tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393767047761198934.post3877597897878013329..comments2014-07-09T00:29:40.725-04:00Comments on Reading the Extreme in World Adventure Narratives: The Thrill of Dangerjashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04174652571648541889noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393767047761198934.post-11451189740628510882014-02-06T09:57:04.668-05:002014-02-06T09:57:04.668-05:00This post reminds me of my favorite passage from t...This post reminds me of my favorite passage from the first chapter of K2 The Savage Mountain about an unsuccessful summit attempt of K2 where the team had to deal with an unexpected injury and endured a ten-day attempt to get everyone off the mountain alive. It succinctly states why climbers choose to climb. I think it will resonate with anyone who has experienced the thrill of danger.<br /><br />"During the ten days of hardship and disappointment, of pain and tragedy, which climaxed our venture, we spoke of the summit and of home, we remembered other storms and other critical times. No one tried to answer the question, "Why, Why climb mountains?" <br /><br />"In the year that passed since our ordeal we have been asked that question many times and have answered it many ways. No answer is complete or satisfactory. Perhaps there is no single answer; perhaps each climber must have his own reasons for such an effort. The answer cannot be simple; it is compounded of such elements as the great beauty of clear cold air, of colors beyond the ordinary, of the lure of unknown regions beyond the rim of experience. The pleasure of physical fitness, the pride of conquering a steep and difficult rock pitch, the thrill of danger - but danger controlled by skill - are also there. How can I phrase what seems to me the most important reason of all? It is the chance to be briefly free of the small concerns of our commons lives, to strip off the nonessentials, to come down to the core of life itself. Food, shelter, friends - these are the essentials, these plus faith and purpose and deep and unrelenting determination. On great mountains all purpose is concentrated on the single job at hand, yet the summit is but a token of success, and the attempt is worthy in itself. It is for these reasons that we climb, and in climbing find something greater than accomplishment." <br /><br />- Charles S. HoustonSarah Jillingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07002090703322128433noreply@blogger.com