Читать книгу Edge of the Map. The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff онлайн

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“Come on, Ted,” she’d whispered, “I can just get on your shoulders.” The two of them were leading Mountain Madness clients up Russia’s Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, at 18,510 feet. A night before the climb to Elbrus Base Camp, they’d stayed out too late. In the chilly Russian midnight, the guesthouse holding their beds for the night was locked.

“You’re joking, Chris. Can’t we find some other way to get in?” Callahan knew before she answered where this was headed. The glint in her eye calmed him.

“I’ll just pop in the window and open the door for you.” Looking at him with conviction, she placed her hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him lower so she could step up.

Marveling at her free spirit, he kneeled and sank a little into the soft ground. “Oh god, all right. Up you go. Don’t hurt yourself.”

“I’m totally fine,” she said. “Let’s do the damn thing.”

Callahan could still feel the weight of her 120 pounds on his shoulders as he severed the padlock and unzipped her duffel. He knew what he was looking for. Reaching in, he pulled out a thin, canvas diary. It fell open to reveal pieces of the puzzle that searchers on two continents had struggled with for weeks: the climb of Elbrus in southern Russia. The ascent on Cho Oyu, on the China-Nepal border, in October with three clients. Meeting Charlie in Hong Kong. Climbing two lesser peaks in Sichuan Province, including well-known and challenging Yala Peak. A detailed account of how well they’d bargained and how cheaply she and Charlie had managed to live.