Everest has always been a magnet for kooks, publicity seekers, hopeless romantics and others with a shaky hold on reality.

When Alex left for Alaska," Franz remembers, "I prayed. I asked God to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special. But he let Alex die. So on December 26, when I learned what happened, I renounced the Lord. I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist. I decided I couldn't believe in a God who would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex.

Common sense is no match for the voice of God.

I think part of the appeal of Antarctica is experiencing some sort of power, the forces of the natural world.

But somethings in life are more important than being happy. Like being free to think for yourself.

My reasoning, if one can call it that, was inflamed by the scatter shot passions of youth and a literary diet overly rich in the works of Nietzshe, Kerouac, and John Menlove Edwards.

The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circumstances.