Making Everest Come Alive
A little less than a year ago, Richard and I were at Lake Atitlan, and I read the news that there had been an earthquake in Nepal which had caused an avalanche at Base Camp of Mt. Everest. At the time, I was teaching a book all about a boy who climbs Everest, so I read the article and was excited to tell my students of this current event, bridging fiction and real life. I looked forward to hypothesizing with them what this avalanche would mean for the climbing season, which takes place during a short weather window each year. But when I told Richard about the article, his eyes got big and worried, and he gasped, “My friend is there! She’s at Base Camp right now!” For the next day or two, Richard checked facebook maniacally, waiting for an update from his friend. Thankfully, she checked in, reporting only minor injuries and announcing that she would be evacuated in the next few days. But that was the first time I heard about Barbar...