Posted by kudzy
(here)
As a backpacker and hiker myself, I'm really enjoying this thread. I'm by no means an experienced mountaineer but I've done a few 14,000 footers in my day. And I've bagged a number of significantly less risky peaks. Life begins above treeline.
The immensity of Everest is just staggering. I agree with Bill. Why anyone would want to do that peak when there are so many less crowded gorgeous peaks all around the world is beyond me. Unfortunately an unchecked ego is a very dangerous thing. Personally I would never want to put others in such danger for my own satisfaction.
Here's another documentary that folks might enjoy;
Meru. It's directed by Jimmy Chin the same guy that did
Free Solo about Alex Honnold's free solo climb of El Capitan. Both are excellent films. Meru is on Netflix.
As a side note, I'm planning on thru-hiking the
Appalachian Trail next year. That's over 2000 miles! Perhaps I'll start a thread just just to document the trip. I won't be using any Sherpas.
I thought I read somewhere that the elevation of Everest actually changed after the 2015 earthquake, does anyone know if that is true?
Happy trails, be safe.