--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I went to Everest, I underestimated…" description: "\"When I went to Everest, I underestimated things. I just didn't know what altitude could do. Or the cold - I especially didn't appreciate the cold. It c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/jon-krakauer-1557_altitude_when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated_3083284.png" --- # When I went to Everest, I underestimated things. I just… ![“When I went to Everest, I underestimated things. I just didn't know what altitude could do. Or the cold - I especially didn't appreciate the cold. It can be just debilitating, and things can happen so quickly.” quote by Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/jon-krakauer-1557_altitude_when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated_3083284.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/jon-krakauer-1557_altitude_when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated_3083284.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/jon-krakauer-1557_altitude_when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated_3083284.png) > “When I went to Everest, I underestimated things. I just didn't know what altitude could do. Or the cold - I especially didn't appreciate the cold. It can be just debilitating, and things can happen so quickly.” [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. High altitude environments can overwhelm the body and mind, making even routine tasks dangerous and demanding respect. **In simple terms:** Altitude can cripple you quickly. Key Takeaway Respect and prepare for extreme conditions. Themes adventure human limits nature risk Mood cautious reflective Type advice experience When to use this quote - mountaineering - expeditions - training - equipment selection Key Concepts physiology environmental stress survival Questions to Reflect On - How do you prepare for environmental extremes? - What signs indicate altitude sickness? A Different Perspective Altitude effects vary per individual; acclimatization is crucial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altitude/) [Altitude Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altitude-cold-5268683/) [Appreciate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciate/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Debilitating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debilitating/) [Everest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everest/) [Everest Underestimated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everest-underestimated-5268681/) [Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickly/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Underestimated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underestimated/) [Went Everest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-everest-5268682/) ## Related quotes > [“At the age of 45, most days in Tucson were spent feeling like I was on the summit of Mauna Kea, as I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-age-of-45-most-days-in-tucson-were-spent-feeling-like-i-was-on/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [This forms the nub of a dilemna that every Everest climber eventually comes up against: in order to succeed you must be exceedingly driven,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/this-forms-the-nub-of-a-dilemna-that-every-everest-climber-eventually/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [Above the comforts of Base Camp, the expedition in fact became an almost Calvinistic undertaking. The ratio of misery to pleasure was greater by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/above-the-comforts-of-base-camp-the-expedition-in-fact-became-an/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [But now that I was finally here, standing on the summit of Mount Everest, I just couldn't summon the energy to care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/but-now-that-i-was-finally-here-standing-on-the-summit-of-mount/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [The way to Everest is not a Yellow Brick Road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/the-way-to-everest-is-not-a-yellow-brick-road/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [You can get a lawyer with two months off or a New York socialite who wants to play at being Lewis and Clark and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/you-can-get-a-lawyer-with-two-months-off-or-a-new-york-socialite-who/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“Thus the slopes of Everest are littered with corpses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/thus-the-slopes-of-everest-are-littered-with-corpses/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [Everest has always been a magnet for kooks, publicity seekers, hopeless romantics and others with a shaky hold on reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/everest-has-always-been-a-magnet-for-kooks-publicity-seekers-hopeless/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“...I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil, tedium,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-quickly-came-to-understand-that-climbing-everest-was-primarily/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [I have really, really bad anxiety and it feels like it can be debilitating at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-ortega/i-have-really-really-bad-anxiety-and-it-feels-like-it-can-be/) [Jenna Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-ortega/) > [To be sympathetic without discrimination is so very debilitating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-firbank/to-be-sympathetic-without-discrimination-is-so-very-debilitating/) [Ronald Firbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-firbank/) > [“Philosophy is a distancing, if not debilitating, activity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/philosophy-is-a-distancing-if-not-debilitating-activity/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [Sitting too long in front of a screen proves both physically and psychologically debilitating, no matter how innocuous or even beneficial the programs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/sitting-too-long-in-front-of-a-screen-proves-both-physically-and/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [I can't imagine anything more debilitating, anything more challenging, anything more thrilling than to get on a stage and do any kind of play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-monaghan/i-can-t-imagine-anything-more-debilitating-anything-more-challenging/) [Michelle Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-monaghan/) > [I have learned that trying to guess what the boss or the client wants is the most debilitating of all influences in the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-have-learned-that-trying-to-guess-what-the-boss-or-the-client-wants/) [Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/) ## More by Jon Krakauer > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“Climbing mattered. The danger bathed the world in a halogen glow that caused everything—the sweep of the rock, the orange and yellow lichens, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/climbing-mattered-the-danger-bathed-the-world-in-a-halogen-glow-that/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/it-is-easy-when-you-are-young-to-believe-that-what-you-desire-is-no/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-read-a-lot-he-used-a-lot-of-big-words-i-think-maybe-part-of-what/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [ But \[Everett\] and McCandless, at least they tried to follow their dream. That’s what was great about them. They tried. Not many