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Alton Jones Wilderness Camp
Mark is 12 years old, getting ready to climb a 40 foot rock at Alton Jones Winderness Camp at the advanced course. He states that all the ropes there made him really nervous. -
Rick Meets Geoff
Rick, now 13, went to the RI Rock Gym as he often does. There, he met Geoff Tabin, a doctor that has climbed all over the world, including Mount Everest. They become good freinds after talking a lot about climbing and expeditions. -
$5000, please
Mark sends many letters out to people in order to get the $5000 he needs to travel to Nepal for 3 weeks. The letters work, and Mark is soon traveling by plane to the various stops he needs to travel to in order to ultimately get to Nepal. -
Summit at Tsergo Ri!
Mark and the others reacha summit at 16,000 feet on Tsergo Ri. It is one of Mark's first summits. -
Yala Peak
Mark reaches another summit at Yala Peak, a peak a little lower than 19,000 feet. Mark remarks that the he had a wonderful feeling, with the feeling of "blood rushing through him". -
Pisco Record
Mark makes it to the summit at Pisco, a 19,000 foot peak. A villager there tells him that he was the youngest one to summit Pisco, much to Mark's suprise. He was 14 when he reached the summit, revealing to be a milestone for him. -
Another Record
Mark summits the highest mountain in Peru, Huscaran. Mark knows that he is the youngest to summit the mountain, which rises 22,205 feet over sea level. He quotes that he feels a "rush of power surface through my fatigue". -
Training
Mark begins training vigorously for climbing more mountains in order to get into shape. He pushes himself to the limit, and does sit-ups, push-ups, and runs up and down the hospital stairs everyday. -
Ecuador
Mark starts preparing and departs for Ecuador on November 28th, 1994. In Ecuador, he plans to climb many mountains with his climbing buddies and partners. -
Cayambe
Mark gets up at 3 A.M. to start venturing up Cayambe, another peak in Ecuador. They get to 18,000 feet but can't make it farther because of the vast amount of snow. -
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is the world's third-highest volcano and Ecuador's highest peak. Mark describes it as a "huge, round sugar doughnut". They eventually make it to the summit at 19,347 feet. -
Failures in Illiniza
Mark and the crew try to go to Illiniza at 17, 394 feet, but the weather isn't good enough to climb. Mark acknowledges later that failure and accept it is important in climbing. -
Aconcagua
Mark begins climbing Aconcagua in Argentina. He states it is difficult because of the sand. -
Heartbeats
When Kevin takes pulses when the team is at 18,000 feet, Mark states most of the climbers are in the 80's and 90's. However, Mark is at 64. He is very proud of it and states that the other members tease him, but he says it's because of jealousy. -
Summit!
Mark summits Aconcagua, but states that he didn't feel as much exhilaration this time compared to others. Still, Mark says that he feels satisfied, happy, and acomplished and states that he feels ready for mount Everest. -
The North Side
Mark is interviewed by a broadcasting channel, and then the whole lot of the public believes that his parents are child abusers. Then Thor and Al back him up and stop the ridiculous statements. Mark talks about how the North side of Everest is a lot harder, and ponders about climbing the tallest mountain in the world. -
Starting Everest
Mark quotes that his first steps on Everest were "like throwing out the first ball on opening day, or the first scene of a world-premiere movie, or the first day of school." He says he felt confident. Once the team gets to 21,000 feet, Mark states he has trougle sleeping that high up. -
Setbacks
Mark founds out he fractured a rib more than 23,000 feet up as he makes his way to Camp One. He had to stop climbing and go back to Base Camp. As he stated, "A year's work in each agonizing breath." -
Mom?!
Mark's mom comes to Base Camp in the Himalayas and makes him do his geometry homework. Later, when he was at 16,000 feet, He saw his mom's jacket 2,000 feet below and his mom in it. He ran down, screaming "Mom! Mom!", thinking she was dead. However she was just sleeping. -
A Close Call
As Mark helps Phurba, a Sherpa, study English, a Spanish woman stumbles down and sends boulders rumbling towards the two. They barely avoid them as the woman screams "Sorry!". Mark and Phurba settle down again in the quiet vista and study more English. -
Ama Dablam
Mark reaches his highest summit in the Himalayan Mountains in that point of time on Ama Dablam. He remarks that a portion of the summit is the size of a Volkswagen-bug roof. -
Last Day in Base Camp
This day is Mark's last day in base camp. He says everyone is laughing and relaxed. He remarks how peaceful it is to calmly gaze in the direction of Everest. -
Team Meeting
On this day Mark's first team meeting and dinner occured in his hotel. He hopes that the whole team, especially a few members in specific, will have the inner strength to climb Everest. -
Lights! Camera! Action!
Mark has a person recording him on a camera, which he encouraged as a buisness decision. He says that making sponsor calls became as much a part of preparation for Everest as 1,000-rep workouts. -
Camp One Again
Mark's first trip to Camp One on his second trip to Everest lets him see how they play the odds every time up. He also gets filmed by more people, even for an IMAX expedition. -
No More Ear Infections
Mark's dad is going to the doctor to clean out his ear infections that he has been having for years. Mark says it's good for him to get rid of the infections once and for all. -
Plans
The team decides at base camp that they are ultimately going to aim for May 8th as summit day. However, they change the date to May 11th because of weather issues. -
Going Home
After many treacherous deaths on the mountain, Mark finally makes it to Base Camp much to his mom's elation. He calls his dad, who oddly requests to just come home down. Mark agrees and states that his dad's tone made him come without any arguing. -
Home Even Faster
Mark's dad calls him and tells him how he has cancer in his ear after the ear infection. Mark tells his mother and they immediately rush home and find his dad in fine condition. -
Cho Oyu
Mark summits Cho Oyu, one of the tallest mountains in the world at 26,750 feet. Previously before this, Mark served as a guide for another mountain, but they didn't summit like they did on Cho Oyu. -
Problems and Celebrations
Mark rushes to the hopsital where his dad is being held at as he is in a bad condition: the cancer spread to his brain. They had to remove the jawbone to relieve the pain, but Mark is convinced that his dad and himself will make it. The next day, Mark goes to an Elementary School Basement in front of 200 people to showcase his adventures around the world. -
Back in School
Mark enrolls back into school and is ready to learn and finish his education. He states that he knows he will climb more mountains too, but acknowledges how he has to study hard for the next few years. -
Death of a Friend
Mark's father died on this day because of complicatons from cancer. He states how they had some great times in the last few months. Mark says how he has to keep moving through life even after this tragedy.
