Into Thin Air

Krakauer, who'd always been drawn to the risk and adventure of mountain climbing, was now at the top of Mt. Everest. A bank of clouds was gathering not too far away on the horizon, but Krakauer saw nothing that suggested a storm was bearing down. He looked down at the people huddled below on the mountain's flanks and felt a sense of sheer terror overcome him. His instincts were telling him to get off the mountain immediately, but he fought down his fear and continued upward. Disaster struck soon after; a fierce storm with hurricane-force winds drove everyone--including Krakauer--off the summit. The bank of clouds turned out to be a "rogue storm" in which it's nearly impossible for mountaineers to predict when it will move away from their position on top of a mountain. Krakauer and many others died in this tragic event that also left countless more--including Krakauer--in guilt-ridden disarray.