8,850 Meter Ascension

                                       18 hours 30 minutes
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                                 he can see the summit and charges ahead once more.
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                              lungs gasp for oxygen, and his heart beats against his chest.
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                          snow or rock. His arms strain to pull; his legs struggle to push.
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                       dark brown of his boots only know how to move forward, whether
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                     own mind. He inhales the bitter cold air that fades away with each step taken.
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                   thoughts clear, every trained muscle moves automatically with
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                his excellent skill; every second is spent trying to climb up the wall.
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                begins to pull himself up on his rope. Moving quickly
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               black hole-like crevice. Kicking away snow-covered stones,
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            The axe pick cracks into the rock and the mountaineer leaps over