[Dantilla]

Reading "Into Thin Air" convinced me that I have no business even thinking about summitting Everest.

I always thought I'd summit Mt. Rainier until one day I went up to Camp Miur (Rainier's "base camp"), and before I got back down I thought my left knee was going to explode. Probably not a good idea to go for the summit when it feels like shards of broken glass are behind the patella.

I did have the great priviledge of meeting Lopsong, Scott Fischer's #1 sherpa. The first time he left Nepal was for Fischer's funeral after the events documented in Krakaur's book. Scott Fischer was a friend of a friend, and I took Lopsong up for a flight in my little Bonanza around the Seattle area, over both the Olympic mountains, and Mt Rainier. He kept looking at his watch because it had an altimiter feature. Over the top of the Olympics was not much above sea-level in his perspective. I offered him the controls, but he refused. It was an honor to meet such a great guy.

Sadly, he was killed a few years ago with two others in an avalanche.
The mountains are very unforgiving.