This particular edge is all funky, rocks going everywhere, it’s off-angle and not clean at all. There is no jumping off involved, it’s more of a belly slide/crawl maneuver, but then I feel my weight being totally on the rope, and I’m hanging. And from here, for me at least, I’m almost on auto pilot. I’m so focused, so involved in the moment, that nothing else matters. I don’t think about the elevation, the drizzle that has started back up, the work that I didn’t do today, the lack of a girlfriend, or any of the other crap in my life. I think about the rock in front of me, keeping my left hand up, and my feet out straight. There is nothing else right now. Ultimate focus.

Colin Dinsmore (red jacket) and Shawn Gorea, set up anchor to lower the missing hikers off a ledge. They are on a pinnacle where the exposure on three sides ranges from 100 to 200 feet, which would most likely result in death should they fall. And then I’m on flat ground, that’s it. About 60 seconds and 200 feet straight down. I call up on the radio, “Off belay”, look up and give the thumbs up. I’m good. Wow! that was incredible, and exactly why I love being high in the mountains. It’s this whole Zen Buddhism thing, being totally committed to the moment, being right here, right now. It’s awesome.

Climbing is, or can be, what a Zen Master friend of mine once referred to as “single minded practice”. Which reminds me of the koan she gave me before one of my climbs:

Who Walks? Never give up until you get the answer….then follow that.

That’s a valid question at any elevation but altitude, physical effort, and a little exposure can sure bring it into focus quickly.

I have seen Everest described as a simple “walk-up” meaning that no actual climbing is involved so I thought a quick review of what defines climbing might be helpful. I will use the South Col route as the example.

One point to keep in mind that the base definition of “technical” often means that climbers must use crampons and an ice axe. This implies skills with snow travel, crevasse rescue and self-arrest techniques – all of which are needed for a safe Everest climb from base camp to the summit; and back.

People seem to confuse technical difficulty and overall difficulty when discussing climbing. It’s important to remember that a walk-up can be physically challenging (for most), dangerous, and even deadly.

Climbers know what each day is like. They share the cold, the hunger, the pain in their lungs; and their hearts with teammates. They know the unknown.

Back home, the unknown is a mystery. Days go by with no information. No news is good news, they were told. But no news creates demons.

Then the phone rings, the computer beeps and all is well. Contact again. Smiles, a laugh, a tear of happiness. The team is together, focused on one goal.

A moment of clarity. The unknown is known. A deep breath. Then the silence returns as the connection ends.

As climbers we owe those who support us “back home” a great deal of gratitude.

Jason D. Martin weighs in on the American Alpine Institute blog:

It’s hard for me to universally condemn soloing because for some the reward is worth the risk. Most soloists don’t see what they’re doing as being that risky because they’re on terrain where they feel extremely comfortable. Does that mean I’m going to solo 5.10 or even 5.5, at this point in my life, probably not. Each of us has to make our own decisions about the risks that we take while climbing. And it is not really our jobs to dictate what’s right and what’s not right to those outside our parties who are unlikely to impact anyone else.

At altitude even a solo class 1 hike exposes you to risk – not class 5 risk obviously – but the risks are there. Going solo isn’t on my agenda any time in the near future and when and if I do go solo it will probably be on class 1-3 terrain. That said, I admire people who have the physical (and mental) skills that allow them to go solo with reasonable safety.

Philosophically, I believe in personal freedom. I also believe that pushing ourselves and taking calculated risks is beneficial. However, we live in a world where personal freedom is slowly slipping away and risk, no matter how slight, is seen as the enemy.

By the way, the climber featured in the above video is still with us. Her impressive climbing resume can be found at destivelle.com.