“I can’t believe the news today, oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away.” I could probably start to sing this U2’s song right away because I spent whole day reading following titles: American climber dead on Aconcagua, Losing a New Friend on Aconcagua’s Polish Direct, Climber Dies in “Serious” Mount Hood Fall, Three Climbers Die on Aconcagua, Rob Gauntlett died in a climbing accident in the Mont Blanc mountain etc. I recalled Robert MacFarlan’s words from ‘Mountains of Mind’: “People who regulary take big risks in the mountains must be considered either profoundly selfish or incapable of sympathy for those who love them”.  On the one hand, I understand what he is writing, but I am not sure I agree. To express it with Wanda’s words: ”I’d rather don’t waste my life. I prefer to risk it.” On the other hand, when Goran last year went to Denali and I read about two Japanese climber missing on Denali, I was catching my breath for the first time. I knew much more about risks and dangers on Denali than about Aconcagua or Mt. Hood, two mountains that Goran climbed some years before. Still, without risk - within the lines, we’ll stagnate.

Goran on the summit of Mt. Hood. For the gallery, click on the picture.