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Steve's avatar

Sounds more like Definitely Not a Failure than the other. The work you did alone preparing for that trip sounds daunting. You should be proud. Maybe get a tattoo

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Siyu LI's avatar

Knowing when to say no is, by far, the most critical thing.

Reading your journey, you did all the right steps in preparation. It could be your body still wasn't primed during those few days; it's also likely that your genetics don't favor extremely high altitudes. i did a few smaller hikes (11k-18k), and my observation says it is hard to compete in genetics. :-)

Still, what an unforgettable experience!

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BowTiedF'er's avatar

Sorry to hear Chris. You got some good views and still got higher than most people could.

Also, you should look at the low dose Viagra/Cialis for every day use (First I typed ED for every day and realized the folly in that statement). Its enough to get you some increased performance in the gym/cardio and nice muscle pumps but not enough that you have any unintended 'follies'. It was one of the first things the health optimization guys recommended.

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Chris DeMuth Jr's avatar

100% -- I'm on 6 mgs/day of Tadalafil and love it. I get it via my telehealth service https://shorturl.at/5WOdF

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Chris V MD's avatar

Definitely a bummer but he made the right decision. Altitude can be brutal. My gf got sick AF at 14k feet. Pulse ox was in the upper 70s, and she was super dizzy. We put the pulse ox on my finger and it was right around 89-91 range. He 100% made the right call with the DNF, as much as it sucks.

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Raymundo's avatar

DNF sucks , but your story reminds me of Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech. Thanks for sharing.

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Tony Tallarico's avatar

Balls. Big, huge, brass. Enormous balls. DNF or not. Balls for the attempt. Balls for knowing when to say when. Balls for days. Balls for miles!!!

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Steve S's avatar

A noble fail, nothing to be ashamed of. Kudos for the training, effort, attempt, and honesty in telling the story.

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