheclatterofthelidontheboilingnoodlepot.Thereweretenpeopleinsidethetentandtheywereallstaringatme.Noneofthemweresmiling.IwouldhaveturnedaroundandleftifIwasn'tsohungry."Speakof thedevil," the cowboy fromAbilenedrawled.He looked likehehad lost twentypounds
sincethelasttimeIsawhim.Infact,alltheclimberslookedliketheyhaddroppedweight.Noneofthemwereeating."What'sgoingon?"IsaidascasuallyasIcouldwithtenpairsofeyesglaringatme.Iwalkedtothe
shelfandgrabbedaplate."We'rehavingameeting,"someonesaid."Aprivatemeeting,"someoneelsesaid.Thatwasobvious.Therewasn'tasinglepersonfromHQthere.Nocook.Nofilmcrew.NoSherpas."I'mjustgettingsomethingtoeat,"Isaid."It'llonlytakeaminuteandI'llgetoutofyourway.""Well,"thecowboysaid,"whilewegotyouheremaybeyoucanfillusinonwhenyoufoundoutyour
daddywasplanningtoputyouonthetopofthemountain."Whatgoesaroundcomesaround.NowIknewhowSun-jomusthavefelttheweekbefore.Iscoopeda
pileofnoodlesontomyplate,butmyappetitewasquicklygoingaway."Notuntil Igotoverhere," Ihedged, thenputa forkfulofnoodles intomymouth,hoping Iwouldn't
havetoansweranymorequestionsonmywayoutthedoorwithmyplate."Courseyou realize thenoodlesyou'reeating, theplate they'reon, andmaybeeven theparkayou're
wearingwerepaidforbythepeoplesittinginthismesstent."Thiswasanexaggeration,buthehadapoint,soIsetmyplateonthetableandwalkedout,hopingthat
oneofthemwouldcallmebackinandsaytheywerekidding.Noonedid.TheHQtentwaslesshostile,butnotmuchcheerier.Josh,Thaddeus,Leah,andtheothersseemedtobe
havingameetingoftheirown."Iwasjustoveratthemesstent,"Isaid."Howwastheirmood?"Thaddeusasked."Ugly.""They'llgetoverit,"Joshsaid."It'sbeenaroughclimbingseasonwhatwiththeweatherandeveryone
gettingsick.I'veseenitallbefore.Assoonaswegetacouplepeopletothetopeverythingwillbefine."
Nooneelseintheroomseemedtosharehisoptimism,leastofallThaddeus,whosaidthathethoughttheclimberswouldsuePeakExperienceandwouldprobablywin."DidyoutellthemaboutSun-jo?"Iasked."No,"Joshsaid."Thatwouldhavesentthemovertheedge.That'sourlittlesecret,althoughShekseems
tohavefigureditout.We'regoingtoshifteverythingagain.Zopa,Sun-jo,Yogi,andYasharetheCteam.They'restillonourclimbingpermit,butthey'reontheirown.Peak,you'reontheAteamwithme.We'lldividethefilmcrewbetweentheteams.AssoonasJRisbetterwe'llstarthimfilmingtheAandBteams.Weprobablywon'tuseanyofthefootage,butthefactthey'rebeinginterviewedforthedocumentarymightimprove theirattitudes."He lookedatLeah."What'syourbestguessaboutwhen thisviruswill run itscourse?""Aweek,maybe longer."She looked likeshewassuffering from it, too."Thebiggerproblem is the
aftereffects.Becausewe can't exercise and can't keep food downwe're losing our conditioning. Evenunderidealcircumstancesitwillbedifficultforanyofustosummit.""There's nothingwe can do about that," Josh said. "We'll eithermake it orwewon't.And that's no
differentthananyotheryear."ThetentflapopenedandtheTexansteppedinside."Gladyou'reallhere,"hesaid."We'vebeentalkingandwethoughtyou'dliketoknowthatnoneofus
areclimbingwiththeboy.Wedidn'tspendourmoney,time,andefforttogetakiduptothesummit."Helookedatme."It'snothingpersonal,son.Ithinkyoulandedrightinthemiddleofthismessjustlikewedid.""Thanksfortellingme,"Joshsaid."ButIdecidewhogoestothesummitandwho'sonwhatteam."TheTexangavehimahardsmile."Well,Josh,you'retheboss.Butifyoudecidewehavetoclimbwith
yourboy,thenwe'renotclimbingatall.We'llheadhomeandy'allwillhavetodealwithourlawyers.""Well,y'allmightaswellpackupandleavetoday,"Joshsaidangrily."Twoorthreeyearsfromnow
youmightwinyourcaseandmaybeevengetsomeofyourmoneyback,butnoneofyouwillhavemadeittothetopoftheworld."IftheTexanhadhadasix-shooterstrappedaroundhiswaistIthinkhewouldhavedrawnit.Instead,he
glaredatJoshforamoment,thenstompedoutofthetent."He'sbluffing,"Joshsaidconfidently.Thaddeusdidn'tlooknearlyasconfident,nordidanyoneelse.Inkeepingwithmymother'ssuggestionaboutbeingselfishIdidnotstepforwardandoffertogiveup
myspot.Imighthave,ifIthoughtJoshwouldrefusemyselflesssacrificefortheteam,butIwasn'tsurewhathewoulddo.Theargumentwe'dhadfromthedaybeforewasfarfromresolved.Andnobodyhadmentionedit,butthedelayfrommyteamchangemeantthattherewasagoodchanceIwouldn'tgettothesummitbeforemyfifteenthbirthday.BothJoshandThaddeushadtohavefiguredthisout.ThebottomlinewasthatifSun-jomadeittothetoptheydidn'tneedme.
THENEXTCOUPLEDAYSIkeptalowprofile,whichwasn'thardsincenoonewantedanythingtodowithme.Josh'sclientsdidn'tpackupandleave,buttheydidn'tbackoff,either.IthinktheywerestickingaroundtoseeifJoshwouldbackoff.Therewerenomorecomplaintsaboutmyeating"their"foodinthemesstent,butthesilenttreatmentandresentfulglarescontinued.InsteadofgettingenmeshedinthemountainmadnessIwentclimbing.OnethingCampFourhadtaught
mewas that I needed to honemy ice-climbing techniques. I thinkoneof the reasons I hadhad such adifficult time climbing to theColwasmyclumsy cramponmoves. I hadn't done a lot of ice climbing.Efficiencysavesenergy,andenergyisaselusiveasairthehigheryougo.Ifoundanicewallaboutahalfmileoutsidecampandspenthourseverydaytryingdifferentroutesto
thetop.Islipped,fell,andscrapedmyself,butIgotalittlebetterwitheachclimb.AtnightIstayedinmytentwritinginmysecondMoleskineandtriedtovisualizemyfinalassaulton
the summit. I even went so far as to make a special prayer flag. I took one of the yellow flags andcarefullydrewamountainonitwithablueSharpie.Ihungitinsidemytent,staringatitforhours.Ontopof thesummit isapoleburiedin the icewithametalwirehangingfromitwithdozensofprayerflagsbeatenbythewinds.OverandoveragainIimaginedmyselfstrugglinguptothatpoleandtaggingEverest.CaptainShekwasstilllookingforSun-jo.EverymorningwhenIheadedtothewallhehadasoldier
followme. Iguesshe thoughtmypracticeclimbswerea ruse tomeet secretlywith themysteryboy. Iactuallydidn'tmindbeingfollowed.IfIhadanaccidentatleasttherewouldbesomeonearoundtohelpme,orrunbacktoBaseandgethelp.Zopa,Yogi, andYashwere staying atBaseCamp but keeping a low profile. I saw them once in a
while,butwehadn't spokensincewegotback. I suspectedCaptainShekwaswatching them, too,andtheywerekeepingtheirdistance.Onthethirddaywegotwordthatnineclimbershadreachedthesummitfromthenorthside—virtually
everyclimberwhotriedthatday.Now,youwouldthinkthisnewswouldbereceivedwithgreatjoy,andonthesurfaceitwas,butjustbelowthesurfacewasagreatdealofjealousyandresentment."Ifwehadn'tgottensick...""IfJoshhadn'tabandonedusonthetriptothemountain..."Ifhehadn'tbroughthissontoEverest...""Thatcouldhavebeenus.Wecouldbeheadedhomeinafewdays...""Theremaynotbeanotherwindow..."Andother complaintswerewhispered just loud enough forme tohear in themess tent that evening
duringdinner.ThecarpingwasinterruptedbytheappearanceofJoshandThaddeusalongwiththefilmcrew.Ihadn'tseenanyoftheminthemesstentsinceIreturnedfromCampFour.Liketheotherclimbers,JR,Jack,andWillhadlostweightandstilllookedalittleweak,butbetterthantheyhadonthewaydown."Ifyourhealthcontinuestoimprove,"Joshbegan,"andiftheweatherisgood,Ihopetostarttheteams
uptothesummitinaweektotendays.""Tomorrowmorningwe'llstartfilminginterviewswithyouforthedocumentary,"JRadded.Theteamswerenotimpressedbyeitherannouncement."Youstillplanningtoputyoursononthetop?"theTexanasked."Yes,"Joshsaid."AreyoustillplanningtoquitifIdo?""Ifhegoesweleave.That'sthedeal."Hedidn't look likehewasbluffing.Nordid theothers.Thesewerenotprofessionalclimbers.They
wereallsuccessfulbusinesspeopleandveryusedtogettingtheirway."Suityourselves,"Joshsaidwithasadgrin.IhadabadfeelingthatJoshwastheonebluffing,notthem.Hewasgoingtoblinkfirst.Andifhedidn't,
Thaddeuswouldblinkforhim.
BLINK
THENEXTMORNINGIwas enduring another uncomfortable breakfast at a separate table frommyteammemberswhenJoshandThaddeuscameintothetent.Ithoughttheyweregoingtomakeanannouncementaboutthefilmingscheduleorsomething,butinstead
Joshsaid,"We'vereachedadecision."Hetookasheetofpaperoutofhispocketandslowlyunfoldedit."Bteam,ledbyPa-sang,willconsist
ofthefollowingmembers."Hereadoffthenames."Ateam,whichI'lllead,willbe..."Thenhereadoffanotherlistofnameswithoneveryimportantomission.Myname.BeforeIcouldfindmyvoicetheTexanspokeup,soundingalmostasstunnedasIfelt."Areyousaying
Peakisn'tgettingasummitshot?""Didyouhearmereadoffhisname?"Joshaskedtersely."No,"theTexansaidquietly.It'saploy, I thoughtdesperately.OtherwiseJoshwouldhave toldmeabout thedecisionbefore this
brutalannouncement.Hewastryingtogettheirsympathy.Tryingtogetthemtosay:"Now,justholdonaminute, Josh.We didn't reallymean for you to..." Itwas brilliant! If they decided I should come theycouldn'tgrouseaboutitlater.Iwaitedforthosemagicwords,buttheydidn'tcome.InsteadJoshlookedatme."I'msorry,Peak,I'vebeenajackassaboutthis.They'reright.Thisistheir
climb.They'repayingthetab."Ithoughthewasoverplayingitandhopedheknewwhathewasdoing.IlookedattheTexan.Nowwas
thetimeforhimtosay,"Ahshucks,wewerejusthavingfunwithyou.OfcourseyoucansummitEverestwithus..."Insteadhesaid,"Well,that'ssettled,then.""Waitasecond!"Isaid."That'snotfair.IworkedjustashardasanyoneheretogetuptoCampFour.""Letitgo,Peak,"Joshsaidquietly."Iwon'tletitgo!"Ialmostknockedovermychairstandingup."Youdon't havea choice," Josh said, raisinghisvoice. "It's all beenarranged.Zopa'spackingyour
gearrightnow.YouandheandhisSherpasareheadingtoKathmandu.Thetruck'swaiting."Istaredathimindisbelief.Itwasn'taploy.He'dblinked!"I'msorryitdidn'tworkout,"hecontinued."Maybewecantryagainnextyear.You'reyoung.You'llget
plentyofchancestogettothesummit.""Idon'tbelievethis.""I'llhelpyoupack.""Forgetit!"Ipushedpasthimandranoutside.BythetimeIgottomytent,mygearwasalreadyinthetruckandreadytogo.So,itwasallplanned.
