How embarrassing it is to reveal that I am probably the last bibliophile to read Jon Krakauer's classic narrative of the disastrous May 1996 expedition to Mount Everest. I knew it was wonderfully reviewed but have resisted the temptation to vicariously ascend the deadly peak, perhaps out of fear and loathing of the tragedy that occurred.
As a physician I found the most astounding aspect of this sorrowful trek was the climbers' ability to withstand punishing exhaustion and pain. The strength hidden within our bodies and our minds is almost unfathomable. It is the reason why prisoners of war live to see their hometowns again, the reason why some patients on the verge can come back to us, the reason why our species has never failed to push on higher and higher toward our final destination, be it triumph or disaster. Our will to achieve can never be extinguished until the final human on this magnificent planet falls into the snow - or dust.
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If you like to read how humans can (almost) withstand immense exhaustion and pain, to achieve a physical trip, yet (almost) fail because they have been immensely stupid, and fate was not on their side, I can point you to this book by Sarah Murgatroyd, The dig tree : the extraordinary story of the ill-fated Burke and Wills 1860 expedition. Riveting story, I was completely hooked.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0747562989