This is fascinating. Ed, who I know, is a very smart guy, and really is a thinking man's mountaineer. I suspect that it is not entirely an accident that he is a veterinarian.
Much of what he is talking about relates to what I was discussing about Abby in the other thread. Ed's viewpoint is a very mature one, developed from many years of experience in severe situation. The best lines:
"Just because you love the mountains doesn't mean they love you."
"I think a lot of people don't ever experience that--"Man, every decision I make has a consequence right now." That's a very interesting feeling."
"Speaking of conservative decisions, I heard you once turned around when you were 300 feet from the summit of Mount Everest. Three hundred feet out of, what, 29,029?
Yeah. That was my first trip to Everest"
And the best:
"Yeah, but a mistake is a mistake even if you get away with it."
