Independent Reading: Vain Hopes (Chapter 3, Prompt 14)

I suspected that each of my teammates hoped as fervently as I that Hall had been careful to weed out clients of dubious ability, and would have the means to protect each of us from one another's shortcomings.

This quotation is very important in this novel as it describes Krakauer's initial worries about how well equipped and prepared his fellow climbers are for their summit. Having completed the book, I can look back with perspective and say that these concerns were not without merit. Many of the tragedies on the journey could have been avoided if the climbers were more experienced in such climbs. He should not have simply "hoped" that the guides would be able to protect them from each others "shortcomings." Climbing Everest is one of the most demanding tasks that a human can undertake and for so many of the climbers to be lacking experience, there was a recipe for disaster being brewed.

I think that the guides should have know that their clients were not skilled enough to climb and should not have allowed them to make the trip. I can't place all the blame on the guides as the clients themselves should have known their own limits, but some of the blame must lie with them.