You are the friend that told me years ago, "You will never have enough time and or money to climb Mt. Everest." Sure seems the advice holds true again today as I struggled with making the decision to climb Makalu. It never feels right to spend so much and be gone so long. It is hard to rationalize but your advice rings loud in my head when faced with the decision.
I wanted to thank you for pushing me to take the Wilderness First Responder course followed by the Wilderness Advanced Life Support course during the last three months. What I learned in those classes has given me a much greater since of confidence and courage to face the challenges imposed by the big mountains. It meant a lot to me when you told me that I now KNOW BETTER. In the past I have climbed a bit blind, following others, trusting others and leaning on others to get me from BC to High Camp and Beyond. Now I have built a small arsenal of skill and I have reached a point where I do know better.
This trip is my chance to decide when to go, when to stop, when to eat, when to rest, when to push forward, and when to pull back. I will remind myself daily that what goes with me on this mountain is the experiences shared with people like you Ted. When the tough decision come up, I am lucky that I get to draw on thoughts of what would my dear dear friends do when faced with a similar situation.
I promise to move in marginal conditions and turn around the moment the mountain says to do so.
Tonya
Ted Returning from Everest in the 80's
