Not exactly on topic since I was on my way down the trail. Tried to summit as a day hike with my wife on Sept. 11 this year. I am 64 years old and was less than a mile from the top when I became extremely tired. Knowing I still had over 10 miles to return to the trailhead I turned around. Slightly past trail camp I was completely exhausted.A stranger stopped and realized I was in bad shape and offered me some gummy type energy thing. Without that I would not have been able to get back to the trailhead that day. If you are reading this thanks for your help.
Wow, it takes a lot of courage to turn back when you're that close. I remember reading about the climber's paradox: in order to succeed you must be exceedingly driven, but if you’re too driven you’re likely to die. The higher or more difficult the peak is, the thinner the line becomes between appropriate zeal and reckless summit fever.
I'm going on a slight tangent here, but what's the etiquette for splitting up when you're in a hiking group? If you're a mile from the summit and feeling great, should you keep going even if your partner(s) have AMS and want to turn back? Would telling that person(s) to turn around and wait for you at Trail Camp be an appropriate response? Did your wife summit that day, or did she turn around with you?
