Calculating the Actions of One

Quick thinking, quick action. In the mountains it can change a life's path, or the paths of many lives.

In the case of the late Pete Schoening the lives that were created as a result of "the belay" are many.

As a freshman in college I found myself all to often "studying" in the area of the campus library that was home to the mountaineering books. 5 to 1 is a likely ratio of the number of climbing books read to textbooks that semester. I remember first reading the story of the 1953 American attempt at climbing K2 in the book K2, The Savage Mountain and being gripped as the tale unfolded.

But like it says in the Climbing Magazine Obituary, Pete should be remembered as a climber first rather than his heroic feat.

But that is a nice lead in to the purpose of this post. The descendents of the men whose lives were spared by Pete's quick thinking, action and technique recently came together to celebrate the lives that are theirs thanks to him. Karen Molenaar Terrell, daughter to Dee Molenaar who was on the expedition, wrote an insightful piece for Newsweek recently. Check it out.

Photo credit to the Seattle Times

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