I did not get the rush of adrenalin that some of my companions did; I did not join those who were bounding down the slope to her aid. I froze. Everything slowed down to a crawl, and it was all I could do to start moving slowly in her direction. For many years I looked back on that moment with feelings of guilt and inadequacy, with these feelings being reinforced by the memory of another climber shouting at me to hurry up and get down there. I wonder, though, if I really did wrong. If I had stayed where I was originally, she would have crashed into me, and we would both have fallen who knows how far. If I had rushed down the slope, I might have slipped and landed on top of her, thus taking us both the rest of the way down. But whether I was right or wrong is a moot point because at the very moment I was out of the way of her fall, my animal brain proceeded to hack my nervous system. My reflexes slowed to a crawl. I thought in a disassociated way that I should head down that slope, but my muscles did not respond. It was a little bit like trying to run while dreaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I later redeemed myself in my fellow climber\u2019s eyes by waiting with the injured woman through the night for a helicopter to pick her up, listening to her wail and cry in semi-delirium, and trying to keep her comfortable and calm. Being uninjured allowed me to step in as a caregiver when one was needed. Some, I guess, jump into the breach while others wait for the dust to settle before stepping in. I think maybe humanity needs both kinds of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n *************************************************************<\/p>\n\n\n\n For your further edification:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rightasrainonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Montana-Peak-678x1024.jpg\")
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