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

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Finally able to descend on the fifth day, Chris and Keith recounted the experience to Alison and Scott, who couldn’t believe they’d survived.

“She only hit me once!” Keith joked.

“I couldn’t help it!” Chris said. “Holy crap, I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. The tent flattened on our faces. We had to hold it up with our ski poles. I was sure the tent would rip or the poles would bust.”

A few days later they made a second attempt, much to the shock of the others who watched the couple leave and trudge through waist-deep snow. This time, as they got closer to the summit, Keith’s eyes became blurry and he got a painful headache. They turned back and returned to base camp. Scott’s group had not yet tried for the top, but when they did, Chris intended to be ready.

Despite the deep blackness of the night sky, Keith’s sunglasses covered his eyes as he lay in the tent a couple of days later. He’d been diagnosed with a high-altitude retinal hemorrhage. The lack of oxygen had caused dilation of blood vessels in his retinas, rendering him temporarily unable to see clearly.