The Laughable Feast

The Claustrophobia of Wide Open Space

On Top of the World

Eric Stromquist's avatar
Eric Stromquist
Nov 25, 2022
∙ Paid

If I dropped the phone it was fifty-fifty whether it would end up in China or Pakistan, so I made a bet with myself. The damn thing was probably made in China, but the last tech guy I talked to sounded like he lived in Lahore. I decided to put my money on China. It’s bigger.

The storm had begun to wrap its bony fingers around the neck of K2, so being extra careful I snapped a few selfies and started down. I knew I wouldn’t get far before the weather stopped me. I’m not stupid. Well maybe I am because there’s no way I should be up here this late in the day, but the climbing window was about to slam shut this year and I wasn’t going to get another shot.

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