No Summit out of Sight: Chapters 9–15

by Jordan Romero, Linda LeBlanc
This memoir recounts the incredible journey of Jordan Romero — the youngest person to climb the world's tallest mountains of every continent.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue–Chapter 8, Chapters 9–15, Chapters 16–22, Chapters 23–29
35 words 20 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. back burner
    reduced priority
    Dad and Karen were both willing to put their own goals and adventure racing on the back burner so that I could accomplish my dream.
  2. aboriginal
    an indigenous person who was born in a particular place
    Aboriginals were probably the first to climb Kosciuszko.
  3. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    The place had two small rooms, a foyer filled with firewood, and a cast-iron stove.
  4. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    “'In Memory of W. Laurie Seaman, who with Evan Hayes perished in a blizzard August 1928,’” she said, reading from a plaque.
  5. tarmac
    a paved road or surface, especially at an airport
    Crossing the tarmac to the very small, very old plane, I wondered about our safety.
  6. thoroughly
    in an exhaustive manner
    Our driver seemed a little nervous, especially when the policemen at one of the stops pulled all our gear out of the car and searched every item thoroughly.
  7. drafty
    not airtight; exposed to currents of air
    The room was cold and drafty and smelled of mothballs.
  8. forego
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    For a minute I thought we might have to forego the climb altogether, but I should have known my dad would never give up that easily.
  9. strew
    spread by scattering
    So I was relieved, for his sake more than mine, to see a line of boulders strewn across the mountain as if they’d spilled out of a giant’s pocket—the Pastukhova Rocks.
  10. monotonous
    tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
    Colored markers indicated the best route for the monotonous switchbacks.
  11. shaft
    a long rod or pole, especially the body of a weapon
    I tucked my arms in, one hand on top of the axe and the other on the shaft as I dug it into the snow.
  12. hunker down
    take shelter
    It sounded way better to me than hunkering down to a freeze-dried dinner in a cold tent.
  13. quaint
    attractively old-fashioned
    We visited another little ski area nearby and some of the quaint restaurants.
  14. provisions
    a stock or supply of foods
    It was incredibly sad to see people waiting in long lines at a truck for basic food provisions.
  15. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    Our fellow passengers wore peacoats and light scarves and looked very stoic and tired at the end of the workday.
  16. ratchet
    device consisting of a toothed wheel moving in one direction
    With Dad’s and Karen’s help, Cameron and I anchored a one-inch flat nylon line between two trees twenty-five feet apart in the yard and added a ratchet to adjust the tension.
  17. endorsement
    formal and explicit approval
    “We'll get you there,'' Dad promised, “with every permission and endorsement they could possibly ask for."
  18. acute
    experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
    I sat on the stool next to him and leaned on the counter, chin in my hands, as he explained the Lake Louise self-report for the diagnosis of acute mountain sickness.
  19. ream
    a large quantity of written matter
    The folder also contained health records, passport forms, and reams of paper documenting Dad's and Karen's expertise as world-class adventure racers and Dad's as a helicopter paramedic.
  20. turmoil
    violent agitation
    I could still hear them arguing, and my stomach was in turmoil.
  21. tamp
    press down tightly
    But after all the trouble Dad and Karen had gone through, I tamped my worries down.
  22. welt
    a raised mark on the skin
    Ryan, Claire, and Mike opted for the beds but paid heavily, not in pesos but in hundreds of extremely itchy red welts all over their bodies. Poor Claire in particular was covered with the bedbug bites.
  23. gauge
    an instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity
    Dad placed the oxygen sensor back on my finger and took a photo of the gauge.
  24. pulmonary
    relating to or affecting the lungs
    We learned later that someone in another party on Nido had gotten seriously ill that morning with HAPE (high-altitude pulmonary edema), meaning his lungs had filled with fluid and he couldn’t breathe.
  25. static
    crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference
    Our connection wasn’t the greatest, so I cupped my hands around the mouthpiece to be sure she heard what I said next. “I miss you so much.”
    “I miss you too, sweetheart. Everyone does.” The static got worse then, but I pressed on anyway.
  26. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    An hour later the sky turned dark, as killer winds swept down the face of Aconcagua and rolled toward us, stirring up a whirlwind of gray dust so thick it obscured the mountain.
  27. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    After a ten-minute rest and two imaginary pizzas, I got up and plodded on again.
  28. balaclava
    a tight knit cap that covers the entire head and neck
    I put my gloves, balaclava face mask, and goggles in place, and crawled out into darkness.
  29. careen
    move sideways or in an unsteady way
    Terrified butterflies were careening off the walls of my stomach, but I told myself that that was normal.
  30. instinctive
    unthinking
    Instinctively I threw myself against the hill, but I could have just as easily taken a huge fall.
  31. deprivation
    the disadvantage that results from losing something
    I thought I was hallucinating from oxygen deprivation when I saw a team of five climbers coming down toward us.
  32. straggle
    wander from a direct or straight course
    John straggled up behind us, filming the whole time. I could tell that our pace was too fast for him.
  33. gully
    a deep ditch cut by running water
    There's a deep gully called Canaleta filled with scree and sand. And it's really, really steep.
  34. ovation
    enthusiastic recognition
    My head popped over the ridge at three fifteen p.m., and climbers rose from the snow and greeted me with a standing ovation, clapping and cheering.
  35. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    After a grueling sixteen-hour day we reached Plaza de Mulas at dusk.
Created on Wed Dec 22 11:19:10 EST 2021 (updated Wed Jan 05 09:33:17 EST 2022)

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