Essay On Into Thin Air

Into Thin Air In the book, Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, a group set a goal to climb Mount Everest would soon regret it. Struggling to stay with a strict schedule on when to return to bases, maintain oxygen, or fight the weather, each expedition is expected to follow guidelines in order to make it out alive. Unexpected occurrences may come up, such as weather inconveniences, in which they need to critically think in order to stay safe. Unfortunately, in Krakauer’s journey climbing Everest, eight people are left dead. The documented deaths were caused by tragic mistakes by the people involved, although one person can not be held entirely responsible for any deaths.
Rob Hall had a strict rule: if you had not reached the summit when the clock striked 2:00PM, you turn around. If you have reached the summit, you go back down at no later than 4:00. This rule was made simply so that people are safe because the weather can quickly change going down, and to avoid dangerous delays on the rope. Hall failed to follow his own rule and him and his team, Andy Harris and Doug Hansen were still with him. Doug reached the summit at 4:00. They were on the summit until 4:30, where Hall calls down that Doug is out of oxygen and is unable to move. By 4:53, Cotter tells him to descend the summit since it has been almost an hour from when they should have headed back down, and he left even later than that. “During radio calls from Hall at 5:36, and again at 5:58, Cotter implores
Judgement of whether or not someone is worth risking your life and saving in those conditions vary, but the bottom line would have to be self preservation. Jon Krakauer could have gone out to look for them but that would have been extremely risky, putting his own life on the line. Their death is not his fault. Hall could have easily told his clients that they have no choice but to turn around because they did not reach the summit before