6/5/06

Larry's Afterthoughts

Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued ~ Socrates

 

I have now been home several weeks, allowing me a lot of time to reflect on the expedition. Wow! What an experience! I have had to deal sea of emotions, especially the disappointment of having crashed and burned at Camp I. I am also having to re-define myself. Everest had been a major goal and dream for a number of years. I am glad to say that I am coming to grips with this and have no regrets . . . I gave it my best. I have had a lot of time to reflect on my teammates. I was very upset when I heard that Matt had to be evacuated from the mountain. Matt had trained so hard and is one of the strongest climbers I have seen. I have no doubts that Matt could have made it to the summit. I would kid Matt telling him I think he is 3/4 Sherpa. I believe Matt is a great example of what a mountaineer should be. All this said ,I am so glad that Matt had the good sense to listen to the doctors. That is what a good mountaineer would do~ the mountain will always be there.

I was so proud when I heard that Doug had summited. During the time he was in Camp II and above, I felt like I was with him. I kept wanting to give him words of encouragement - and prayed that God would deliver these messages. Doug's summit is even more significant in light of the problems our team faced. Doug is a born leader and these skills came in handy on several occasions, especially with the Sherpa tragedy - and the rescue of the Italian climber. All that West Point training must have paid off for Doug.

Roger was such a gift to our team. I am not sure he knew what he was getting himself into. He was thrown into the water and had to learn to swim. He did an excellent job and I think he has a future as a professional base camp manager and computer hacker.

Last but not least is my daughter, Amy. She took her job seriously and was such a great asset to our team. I am so glad she was a part of this rich experience.

As always, the joy has been in the journey. I am not sure what my next adventure will be but I know I will have a good time en route.

Larry