Cleridge Observation Report

After three hours of of hiking what felt like a vertical slope, the top of Mount Haystack was right in front of me. I knew that I could keep pushing through because I had suffered so much worse before. I wasn’t about to let this mere incline prevent me from reaching the top. I powered through the aching muscles and throbbing knees, while ignoring the sharp radiating pain in my calves. After what felt like forever, I was standing 5260 ft above the sea and taking in a spectacular view. When I glanced to my left, I realized I wasn’t quite at the top, I still had two more peaks to go before I’d reach the top of Lafayette. So after a few minutes of rest I got started on the rest of the hike.

Here, it is highly recommended to to use supplemental oxygen at this altitude, because the less oxygen you have, the more your brain cells die off. This means that you do not think as well and you cannot perform your best, which could mean life or death in this situation. The climax of the novel is when the team reaches their goal of making their way to the summit on May 10, 1996. The guide, Rob Hall, told the team before the climb that they had to be at the summit no later than two o’clock, and if you are not there by then, they must turn back. Around two o’clock, a massive storm begins to close in. The team must make it down to the lower camos soon or else it will be almost impossible for any of them to get back alive. Some of the climbers have not made it to to summit yet and go against Rob Hall’s judgement, and go the rest of the way themselves. Unfortunately, Jon Krakauer , Rob Hall, and all the other climbers get caught up in the storm. Jon Krakauer by a miracle gets down to the lower level camps and he has been out of supplemental oxygen for a while now. He stumbles upon one of the climbers of his team. His name is Beck Weathers. Beck eventually gets to a camp and they finally get him to the doctors at the Base Camp. When he gets to the doctors, the doctors say that he has the worst frostbite that they have ever seen.

In order to continue climbing Everest, many aspects of climbing need to be improved before more people endanger their lives to try and reach the roof of the world. The guides have some areas that need the most reform. During the ascension of Everest the guides made a plethora mistakes that seemed insignificant but only aided in disaster. The guides first mistake is allowing “any bloody idiot [with enough determination] up” Everest (Krakauer 153). By allowing “any bloody idiot” with no climbing experience to try and climb the most challenging mountain in the world, the guides are almost inviting trouble. Having inexperienced climbers decreases the trust a climbing team has in one another, causing an individual approach to climbing the mountain and more reliance on the guides. While this approach appears fine, this fault is seen in addition to another in Scott Fischer’s expedition Mountain Madness. Due to the carefree manner in which the expedition was run, “clients [moved] up and down the mountain independently during the acclimation period, [Fischer] had to make a number of hurried, unplanned excursions between Base Camp and the upper camps when several clients experienced problems and needed to be escorted down,” (154). Two problems present in the Mountain Madness expedition were seen before the summit push: the allowance of inexperienced climbers and an unplanned climbing regime. A third problem that aided disaster was the difference in opinion in regards to the responsibilities of a guide on Everest. One guide “went down alone many hours ahead of the clients” and went “without supplemental oxygen” (318). These three major issues: allowing anyone up the mountain, not having a plan to climb Everest and differences in opinion. All contributed to the disaster on Everest in

“A trans-like state settles over your efforts, the climb becomes a clear eyed dream.” Stated Krakauer in The Devils Thumb. Mountain climbing has become a popular interest for thrill-seekers in modern times. It is an immensely challenging activity, involving strength, determination, and the proper mindset. There are many accounts of mountain climbers heroically reaching the summit of mountains, but none more striking than that of Everest and The Devils Thumb. These are gut wrenching, first hand accounts of some of the greatest feats performed in mountain climbing history, although they are each different in their own way. Krakauer was climbing to find himself amongst the frozen rocks and chest deep snow, and Weihnmayer climbed to push his limits, and to accomplish what many thought to be the impossible.

In Matthew Hedger’s article “Yosemite National Park Day Hikes: Vernal Falls Death March”, he claims that you don’t always know what you’re getting into and find that things are harder than they seem. Hedger supports his claim with a story of his hike up Vernal Falls. His purpose is to inform his readers that you can always get through difficult things and that they’re stronger than they think. The intended audience is anyone who enjoys a good story and wants to know about hiking.

