The majestic land and water of Alaska looked like a faraway place from where the mountain climbers stood. The group of adventurers had spent weeks slowly and patiently climbing to the top of Denali. The view from the summit was the reward they had been waiting for their whole lives.
“Look at that beauty!” Louise exclaimed breathlessly, pointing to the cascading hills below. “I can’t believe we made it to the top of the highest mountain in all of North America!”
The climbers huddled together for a group hug to celebrate their accomplishment. Together, they savored the incredible view for as long as they could, taking pictures to share with family back home.
But they knew they couldn’t stay there forever. Climbing down the mountain was even more dangerous than climbing up, and they needed to begin their descent while it was still light.
Dante, the group leader, led the way down the mountain, demonstrating how to safely descend. The air up so high has limited oxygen, so just breathing was a challenge. Staying balanced over the edges and hard surfaces seemed close to impossible. Eager to get to safety, the climbers picked up the pace.
As Gerard climbed down the peak, he whispered to himself, “You can do this. You’ve been through much worse than this.”
Louise, who was expecting her first grandchild any day, encouraged herself too. As the earth became more slippery, she told herself, “Soon, you’ll be holding that precious baby in your arms. Keep going!”
“Keep going!” Dante echoed, giving his group a thumbs-up. As he smiled at the climbers, he took a bigger step than he should have. Immediately, he lost his footing and slipped down a jagged rock.
Everyone screamed in horror as Dante fell from the rock. “Are you OK, Dante?” Melody cried.
No answer came except for the howling wind as the climbers desperately tried to get to Dante without slipping and falling themselves. “Dante!” Gerard shouted, but there was no reply.
A few feet below, Dante leaped to his feet as the group cheered in unison. “Sorry to scare you. I was just a bit winded and in shock. Luckily, I didn’t fall too far.”
“Thank goodness you’re all right,” Gerard replied.
“Look, we need to slow down,” Dante said. “We didn’t climb up the mountain in a day, and we’re not going to climb down in a day either. Let’s hang in there and finish this adventure the right way!”
Dante’s words of encouragement helped the group put safety before the desire to finish.
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Questions
Which two details from the story show that the climbers are inspired on their journey by their own personal hardships and life events?
“Soon, you’ll be holding that precious baby in your arms. Keep going!”
“As he smiled at the climbers, he took a bigger step than he should have.”
“We didn’t climb up the mountain in a day, and we’re not going to climb down in a day either.”
“[Gerard] whispered to himself, ‘You can do this. You’ve been through much worse than this.’”
The details that show that the climbers are inspired on their journey by their own personal hardships and life events are:
1. “Soon, you’ll be holding that precious baby in your arms. Keep going!” - This detail shows that Louise is motivated to keep climbing because she is looking forward to becoming a grandmother, which is a significant and joyful event in her life.
2. “[Gerard] whispered to himself, ‘You can do this. You’ve been through much worse than this.’” - This detail shows that Gerard is drawing on his past experiences and hardships to motivate himself to keep going on the difficult climb.