TOW #15

Unraveling

Austin Siadak

The Cleanest Line

            “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks” (John Muir). The picture below was placed at the beginning of the article. It gives the impression of hope and excitement for the coming adventure. Unfortunately things didn’t go complete according to plan for Siadak and his expedition. 7 days of blasting snow storms dumped feet of snow on them and kept them huddled in a cave. At first spirits were high among the group, “We sip hot drinks, sing songs, talk about girls, fill out crossword puzzles. We smoke cigarettes, crack jokes, dream aloud about the climbing we’ll do when the storm stops” (Siadak 3). But as the storm wore on people began getting on each other’s nerves. This is where the title of the article suddenly starts to make sense. Siadak writes that he truly believed that they would still be able to make the big wall ascent they traveled to Patagonia to make. It is interesting because the author is writing about his own experiences but because of how different the two versions of himself are it feels like he’s telling a fictional story. The days of cramped existence took a toll on Siadak, he writes, “If I’d been more aware, I would have recognized that confidence for the selfish hubris it was” (7). When trying to emphasis a point to the audience he sometimes repeats a word making it its own sentence. In one case he wants to show how meaningless and stupid their arguments are, “We bicker and snap. We fight over salt. Salt” (6). This technique is extremely effective and makes the article sound more like it is coming right from the mouth of this mountain adventurer. They don’t make any assent and the irony is that it was their own selfish desires to climb the peaks that unraveled their plans to get there.