If you ever thought a hike was hard. Read this, and you'll see you've no idea...

[Lex]

a Story of personal challenge, of loss, of triumph, of tenacity and toughness, not many people could face. Everest - the toughest challenge...

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/25/travel/everest-2012-anniversary/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

It sounds like it's actually gotten to the point it needs to be extremely limited for people to actually be approved to climb the mountain. To many are going, and to many are dying and placing other people in harm's way because of their stubbornness, and sometimes ignorance to try things there is no way they could accomplish. You just don't set out and say, gee I think I will set out to climb Everest this year. No worries, I can do it. Really? You can bear 70 below, go 40 hours without sleep, know what to do when your oxygen regulator freezes up when you are in an area you cannot breath? I tell you, from this read, they can have this insanity, even if I was a young man, I would not try this.

[Hdale85]

I understand the dangers and amazing toughness of hiking Everest, but I'd really like to do it some day.

[Lex]

There is only a window of just a few days that it is even humanly possible. The info is in the article. It's about right now, about May 20 or so, for about 9 days I think, if that. Then the problem people are having is the traffic congestion trying to make the summit when you have limited time to get back down off the mountain, it's a recipe for disaster.

[Hdale85]

It is, but it's an incredible thing to accomplish. I used to love hiking and mountain climbing. I used to go rock climbing almost every day in AZ.

[madmac]

Some people have a death wish. Bungee jumpers...... Parachuter's....rock climbers......Everest climbers etc. I don't get it!. Life is too precious to me to even go there. My sister in law decided in her menopausal 'haze' to try Parachuting and busted her leg in the landing!......and has had leg problems ever since. FUN!!. These people must have real issues finding life insurance eh??!!. HEHEHE!!.

Seriously, some people need and want more than normality in their life and probably ask themselves regularly....."Is this ALL there is"??. I want more!!. I guess I can understand and respect that but as they say here in Montreal......."Bonne Chance" !!

[Lex]

I tend to agree with Dan, wanting to Summit Everest is a death wish. Rescue helicopters cannot fly past base camp 2. What does that tell you about where base came 4 is??? The air is SO thin, you have such a short timeline of being able to tollerate the extreme temperatures, but also the extremely thin air. You can't breath without oxygen in the Dead Zone, or Death Zone, whatever it was they called it. It's thought to be strewn with over 200 bodies, most of which are hidden below the ice. What does that tell a SANE person about if you are supposed to be there or not?

Then if you do make it to the top, there are so many others trying to make it there during this small window of time it is even humanly possible, that they make it not safe, and make you consume precious time that you need to survive? I don't get that either. Who does this? Certainly nobody that wants to have the greatest chances of living a longer life.

Somehow a man made it that is 80 years old. I have no idea how someone could do that at 80. But he is the exception. Most people would not survive at anywhere close to that age, and people in their 20s, 30s die every year. To me it's just sad. I honestly think Everest should be shut down to climbing traffic and only a select few expeditions approved each year. Only the best and most qualified can go. 300 people on the mountain at a time? That's insanity.

[Hdale85]

More and more people make it every year, it's actually been getting easier over the years due to guides and technology. I don't know I guess I see a problem with sitting passively through your life and just living the normal, working every day, not fulfilling dreams and so on. I don't really see that as living?

[Lex]

Life is about measuring risk and taking what risk you are comfortable with. What you may see as comfortable, I may see as crazy. That doesn't make either of us right or wrong. I might add though that preparation for, and even transportation to such a chance to kill oneself, would not come cheap. I'd say probably in the neighborhood of 50K anyway. I'm guessing.

I smoked for years. I took a calculated risk, albeit a dumb one. I finally saw the light to the calculated risk I has assumed, and decided I was no longer comfortable with that risk, and quit. It is not unusual for someone to be a rebel, and risk taker when young, and then settle to a more comfortable position in life as they get older. It is not only not unusual, it's really more expected. There are few adrenilene junkies that keep doing it when they are older. Yes, there are a few.

