Goddess of the sky

One of my favorite topics to read about is Mt. Everest. I'm intrigued with the massive mountain that rises 29,028 feet into the atmosphere.

I've read numerous books on Mt. Everest Expeditions. "Into Thin Air" was my first read.

This book is an account of one of the worst disasters to ever have happened on this mountain. A crazy storm rolled in and left eight climbers dead, one left for dead, nothing but tragedy.

What makes seemingly normal people want to risk their lives in order to summit this or any number of other peaks? Fame, glory, personal satisfaction, because it's there?

Let's count the number of ways people can and have died on Mt. Everest: there's altitude sickness, swelling of the brain, avalanches, falls (including falls into crevasses - gaping cracks in glaciers), getting blown off the mountain, freezing to death, having a block of ice the size of a house crush you....to name a few.

What are the odds in climbing to the summit? Not so good. 1 out of every 3 climbers actually reach the summit in the spring and in the fall the odds fall to 1 in 6. One also has a 4% chance of not making it off the mountain alive.

Still, with all these dangers, people pay thousands of dollars in hopes of making it to the top of the world.

I, for one, have no desire to spend 60 some odd days pushing my body beyond all limits. I'm more then content to be an armchair enthusiast, flipping pages, in the warm and safe confines of my home.