Zopa,Yogi,andYashweresittinginthebedwaitingforme.Iwipedawaymyfrozentears."Youshouldhavetoldme!"Zopashookhishead."Bettertolearnthewayyoudid.""TheonlythingI'velearnedisthatyouandmyfatherareliars!""Wemustleave,"Zopasaidcalmly."Wehavealongwaytogobeforedark."Iglaredathimexpectingmore,butitwasclearthediscussion(ifyouwanttocallitthat)wasover.The
driverstartedthetruck.AswepulledoutofcampJoshsteppedoutofthemesstentandwavedatme.Ireturnedthewavewith
agestureofmyown.Hereturnedtheinsultbygivingmehistrademarkgrin.IfZopahadn'tgrabbedmy
collarIwouldhavejumpedoutofthebackofthetruckandkilledhimwithmybarehands.Icouldnotbelievehowquicklyithadallcometoanend.Imean,IknewImightnotmakeittothetop
ofEverest, but I thought itwould be due toweather, injury, or endurance ... not some stupid businessdecision.Joshhadn'tbotheredtomentionwhatIwassupposedtodoonceIgotbacktoKathmandu.Waitforhim,
Isuppose.OrmaybeIwasbeingsentdowntoChiangMai.Itdidn'tmatter.AssoonasIgottowhereverIwasgoingIwouldcallMomandfindoutifthingshadcooledoffenoughformetogobacktoNewYork.TheonlythingIknewforsurewasthatIwasnotgoingtohaveanythingtodowithJoshuaWoodeveragain.We bumped along the rough road for a couple of miles until we came to a roadblock manned by
Chinesesoldiers.Theycheckedourpapers, then thoroughlysearched the truck.This iswhenI realizedthatSun-jowasn'twithus.IwassomadwhenIgotbootedoutofcamp,Ihadn'teventhoughtabouthim.IhadtowaittoaskZopauntilwewerebackontheroad."Where'sSun-jo?""He'swaitingforusupahead,"Zopasaid.ItlookedlikeSun-jowasn'tgettinghisshotatthesummit,either.IguessCaptainShekhadmadeittoo
risky.Shamefully,thismademefeelalittlebetter.Acouplemileslaterthetrucksloweddown.IlookedoverthetopofthecabexpectingtoseeSun-jo,
but itwasjustayakandaporterheadinguptoBaseCamp.Whenwedrewupnext to themthedriverstopped.TheporterwasGulu.Hegavemeatoothlesssmile,thenheandZopatalkedforawhile,butIcouldn'tunderstandwhattheyweresaying.Whentheyfinished,Guluwaved,thencontinuedtowardBaseCamp.Wedrovedowntheroadforanothermileorso,thencametoanotherstop.Atthisrateitwouldtakeus
ayeartogettoKathmandu.YogiandYashhoppedoutofthetruckandstartedunloadinggear."What'sgoingon?""TeamC,"Zopaanswered."Whatareyoutalkingabout?"InsteadofansweringZopapulledacrumpledpieceofpaperoutofhispocketandhandedittome.
Sorryaboutthedramatics,butwehadtomakeitlookgoodsoCaptainShekwould thinkyouandSun-joweregoneandstoplookingforhim.Ialsohadtoappeasemyboneheadclients.Itwas the only way I could get you to the summit before yourbirthday.Zopa'sidea.(Itoldyouhewascagey.)He'lltakeyouup toABCalongadifferentroute.He'sunderstrictorders tokeepyoualive.Ifhedoesn't,yourmomwillkillme.Ihopeyoumakeittothetop,butifyoudon't,noworries.
JoshIreadthenoteovertwice,thenlookedupatZopa.Hewassmiling."Wewill takeashortcut toABC,"hesaid. "Butwewillhave tomovequicklybeforeCaptainShek
discoversourdeceit."Iwasn'tsureifIwasangryorhappywithhimandJosh.Ithadbeenacrueltrick.Iunderstoodwhythey
haddoneit,buttheyshouldhavetrustedmetoplayarole.Icouldhavepulleditoff,andIwasabouttotellZopathiswhenSun-jocameoverthetopofasmallhillandwaved.Aside from the rumbledporterclothesand thegrass inhishair fromGulu'syak,he looked ready to
climb.
SHORTCUT
GULUHADHAULEDalotmorethanSun-jooutoftheportercamp.Ontheothersideofthehillwasasmallmountainofclimbinggear.Coilsofrope,oxygenbottles,masks,tents,food...Iwonderedhowweweregoingtogetittotheuppercamps.Onourbacks,as it turnedout,becauseZopawent right toworkdividing thegear into fiveseparate
piles.AshesortedthroughthestuffIaskedSun-jowhatwasgoingon.Hedidn'tknowmuchmorethanIdid.HesaidthatGuluhadwokenhiminthemiddleofthenightandtoldhimthattheyhadtoleavetheportercamprightaway."AtfirstIthoughtCaptainShekhaddiscoveredIwasthere,"hesaid."Butwhenweweresafelyoutof
camp,GulutoldmethatZopawasleadingyouandmetothesummitinaseparateexpeditionfromyourfather's,butstillonhispermit."Ididn'ttellhimabouthowIfoundoutbecauseIwasstillmadaboutit,andalittleembarrassed.YogiandYash'sloadswerebiggerthanours,butSun-joandIstillhadplentytocarry.Wehadmostof
thefooddividedbetweenus.Zopalaughedaswegruntedundertheextraweight."Itwillbecomelighterasyoueatyourwaythroughthecontents,"hesaid.
***THEREISAREASONWHYBaseCampandalltheothercampsaboveitaresituatedwheretheyare.Thetraditionalroutemaynotbetheshortestwayupthemountain,butitisthesafestandeasiest.(NotthatanythingissafeoreasyonEverest.)Zopa's"shortcut"mighthavebeenshorter,butitwastentimesmoredifficultthantheregularroute.Ourfirstobstaclewasavastfieldofjaggedicestickingoutofthegroundlikegreatwhitesharkteeth.Sun-joandIusedourwalkingpolessowedidn'tslipandimpaleourselves.TheSherpabrothersdidn'tbotherwiththepoles,forgingaheadliketheywereice-skatinguntiltheyweretwotinydotsonthehorizon.IthinkZopacouldhaveeasilykeptupwiththem,butheslowedhispace,stayingaboutahundredyardsaheadofus sohecouldglancebackonce inawhileandmakesurewehadn'tstumbledandwerebleedingoutonthefrozenfangs.Bythetimewecaughtuptothemlatethatafternoon,YogiandYashhadthecampsetup,foodonthe
stove,andwereamusingthemselvesbythrowingtheiriceaxesatawalloficethatappearedtobrushthesky.My legs were shaking uncontrollably from fatigue. My neck and shoulders felt like they had been
workedoverbyasledgehammer.MyonlyconsolationwasthatSun-jolookedmoredone-inthanme.Hedidn'tevenhavethestrengthtogetthepackoffhisback.Ittookustwohotmugsofteabeforewecouldtalk.BythethirdmugofteaIwasabletofocusenoughtotakeagoodlookatthewall.Itseemedtorunfor
milesinbothdirections.Ifiguredthenextmorningwewouldfollowituntilwecametoapassthenmakeourwaytothetop.WhenImentionedthistoZopahelaughedandpointeddirectlyaboveus."Thisisthepass,"hesaid."You'rekidding."Heshookhishead.Therewasn't a single handhold or foothold for as far as I could see. Itmade the icewall I'd been
practicingonlooklikeanindoorrockclimbingwall.AfterdinnerZopaturnedontheradioandwelistenedtothemountainchatter.Threemorepeoplehad
madeittothesummitthatmorning.Eighthadturnedbackwithinafewhundredfeetofthetop.AclimberhadbrokenherlegupatABC.Thevirusseemedtohaverunitscourse,andeveryonewhohadstuckitoutatBaseCampwasrapidlygettingbetter.IwasaboutreadytocallitadayandcrawlintomytentwhenJoshcameontheradiomakingsmalltalk
with one of the other expedition leaders up at Camp Four. This was very unusual. Josh was a firmbeliever that the radioshouldonlybeused to transmit important information.Hehated itwhenpeopleuseditlikeacellphone.Theytalkedabouttheweather,thewomanwiththebrokenleg,andschedulingsummitattempts."Heardyouhadafalling-outwithyourson,"theleadersaid.Therewerenosecretsonthemountain."Yeah,heleft,"Joshsaid."Butwe'llpatchitupwhenIgetdown.He'sagoodkid.IthinkCaptainShek
wasgoingtotrytoyankhisclimbingpermit,anyway.NotthatIwouldhavelethim.""IsShekstillhuntingforthatotherkid?""Yep.Stillonthewarpath.HedetainedaporterthisafternoonnamedGulu.Helethimgoafterapretty
toughgrilling,butGuludidn'tknowanything.Thatkidlefthereweeksago.Notsurewhathe'stryingtoprove.Iheardhewashavingsomemoresoldierstruckedin.Someofthemareclimbers.He'sgoingtosend them up the mountain to check the higher camps. It's insane. I sent an e-mail to the ChinesegovernmentandIhavemylawyerscheckingintootherofficialactions.TheChinesemakealotofmoneyonthesepermits.Beashameifoneoverzealoussoldierdriedupthatrevenuesource,butwhatareyougoingtodo?Anyway,goodluckatCampFive.I'llcheckinwithyoutomorrow.Out."Zopaswitchedofftheradio.Theentireconversationhadbeensetupforus—atleastonJosh'send.We
couldn'tparticipate,butwecouldlearnagreatdealbylistening.NoneofuslikedtheideaoftheChineseclimberscomingin."Theywon'tbeabletogetpastABC,"Isaid."Theyhaven'thadtimetoacclimate.""Perhaps,"Zopasaid."Howdowegetbythemonthewaybackdown?"Sun-joasked.Zopashrugged.ButthistimeIthinkhereallymeantit.Hedidn'tknow.
