I just finished reading the online version of this weekend’s New York Times travel section, and what did I see, but another fantastic article about K2. Many think that Everest is the most dangerous mountain in the world, and after reading Ed Viesturs’ book K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain, I sure learned how intimidating and deadly K2 really is.
I highly recommend you read the New York Times article. Why? Because it is a great reminder how alpine hiking is dangerous, and we all need to be aware of the challenges associated with climbing at altitude. The article captures the struggles of just getting to Base Camp! After hiking to the peak of Mt. Whitney last year, I have set my sights on some other challenging peaks. Not K2 or Everest, but the respective Base Camps seem reasonable (with extreme caution!) 
The author of the article, Graham Bowley, traveled to K2 last June with his cousin. Their goal – to reach Base Camp and learn more for Bowley’s upcoming book called “No Way Down”. But despite their experience and research on the place, the author and his cousin still had to be helicoptered out because of altitude sickness.
Ed Viesturs does a good job in his book relaying the challenges and struggles of achieving the peak (and returning alive), but this article puts it all in perspective for someone like me whose big aspiration would be to go to Base Camp, not the top. Even then there are risks we all need to be aware of, and this article is a great reminder.
The NY Times article on K2 (plus slideshow).
