This is an image taken on my first mountain climb. I had the honor of being on the first rope team to make the summit that morning. We left by 4am in the morning to climb on the glacier while it was frozen solid and less likely to have new crevasses open up. I remember stopping at about 10,000 feet feeling exhausted and out of breath. It was my first experience with altitude. The higher we climbed the deeper blue the sky became. The direct sun skiming across the wind blown snow made it sparkle. Walking along the summit ridge was exhilarating. We dropped down to a shelf to take a break. That was our summit experience. About 20 minutes later we turned around. Seven hours of climbing to get to the summit and spend 20 minutes maximum. I learned that climbing up is much easier and safer than climbing down so we needed to hasten our pace. We got back to basecamp around 4pm. It was a 12 hour exertion preceded by months of planning. I loved every minute of it. This is truly one of my most favorite photographs of all time.
Camera: My father’s Nikon F2
May, 1989