BYTHETIMEZOPAkickedSun-joandmeoutofoursleepingbags,YogiandYashwerealreadyfiftyfeetupthewallsettingicescrewssowe'dhavesomethingtohookonto.Thesunwasbarelyup.Theyhadto have started when it was still dark. We ate quickly, packed, then strapped on our crampons andharnesses.Zopasaidhewasstayingbelowtotiethepacksandwouldclimblast.Abitterwindblastedthewallhead-on,whichwasgoodbecauseitpushedusintoit.Ifthewindhad
been coming from an angle it would have blown us right off the wall. Ice ax in each hand ... Digcramponin.Buryax.Icesplintersinyourface.Pull.Digothercramponin.Buryax...Aboutsixty-fivefeet up I clipped onto an ice anchor and took a breather.Yogi andYash had already reached the top,droppedropes,andhauledupallthegear.Zopahadjuststartedupthewall.Sun-jowasclawinghiswayuptwentyfeetbelowme.Heseemedto
bestruggling,whichwasn'ttoosurprisingconsideringhehadbeensickandforthelastfewdays,coopedupinaporter'stent.Iwaiteduntilhelookedupandgavehimawave.Hereturneditwithagrimnod.Istartedagain,andhadgottenupabout threestepswhenIheard theyell. It tookmeasecond toget
myselfanchoredsoIcouldlookdown.WhatIsawwasn'tpretty.Sun-johadslippeddownabouttenfeetandwashangingontheedgeofaprotrusionbyoneax.I'dseentheprotrusiononthewayupandknewitwastoofarfromthewallforhimtogethiscramponsplantedintheice."I'mcoming!"Zopashoutedupathim,butitwouldtakehimatleastforty-fiveminutestoreachhim.Sun-jowouldn'tbeabletoholdonformorethanafewminutes.Iwasalotcloser,buttheonlything
harderandslowerthanclimbingupanicewallisclimbingdownanicewall.Ilookedup,hopingtoseeYogiorYash,buttherewasnosignofthem.Theymusthavealreadyforgedaheadtosetupthenextcamp.Ididn'tevenhave time to thinkaboutwhat Iwasgoing todonext,whichwas justaswell. Istarted
scrambling sideways across the wall toward the gear rope, thirty feet away. Zopa continued to shout
encouragementtoSun-jo.Hewasclimbingthewallasfastashecould,buthehadtoknowthatnomatterhowfasthewent,itwouldn'tbefastenoughtosavehisgrandson.WhenIfinallyreachedtheropeIgaveita tug.Itseemedsolidenough,butIdidn'tknowif itwould
holdmyweight.Thebrothersmightnothaveanchored itproperlybecause theywere justhaulinggearwithit."I'mslipping,"Sun-josaiddesperately."I'llbethereinaminute!"Ishouted."Hangon,Sun-jo!"Zopashouted,catchingontowhatIwastryingtodo."Don'tgiveup!"Iwanted to test the ropemorebut therewasn't time. I hookedon to it andgave it allmyweight. It
stretchedalittle,butheld.IswallowedmyheartandcrabbedmywaybacktowardSun-jo.WhenIgotdirectlyabovehimIquicklyhookedtheropetoanicescrewIknewwassecureandrappelledtohim,gettingtheropehookedonhisharnessjustashisaxslippedfromtheice."Gothim!"IshouteddowntoZopa,thenlookedatSun-jo."Youokay?"Henodded.Hewascrying.SowasI.ApparentlyIhadforgivenhim.
ITTOOKUSanotherhourtogettothetop.Zopagotthereabouttenminutesafterus,lookingconcernedandrelieved."Nothingbroken?"heasked.Sun-joshookhishead."Whathappened?""Myaxbroke."Zopanodded,thenlookedatme."Thankyou.""YoucanthankYogiandYashforsecuringthatrope,"Isaid.ThefirstthingIdidwhenwegottothetop
was check it. The rope was tied to a carabiner attached to a three-inch ice bolt that wasn't goinganywhere.Sun-joandIcouldhaveplayedTarzanonthatropealldaylong."Butyoudidn'tknowthat,"Zopasaid."Yeah...well,"Isaid,alittleembarrassed,"YogiandYashknowwhatthey'redoing.""Not always," Zopa said. "One of the axes Sun-jo was using today was the same one they were
throwingatthewallyesterdayafternoon."Uh-oh. I suspected theyweregoing tohearabout thatwhenwecaughtup to them—and Iwas right.
Whenwegottocamp,ZopatookYogiandYashtothesideandspoketothemforagoodtenminutes.Heneverraisedhisvoice,butwhentheycamebacktheylookedlikehehadwhippedthem.
"TWOTRUCKLOADSofChinesesoldiersgotheretoday..."JoshwastalkingtoadifferentexpeditionleaderwhohadjustarrivedatABC."...alongwithsixmilitaryclimbers.Theplacelookslikeanarmyencampment.""GladI'muphere,"theleadersaid."Well,you'renotoffthehook.FromwhatIhearthey'reheadingupthemountaintomorrowmorningto
checkeverybody'spapers.Ifyoudon'thaveyourpassport,visa,andpermitthey'regoingtobootyouoffthemountain.""Wehavethem.What'shisproblem?""WhenthetruckthatZopaandmysonleftonyesterdaygottothesecondcheckpoint,Zopaandmyson
weren'tonit.Thedriverclaimedtheygotonasecondtruckandwentanotherway."
"Ihopeyourson'sokay.""Noworries.Zopawouldn'tletanythinghappentohim.I'msurethey'rewellontheirwaytoNepalby
now.IthoughtI'djustgiveyouaheads-upaboutwhat'sgoingondownhere.""Thanks,"theotherleadersaid."WhatabouttheChineseclimbers?Aretheyanygood?""They'regunghoandwellequipped.Theypulledthemoffahigh-altitudeclimb,butI'mnotsurewhere
theywere.Iwouldn'tbesurprisediftheytriedforthesummitwhilethey'reupthere.IknowIwould.""Ihearyou.It'sgoingtogetcrowdedatthetop."ZopaandthebrothersspreadamapoutandstartedtalkinginNepalese."What'sgoingon?""Zopasayswecan'tstayinanyofthecampsuntilwereachCampFive,"Sun-joexplained."They're
pickingalternativesites."Ilookedatthemap.WewerejustaboutparalleltoCampTwo,butsevenoreightmilestothenorth.It
wouldtakeusatleastanotherdaytopullupevenwithABC.Wecouldbeuponthesummitinlessthanaweek.
CAMP3½
ZOPA PUSHED US HARD the next two days. We were out of camp before dawn climbing withheadlamps.YogiandYashwerealwayslonggonebeforewestartedout,andwedidn'tseethemuntilwestoppedattheendoftheday.Ihadnoideawherewewere,butaccordingtomyaltimeterwatch,weweregainingaltitude.(Notthat
Ineededthewatch:Everybreathwaspainfulnow.)AttheendofthedayitwasallSun-joandIcoulddotoeatalittlefood,drink,andthencrawlintoourbags.On the thirdmorning Iwas surprised toopenmyeyesand see sunlight coming through theblue tent
fabric.IlookedoveratSun-joandsawthathewasstaringatthelight,too.Wehadbarelytalkedthepastfewdays.Notime,nobreath."Howareyoudoing?"Iasked."Notwell,"Sun-josaid."You'vedoneokaythelastcoupleofdays."Heshookhishead."Ithasbeenveryhard."Thatwas anunderstatement.Wehaddone several technical climbs thepast forty-eight hours. It had
beensomeofthemostdifficultclimbingIhadeverdone."Anyideawhereweare?"Sun-josatupwithagroan."Feelslikewe'reonthesummit."Ilaughed,whichturnedintoashortbutpainfulcoughingfit.WhenIrecoveredIsaid,"MaybeZopais
goingtogiveusadayoff.""Notlikely."Wewentthroughthecontortionsofgettingdressedinoursmalltent,thencrawledout.Lightsnowand
freezingfog.Wehadn'tseentheskyinthreedays.YogiandYashwerecrouchingnexttothecampstove.YogisaidsomethingthatmadeSun-joblanch."What?"Iasked."Zopaissick."Iunderstoodwhyhewasupset.Zopadidn'tgetsick.Zopawastheironman.Hehadseemedfinethe
nightbeforewhenwegottocamp.Wehurriedovertohistent.Helookedterrible—bloodshoteyes,runnynose,pale—buthemanagedtositupinhissleepingbagwhenhesawus."WewillgouptoCampFourthisafternoon,"hesaid.Hewasn'tgoinganywhereinhiscondition."Thevirus?"Iasked."Ithinkso,"heansweredwithaslightsmile."Ormaybeit'sjustage.""Regardless,"Sun-josaid,"weshouldgobackdown.Weneedtogetyouhelp.""Wecannotgodown,"Zopasaid."TheChinesearewaitingforus.Ouronlyescapeisup.""Wehavetocomedowneventually,"Isaid."Butnotonthisside.""Whatareyoutalkingabout?""Nepalisalittlemorethanamileawayfromhere."I thought hewas delirious or something. It would take us days to reach the FriendshipBridge into
Nepal.Hetookoutthemapandpointedtothesouthsideofthesummit."ThisisNepal,"hesaid.Hepointedto
thenorthside."This isTibet."HewalkedhisfingersupthenorthsideofEverest, thendownthesouthside."Youmeanwe'renotcomingbackdownthenorthsideintoTibet?"Iasked.
"Whenyoureachthesummit,"hesaid,"youwillheadsouthintoNepal.""Butwe'renotsetupforthesouthside,"Iprotested."Wedon'thavetentsorgearor—""Sherpaswillhelpyou,"Zopasaid."Friendsofmine.Wehavealreadygottenwordtothem.Theywill
bewaitingontheotherside.YogiandYashwilltakeyoutothesummit.""Whataboutyou?"Sun-joasked."AsyoucanseeIaminnoconditiontoclimb.CampFourisasfarasIwillbegoing.""Thenwe'llwaituntilyougetbetter,"Sun-joinsisted."That'sright,"Isaid."Idon'tcareifIgetuptothesummitbymybirthday.It'snotimportant—tome,
anyway.We'llsetupacampsomewhere,orstayrighthereuntilyougetbetter."Zopashookhishead."Wedon'thaveenoughfoodorsupplies.""YogiandYashcangetmoresuppliesfromtheotherSherpas.""That isnot theonlyobstacle,"Zopasaid. "Theweather. In threedays itwillbegood fora summit
attempt.Youwillhavetobeinposition."Iglancedbackoutside.Itwassnowingharderandthefoghadthickened."Howcanyouknowthat?"Zopashrugged.Hewasimpossible!"Okay,"Isaid,"sotheweatherbreaksandwemakeittothesummitandsomehow
makeitdownthesouthside.HowareyougoingtogetpasttheChinesesoldiersonthenorthside?""I'maNepalesecitizeninTibetwithlegalpapers.CaptainShekhasnogroundstoarrestme.Yousaw
whathappenedthelasttimehetried.Idon'tthinkIwillbecaught,butifIam,theveryworsthecandoisdeportme,whichiswhatIwant,anyway.I'llseebothofyouontheotherside.""Idon'tthinkIcanmakeittothesummit,"Sun-josaid."Ihadalotoftroubleyesterday.""I'm afraid I've put you in a terrible situation, Sun-jo,"Zopa said. "Youwill have tomake it to the
summitnow."IthoughtaboutofferingtostaywithZopaatCampFourandhelphimdownthemountainafterhegot
better.Butthiswasclearlynotinkeepingwithmymother'sinstructionstostayselfish.AndIdidwanttogettothesummit.ThedebatewasresolvedbyZopa.Hegavemeamonkishsmile."Idon'tneedyourhelp,Peak.ButSun-jowill."Ijuststaredathim,relievedIdidn'thavetomakethedecisionandstunnedthatheseemedtohaveread
mymind."How—"Zopahelduphishand."Sun-jowillnotreachthesummitwithoutyourhelp,"hesaid."Ineedtorest.
Andsodobothofyou.Wehaveahardclimbaheadofus."
