Reinhold Messner & Peter Habeler -- The First Oxygen-less Ascent

     Messner and Habeler were what many call "lunatics."  These people climbed numerous mountains without bottled oxygen.  In 1975, they had both daringly climbed the 11th highest mountain in the world, Gasherbrum, without bottled oxygen.  By 1978, they aspired to do the most daring attempt ever.  They set their sights on climbing Mount Everest, an entire 29,035 feet (8850 meters).  They were not really accepted in the climbing and medical communities because of the immense dangers that may accompany this expedition.  Even though there was all of this controversy, they were still set for their plan.  They set out on April 21 and reached Camp III April 23, but Habeler developed food poisoning and they had to turn back.  They had reached the South Col on May 6 after deciding to give it one more try.  They awoke at 3 am to try making it to the summit.  It took them two hours just to get dressed.  Even though the weather was threatening, they decided to continue on to the summit.  Around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, they had reached the unimaginable accomplishment that no one thought was possible.  Messner described his feeling: 'In my state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belong to myself and to my eyesight.  I am nothing more than a single narrow gasping lung, floating over the mists and summits."

The two guys on the mountain.  "I want those sunglasses!"

-Trevor S.