A mountain climber starts a climb at an elevation of 453 feet above sea level. At his first rest stop he has climbed 162 feet, and by his second rest stop he has climbed another 207 feet. It's getting late in the day, so the climber starts his way down. If the climber descends 285 feet, how much does he need to ascend or descend to return to the original starting point?
Responses
A ascend 84 feet
B ascend 78 feet
C descend 84 feet
D descend 78 feet
To return to the original starting point, the climber needs to ascend or descend by the total difference in elevation.
Total ascent = 162 + 207 = 369 feet
Total descent = 285 feet
To find the amount needed to ascend or descend, we subtract the total descent from the total ascent:
369 - 285 = 84
Therefore, the climber needs to ascend 84 feet to return to the original starting point.
The correct answer is A) ascend 84 feet.