SUN-JOTOOKZOPA'SADVICE.Itriedtosleepbutcouldn't.IjoinedYogiandYashatthefire.Yogipulledoutanoxygentankandmaskoutofhispack.Heshowedmehowtoattachthemasktotheregulator,thenhehelduptwofingers,indicatingIwastosetthedialtotwolitersperminute.Then,usingYashasamodel,heshowedmehowtoputonthemask.Whenhefinishedhetookeverythingapartandhadmeput itallbacktogether.Itwasn'taseasyasit
looked. I had to pull offmyoutermitts, andmy fingerswent numb in spite of the fact that Iwas stillwearinggloves.ThisremindedmethatIstillhadJR'slittlevideocamerainmypack.Ihadcompletelyforgottenaboutit.Ineededtostartfilmingourtrip.(Whichshouldgiveyoualittleideaofhowthebrainfunctions,ordoesn'tfunction,athighaltitudes.)Imanagedtogetthemaskhookeduptothetank,thenIputthemaskonandtriedtoadjustthestrapsfor
atightfitovermynoseandmouth.Themaskwascold,uncomfortable,andalittleclaustrophobic.Yashhadaperfectsolutiontothediscomfort.Heturnedontheoxygen.InmyentirelifeIhadneverfeltanythingsowonderful.TheOsflowedintomybodylikesomekindof
magic elixir. For the first time in weeks I felt warm, sharp, and strong. The feeling was short-lived
becauseYogiturneditoffalmostimmediately.Reluctantly,Itookoffthemask.TheSherpabrothersweresmilingatme.YogisaidsomethinginNepalese,thenheldupfivefingers."Gotit,"Isaid."NotuntilCampFive."Theoretically,youcoulduseOsallthewayupthemountain.Theproblemwasyouwouldhavetousea
halfdozenSherpastocarryenoughoxygentankstogetupthemountain.Thetanksdidn'tlastthatlong.YogiandYashleftaroundnoon.AcoupleofhourslaterZopacameoutofhistentlookinglikeacorpse
emerging froma tomb.Threemugsof hot tea seemed to revivehim ... a little. I packedhis gear, thenrousedSun-jo,wholookedalotbetterafterhisnap.WestartedoutforCampFour.ThistimeSun-joandIhadtowaitforZopa.Abouthalfwaythere,heput
onanoxygenmaskandcrankeditup.Thiscertainlyputalittlemorespringinhisstep.Iwasenvious.
CAMPSFIVEANDSIX
BECAUSEOFOURLATESTART, I thoughtCampFourwasclose,butwedidn'tget tothedreadedwallleadinguptoituntilwellafterdark."We'reclimbingthewallatnight?"Iasked,shocked.Zopatookoffhismask."It'stheonlywaytogetintoCampFourunnoticed.Everyonewillbeasleep."Theywouldbeintheirtentsallright—thewindwashowlingandithadn'tstoppedsnowingallday.But
fromourlastexperienceIknewtheywouldn'tbesleeping.IftheywerelikemewhenIwasupthere,theywouldbelyingintheirsleepingbagswonderingif therewasenoughair tokeepthemalivethroughthenight.ThelasttimewewerehereittookmeoverfivehourstoreachthetopandInearlygaveupontheway.
Theweatherwasworsenow—anditwasdark.YogiandYashhadthrownaropeoverthesideforustouse."You'llneedheadlamps,"Zopasaid."Right,"Isaid.Slidethejumaruptherope,step,breathe,jumar,step,jumar,think,lookup,thinkagain,step,rest,
rest,rest,hugthewall,pray...Thesameroutine.Butinastrangewaytheclimbwaseasier,oratleastlessscary,withtheheadlamp.Thelightkeptmefocusedontheiceandrockinfrontofme.Ihadnoideawherethetoporbottomwasuntilalightappearedovertheedgeabouttenfeetaboveme.ItwasYogi,althoughitwashardtotell,bundleduplikehewas.Imanagedtogettothetopwithouthishavingtograbme.AsIrestedonmykneestryingtocatchmybreathandnotpuke,Ilookedatmywatch.Ihadclimbedthewallinlessthanfivehoursthistime.FifteenminuteslaterSun-jocameoverthetop,lookinglikehewasabouttopassout.Ishoutedinhis
earthathehadmadeitupthewallahalfhourfasterthanhehadthelasttime.Thisseemedtocheerhimup.Hemanagedtogettohisfeet.Zopawaslast.Hewasinterribleshape.Ittookallthreeofustopullhimovertheedge,andwhenwe
gothimtherehedidn'tmove. Icheckedhisoxygen tank. Itwasempty.YogihurriedoffandcamebackwithafreshtankandYash.TheygottheOsflowingandcarriedZopatotheirtent.Afteranhourorsoherecoveredenoughtoopenhiseyesanddrinksomething.AfewminuteslaterheaskedthebrothersiftheyhadheardanythingfromJosh.TheChinesesoldierclimbershadreachedABCthatafternoonandwereplanningonstayingthereaday
ortwobeforeclimbingtoCampFour.Theyhadcheckedeveryone'spapersandsearchedallthetents.TheclimbersatABCsaidthesoldierswereingreatshapeandhadmadeterrifictime.Therewasnodoubttheyweregoingtotryforthesummit.Thisseemedliketheworstpossiblenews,butZopadidn'tseematalldisturbedbyit."Youwillbeadayaheadofthem.Tonightandtomorrowyouwillrest.Thefollowingmorning,before
light,you'llclimbtoCampFive.""Whataboutyou?"Sun-joasked."Doyoureallythinktheyaregoingtobeworriedaboutasickoldmonkwhentheygetuphere?Ifthey
reallyaresuchgoodclimbers,thesoldierswillallwanttotryforthesummit.Whichofthemwillstaybehindtoescort theoldmandownthemountain?"Hegaveawheezylaugh."BythetimetheygetbackhereIwillbegone.""Whycan'twe justgoup toCampFivewhen itgets light?" Iasked."We'llbe just thatmuchfarther
aheadofthesoldiers.""Therewillbeastorminafewhours,"Zopaanswered."Tomorrowmorningisyourwindow."
THE STORMHITUSMIDMORNING. If we had left when I wanted we would have been abouthalfway to Camp Five. And we would have died, along with the three climbers who did leave thatmorning.NoneofthemmadeittoCampFive,andnobodycouldhelpthem.Theweatherwastoosevere.ItriedtowriteinmyMoleskineandfoundthatIcouldn'tconcentratelongenoughtostringmorethan
twoorthreewordstogetheratatime.AfterawhileIgaveupandmanagedtogetalittlesleep,andsodidSun-jo,mostlybecause therewasnothingelse todobut lie in the tent.Zopadidn'twantuswanderingaroundcamp(notthatwehadtheenergy),andthestormwassobad,everyonetherewashunkereddownwaitingforittostop.About eight o'clock that night it did, suddenly.Onemoment thewind and snowwere threatening to
blowourtentaway;thenextmomentitwasperfectlycalm.Istuckmyheadoutsidethetent,alongwitheveryoneelseincamp,andsawaperfectlyclearskyoverheadscatteredwithbrightstars.YashleftforCampFivethreehoursaheadofustogetthecampready.Yogistuckhisheadintoourtent
anhourbeforeweweretoleaveandtoldustopackourgear.Weweren'ttakingmuchwithus.MostofwhatweneededwouldbewaitingforusatCampFiveyogiandYashhadhauleditupthelasttimewewereatCampFour.BeforewetookoffwecheckedinwithZopa.Hewassittingupdrinkingamugoftea.Hewasoffthe
Osandsomeofthecolorhadreturnedtohisface,buthestilllookedprettyweak."Speed iseverythingnow. Ifyoustay in thedeathzone too longyouwilldie. Ifyoudon't reach the
summitbyonethirty-fiveP.M.thedayyouleaveCampSix,IhaveaskedYogiandYashtoturnyouaround.ItisbettertogetcaughtbytheChinesethanitistodieonthemountain."ThisseemedtocontradicthisplantogetSun-jooverthetoptosafety,buthewasright.FromCampSix
youhavetoreachthesummitandreturninabouteighteenhours.Oxygenornot,therewasalimittohowlongyoucouldsurviveaboveCampSix.Ifwemadethesummitwewouldhavetoreachthetopcampontheothersideineighteenhours."HaveYogiandYashbeentothesummit?"Iasked.IthadbeenaquestiononmymindsinceZopahad
announcedhewasn'ttakingustherehimself."Ofcourse,"Zopasaid."Threetimes.""Good,"Isaid."DoesJoshknowyou'renotcomingwithus?"Zopashookhishead,thengaveusablessingandsaid,"I'llseeyoubothinKathmandu.Nowgo."Itwasclearandbitterlycoldasweleftthedarkcampandstartedupthenorthridgetothesummit.It
washardtokeepmyexcitementincheck.AnightatCampFive,anightatCampSix,thenthetopoftheworld.
ITWASMOREOFAFORCEDMARCHtoCampFivethanaclimb.Wehookedontoaseriesoffixedropes.Yogiset thepace. I trieda regimeof twelvesteps,aminuteofgasping to recover, thenanothertwelve steps. After an hour it was down to about eight steps, and I'm not sure howmanyminutes torecover.ItwashardtobelievethatsomeclimbershadmadeittothesummitwithoutanysupplementalOsatall.Joshwasoneofthem,althoughIsuspectedonthistriphewouldbesuckingdowntheOs,iffornootherreasonthantostaysharpsohedidn'tloseoneofhisclients.The sun came up and gave us the best view of Everest's pyramidal summit yet. It was enormous.
Comingoffthetopwasadiskoficecrystalsagainstthebluesky.Thesightinspiredmysluggishbraintorememberthecamera,whichIhadputinmypocketbeforeweleftCampFour.IshoutedaheadatSun-jotowaitup,whichhewasmorethanhappytodo.WhenIgottohimItookoffmyoutermittens,pushedtherecordbutton,andtriedtoimitateJRasbestasIcould."Whatareyoufeelingrightnow?"Iasked."You'relessthanamilefromthehighestpointonearth."I
hadhimframedperfectlyagainstthesummit."Frightened,"Sun-josaid."Andhopeful.Andworriedaboutmygrandfather.Ihadnoideaitwouldbe
thishard."That'saboutallmyunmittenedfingerscouldtake."Icanfilmyounowifyoulike,"Sun-jooffered."Nah,that'sallright.Wehavetogetmoving."Abouthalfanhour laterwesawour first corpse.Sun-jo saw it first. Iwalkedup tohimashewas
staringdownatit.Yogihadbreezedbyasifhehadn'tnoticedbutIbethehad.Itwasawoman.AboutfiftyfeetawaywasanothercorpsebutIcouldn'ttellwhatitwasbecauseitwaslyingfacedown.Ihadneverseenadeadperson,letaloneafrozendeadperson.Shelookedmorelikeawaxfigurethan
aformerhumanbeing,andinawaythiswasevenmoredisturbingtome.Shehadbeenthereawhileifhershreddedclotheswereanyindication.Itlookedlikeshehaddiedsittingupandhadfallenoveronherside.ShewasonlyafewhoursfromhertentatCampFour.I'mnotsurehowlongwestoodtherestaring,andwewould have stood there a lot longer ifYogi hadn't shouted at us to hurry up.After fivemorecorpsesIstoppedlooking.Atnoonwecametoasteeperpartofthenorthridge.Itwasmuchcolder.Thefixedropeswerefrozen
andSherpashadchippedshallowstepsintotheicetomakeiteasiertoclimb.Yogiwaitedforustocatchuptohim.HepointedtothetentsdownatCampFour,thenuptotentsat
CampFiveandsaidsomethinginNepalese."Halfway,"Sun-jotranslated."Sixhourstogo."Tomakethatsixhoursworse,thewindpickedup.Wehadtobendoverasweclimbedsoweweren't
blownofftheridge.Myinitialexcitementwaslonggone.IthinktheonlythingthatkeptmegoingweretheOswaitingformeupahead.Idon'tknowwhatkeptSun-jogoing.ProbablytheChineseclimbersbehindhimandfreedomahead.WegottoCampFivealittlebeforeseven:25,196feet.Itseemedimpossiblethatwecouldevergoany
farther. Itwas the endof theworld.And it reallywasn't a camp. Itwas a seriesof clearedplatformsstretchingupthenorthridgeforatleastaquarterofamile,withabsolutelynoshelterfromthehowlingwind. The big platforms could hold five or six tents, the small platforms one or two. Several of theplatformshadtentsonthem,butitwashardtosayhowmanypeoplewereupthere.Isuspectedmostofthe tents were waiting for climbers coming up from Camp Four, or down from Camp Six after theirsummitattempt.Ourtinyrubblepilewasjustbigenoughfortwotentspitchedonthegarbageoftheformeroccupants.