Rob Hall, the Kiwi guide of the Everest expedition group of Adventure Consultants, was the head guide during the terrible accidents of 1996. He led his team through many obstacles, facing them head on and never faltering until his last moments. Even in his dying breath he didn’t succumb to fear and didn’t want anyone to worry about him. Rob Hall would not leave Doug Hansen alone, even though he knew Hansen would die eventually, and didn’t desert him until there was a 100 percent certainty that Hansen was dead. Even though Hall himself had told all of the Adventure

for excitement, adventure, and freedom. All of these people have one thing in common, which is

Individual reflection on the Mt. Everest Simulation exercise carried out on 5th October and the subsequent debriefing on 12th October

As winter travel becomes more prevalent in the Wasatch and other mountainous regions the dangers of being caught and buried in an avalanche becomes apparent. Knowledge, experience and the correct safety equipment will reduce the chances of backcountry fatality. In nearly all winter activities one thought process remains the same, all winter sport activities are inherently dangerous. Weather, snow pack, and the knowledge of how each factor plays a part in backcountry disaster is key to avoiding danger. Mountain conditions can be unpredictable and no matter how much experience and training an individual has, there will come a day when a backcountry traveler is caught in an avalanche. When that day comes, the only chance for survival is for everyone in the group to be trained and experience in avalanche rescue techniques.

The lack of sleep and bitter cold had sucked the life from my body as I walked down the long black river of asphalt lined by hazy dark trees that played tricks with my tired eyes. I decided to just look forward and stop freaking myself out when a recruit in the front of the formation fell down and couldn’t get up because of the heavy load on his back. The other recruits had to pick him up to keep going, but without any type of warming gear, recruits would collapse often throughout the hike. Our packs were only supposed to weigh 65lbs, but the rain was slowly pushing them down, making them much heavier and harder to carry. The smell of salt stung my nose, which means we were coming up on the ocean that surrounded the island I’d lived on for the past 3 months.

Bill Zito announced to serve as general manager of Cleveland’s Lake Erie Monsters. He is the assistant GM of Blue Jackets and he will lead the development of prospects in Cleveland.

Antonio shuddered, he might not make it, he knew that he had to keep going, there was no excuse to stop. He rebuilt his confidence and began steadily climbing the sheer mountain face. As the mountain climber planted his right foot on the icy ledge, snow fell from underneath his feet, unbalancing Antonio, nearly knocking him off the abrupt drop. He dared not to look down and tightened his grip on his ice pickaxes. His belly wobbled like jelly and he could see the snow falling below him, once again Antonio resumed climbing, trying to ignore the fact that the mountain was still rumbling, that the clouds were growing thicker and darker, that the wind was howling and that the birdlife was gone. Antonio looked towards the peak, he saw something tremendous, something terrifying. Thousands and thousands of kilograms of was snaking down the summit at an alarming rate. Antonio then realised, AVALANCHE!!

I went to Hondros College back in January of 2016. I realized the college wasn't a great fit for my preferences on multiple events, one including that their academic program was not prepared in a well thought out structure. I dropped out shortly after I started which was about three weeks. They unfortunately did not take me out on the correct date, which affected my grades tremendously.

On Thursday, September 14, 2017 at 2:05 PM in a hallway on the second floor of the Wyatt Building at Vanderbilt University, seven students from a lab group in HOD 1300 were assigned a task to come up with a name for the lab group. The students’ instructions were to find a place to meet and then name the group.

I got up, ate my cold mushy oatmeal and prepared for my day’s trek. I spent time looking back on my trip thus far which happens when you’re all alone on the world’s largest mountain. I realized that I might not be the sole survivor. When my team members ran into their tents, they might have been getting their avalanche packs. An avalanche pack is basically the climbing equivalent to an airbag. If you get caught in an avalanche, you deploy it and it can prevent you from sinking into the avalanche. My mom told me to buy one before I left for Everest, but those packs can be over a thousand dollars, there was no way I was going to spend that kind of money on something I probably wouldn’t use. Clearly my mom was right because if I had a pack I wouldn’t have been trapped in the avalanche in the first place which could have been the case for my team who all probably think I’m dead right now. After my little reflection on how my unpreparedness almost killed me and could still end up killing me, I began the day’s hike. At around 7:00 at night I decided to camp for the night. I setup my tent and went to sleep.