Climbing Mt. Everest

Caught a radio interview with a guy who just reached the summit of Mount Everest.

He broke it all down for us, and as he spoke, my skin sort of crawled.

He was caught in an avalanche on an earlier climb, so his second attempt had him quitting because of PTSD. It was his description of being trapped in the avalanche that made me cringe.

He talked of the snow hitting him like a freight train and trapping him in a rolling ball that made it tough to breathe because the snow filled up his nose and mouth.

He went up there a third time.

And finally made it!

It's a 40-hour ordeal.

The climb up is 8 hours of climbing in the 40-hour period. You can't just walk straight up because it would kill you.

So a little at a time.

He talked of seeing the mummified bodies of the climbers that didn't make it.

Then he described how cold he got at certain points.

Obviously I am no longer a candidate to make the climb at the age of 52 with a busted up body.

But at the peak of my athletic abilities (shut up, Pops) I wouldn't want to go even 200 feet in the air.

(I take that back...I did the walk-up Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, but that was easy).

Anywhoha...

This dude made it to the top.

He thought he'd die a bunch of times...

...and when he got there he found that his phone battery had died!

He took one selfie of him at the top, but that was it.

Then he mentioned that 80% of the deaths happen on the descent!!

Can you imagine??

You make it all the way up...

...then freeze to death getting down!

I felt good for the guy.

I really did, but if I want to see the summit...

...I'll look at his selfie.

Nice and warm on my couch.

Much safer, right?

And I'm a safety man!

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