As I waited, the rescue party brought down the body of Pasang Sona on a stretcher. I don't think we had really appreciated the seriousness of the climb until this moment. For about three years prior to our expedition, there had been no accidents recorded on Mount Everest. We had started to think that this climb was not as dangerous as we had been led to believe. It had seemed like a big holiday for most of us.
Success seems to be mainly a question of hanging on when others have let go.
When forced to confront fear, a lot of people step back. But those who step forward will move forward.