A Call for Courage

K2, the world’s second highest peak, showing the route climbed by the 1953 expedition. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_American_Karakoram_expedition#/media/File:K2_route_1953.jpg

On August 11, 1953, a storm raged at 25,500 foot Camp VIII, shredding tents and extinguishing stoves, battering the party of eight climbers hunkered in tents and facing a huge emotional and ethical challenge: Should they continue their push to become the first to summit the world’s second highest peak, Pakistan’s K2, or abort their summit attempt and work to save the life of teammate Art Gilkey, who was suffering from thrombophlebitis — blood clots in…