Mount Kilimanjaro

The film Storm Over Everest (2008) provided by Frontline Documentary focuses on many hardships climbers endured during this horrific storm in 1996. The focus on this film was to inform viewers of the measures that can happen when climbing an unpredictable mountain. Director David Breashears emphasis many people have diverse perceptions of the mountain. He states "for over 25 years, I have been making the trip to Everest and have stood on its summit five times". He, himself, was at base camp when…

A brave man by the name of Aron Ralston had went on a beautiful trip to Blue John Canyon to hike and climb thousand foot rocks. While on this very risky journey, he had fallen into a narrow ravine and a boulder had rolled and dropped onto his right hand crushing bones and all. Aron spent 127 hours trapped by this boulder trying to find a way to remove the boulder from his useless crushed hand. Unfortunately no strategy of his could loosen the boulder from its devastating spot to get free so Aron…

As I am someone that has no interest in mountain climbing, Kevin Macdonald’s interpretation of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates’s intrepid journey, ‘Touching the Void’, is a powerful film that is sure to turn heads and has definitely made me reconsider spending time mountain climbing. This docudrama follows a tragic incident that results in one man’s fight for survival after Joe and Simon’s descent up the unclimbed Peruvian Andes and ends with the audience questioning what they would do. To achieve…

sherpas tasked with the greatest workload and the most to lose, Everest represents a hard, economically necessitated risk. In a climbing culture driven by commercialism, sherpas are arguably some of the most experienced and well adapted climbers on Mount Everest, yet have little to no say in addressing the issues of safety or working conditions that are brought on by commercial motives. Initiating transformational leadership can solve many of the symptomatic problems of commercialization. By…

Throughout life, both children and adults must face their own roadblocks in order to grow both mentally and physically stronger. In the book, Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer, tells of his experiences and struggles on Mount Everest during his first ever climb of the world’s tallest mountain. When he finally begins his climb in 1996, disaster strikes and eight climbers were confirmed dead, including the famous Rob Hall and Scott Fischer. Several other climbers were never found due to the storm.…

It is impossible to know what drives people to take risks, but people do crazy, often dangerous, things when they undertake a mission. For example, Stanley Pearce walked thirty miles through the snow to stake a mining claim. Farah Ahmedi climbed a mountain on a prosthetic leg to reach freedom. Annie Johnson started a business from nothing but an idea so that she could support her children and not have others care for them. These real people had different reasons for doing what they did. Pearce…

Machu Picchu, the Hidden Place The city of Machu Picchu, which comes from the Quechua language, has been abandoned by the Incas of Cusco for over three-hundred years. It also stands in the Andes Mountains and lingers over the Urubamba River. It’s elevated 10,000 feet and has walls that not even a credit card can not slide through, puzzling archaeologists for many years (Schreiber 1). Machu Picchu, located in Peru, is a place filled with amazing artifacts and ruins. The buildings’ architecture…

The first thing that catches my eye is the mountains. As I sit on the highest point of the hill I am surrounded by mountains. The walk from my dorm is definitely the worst part and most painful part. Although the walk is a leg killer it is the greatest view I might ever experience. Sitting on the bench I have realized that the hill is more than a hill with a bench. This is an escape, it was a place to go to relax, to clear your head, and to just get away from all the chaos. I am the kind of…

Most of Costa Rica is dominated by the Sierra Madre mountains, literally fractured into individual ranges and valleys by violent volcanic eruptions over eons of time. Guatemala, except for the coastal areas, is a mountainous country of rolling hills, plateaus, deep river valleys, and numerous volcanoes – some still active.Speaking of volcanoes , Costa Rica’s most active one, located in the Tilaran Mountains erupts in some measure almost every day. To the southeast, the Poas, Barva, Irazu and…

Anatoli Boukreev is one of the most controversial climbers in the book, Into Thin Air. his decision making was questionable at best. However his mountaineering skills were crucial to the survival of many. His love for the mountain couldn't be matched and everyone knew that. Anatoli was an experienced climber who had already made it to the top of the highest point on earth. Anatoli Boukreev was another guide with Scott Fisher's group. He had previously climbed the mountain without supplemental…