Friday, April 15, 2016 Pick up your Into Thin Air journals and your book from the bookshelf. Remember, you are responsible for the condition of your book, so be gentle with it!

Journal #2 Why does the author start the book off having already reached the peak?

Isn’t it all downhill from here? Krakauer departs from his otherwise chronological narrative in this first chapter. It may seem disorienting, but he is actually situating the reader in an important way. Beginning at the top is like an overview—just as he can see a vast expanse from the peak of Everest, the reader can see the breadth and enormity of the situation by beginning at that same place. We know immediately that he makes it to the top, which means that the climax of the story will occur elsewhere—presumably during the descent. This perhaps defies expectations, as one might expect that summating the mountain would be the high point, or the climax. Literary Elements that Krakauer uses here: Understatement, is the opposite of hyperbole in that rather than imply that something is much more than it seems, understatement implies that something is much less that what it really is. Irony is when the exact opposite of what you expect to happen, happens.

Chapter 2: History of Climbing Everest India's surveyor general, Sir Andrew Waugh, first calculated (using trigonometry) the height of Everest and realized that it was the tallest mountain in the world Waugh published his findings and named it after his predecessor, Sir George Everest.

Chapter 2: History of Climbing Everest Almost immediately upon realizing that Everest was the tallest peak in them world, people wanted to climb it. Everest was called the "Third Pole," and became "the most coveted object in the realm of terrestrial exploration (15). Twenty-four men died in the fifteen missions and 101 years that elapsed between the discovery of its height and the successful summit of Everest.

Chapter 2: History of Climbing Everest George Mallory, a famous climber who made the first 3 attempts on the summit, once responded to a question about why he wanted to climb Everest by saying “Because it is there.” He and his climbing partner disappeared near the summit, and no one knows if they actually made it. His body was eventually recovered in May 1999.

Chapter 2: History of Climbing Everest Because Everest is on the border between Nepal and Tibet, climbers only had access to certain parts of the mountain, depending on which borders were open. When the Nepal’s border opened, Sir Edmund Hillary was able to summit the mountain with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on 29 May Hillary became world famous for this feat.

Chapter 2: Krakauer and Everest When Krakauer was 9 years old, two climbers, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld, became famous for spending the night on the summit. They suffered frostbite but survived. Their story inspired young Krakauer and started his dream of climbing Everest.

Krakauer became disinterested in climbing Everest because many climbers consider it to be “less technically demanding” and because of the growing commercialization of the mountain. However, Outside Magazine hires him to report on this topic, and he convinces them to fund his climb because he knows he will not be content to stay at base camp for two months. Chapter 2: Krakauer and Everest Dick Bass, a wealthy businessman from Texas, epitomized the commercialization of Everest. Despite his complete lack of experience, he managed to reach the summit, largely thanks to his guide, David Breashears.

Chapter 3: Arriving in Nepal and meeting up with the climbing group To start his journey, Krakauer flies to the city Kathmandu, Nepal. This is the first time he actually sees Everest.

Chapter 3: Arriving in Nepal and meeting up with the climbing group In Kathmandu, Krakauer meets up with the climbing group, led by Rob Hall, Adventure Consultants. Krakauer introduces a couple of climbing companions: – Andy Harris—one of Rob Hall’s guides, was convinced to climb because he wanted to work with Hall and had never climbed Everest before – Lou Kasischke—an amateur climber from Michigan “World Leader in Everest climbing" Helen Wilton—returning hiker, mother of four, staying at base camp for the season Caroline Mackenzie—accomplished climber and expedition doctor Yasuko Namba Beck Weathers Stuart Hutchinson John Taske Frank Fischbeck Doug Hansen

 Born January 14, 1961  Grew up in New Zealand  Hall began climbing in the Himalayas at age nineteen  The lead guide for Krakauer’s expedition  All of the climbing clients like and respect Hall  Hall’s wife, a doctor, usually would come with him on the trips. She was not with this group because she was pregnant. Rob Hall

Chapter 3: Arriving in Nepal and meeting up with the climbing group The Seven Summits: the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. The first person to climb all seven is mountaineer, Richard Bass. He completes this goal in 4 years. Rob Hall and his climbing partner, Gary Ball, hike all of the Seven Summits in seven months. After this, Rob Hall decides he should start making money as a high altitude climbing guide. He charges everyone in Krakauer’s group $65,000.

After staying in Kathmandu for 2 days, Krakauer takes a helicopter to the road leading to base camp. Chapter 3: Arriving in Nepal and meeting up with the climbing group

Krakauer’s expresses his fears: He compares climbing with a group to a set of dominoes, if one member if weak, everyone will struggle and eventually fall. In previous climbs, he was always with trusted friends, but in a guided group, everyone must trust the guide. He hopes that he is making the right decision to trust Rob Hall. Although Hall has led 39 people to the summit, many of the clients on this expedition have very little experience. Chapter 3: Arriving in Nepal and meeting up with the climbing group