No Summit out of Sight: Chapters 16–22

In addition, the atmosphere is even thinner than usual at that latitude, so you feel two thousand to three thousand feet higher than you really are.

I checked out the carabiners, metal loops that would keep us attached to the ropes on the mountain. Hard to believe that our lives could depend on something so small.

When we climbed Denali we’d be totally self- sustained, meaning no porters like on Kilimanjaro or mules like on Aconcagua. We had to transport everything ourselves to multiple camps.

And I’d need every little bit of strength I could muster to be ready for Denali.

I put my iPod on in anticipation of a turbulent plane ride over the rough mountain air.

We dug a deep hole and cached a few days' worth of food and fuel in case weather prevented our return flight out.

Fall into one of those deep chasms in the glacier and you'd never be seen again.

I felt like I’d screwed up with my boots, and I wanted to prove I was responsible. So I immediately tended to my nightly jobs to compensate.

“That’s a Swedish voice,” Karen said, “and he sounds frantic.”

Jordan, it’s really important at moments like this for you to assess the situation and make the right decision.

The guide still seemed a little incredulous.

As we moved along the crest of the buttress, the views were incredible.

We finally hit the summit ridge, where the climb became extremely treacherous and exposed.

Being on the team gave me a chance to crusade against junk food and sodas in school.

“You'll have to learn to rappel," he said.
I knew what rappelling was—a descent down a rock wall using a rope.

No surprise, by the end of the day Dad and Karen had come up with a new training regimen. Instead of hauling a tire up and down the mountain to build strength and endurance, I now had to master true rock-climbing skills and build upper-body strength.

Separatist movements by islands that want to form their own countries, as well as Islamic militants, have led to political unrest and even terrorist attacks.

“We could hire a helicopter to fly over the mine or hike around it through thick muddy rain forests and bogs.”

Three local restaurants—Sonora Cantina, BLT’s, and Azteca Grill—held taco nights to raise funds. They gave all the proceeds from the one-dollar tacos to us, and they kept the profits from their other food sales.

The day we were going to leave, there was a horrible terrorist bombing of several major hotels in Jakarta. The US State Department issued a travel advisory warning US citizens against going there.

Dad sat at the breakfast counter, thrumming his fingers.

“We're only going to pass through, not spend time in Jakarta. We might be able to avoid it altogether by flying from LA to Hong Kong to Bali."
I was totally bummed about having to wait while Karen tried to put this new itinerary together.

At the Bali Bird Park, a docent had me hold my hands out, palms facing up.

We met Patrick, a local liaison with Adventure Indonesia, the company that would provide our guide and other logistics.

Some tribes were wary of strangers, but others wanted to scare us into paying huge sums to pass through.

Dad kept an eye on his altimeter with a bit of a worried look on his face. Karen and I checked ours and verified we were flying at twenty thousand feet—way higher than a helicopter normally flies.

Over my shoulder I saw nothing but bone-crushing rocks. That got my adrenaline pumping, and I worked twice as hard to move toward the end of the lines.

One was several feet across between sheer walls that faced each other and had a large boulder wedged in between.

The mine’s ugly brown concentric circles grew wider and wider as it chewed its way through the jungle, destroying everything around it, including the canopy.

Vast amounts of flora and fauna would be lost forever.

In return we did product testing, provided testimonials, and let them use photos and videos of me in advertising and publicity.

The media attention also brought out a barrage of critics who knew nothing about us or how hard we’d trained.

“We hired three experienced, altitude- savvy, professional Sherpa guides from Nepal who have a combined nine summits. They know the weather and the mountain better than any Westerner. I trust them and my team.”

“We’ve thought this out carefully and weighed every aspect. We’re not doing this on a whim,” Dad responded.

Then out of nowhere he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Doctors removed the tumor, but he couldn’t walk or talk after that.