Yashhadwaterboilingfortea,butwhatIwasinterestedinwasthemaskstrappedtohisfacepumpingOsintohislungs.Hewasmovingtwiceasfastaswewere.Igrabbedatankfromthepile,pulledthemaskoutofmypack,hookeditup,andstuckmyfaceinit.
ThefeelingIhadwiththefirstlungfulofoxygenisindescribable.BlissisaboutascloseasIcancome,butitwaswaybeyondthat.YashhelpedSun-josetuphisrig,andwhenhegotitonwelookedateachotherandstartedlaughing.Weweregoingtolive.Wemightevenmakeittothesummit.
"THECHINESEAREHEADINGUP toCampFour tomorrow,"oneof theclimbers fromABC toldJosh."You'rekidding!"Joshsaid."Whataboutacclimatization?""Theseguysareacclimated.OneofourclimbersspeaksalittleChinese.Theytoldhertheywereupon
K2whentheywereorderedtocomehere.Theyhaven'tsaidit,butIdon'tthinkthey'recomingbackdownuntiltheytakeashotatthesummit.They'relikeclimbingmachines.Whenareyouheadingup?"
"Thedayaftertomorrowiftheweather'sgood,"Joshanswered."Iwasgoingtoholdoffalittlelonger,butItookmypeopleoutforaclimbtodayandtheyalldidprettywell.Thevirusseemstohaverunitscourse.""We'reheadinguptoCampFourinthemorning.We'llseeyouonthewaybackdown.""Goodluck.""Out."Thiswasprobablythelasttransmissionwewouldhear.IwonderedifJoshwouldbeworriedwhenhe
didn'tpassmeonhiswayup.IaskedSun-johowhewasdoing."Theoxygenhelps,butI'mstillconcerned.Ihadalotoftroubletoday.""You'renottheonlyone.It'sharduphere.""Ihavetomakeit,"hesaid."Formysistersandmymother."Thoseweregreatreasonstoriskyourlife,Ithought.ButwhywasIdoingit?ForJosh'sbusiness?For
myego?Nowthatmybrainhadoxygen I foundmyself reallymissing the twoPeas,mymom,andevenRolf.
Thisgotmetothinkingaboutthecorpseswesawonthewayuphere.Whohadtheyleftbehind?Thesewereveryuncomfortablequestionstofallasleepon.
THEOXYGENWASWONDERFUL,butthemaskswereapaininthebutttosleepin.Itwashardtofindapositionwherethestrapsdidn'tdigintoyourface.Also,theexhaustsystemstank.Smallpoolsoficy slime collected in the mouthpiece valve.When I moved my head slushy spit ran downmy neck.Becauseofthis,Sun-joandIwereupearly.We checked and rechecked our gear. Leaving something behind like a spare headlamp battery or a
glovecouldbeadeathsentence.Yogi took the lead this time, leavingYash to takeusup toCampSix.Ourfirstobstaclewasasteep
snowfield thatwehad to four-pointwith iceaxesandcrampons.Stupidly, I assumed thatnow thatwewereonOs,itwouldbelikeclimbingatsealevel.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Bythetimewereachedthetopofthesnowfieldmylungswerescreamingforair.Ithoughttherewas
something the matter with my mask or the tank had run out of oxygen, but everything was workingperfectly.The two litersofoxygendidn't simulate sea level; it simplyallowedme to stayaliveabove25,000feet.Andtherewasahugedifferencebetweenlyinginatentdoingvirtuallynothingandclimbingasteepsnowfieldonallfours.ItookthelittlecameraoutandfilmedSun-jocrabbinghiswayuptome.BytheexpressiononhisfaceIcouldseehewashavingthesameOrevelationI'djusthad."Idon'tthinkIcanmakeit."Hegasped."I'mserious,Peak;thisistoomuch.""Wejustpushedittoohardgoingupthefield,"IsaidwithaconfidenceIdidn'tfeel."We'lljusthaveto
paceourselves."Henodded,buttherewasfearinhiseyes.Iknewexactlyhowhefelt.Wehadpassedanotherthreeor
fourcorpsesonthewayup.AfewhourslaterIstoppedtorestandlookedatmyaltimeterwatch.Wehadjustpassed26,000feet
andwereofficiallyinthedeathzone.Everyminutefromnowonweweredyingalittle.WestumbledintoCampSixlikethreezombies.Yogihadthetentssetup,buthedidn'tlookmuchbetter
thanwedid.HetoldSun-jotogetourstovegoingtoboilsnowanddrinkasmuchwateraswecould.Theveryideaofdrinkingoreatinganythingmademystomachlurch.IturnedonthevideocameraandshotSun-jolightingthestove,ortryingtolightthestove.Itmusthave
takenhimfiftystrokes toget thecigarette lightergoingin the thinair.Whenit finally ignitedhis thumbwasbleedinglikehehadsliceditopenwithaknife.
Wegaggeddownasmuchwaterandfoodaswecould,thenwrappedupinoursleepingbagstowait.Sleepwasoutofthequestion.Theinsideofthetentwasfilledwithathinlayeroffrostfromourbreath.Everytimeoneofusmoved,
thefreezingcrystalsfellonourfaces.Theysay thatwhenyoudieyour life flashesbeforeyoureyes.Minewaspassingbeforemyeyes in
slowmotionlikeahorrormovie.Ithinkitwasthecorpsesthatdidit.IthoughtofMomfallingoffthatwall,theboyI'dnevermetfallingofftheFlatironBuilding,Sun-johangingbyathreadonthaticewall,andSun-jo'sfathersavingmyfatherthendyingofheartfailure....Theonly thing thatstopped thedepressingplaybackwas the tent flapopeningand theappearanceof
Yogi'smaskedface."Wego,"hesaid.Well,notquite.Itwasmorelike:"Wegetreadytogo."Theymadeusdrinkmorewater,thentoldusto
doourtoilet,whichisaloteasiersaidthandoneatthirtydegreesbelowzero.Twohourslaterwewereready.WeleftforthesummitofMountEverest.Ilookedatmywatch.Itwas1:35A.M.Wehadtwelvehourstogetthere.
TOPOFTHEWORLD
OUTSIDECAMPSIXwepickedourwayacrosstwosnowfields.YashledthewaywithYogistickingclosetous.Onthefarsideofthesecondfieldwestartedtoencounterbarerock.IkeptmyeyesonYash'sheadlamp.Hewasprobably150yardsaheadofus.Breathingwasdifficultanditwasfreezingout,butIstartedtothinkthismightnotbeasbadasIthought.Itwascertainlynoworsethanwhatwehadalreadybeenthrough.Then to my utter shock, Yash's headlamp started to rise from the ground. I blinked several times,
thinkingitwassomekindofopticalillusion.Itwasn't.Hewasclimbingasteepwall."YellowBand!"Yogishoutedabovethehowlingwind."Careful!"We started up. Large chunks of yellowish sandstone broke offwith almost every handhold, and the
cramponsstrappedonourbootswereworsethanuseless.They'remadeforice,notrock,buttherewasn'ttimetotakethemoff.AtBaseCampitwouldtakethreeminutestoshuckthecrampons.Uphereinthethinair,itmighttakehalfanhourorlonger.Wedidn'thaveahalfhourtospare.Andwewouldhavetoputthembackonthenexttimewecameacrossiceorsnow,whichtakeslongerthantakingthemoff.Therewereropes,butmostofthemwererotten,flappinguselesslyinthewind.Aboutanhourintothe
climbIgrabbedonetohelpmeoveradifficultpitchanditpoppedloosefromitsanchor.IbarelycaughtmyselfbeforeIkeeledoverbackward.Ididn'ttouchanotherropeonthewayup.Therewerethreestepsleadingtothesummitandthishadtobethefirst.Butifthatwasthecase,why
hadYashcalledittheYellowBand?MustbetheSherpanicknameforit,Ithought.FivehourslaterIfoundoutIwaswrong.Wegot to the topjustas thesunwascomingupandthere itwas: theridge.It lookedlikeagigantic
dragon'stailwithswitchbacksandscalesandcomplexrockysteps.Icountedtheso-calledsteps.One...two...crap...three.TheYellowBandwastheYellowBand.Thefirststepwasyettocome.Yash andSun-jo caught up tome a fewminutes later. I taped them restingwith their handson their
knees,thenswungthecameraaroundtothesummit.Yashpointedtohiswatchandstartedtowardthebaseofthefirststep.Yogiwassittingonarockwaitingforus.Hecheckedouroxygentanks,madeusdrinksomething,then
pointedup.Thefirststepwasaboutsixty-fivefeet.Itwas7:00A.M.andminusthirty-fivedegreesout.Zopawas
rightabouttheweatheragain.Therewasn'tacloudinthesky,butthatcouldchangeinamatterofminutes.Thefirst tenfeet ledupacrackontheleftsideof thecliff.Nextcameatraverseacrossanunstable
ledge,mademuch harder by ourweakened legs. (Minewere shaking almost uncontrollably the entiretraverse.)Thefinalpartoftheclimbwasawildscramblebetweentwoboulders.Wegottothetopofthefirststepat8:30A.M.Thesecondstepwastwiceassteepandtwiceashighasthefirst.Beforeweattemptedit,Yogichanged
allofouroxygen tanks.BothSun-joandInearlypassedoutwhilewewaited forhim to reconnect thepreciousOs.There were aluminum ladders attached (kind of) to the wall of the first section. They moved and
twistedunderourweightandmadeaterriblescrapingnoiseagainsttherock.Climbingtheslipperyrungswasn'tmadeanyeasierbywearingcrampons.Itwasliketryingtoclimbaladderwithiceskates.Iwasdelightedtogetofftheladders,butthefinalmovetothetopwasmuchworse.Itwasatensiontraversewhereyoucouldonlyuseyourarms,thenswinguptothetopbyabunchofoldropestiedtoasling.Iwouldn'thavethoughtitpossible,butIwatchedYogidoitwithoutahitch.Sun-jowasrightbehindme.HelookedassickaboutthemoveasIdid.IfollowedYogi'sroutemoveformove,butwhenIgrabbedtheropemycramponslippedandIfound
myselfdanglingbytheropelikeadeadfishwithabsolutelynomomentumtogetmetothetopofthestep.InadditiontothisIhadgottentwistedaroundwithmybacktothewall.IglancedoveratSun-joandYash.Theystaredbackatmehelplessly.Therewasnothingtheycoulddo.
