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 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 climb:

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---The-Death-Zone&id=4435576