Yesterday, I climbed Mount Everest and even just watching from the couch left me cold and exhausted. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, yet never will. My knees shake from going up a ladder, let alone one perched above a bottomless crevasse. I’ve never been one to shy from a physical challenge but not one that requires you to step over frozen bodies to get to the top. You can feel the frostbite in your extremities and see the danger of each death defying step. It’s also odd to consider that one of the biggest dangers is being stuck in a line for hours trying to withstand forty below conditions because of the bottleneck of climbers trying to get to the peak. I hate lines!

Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World is the closest I’ll ever get to the real thing. It’s enough terror for this old man, plus it’s somewhat cheaper than the $40,000 price tag of paying a mountain guide. Besides, I would prefer sweat over numb while waiting in line for hours. Also, the only Yeti I’ll ever see outside a theme park is the cooler we own. There are still two more seasons to watch of Everest: Beyond the Limit that will further convince me to stay as far away as possible. At least, it’s something new to watch on afternoon TV.

In the evenings, we continue to explore the Hitchcock movies. We started with 39 Steps, followed by Rear Window and Dial M For Murder. Tonight, we have dinner at a friend’s house in the interest of variety that will keep us out of the living room. Soon, we’ll be on that plane to Florida and far away from these cold, damp conditions. We’ll also be on safe flat land rather than a dangerous icy mountain, worried about sharks rather than Abominable Snowmen, and sunburn instead of frostbite. We’re off to the Everglades – not Everest!