•Existence on a mountain is simple. Seldom in life does it come any simpler:
survival, plus striving toward the summit.
The goal is solidly three-dimensionally there- you can see it, touch
it, stand upon it – the way to reach it well defined, the energy of all
directed toward its achievement. It is
this simplicity that strips the veneer of civilization and makes that which is
meaningful easier to come by – the pleasure of deep companionship, moments of
uninhibited humor, the tasting of hardship, sorrow, beauty, joy. But it is this very simplicity that may
prevent finding answers to the questions I have asked as we approached the
mountains.” ~ Tom Hornbein, Everest: The West Ridge Source: Willis, C. (ed.), 1997. Epic:
Stories of Survival from the World’s Highest Peak;
pg. 220.