Grunsfeld and Caitlin
In the video, a group of world-class athletes and scientists are trying to solve the mystery of why high altitude and extreme weather can kill, as they put their lives at risk. To solve this mystery, they have to climb to the top of Denali, which the narrator describes as the highest mountain in North America and probably the coldest mountain globally. Annually, many climbers come from all over the world to climb Denali. Half of them succeed and get to the top of the mountain, while the other half fail. In some instances, failure in Denali can mean death. Dr. Peter Hackett, who is responsible for the medical rescue camp for climbers who develop complications as they climb the mountain, noted that about two decades ago, not much was known about high altitude illness. Hackett’s mission is to find out why climbers on Denali become sick and eventually die.
To achieve this mission, Hackett has come with a team of world-class scientists and athletes, led by Colby Coombs. Coombs is the director of the Alaska Mountaineering school. Having successfully steered to the summit of Denali more than a dozen times, he understands the dangers awaiting the team. Coombs mentions altitude, the cold, glacier travel, and winter camping as crucial challenges likely to be faced.
The ascent begins at midnight, with the plan to hike the West Buttress of Denali. The time required by the team to achieve each level of their climb will be dependent on their speed and strength, weather, and trail conditions. After reaching the first camp at 11,000 feet, the expedition starts facing challenges related to the cold weather. As the team climbs to the summit, Hackett uses the thermo pills to record the core temperatures of the members to prevent them from becoming victims of the mountain’s high lethal altitude. The narrator notes that as they climb, oxygen becomes less, which is described as hypoxia. Hypoxia causes nausea, breathlessness, and headaches. Hackett gives the team ginkgo- an ancient herbal remedy and placebo to see if the former can prevent the devastating effects of altitude sickness. As they go past 14,000 feet, several of the subjects begin to experience acute mountain sickness. About 33 percent of the volunteers who took ginkgo got sick, while 66 percent of those who received the placebo did, which means ginkgo reduces the incidence of mountain sickness by 50 percent. At 16,000 feet, one of the climbers is caught in the storm and has to be rescued by the Special Forces of the National Guard.
The higher the team climbs, the colder it gets, and the air increasingly becomes thin. Therefore, they must be on guard because anything that causes a lapse in judgment or incapacitates them physically can cause an accident or death. When they reach the 17,200 feet High Camp, the rest to acclimatize to the extreme cold, low oxygen, and high altitude. The climber who fell collapsed because of high altitude pulmonary edema. The narrator explains that HAPE is caused when the heart pumps excessive blood through the lungs, which forces the blood vessels to swell. When this happens, the alveoli, which are responsible for transferring oxygen from the lungs, burst, causing the lungs to fill with fluid. Hackett and Donner will closely watch out for HAPE as the climbers make their final bid to the summit of the mountain.
After waiting for six days in the high camp, the team sets out for the final 3,000 feet. The conditions of the group, however, make it difficult for them to ascend. Despite their excellent, poor planning and experience strike again, the same phenomenon they had experienced at 12,000 feet. As they head up the mountain, Grunsfeld’s internal temperatures go up dangerously high, while the outside temperature of Denali goes forty below zero. The air is extremely thin, and it is becoming more difficult for him to breathe. The team teaches Denali Pass at midnight. They have clawed 1,000 feet in just three hours, another 2,000 feet, and they will be at the summit of Denali. Coombs tries to get in touch with Hackett and Donner, but they are out of range. At this altitude, astronaut Grunsfeld is colder and higher than he has ever been in his previous encounters. As the team rests, his core temperatures drop down significantly. He is faced with the dilemma of whether to ascend to the top or descend. They decide to come back to High Camp after climbing 1,000 feet. As they recuperate, Grunsfeld’s condition is worsening. The team’s dilemma is whether to make a second attempt to the summit or not. Grunsfeld is showing symptoms of acute mountain sickness and high-altitude pulmonary edema. He has pounding headaches and extremely low levels of blood oxygen. His coughing suggests that the air sacks in the lungs are filled with fluid, which is a recipe for death.
Grunsfeld and Caitlin finally make the decision to descend, with Colby weighing the option of whether to continue to the summit or join them. Colby is informed that his close friend and ranger, Cale Shaffer, crashed in a plane carrying rescue mountaineers and the pilot. Cale was the park ranger in the plane. The narrator notes that in most cases, it is the people who volunteer to save lives on the mountain who end up either dying or being faced with extreme weather conditions, which lead to accidents. From High Camp, he decides to push to the summit of Denali. Dr. Hackett established that core temperatures of the climbers went up as high as 103 degrees, and when they stop climbing, the core temperatures drop significantly.