do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/but-everett-and-mccandless-at-least-they-tried-to-follow-their-dream/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“he was ready, perhaps, to shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart, that upon returning to civilization, he intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-was-ready-perhaps-to-shed-a-little-of-the-armor-he-wore-around-his/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [ “Continually question climbing pursuits. Do they draw one back to the climbing community? Or do they lead along the \[inner-directed\] path? This questioning generates… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/continually-question-climbing-pursuits-do-they-draw-one-back-to-the/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“The boy unmasked the gaping void in Franz's life even as he helped fill it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/the-boy-unmasked-the-gaping-void-in-franz-s-life-even-as-he-helped/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/unlike-muir-and-thoreau-mccandless-went-into-the-wilderness-not/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [I'm intrigued by fanatics - people who are seduced by the promise, or the illusion, of the absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-m-intrigued-by-fanatics-people-who-are-seduced-by-the-promise-or/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/you-are-wrong-if-you-think-joy-emanates-only-or-principally-from/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [I mean, how can you not be a feminist if you have a brain in your head? If you’re not a feminist, then you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-mean-how-can-you-not-be-a-feminist-if-you-have-a-brain-in-your-head/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“...I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil, tedium,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-quickly-came-to-understand-that-climbing-everest-was-primarily/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/going-to-have-to-be-real-careful-not-to-accept-any-gifts-from-them-in/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“He must have been very brave and very strong, at the end, not to do himself in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-must-have-been-very-brave-and-very-strong-at-the-end-not-to-do/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) [Explore all 221 Jon Krakauer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) ## More Altitude quotes > [Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/change-your-attitude-and-gain-some-altitude-believe-me-you-ll-love-it/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“I will do everything I legally can to shut down the toxic Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project atop Mauna Kea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-will-do-everything-i-legally-can-to-shut-down-the-toxic-thirty/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“I knew I was disabled when everyday home activities became overwhelming!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-knew-i-was-disabled-when-everyday-home-activities-became/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Over 275,000 people had signed to end the construction of the TMT telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) by week 20 of the protest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/over-275-000-people-had-signed-to-end-the-construction-of-the-tmt/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“The toxicity of medical and industrial gas to the human depends on where it is used. A gas that is regarded as safe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-toxicity-of-medical-and-industrial-gas-to-the-human-depends-on/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/it-is-not-your-aptitude-but-your-attitude-that-determines-your/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“Summit Lag occurs when a summit worker is kept in a permanent state of mal-acclimatization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/summit-lag-occurs-when-a-summit-worker-is-kept-in-a-permanent-state/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“My interest in astronomy took me to the premier astronomical observatories in the world before I developed occupational diseases and became disabled at age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/my-interest-in-astronomy-took-me-to-the-premier-astronomical/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall - it's great when you stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-darwin/climbing-at-altitude-is-like-hitting-your-head-against-a-brick-wall/) [Chris Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-darwin/) > [Attitude and not the Aptitude decide the Altitude you reach in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/attitude-and-not-the-aptitude-decide-the-altitude-you-reach-in-life/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“Plastic bottles of Gatorade were given free to very high altitude workers on Mauna Kea and they were advised to drink it while on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/plastic-bottles-of-gatorade-were-given-free-to-very-high-altitude/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [With the altitude in the Rocky Mountains, the ball jumps off your foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-tucker/with-the-altitude-in-the-rocky-mountains-the-ball-jumps-off-your-foot/) [Justin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-tucker/) > [I believe it is our attitude that determines our altitude. It is our attitude that allows us to soar above those things that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/i-believe-it-is-our-attitude-that-determines-our-altitude-it-is-our/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [“It's your ATTITUDE not your APTITUDE that ultimately determines your ALTITUDE!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-your-attitude-not-your-aptitude-that-ultimately-determines-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Poor diet combined with high altitude exposures may bring increased risks of illnesses and cancers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/poor-diet-combined-with-high-altitude-exposures-may-bring-increased/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 214 Altitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I went to Everest, I underestimated things. I just didn't know what altitude could do. Or the cold - I especially didn't appreciate the cold. It can be just debilitating, and things can happen so quickly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Krakauer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated-things-i-just-didn-t-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Altitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated-things-i-just-didn-t-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/jon-krakauer-1557_altitude_when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated_3083284.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/jon-krakauer-1557_altitude_when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated_3083284.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/jon-krakauer-1557_altitude_when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated_3083284.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I went to Everest, I underestimated things. I just didn't know what altitude could do. Or the cold - I…” — Jon Krakauer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jon Krakauer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I went to Everest, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated-things-i-just-didn-t-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/when-i-went-to-everest-i-underestimated-things-i-just-didn-t-know/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```