Denali Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page B

eyebrow.
    If he were honest? Not really. But it did fill his time and his thoughts.
    “Yeah. That’s what I thought.” Kyle leaned his elbows on his knees. “Look, I’m far from perfect. I have a temper. I struggle with all kinds of temptations. But the Bible never told me that when I became a Christian, I’d be a saint overnight, or that my life would be easy and smooth sailing. What I did learn was that life would be filled with trials, and my
faith
would help me grow through those trials to be a better man.”
    Zack stared him down.
    “Your faith didn’t ruin your life, pal.” He paused to take a deep breath. “You let go when you should’ve held on tighter.”
    “So it’s
my
fault my life tanked?”
    “If the crampon fits …” Kyle tempered the remark with a smile.
    A short laugh escaped his lips.
    “Think about it. If you were climbing and let go of the rope—you’d take a nasty, if not life-ending fall, right? Would you blame the
rope
for your fall?”
    Ouch. Was that what’d he done? Zack leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head. “You just cut to the chase, don’t you? I’m almost afraid to admit that you’re making sense.” What would happen if he quit his daredevil ways and lived the way
normal
people lived? Let God take over and fill the hole?
    “Good, ‘cause I’m hungry. This isn’t rocket science, my friend. Promise me you’ll think about it.”
    “Deal.” He leaned forward. His chest already felt a thousand pounds lighter. “As long as you don’t nag me.” Maybe he was on the right track. He could even call his mom just because. But then again, maybe he was rushing things.
    “No guarantees, man. I’m great at nagging.” Kyle tossed a menu on the table. “But I’ll buy your lunch to make up for it.”
    “You’re on.”

Chapter 8
    A cclimatization will be one of the most important aspects of this trip. That’s why it’s so important to maintain the schedule we’ve laid out, carry high, sleep low, and rest on rest days. We’ve also got to take weather into consideration, so be prepared for some storms. Denali is unpredictable.” Their guide for the next twenty-eight days, Lionel, was a wealth of information. Even with all the climbing experience Karon had racked up the past year, she’d learned a notebook full more today.
    He handed them each a sheet of paper. “Let’s go through this quick.” He spoke with a British accent that clipped at a pace her little Southern brain already couldn’t keep up with. Oh boy. “We’re almost at sea level right now, day one. We’ll fly into Base Camp on the Kahiltna Glacier at 7,200 feet. We’ll stay there day two to get used to the altitude before we begin our ascent. Day three we’ll climb to Ski Hill at 7,900 feet. Day four, the Upper Kahiltna at 9,600 feet. Day five, we’ll rest and acclimate. Day six, we’ll climb to 11,000 feet. Day seven, we’ll rest. Day eight, we’ll carry to Basin Camp and sleep low back at 11,000. Day nine, we’ll move to Basin Camp. Once we get there, we’ll be at 14,200 feet. We’ll take days ten and eleven to rest and acclimate again. Days twelve and thirteen we carry to Ridge Camp and sleep at Basin Camp. Day fourteen, we’ll move to Ridge Camp at 16,200 feet. Day fifteen, High Camp at 17,200 feet. Day sixteen, we’ll rest, and day seventeen will be our first possible day to summit.”
    Karon wrote in shorthand to keep up with the guide. “And the rest of the days are in case we have to deal with weather?”
    “Yes. Many of our climbers make it to High Camp but never see the summit because of weather.” He smiled. “But since you’ve taken extra time for this expedition, the chances are higher that we’ll be able to wait out a storm or multiple storms and still summit in time for your return.”
    Clint flicked her in the arm. “Good, because I’d hate to take a month off work and sit in a tent the whole time freezing my toes off.”
    Karon rolled her eyes. “Excuse