TRUTH IS STRANGER
THAN FICTION
Into Thin Air
The book chronicles some of the tragic events
during the 1996 spring climbing season on
Mount Everest, which was the deadliest on
record. It looks into the companies that were
responsible for guiding clients up the mountain,
the culture of the base camp, and the arduous
trek to the base of Mount Everest, and the
amazing, life-threatening struggle to reach the
summit and descend the mountain.
..
The climb:
“The wind kicked up huge swirling waves of powder snow that washed down the mountain like
breaking surf, plastering my clothing with frost. ..I began to lose feeling in my feet”
The “Death Zone”
“The region above 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) is called the death zone. The
reason for this name is because nothing lives at that altitude or above and no
human can survive long there due to the lack of oxygen in the thin air.
Climbers are very vulnerable to altitude sickness once they climb into the death
zone. “
The summit:
“…the summit was really only the halfway point.”
The descent:
“…entire sections of my cerebral cortex seemed to have shut down altogether.
Dizzy, fearing that I would black out, I was frantic to reach the South Summit”
The aftermath:
Guns Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human
Societies
This book is a fascinating look at why some
societies have excelled while others have faltered.
As the title suggest, the author points to three
major determiners of a society’s ability to
triumph and survive: Guns, germs and steel.
It covers topics such as epidemics, the Spanish
conquest of South America, and the spread of
different racial groups among many others.
Native American origin
Diamond shows and discusses the striking resemblance
between Native Americans and most Asian groups. He
hypothesizes that Native Americans may be the direct
descendants of ancient Asiatic peoples who traversed
through Siberia and into North America via an ice bridge
formed during the Ice Age.
Try this: one of these women is Chinese, one is
Siberian, and one is Native American. See if you
can tell the difference:
Siberian
Native American
Chinese
Over the Edge
This book follows the amazing events that took
place during August of 2000 in Kyrgyzstan. It
centers around four top-flight American rock
climbers who had come to the valley to climb the
Yellow Wall.
Shockingly, the climbers were forced to repel
down over a thousand feet by terrorists who
subsequently kidnapped them and used them as
human shields for their invasion of Kyrgyzstan.
The climbers:
Tommy Caldwell: When the events take place, he is in his early twenties. He is widely considered as one
of the top two climbers in America and was the first to break the 5.15 rating for rock climbing.
Beth Rodden: When the events take place, she is 20 and is considered one of America’s top female
climbers.
Jason “Singer” Smith: When the events take place, he is 22. Even at this young age, he is considered a
veteran climber. He organized the expedition and garnered sponsorship by the North Face company.
John Dickey: When the events take place, he is 25. He is a solid climber who acts as the photographer for
the team’s expedition.
The terrorists:
Ravshan Sharipov (left) and Ruslan Abdullin (right), these were two of the four militants
that held the Americans and one Kyrgyz soldier hostage.
The soldiers:
Turat Akimov (left) was taken hostage by the terrorist after his squad of soldiers was killed; he spent some
time with the American hostages while they were all captives.
Sources:
Climbers ascending Mt. Everest. [Photograph]. (2012).Retrieved September 12, 2012, from: http://digitaljournal.com/article/325234
Child, G. (2002). Over the edge. New York, New York: Villard Books.
Diamond, J. (1999). Guns, germs, and steel. New York, New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
Everest-7-1. [Photograph]. (2012). Retrieved September 12, 2012, from: http://www.sometimes-interesting.com
Everest-Camp4. [Photograph]. (2012). Retrieved September 12, 2012 from: http://www.expeditiontohimalayas.com/gallery.php
Frostbite1w. [Photograph]. (2012). Retrieved September 12, 2012, from: http://eorif.com/frostbite-991
Heading towards the Second Step. [Photograph]. (2008). Retrieved September 11, 2012, from:
http://www.everestpeaceproject.com/gallery_photo.php?gid=467&cid=17
Krakauer, J. (1997). Into thin air. New York, New York: Villard Books.
Laman, T. (Photographer). (2012). Everest village [Photograph} Retrieved September 11,
2012, from: http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/mount-everest-photo-gallery/#/everest-village_10464_600x450.jpg
Masheter, C.. (Author). (2008). After eleven hours of climbing from Camp 4 at the South Col.
[Photograph]. Retrieved September 12, 2012, from: http://www.gregorypacks.com/blog/?p=199
Mount Everest. [Photograph]. (2012). Retrieved September 11, 2012, from: http://kidzcoolzone.com/mount-everest-facts/
Tibet, Jeff Shea on Mount Everest Summit. [Photograph]. (1995). Retrieved September 11, 2012, from:
http://www.jeffshea.com/largepic.php?image=Tibet,JeffSheaEverestSummit,1995.jpg&title=Tibet,%20Jeff%20Shea%20on%20Mount%20Everest%20Summit,%
201995&country=Tibet
Wallace, C. (2010, July 7). Mount Everest - the death zone. Ezine Articles. Retrieved September12, 2012, from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Mount-Everest---TheDeath-Zone&id=4435576