The Journal of a Climber Excerpt from Chapter 1 I am prepared, I am packed and now it is time to begin the climb. Part of me is excited about the certain adventure that awaits me. The fact that I will now be my own persona grown-upand will have the respect of my peers and elders is also important. Along with the excitement comes the fear. There is the fear of the unknown, the uncertainty of whether or not I can really make it. Just because others have successfully made the climb does not mean that I will. What if I fail? There are many ways to fail, I've been taught...There are stones along the path and one misstep can result in a crippling injury. Some people who tried to climb the Mount suffered these crippling injuries...Oh, some of them say someone else tripped them or they were the victims of inadequate preparation, or something. The truth is that we all begin here at Base Camp and we determine whether or not we will be successful on our climb.