Peru

This had been on my to-read list for awhile, so I was excited to find it on sale at a book store in Banff! Some thoughts: how do you drawn the line between suicidality and undertaking life-threatening, adrenaline-inducing adventures like climbing Everest? Something I’ve been asking myself since 2016— as Vasquez-Lavado was making her way to the summit, I now know. Memorable quotes: “Everest has many names, but they all mean mother. Sagarmatha— Mother of the Sky; Chomolungma— Mother of the World.” “Nothing we do is small.” “Reaching the top isn’t about the accomplishment. It’s about walking in the shadows long enough to see the other side, about learning to roll with other women and men, and how to lean on and support others instead of white-knuckling life alone. It’s about letting people brush up against you, even if they are headed in a different direction. It’s about sharing the journey, the stories, and the pain. It’s about knowing that climbing with others is the safest way to climb and the surest way to heal.”