Ilookedup.Yogiwasleaningovertheledgetryingtoreachtheslingsohecouldpullmeup.Hewasn'tevenclose.Wehadn'tbroughtanyropewithus.Theextraweightwouldslowusdownandthatcouldkillus.I knew the longer I hung there themore fatiguedmyarmswouldbecome. If Iwaited too long for a
solution,Iwouldn'thavethestrengthtoexecuteit.Ihadtomove.Now!Iflippedbackaround,smashingmyfaceintothewall,thendrovethefrontspikesofmycramponsinto
thehardrock.Oneofthemstuck,andputtingweightonthatleg,Iwasabletorelievethepressureonmyarms.HoldingastightasIcouldwithmylefthand,Iletmyrighthandgo.Ipulledofftheoutermittenwithmyteethandletitdrop,thenshookthearmout.(Ihadanotherpairofmittensinmypack.)Irepeatedtheprocedurewithmyleftarm.IwasgoingtoneedallthestrengthIcouldinmyarmsforthenextmove.AndIhopedYogiwaspayingcloseattentionabovebecauseIwasgoingtoneedhishelp.IwalkedupthewallwithmycramponsuntilIwasina<position,thenIbasicallystoodup,hopingthe
cramponsheld.Theydid.AtthelastsecondIletgooftheropewithmylefthand,hopingIcouldstretchithighenoughforYogi tograb.Hegrabbed it,buthewasstillgoing toneedhelpgettingmeup.Hehadtakenoffhisoutermitts,too,andhadmeprettysolidly.Iletmyrighthandgoandflailedawayblindlyforahandhold.Ifoundacrack,justbigenoughtodigtheverytipsofmysorefingersinto.IpulledupwithallthestrengthIhad.Ifitdidn'twork,Yogiwasgoingtohavetoletmedrop.WhenIwasashighasIthoughtIcouldgoIbroughtmyrightkneeuptomychestandtriedtogetmyfootintothesling.Ibarelysnaggedit,butitwasenough.AllIhadtodonowwasstandupandIwouldbewithininchesofthetop.YogidraggedmeovertheedgeandheandIlaythereonourbacksgaspingforbreath.Hereachedover
andcrankedmytankuptofourandIdidthesameforhim.Evenwiththeextraoxygenittookusagoodfiveminutestocatchourbreath.IwonderedwhatwasgoingthroughSun-jo'smindafterhesawthat.Apparently,hehadlearnedbymy
mistake because a fewminutes later he swungupover the edge like a spidermonkey.Yashwas rightbehindhim.Theyletmerestforanotherfifteenminutes.Ineededit.Yogididn'tturnmyoxygendownuntilwewere
readytoleave.Ineededthat,too.Thethirdstepwastheeasiestofthethreeforme,eventhoughitcamehigherintheclimb.Comparedto
whatIhadjustbeenthrough,itwasabreeze.Whenwegottothetopwesawanothercorpse.Hewaslyingonhisbackwithonearmsplayedoutand
theotherhandburiedinthepocketofhisdownparka.Thecorpselookedprettyfresh.ItmighthavebeenoneoftheGermanclimberswhohaddiedwhenwewereatABC.Therewasnosignoftheotherclimberhehadbeenwith.Iwonderedifhehaddiedonthewayuptothesummit,orthewaydown.Iwonderedhowmanypeoplewerewaitingforhimtocomehome.Nooneclimbsamountainthinkingthey'renotcomingbackdown.Ilookedawayfromthedeadclimber,tryingtoshutoutMom'swarning.Beyondthecorpselaythesummitpyramid'sicefield,thenthesummitridge.Yogipointedathiswatch,thenhelduptwofingers.Twohoursleft.Weclippedontoropesandstartedacrosstheicefield.Idon'tknowaboutSun-jo,butthisiswhenI
shifted into summit fever.At this point I should have been completely spent, but instead Iwas totallyjuiced.Mom'swarningdisappearedintothinair.Poof!Nothingwasgoingtostopmefromgettingtothetop.Thesnowfieldbecamesteeper,curvingaroundintowhatIthoughtwouldbethesummit,butinsteadwe
ranintofreshavalanchedebris.Someofthechunkswereasbigasschoolbuses.Iswore.Tocomeallthiswayonlytobestoppedbyanavalanche?Itwouldtakeushours,ifnotdays,toscrambleoverthedebris.
Yogipointedatthedebrisandshookhishead.Nokidding,Ithought,staringatthedebrisbitterly.Heyankedonmysleeve.Ithoughthewastellingme
thatwehadtogobacknow.Thatitwasover.IwasgoingtoshoutthatwehadtotryforSun-jo'ssake,eventhoughIknewitwashopeless.But Yogi wasn't trying to turn me around. He was pointing at another rock cliff flanking the final
buttress.Thedebris-filledicefieldwasnottheroutetothesummit.Onceagainwehadtotraverseanarrowledgealongtheface,clippingontoaropethatlookedlikeit
had been there for three hundred years.About a hundred and fifty feet along the ledgewe ran into anoutcroppingthattookalotoffinesse,andtime,togetaround.Attheendofthetraversetheroutesteppedupinaseriesofsmallledges,whichtookusabouttwentyminutestoclimb.Weemergedontotheupperslopeofthesummitpyramidicefieldpastalltheavalanchedebris.Thewindwasreallyblowingnow.Yashledustotheshelterofanoutcrop,wherewerestedforafew
minutesbeforeourfinalpush.Yogipointedathiswatchagainandstood.Itookuptherearandrecordedhim,Sun-jo,andYashheadingforwhatIthoughtwasthesummit.Itwasn't.Whenwereachedthetopoftheicefieldtherealsummitwasrevealed.Thecolorfulprayerflagsonthesummitpolewereflutteringinthewind650feetaway.Westoppedagaintorest,butIcutmineshort."I'mpushingahead!"Ishoutedabovethedeafeningwind."I'llfilmyoucomingup!"Thiswasn'texactly
thetruth.TherealreasonwasthatIcouldn'twaittogettothetop.600feet...Twofootballfields.Atnearly29,000feetitfeltmoreliketwentymiles.Threesteps...rest...threesteps...rest...twosteps...rest...Idiscovered itwasbest to avoid lookingupat the summit.Every time Ipeeked it appeared farther
away, as if I were walking backward. Sun-jo, Yash, and Yogi were about a hundred feet behind memovingatthesamesnail'space.Ishotthemforacoupleminutes,thenstartedoutagain.100feet...90feet...IstoppedandcheckedmyOs,thinkingthetankmustbeempty.Itwashalffull,hissingouttwolitersper
minute,whichdidn'tseemnearlyenoughtokeepmealive.80feet...50feet...Ilookedatmywatch.1:09P.M.Twenty-sixminutestoturnaroundtime.Istoppedtorest.Iwasstanding
at29,003feet,higherthananyothermountainonearth:32feettogo.Itwascoldandwindy,but theweatherwasrarelybetterat thisaltitude.Icouldseeforhundredsof
milesineverydirection."Beautiful"doesn'tdescribetheview,nordoes"majestic."TheclosestwordIcouldthinkofwas"divine,"buteventhatfellshortofwhatitwaslike.Sun-jo hadmade up some time. Hewas less than twenty feet away fromme.Yogi andYashwere
walking on either side of him. Iwanted to turn around and finish the climb, but instead I took out thecameraandrecordedmyteamcomingup.IcouldseenowthatSun-jowasstrugglingandYashandYogiwereactuallyhelpinghimalong.Itwas1:19bythetimetheyreachedme.Sun-jofelldownonhiskneesandwashavingdifficultybreathing.Icheckedhisoxygentankgaugeandsawtheyhadalreadycrankedituptofourlitersperminute.Igavehimsometimetorest,thensquattednexttohim."Youcandothis,Sun-jo.It'sonlyaboutthirty
feetaway.Look!"Ipointedtotheridgepole.Hegazedupatthecolorfulprayerflagssnappinginthewindandgaveadullnod,buthedidn'tmove."Afteryoutouchthepole,"Isaid,"it'salldownhill."Sun-joshookhishead."Idon'tthinkIcandoit."
"Youhavetodoit!Foryoursisters.Foryourself."Hecontinued toshakehishead. I lookedatYogiandYash.Theywere inasbadashapeasSun-jo.
GettingSun-jothisfarhadnearlydonethemin.Ilookedatmywatch.Twelveminutestoturnaroundtime.Evenifweleftrightthatsecond,Iwasn'tsurewewouldmakethesummitby1:35."Yougo,"Sun-josaidweakly."I'llstartbackdown.""Youcan'tgodownthenorthside.TheChinesearewaitingforyou.""Iwillgetaroundthem."He and I both knew this wasn't true. I looked down themountain. Two other climbing parties had
toppedthethirdstepandwerewindingtheirwayupthedragon'stail.Theymusthavegottenalatestartorhadrunintoproblemsalongtheway.Iftheweatherheldtheymightbeokay.You can never tell who themountain will allow andwho it will not.... Sun-jo will not reach the
summitwithoutyourhelp...."Let'sgo."IpulledSun-jotohisfeet.Westartedbackupandwitheachlittlestep,Sun-joseemedto
gainstrength.25feet...20...17feet...10feet...Istoppedandstaredupatthesummitpole,thenturnedaroundandlookedbelow."What'sthematter?"Sun-joasked.Ilookedbackupatthesummitpole,thenpulledmygogglesdownandlookedatSun-jo."Doyouknow
thedate?"Heshookhishead."Maythirtieth,"Isaid."So?""IthinkthisisasfarasI'mgoing.""Whatareyoutalkingabout?Thesummitisonlyafewstepsaway.Whatdoesthedatehaveto—""Tomorrow'syourbirthday.Youhaveareasontobehere,Sun-jo.Animportantreason.Yourfutureand
yoursisters'future.Idon'thaveareasonforbeinghere.I'mheadingbackdownthenorthside."Sun-jo stared atme like Iwas crazy, andmaybe Iwas at thatmoment, but thedecision I hadmade
duringthelastfewfeetfeltright.Ididn'twanttobetheyoungestpersontosummitEverest.Sun-jo'sfatherdied savingmy father. Reaching the top would save Sun-jo and his sisters.With themoney from theequipmentendorsementshewouldreceivetheywouldallbeabletogobacktoschool."Itistoomuch,"Sun-josaid."It'snothing.""ComewithusdownthesouthsideintoNepal."Ishookmyhead."IfIclimbdownthesouthsideeveryonewillknowthatIreachedthesummit.The
onlywaydownformeisthewayIcameup.ButIdohaveafavortoask."ItookoffmypackandfoundtheMoleskine.Theyellowprayerflagwiththebluemountainwashiddeninapocketinthebackofthejournal.Itookitoutandhandedittohim."Whenyougettothetoptiethisonthepole.""Ofcourse,but—""Youneedtogo."Sun-joputhisthickglovestogetherintheBuddhistwayandbowed."Thankyou,Peak.Iwillnotforget
this.""We'rerunningoutoftime.I'lltapeyougettingtothetopsothere'sarecordoftheclimb."Sun-joquicklyexplainedwhatIwasdoingtoYogiandYash.Atfirst theylookedshocked, thenthey
bothbrokeintobroadsmilesandclappedmeontheback."Yogiiscomingwithyou,"Sun-josaid."I'llbeallright.""Heinsists,"Sun-josaid,"andsodoI."