For some people, the rewards are worth the risk. For others, the consequences are to high a price to pay. Lastly, while a man is a family man, I believe he has a responsibility to be true to his family first, and not take undue risk that could put his family in a bad position if something happened to him. Yes, there are no guarantees in life. But like I told someone at work the other day about a man that used to work in IT work I work, IMO, he took a not so calculated risk to become a motorcycle rider in middle age, with 4 kids at home. he died riding that dream. He kids no longer have a Father. Was he a calculated risk taker, or foolish to let any dream get in the way of taking care of his family? You decide.

I do believe had he been riding his entire life, his risk would have been lowered, by his experience level. I believe the same thing for climbers. Someone that has climbed every peak in the world, except Everest, is more likely to be up to the challenge, and know how to face the issues that arise. Someone that is not a professional climber, in essence, should not be taking that risk before they are ready. A calculated risk becomes reckless.

[Hdale85]

I don't think it's that expensive anymore to hike Everest, like I said it continues to be easier each year as guides get better and technology gets better. But I'm not sure. Training on the other hand certainly takes some time. There are people that have made the Everest climb many times though so that should show that the dangers are continuously minimized as technology improves. Anyways I'll likely never get the opportunity but I used to be very into things like this and would love to get back into them some day.

[Lex]

all I Can tell you is, at 70 below, with I think it was 200 mph winds at time, your prepared, or you die. Sometimes, they die even when they are prepared. I sincerely believe this is a different world than we live in. It's probably as close as you can get to going to a different planet on this planet. I think it's that different and difficult. I think there are a lot of adventures out there that represent true accomplishment without the highest risk. Appalachian Trail for example. Smaller mountains, etc...

[madmac]

I don't think it's that expensive anymore to hike Everest, like I said it continues to be easier each year as guides get better and technology gets better. But I'm not sure. Training on the other hand certainly takes some time. There are people that have made the Everest climb many times though so that should show that the dangers are continuously minimized as technology improves. Anyways I'll likely never get the opportunity but I used to be very into things like this and would love to get back into them some day.

I once saw a story on the news within the last year or so whereby a young woman paid $70K to an 'excursion' outfit to guide her to the top of Everest. They got all the way to the last camp and the guide, because of the time of day and the conditions, and lack of available oxygen running low advised her to not go to the summit. She disregarded the guide's advise and went for it. She never made it back down. I suppose her indiscretions were partly due to the fact that HEY!! I paid $70K for this......only to NOT go to the top??. NOT gonna' happen!!. That and, oxygen deprivation and air pressure will and does affect one's ability to make rational decisions. Sad!.

[madmac]

Oh and one more thing, This 30 something girl left behind a family!.

[Lex]

That is really sad. She paid a guide to help her, she should have heeded his advice. The path to victory is strewn with dead bodies for a reason. It's like Kenny Rogers used to say, you got to know when to hold em', and know when to fold em'. Sort of. She gambled and lost it all. Worth it? Hardly think so, but she may have felt different.

[madmac]

That is really sad. She paid a guide to help her, she should have heeded his advice. The path to victory is strewn with dead bodies for a reason. It's like Kenny Rogers used to say, you got to know when to hold em', and know when to fold em'. Sort of. She gambled and lost it all. Worth it? Hardly think so, but she may have felt different.

Lex, it's the nature of the beast with people that do these kinds of things. Do, or die trying.

[Ovation]

all I Can tell you is, at 70 below, with I think it was 200 mph winds at time, your prepared, or you die. Sometimes, they die even when they are prepared. I sincerely believe this is a different world than we live in. It's probably as close as you can get to going to a different planet on this planet. I think it's that different and difficult. I think there are a lot of adventures out there that represent true accomplishment without the highest risk. Appalachian Trail for example. Smaller mountains, etc...

Even the Appalachians can be treacherous (the world's highest recorded wind speed was actually on the top of Mt. Washington in NH). I've hiked quite a bit of the NH portion of the Appalachians and was once caught in a wind squall strong enough to lift me off the ground and carry me 15 feet into a wall of trees. If the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction that day, I wouldn't be typing this post as I'd have dropped about 200 feet into a ravine.

