By Dr. Bruce R. Terry, Editor Emeritus
“It’s 5 p.m. on May 22 and I am
struggling to get ready to climb to
the summit of Everest. Our guide,
Harry, had told us to be resting and/
or preparing to leave in two hours.
There was chatter on the radios. It
was blowing snow sideways with
winds gusting over 30 mph.
I have just taken off my GPS watch
to put back on over the sleeve of my
down suit and I can’t find it. I ask
Huey, who is one of three people in
my tent, if he has seen my watch and
he shakes his head no. He is wearing
an oxygen mask like me and Chris,
my other tentmate. We are at Everest
Camp 4, elevation 26000 ft.
The ‘Death Zone.’
How did I get here?
I remember that in 2003 my wife,
Susan, read an article in Outside
magazine about a regular guy who
climbed Mt. Rainier. He described his
experience as a personal ‘suffer fest.’
My wife, knowing that I like the
outdoors, camping and
backpacking, came to me and said,
‘Happy Birthday, you’ll hate this!’
The next year I did climb Mt. Rainier
and I did have a new experience in
mountaineering - new gear,
new techniques and lessons in
traveling on snow and ice. I was
addicted. My two children were
younger then, but I remember my
wife saying that I could climb other
mountains, but not Everest because
it was simply too dangerous.”
JAN UARY/FEBRUARY 2020 | P EN N SYLVAN IA DEN TAL JOURNAL
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