"Fine."Weallshookhandsandhugged,thenIrecordedSun-joandYashtakingthoselasttensteps.Whenthey
reachedthesummitofthehighestmountainintheworldtheytookofftheirmasksandsmiledandwavedforthecamera.Sun-jotiedmyyellowflagtothepole,thenheandYashcrossedintoNepal.
DOWNTHEMOUNTAINSIDE
IDON'TREMEMBERMUCHaboutthetripbacktoCampSix.Westumbledintocampwellafterdark.IvaguelyrememberYogihookingupafreshoxygentanktomymask,butafter that it'sablank.Ididn'thaveanytroublesleeping.Iknowthat.AndIdidn'thaveanyregretsaboutnotreachingthesummit.Iwokeupwithspitfrozenallovermyfaceandtheworstheadacheofmylife.Theoxygentankwas
empty. I grabbed another one and cranked it up to six for a fewminutes. That got rid ofmost of theheadache.YogiandIwereeagertogetdownandcheckonZopa.WebypassedCampFiveandwentdirectlyto
CampFour.AssoonaswesteppedintocampwewereconfrontedbyoneoftheChinesesoldiers.Hewasdressedlikeaclimber,exceptforthepistolstrappedaroundhiswaist.InprettygoodEnglishheaskedwhowewereandwhatweweredoing."MynameisPeakMarcelloandthisisYogiSherpa,"Isaid."WetooksuppliesuptoCampFiveand
we'reheadedbackdowntoBaseCamp."HecalledCaptainShekontheradioandtheyhadalongconversationinChinese."Thecaptainwantstotalktoyou,"thesoldiersaidandhandedmetheradio."ThisisPeakMarcello,"Isaid."JoshuaWood'sson?""Right.""Whatyoudoingonmountain?""LikeItoldyourofficer,IhelpedtakesomesuppliestoCampFive.Joshistakingaclimbingpartyup
tomorrow.""Butyouleavemountain!""Whatareyoutalkingabout?"Iasked,enjoyingmyselfimmensely."I'mupatCampFour.""Youhavebigargumentwithyoufather.""Ohthat.Hetoldmethathewasn'tgoingtoletmetryforthesummit.Itmadememad,butatleasthelet
megetasfarasCampFive.""Whataboutotherboy?""Whatotherboy?""Sun-jo!""Ohhim,"Isaid."He'sinNepal."Whichwastheabsolutetruth."Idon'tbelieve.IhavesoldierbringyouandSherpabacktoBaseCamp.""Whatever,"Isaidandhandedtheradiobacktothesoldier.TheyhadanotherlongconversationinChinese,butIknewwhatthisonewasabout.Theothersoldiers
hadgatheredaroundtheradioandwerelisteningintently.Theonewiththeradiofinallysignedoffandshookhisheadwithresignation."Youdon'thavetoescortusdown,"Isaid."Wehaveorders,"hesaid."That'sfinewithme,butwe'regoingtoBaseCamp.Whereelsewouldwego?"AboutthattimeJoshcameontheradioaskingforme.Thesoldierhandedmehisradioagain."Iseverythingokay,Peak?""Iguess.What'sthematterwiththatcaptain?""Idon'tknow.Anyway,we'reheadeduptoABCtomorrow,soIguesswe'llseeyouonyourwayto
BaseCamp.ThanksforhelpingYogigetthosesuppliesuptoFive."IcouldseehimandtheothersgatheredatHQmonitoringthecallfromCaptainShek."Noproblem,"Isaid."Isthereanywayyou'dreconsidergivingmeashotatthesummit?"
"Wealreadytalkedaboutthat,Peak.Theanswerisno.Maybenextyear,ortheyearafter,whenyou'realittleolder.You'renotready.""Out."Ihandedtheradioback,tryingtolookdisappointed.Thesoldierlookedatmeforamoment."DoIhaveyourwordthatyouaregoingdowntoBaseCamp?"Iheldupmyrighthand."Youhavemyword.AllIwanttodorightnowiscrawlintomytentandgoto
sleep."Henodded.YogiandIheadedovertoZopa'stentnotsurewhatwewouldfind.Whatwefoundwasanote.
Peak,I leftCampFour yesterday.All iswell. Iwill see you on theroad.
ZopaIwasgladtohearhewasokay,butthenotefreakedmeout.Itwasaddressedtome!Theplanhadbeen
formetotopthemountainwithSun-joandcrossintoNepal.HowcouldZopapossiblyhaveknownwhatIwasplanningtodo?Ididn'tknowwhatIwasplanningtodountilIwastenfeetawayfromthesummit!
YOGIAND IWOKEUP early and left CampFour before anyonewas awake. Iwanted to give thesoldiersanoutsotheycouldtellthecaptainthatwehadleftbeforetheywereup.WhenwegottoABCweweremetbymoresoldiers.Theywereinuniformandlookeduncomfortably
cold.OnceagainIwasgivenaradiowithaveryangryCaptainShekontheotherend."YouleaveCampFour!""Right.""Withoutsoldiers!""Weleftbeforelight.Wedidn'twanttowakethem.Besides,weknowourwaydowntoBaseCamp.
Wedon'tneedanescort.""SoldiersatABCescortyou!""Fine."ThetwosoldierspickedforthedutyweredelightedtobeleavingABC.We ran into Joshandhis clients just as theywere arrivingatCampTwo.Theymusthave leftBase
Campearly, because theyhadmadegood time. Josh tookme to the sideoutof earshotof theChinesesoldiers."Didyoumakethesummit?"heaskedquietly."No.""Whathappened?""Ranoutofsteam.""Noworries,"hesaid."WhataboutZopa,Sun-jo,andYash?""Zopagotsickanddidn'tgetpastCampFour.Idon'tknowwhereheisnow.Iwashopingthatyou'd
seenhim."Joshshookhishead."I'msurehe'sfine.Heprobablyslippedintotheportercampatnightandislaying
low.""Ihopeso.""AndSun-joandYash?"heasked."AsfarasIknowthey'reinNepal.""What?"ItoldhimaboutZopa'splan.Hebrokeintoabroadgrin."Thatsonofa...CaptainShekisgoingtoflipwhenhefindsout.Topping
themountain."Heshookhishead,thenturnedalittlemoreserious.
"Howfardidyoumakeit?""AboveCampSix.""Well,youmadeitalotfartherthanmostpeople.I'lltakeyounextyearortheyearafter.We'llgoupon
theNepalside.AfterShekfindsoutaboutSun-joI'llnevergetapermittoclimbonthissideagain.WhendidSun-josummit?""Onethirty-twoP.M.Maythirtieth.Adaybeforehisfifteenthbirthday."Heputhishandonmyshoulder."Iwishitcouldhavebeenyou.""Noworries,"Isaid."Wego!"oneofthesoldierssaid."Inaminute!" Joshsaid, then turnedback tome."Shek isgoing todetainyouwhenyouget toBase
Campandaskyousomequestions.Thaddeuswillbetherewithyou.InreallifeThaddeusisalawyerandisfluentinChineseandChineselaw.You'llbeokay."Iwasgoingtobeokay,butnotforthereasonhethought.AndIwasnotgoingtojoinhimonanother
Everestclimb.I'dhadenoughof8,000-meterpeakslitteredwithcorpses."I'mgoinghome,"Isaid."Whatdoyoumean?""BacktoNewYork.""We'lltalkaboutthatwhenIgetbackdown.""Iwon'tbetherewhenyougetdown,"Isaid."What'sthehurry?""Youwouldn'tunderstand.""Tryme.""Okay.Iwanttobehomeforthetwins'birthday."BythelookonhisfaceIwasright.Hedidn'tunderstand."Ihaven'tmissedoneyet,"Isaid.Joshstaredatmeforamoment."Well,IguessThaddeuscangetyouaridetoKathmandu.""Wegonow!"theChinesesoldiershouted."We'rejustaboutfinished,"Joshsaidirritably."IguessI'dbettergo.""Yeah...well...Sorryitdidn'tworkout."Joshputouthishand."Actually,itdidworkout,"Isaid,shakinghishand."I'llseeyouaround."IstartedfollowingthesoldiersandYogi,thenturnedbackandshouted,"Writewhenyougetachance."Joshlookedatmeandgrinned."Imightjustdothat."
WEGOTTOBASECAMPaboutfiveo'clock.CaptainShek,severalsoldiers,andThaddeusBowenwerewaitingforme.Theyweren'tinterestedinYogiandlethimgointocamp.WhenwegottoShek'sheadquarters,thefirstthinghedidwastodumpeverythinginmypackontoa
largetable.Then(justlikemyNewYorkdetectiveacenturyago)heexaminedthecontentsitembyitem.HefoundnothingofinterestexceptforthedigitalcameraJoshhadgottenforme,JR'svideocamera,
andmyMoleskine.HeflippedthroughtheMoleskine,foundmostlyblankpages,andput itbackdown.Thecamerashepushedtothesideofthetable."Sit,"hesaid.Therewasasinglestraight-backchair.Isat.HeaskedmethesamequestionshehadaskedmeupatCampFour,butthistimehehadataperecorder
goingandasoldiertakingnotes.Iansweredthequestionsintheexactsameway.Whenhefinishedhetold
meIcould repackmy things. Ibeganstuffing thingsback in,butwhen Igot to thecameras thecaptainstoppedme."Notthose,"hesaid."Youhavenorighttotakeanything,"Thaddeussaid."Cameraswillbereturnedafterwelook.""Well,therebetternotbeanydamagetothemwhentheyarereturned,"Thaddeussaid.Somelawyer,Ithought.Gladhewasn'tdefendingmewhenIwasinfrontofthatNYCjudge.I'dbein
jailrightnow.Whenwegotoutsidethebuildinghewhispered,"Wasthereanythingincriminatinginthosecameras?""It'salittlebitlatetobeaskingnow,"Isaid."Buttheanswerisno.Itookthememorycardoutandput
ablankonein.""Whereisthememorycard?""Someplacesafe."(Itwasactuallystuffedinmysock.)Iwastired.Istartedtowardmytent,anditwasn'tuntilIgottherethatIrememberedIdidn'thaveatent
there anymore. I crawled into Josh's and I was a little surprised at how tidy everythingwas. All theclotheswere neatly folded, gear stored in boxes.He had a little folding deskwith pens, paper, and alaptopcomputer.Nexttothecomputerweretwostacksofmail.Thefirststackwasaddressedtohim.Thesecondstackwasaddressedtome.(Mystackwasalotsmallerthanhis.)Icouldhavegottenmadagainatthewholemail thing,butIdidn'thavetheenergyor theinterestanymore.LikeIsaid,"Youdon'tget topickyournameoryourparents."JoshuaWoodiswhatheis.Icouldn'tchangehimorthefacthewasmyfather.AllIcoulddoistrynottobecomehim.Iopenedthebigenvelope,addressedtoPEAK"PEA-PEA"MARCELLO.Insidewasadrawingandasmaller
envelope.Written on the outside of the envelope was: airplan far (six-year-old spelling). Inside wassixty-sevendollarsandeighty-sixcents.NotquiteenoughtogettoNewYork,butIstillhadRolf'sthreehundredbucks, and thecredit card. Ipulledout thedrawing. Itwasan invitation toabirthdayparty. IwouldhavetohurryifIwasgoingtomakeitintime.IstartedtowardHQtofindThaddeus,butonthewayIheardatruckstart.IranovertoseeifIcould
hitcharideandfoundYogiintheback.ThedriverschargedmeahundredbucksbutIdidn'tcare.Iwouldhavepaidtwiceasmuch.Iwason
mywayhome and the truckwas nicer than the onewe'd taken to themountain.The covered bedwasempty,withplentyofroomtoliedownandsleep.Thetwodriverstookturnsatthewheel,andwerebothinahurry.Theyonlystoppedforfuel.Which
wasfinewithme.***
WHEN WE CAME TO THE ROAD above the Friendship Bridge where the prisoners had beenchippingtheboulder,thetruckslowed,thencametoastop.YogiandIhoppedoutofthebacktofindoutwhatwasgoingon.Theboulderandprisonersweregone.IntheirplacewasaBuddhistmonkwithashavedheadandan
orangerobe.Hewastalkingtothedriverwithhisbacktous.Aswewalkedup,heturnedaroundandsmiled.ItwasZopa!Helookedfullyrecovered—ashealthyas
hehadthefirstdayImethimintheIndrayanitemple."Howdidyougethere?"Hehelduphisthumb."Ihitchhiked."SomehowIdoubted that.Whywouldsomeonedrophimoffon this lonelystretchof road?Theonly
thingnearbywasthebordercrossingattheFriendshipBridge.Unlessheaskedtobeletouthere.Iwillseeyouontheroad,hisnotehadsaid.Ifiguredhehadmessedupthephraseandmeantdowntheroad.IguessIwaswrong.Thethreeofusgotintothebackofthetruck.