I don't think there should be restrictions on climbing Everest per se, but I do think that anyone making the attempt should be entirely responsible for their own safety--no carelessness because you think you'll be rescued. You want to climb, you're on your own as far as that goes. But there are so many things, far more mundane, in life that can result in a sudden death or disability, that I think it's impractical to try to decide what people (adults) can and can't be allowed to do in absolute terms. Just my 2 cents.

[Hdale85]

Yeah I don't believe anyone gets rescued from Everest. Wouldn't make much sense to try honestly.

[wkhanna]

This whole 'Extreme Sports' fad is society’s reflection of its inability to allow one to find meaning in one's mundane, daily existence that today has evolved into absurd commutes so we can work insane hours at jobs we disdain in order to put our kids in designer outfits as they play organized sports where every player gets a trophy, & is then sent off to ‘better’ schools so they can be competitive in a future job market that is going to be dominated by foreign countries with modern educational systems.

Our society says it is necessary to be ‘cool’. The only way to stand out in a mas-produced society is to be the ‘fool on the tight rope’. Strap a HD video camera to your toddler, strap the toddler on your back & go 90 mph down some luge track in Siberia.

Some of these ‘extremists’ are finding the 'real' adventure when the local government or non-profit agencies send them exorbitant bills for the daring, dangerous mountain-top rescues of theses ill-prepared adventurists who wind up wasting tons of everyone else’s time & money, let alone endangering the lives of these selfless professionals who perform the rescue.

You want to be a hero?
Then go do some desperately needed volunteer work in your own community & be a ‘real’ hero.
Besides, it is the working poor who are this country’s true heroes.

[aud19]

This whole 'Extreme Sports' fad is society’s reflection of its inability to allow one to find meaning in one's mundane, daily existence that today has evolved into absurd commutes so we can work insane hours at jobs we disdain in order put our kids in designer outfits as they play organized sports where every player gets a trophy, & is then sent off to ‘better’ schools so they be competitive in a future job market that is going to be dominated by foreign countries with modern educational systems.

Our society says it is necessary to be ‘cool’. The only way to stand out in a mas-produced society is to be the ‘fool on the tight rope’. Strap a HD video camera to your toddler, strap the toddler on your back & go 90 mph down a luge track Siberia.

Some of these ‘extremists’ are finding some real adventure when the local government or non-profit agencies send out exorbitant bills for daring, dangerous mountain-top rescues of theses ill-prepared adventurists who wind up wasting tons of everyone else’s time & money.

You want to be a hero?
Then go do some desperately needed volunteer work in your own community & be a ‘real’ hero.
Besides, it is the working poor who are this country’s true heroes.

Your post just made me with we could "+" posts on this forum :T

[Lex]

Paul, you make valid points. But when it gets to the point 200-300 people are trying to make it to the top of a mountain in a 7 day or so window of time, it becomes a non-safe adventure, and someone should stop it. IMO. Now if it was a through hike, and you could just hike over the top and down, that would be fine. But this is not, what goes up, must come down, the same way. People are getting in each others way, and dying out there.

Bill, that's a pretty pessimistic view of our world, but I can't say it's not entirely false. Well said anyway. Jason, some sites have "like" buttons now for posts. Maybe we can ask Kevin if that's a option for us.

[wkhanna]

.... it is the working poor who are this country’s true heroes.

You remember them?
They used to be called the 'middle class'.

[PewterTA]

Middle class.... bah we don't need them lol

[Lex]

Them, you mean "Us" as in Me? Dunno about you guys.

[wkhanna]

Bill, that's a pretty pessimistic view of our world

Maybe so, but there is still good in the world, too.
It just seems you must look harder for it these days. :W

[madmac]

Well said Bill !!

[Lex]

Ok, well here's an interesting twist, this man supposedly has put together a virtual trip up Everest. I haven't don it yet, just sharing the link.

http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/29/18567027-60-years-after-first-everest-ascent-anyone-can-climb-online?lite