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: