What did mortenson learn from his failed attempt to summit K2?

He learned to appreciate the mountain itself. Mortenson had all the knowledge one could ever want about the mountain; he had studied the peaks extensively, but the one thing he had never done was truly appreciate them for what they were, proof of of the beuty God has created.

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“All summer, I’d looked at these mountains as goals, totally focused on the biggest one, K2. I’d thought about their elevation and the technical challenges they presented to me as a climber. But that morning…for the first time, I simply saw them. It was overwhelming.”[]