The rest of the Team.

Mike Roberts is our leader. We are the trolls to his Snow White, the rats to his Pied Piper, the Lemmings to his Ocean sounds. We like him. We trust him. We would follow him anywhere. So then, it is extraordinarily convenient that he comes highly qualified. Mike has been guiding mountain climbers for 24 years. In that time he has summited Everest three times. As well he has enjoyed multiple visits to the high summits of South America, Antarctica, North America, and Europe. He has climbed a lot of other notable peaks but his sense of humility would divert the listing of them to what the weather is doing now or how the Team will move tomorrow. One suspects that any pride Mike feels about standing on these peaks is more attributable to the satisfaction that comes with having helped the climbers standing next to him achieve their dream. Mike has the greatest laugh. It is sincere, big, and contagious. If it's possible to laugh with an accent I think Mikes native Kiwi rings through with endearing effect. Alex is our Russian Guide. He is gregarious by magnitudes which suggest all the misplaced mirth of Russia rides in his pockets. This morning he told me he had a dream about a slow motion movie. In this dream a man was falling into a stream, "in, in, in, he goes under," Alex says with a look of astonishment. "YOU are star of this movie," he says with a flashing smile. Then he hugs me and I feel like his little brother. Alex achieved climbing fame last year by solo summitting K2 in a 27 hour round trip from base camp. Combining he and Mike, it would be hard to imagine better care for this little band of dreamers.