I thoughtwewere in forabighassleat thebridge,butwhenwegot there, theguards looked inourtruck,glancedatourpapers,thenwavedusthroughwithoutaword.WemadeonemorestopbeforewegottotheairportinKathmandu.IcomplainedthatIneededtogetto
theairport,butZopamadeagoodpoint:"Theywillnotallowyouonanairplanelookingandsmellinglikeyoudo."ThemonksatthemonasterywashedmyclothesasItookalongbath.
***ZOPARODETOTHEAIRPORTwithme.BeforegoingintotheterminalIpulledoutthenoteZopahadleftforusatCampFour."Howdidyouknowyou'dseemeonthatroad?"Zopashrugged.Theanswerdidn'tsurpriseme.Iunzippedasidepocketonmypackandpulledout thememorycard."Youmightneedthis toprove
Sun-jogottothesummit."Zopa took the card and stashed it in the folds of his orange robe. "Will we see you again on
Sagarmatha?"Iwantedtoshrugmyreply,butIcouldn'tbecauseIknewtheanswer."No,"Isaid."ButImightreturnto
Kathmandutovisit.""Youarewelcomeanytime."Zopabowedandgavemeablessing.Whenhelookeduphesaid,"Thankyouforwhatyoudidformygrandson."Ireturnedthebow."Thankyouforwhatyoursondidformyfather."
DENOUEMENT
ITTOOKTWENTY-FOURHOURS togettoNewYork,butbecauseIcrossedtheinternationaldatelinegoingwest,IgotthereonlyafewhoursafterIleftKathmandu.Igrabbedacabandnervouslyfidgetedasthedriverfoughttheheavytrafficintothecity,hopingthatI
wouldn'tbetoolate.WhenhepulledupinfrontofourbuildingIgavehimafistfulofcashwithoutevencountingit.Itooktheelevatortotheloft.IheardthepartybeforeIsawit.Rolfknewhowtothrowaparty.(MomandIwerealittleweakinthat
area.)Therewouldbenolessthanseventy-fivepeopleintheloft:parentsandtheirkids,teachersfromGSS,neighbors,peoplefromMom'sbookstore,lawyersfromRolf'soffice....Lastyearforentertainment,Rolfhadhiredagroupofperformingdogs.Theyearbeforehehadbroughtareptilewoman(HelentheHerpetologist—thetwins'favorite)withbagsofsnakes,turtles,andlizards.It turnedout that Iwas theentertainment thisyear—at least that'swhat it looked likewhenIwalked
throughthefrontdoor."Itoldyouhewouldbehere!""Idid,too!"ThetwoPeasdroppedtheirpresentsandthrewtheirlittlearmsaroundmythighs.Momwasnext,then
Rolf. I toldmyself that Iwasn'tgoing tocry,but that ideawent rightout thewindowassoonas I sawthem.Aswehugged,everyonesang"HappyBirthday."Wheneverythinghadsettleddownalittle,MompulledmeintothekitchenandaskedmehowIwas.I
toldherIwastiredandalittlesore."You'velostweight.""Iguess."Shelookedatmeforamoment,thengavemeanotherhug."I'mgladyou'reback.""Metoo.""So,youdidn'tmakeittothesummit.""How'dyouknowthat?""Joshcalledthismorning.Saidtotellyouhappybirthday."Thatwasafirst."Wherewashe?""Hedidn'tsay...somewhereupthemountain.Theconnectionwasn'tverygood.Itremindedmeofthe
olddays.""Ibet,"Isaid."IknowIshouldhavecalled,butIwantedittobeasurprise.""Itwasstillasurprise,"Momsaid."Ididn'tthinkyou'dgethereintimeforthebirthday—althoughthe
twoPeasinsistedIwaswrong.""Iseverythingokayhere...ImeanisitallrightthatIcameback?""Yourskyscraperstuntisoldnews,andRolfandIaretryingtokeepitthatway.""Whatdoyoumean'trying'?""HollyAngelo.""Uh-oh.""She'sbeenhangingaroundalot.""I'msorry.""No,it'sokay.Ikindoflikeher,andthetwinsarewildabouther.Rolf?Well,hetoleratesher.We've
talkedherintonotwritingaboutyourEveresttrip.Itwouldjustbringupthewholeskyscraperthingagainandwedon'twanttodothat,especiallynowthatyou'rebackintown.It'sbestifwe—"Rolfopenedthekitchendoorwithanapologetic,worriedlookonhisface."Peeeeak!"
Hollypushedhimasideassheassaultedthekitchenwearingabrightpinkpantsuit, limegreenscarf,andaredpursethesizeofasuitcase.Iletherthrowherspideryarmsaroundmeandactuallyhuggedherback.Itwasgoodtoseeher.Whenshefinallysetmefreesheglancedfurtivelyaroundthekitchenasifshewerelookingforspies.
"Iheardyoudidn'tmakeittothesummit,"shewhispered."I'msorry.""Howdidyoufindout?""I'vetalkedtoJoshseveraltimesinthepastcoupledays."Hewasbeingprettychatty,itseemed.Holly put her red purse on the counter, looked around again, then pulled out a newspaper. "This is
abouttohitthestreets."YOUNGEST PERSON SUMMITS EVEREST by holly Angelo. It was a full-page spread with
severalphotostakenfromvideoIhadshot.ThebiggestphotowasofSun-jo,Yogi,andYashsittingnexttothesummitpole."Ithinkthere'sabookinthis,"Hollysaid."ItalkedtoSun-jotoday.Hesaidtosayhelloandtowish
youahappybirthday.Healso toldmehe's enjoying thebirthdaypresentyougavehim,and soarehissisters."Ismiled."Whatdidyougethim?"Hollyasked."Nothingmuch,"Isaid."I'dbettergooutandmingle."Rolfgavemeadoubtfullook.Isaidhellotoafewpeople,gotatourofthetwins'presents,thennoticedVincentsittinginthecorner
byhimself,gatheringgrist.Iwassurprisedtoseehim.Wealwaysinvitedhimtotheparties,butherarelyshowedup."Thanksforcoming,"Isaid."Iwasjustaboutreadytoleavewhenyouwalkedthroughthedoor,"Vincentsaid."Youhavehadan
interestingfewweeks.""YoureadtheMoleskine,"Isaid."Yes,anditwaswellwritten.Unfortunately,thereisonlyabeginningandapartialmiddletothestory.
EventhoughyoumanagedtofilltheMoleskineI'mafraidtheassignmentisincomplete.Thestorylacksaclimax,anend,andadenouement.So,Icannot—""There'sasecondMoleskine,"Isaid."I'mnotsureabouttheclimax,butthestorydoeshaveanend...
kindof.AndI'mrightinthemiddleofthedenouement,literally."Ipointedatthepartygoers.Vincentsmiled."Ofcourse.Iseeyourpoint.""HowaboutifIfinishituptomorrowmorning?""Thatwillbefine.IwillbeatGSSuntilnoon.Schoolisoutforthesummerandthedeadlineforyour
assignmenthaspassed,butunderthecircumstancesIthinkwecanmakeanexception."Hestoodup."Andagain,it'sawell-craftedstory.Youleftmehanging.I'mdesperatetofindoutwhathappened."
I'MSITTINGINMYBEDROOMfinishingtheMoleskine.Thetwinsareawake.Ihearthemgigglingandarguingastheyeattheirmidmorningsnack.Ipromisedto
takethemtoGSSwithmewhenIdropofftheMoleskine.Heretheycome,theirlittlefeetpatteringupthesteps.Thedooropens."Whatareyoudoing?""Yousaidyou'dtakeustoschool.""I'mworkingonmyassignment.""What'sthis?"PatricepointsatthenewspaperarticleaboutSun-jopinnedonmybulletinboard.
"Isthatyou?"Paulaasks,pointingatSun-jo."No.""Whatarethoseflags?""Prayerflags.""What'saprayerflag?""There'saprayerwrittenontheflag.WhenitblowsinthewindtheprayergoesuptoGod.Ifyouput
theflagreallyhighonamountaintheprayergetstoGodfaster.""Lookslikethatyellowonehasabluemountainonitliketheonesyouusedtodraw.""Itcouldbe.Now,sitdownonmybedandbequietsoIcanfinishthis.""Wemissedyou,Peak.""Weloveyou,Peak.""Iloveyou,too.I'malmostfinished."Ilookatthetwins,smiling,andwritemylastsentence...Theonlythingyou'llfindonthesummitofMountEverestisadivineview.Thethingsthatreallymatter
liefarbelow.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
IwanttothankKateHarrisonforherwonderfuleditingandencouragement,andforgivingmetheOstofinishtheclimb.IalsowanttothankAnneDavies,whohasgoneofftoclimbherownpeak.
TableofContentsTitlePageTableofContents...CopyrightDedicationMapMOLESKINE#1THEASSIGNMENTTHEHOOKACOUPLEOFSTITCHES&THESLAMMERCIRCLINGTHEDRAINTHETWINSROCKRATSBANGKOKTHESUMMITHOTELGEAROFTHEDEADTIBETPEAKEXPERIENCEROCKWEASELSGASPLATECOMERSGAMOWBAGABCLETTERSFROMHOMEMOLESKINE#2SECRETSBEARANDBULLCAMPFOURARRESTFAMILYHISTORYUNRESTBLINKSHORTCUTCAMP3½CAMPSFIVEANDSIXTOPOFTHEWORLDDOWNTHEMOUNTAINSIDEDENOUEMENTACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
TableofContentsTitlePageTableofContents...CopyrightDedicationMapMOLESKINE#1THEASSIGNMENTTHEHOOKACOUPLEOFSTITCHES&THESLAMMERCIRCLINGTHEDRAINTHETWINSROCKRATSBANGKOKTHESUMMITHOTELGEAROFTHEDEADTIBETPEAKEXPERIENCEROCKWEASELSGASPLATECOMERSGAMOWBAGABCLETTERSFROMHOMEMOLESKINE#2SECRETSBEARANDBULLCAMPFOURARRESTFAMILYHISTORYUNRESTBLINKSHORTCUTCAMP3½CAMPSFIVEANDSIXTOPOFTHEWORLDDOWNTHEMOUNTAINSIDEDENOUEMENTACKNOWLEDGMENTS: