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

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She called to learn that Scott was missing. A freak storm had hit the mountain on the descent, and he was feared trapped in the area of the mountain above 8,000 meters known as the “death zone,” where oxygen in the air decreases, becoming a precarious environment not meant for human survival in long stretches. She made a second call a few hours later. Scott was still missing, now presumed dead.

Disbelief gripped Geri’s heart. She and her friend collected their gear and made the drive back to San Francisco to await confirmation. “I was in shock, unable to believe he was gone,” Geri said. “He was supposed to come back. He always came back.”

MONDAY MORNING, MAY 13, 1996. Geri walked slowly around her kitchen. Sleep had eluded her all night. She tried to ring Mountain Madness, but the phone lines had been constantly busy, the media relentless as outlets across the globe sought details on what happened. None of it mattered. Scott was gone.

She noticed a pile of mail lying neatly stacked on a rectangular table in the front foyer. Her husband had brought it in, though it could have been days ago. Mail seemed bothersome to Geri, but this stack drew her attention. A few letters. Several bills. A magazine. Nothing noteworthy, except what lay on top of the pile. A postcard.