I cannot say to be glad or not glad to be on Everest. It is my life. I have opportunity to be here, so I am here.

I offer my expertise and experience for hire in order to help a group of people reach the summit.

People respected my experience, they hire me, they pay me what I am worth to coach their team.

Honestly, I do not experience fear in the mountains. On the contraryI feel my shoulders straightening, squaring, like the birds as they straighten their wings. I enjoy the freedom and the altitude. It is only when I return to life below that I feel the world's weight on my shoulders.

A review of summit day photographs will show that I was clothed in the latest, highest quality, high altitude gear, comparable, if not better, than that worn by the other members of our expedition.

Mountains have the power to call us into their realms and there, left forever, are our friends whose great souls were longing for the heights. Do not forget the mountaineers who have not returned from the summits.

I don't know what being an Everest guide means. I am a coach, not a guide.