She also knows that the only thing besides a storm that will keep her from getting to the summit herself is Blum giving up. You re strong, Heidi, Parmenter coaches. You ve worked so hard to get here. Just one more day. We can do it.
Rest is pointless anyway.
Every day they spend above 19,000 feet will make their bodies weaker. And each of those days will be spent at the mercy of a hundred tons of ice. The hanging glacier beneath them is, in effect, a trap door. The one above them is a guillotine blade. Both drop blocks of ice the size of buildings every year.