It Happened on Mount Everest: I Discovered My Higher Self, I Found Love, I Found Spirituality, and I Began to Discover My Destiny

By J. Randy Hall

Zach, an expert climber from Utah, and Jen, a famous world-class climber from Colorado, set out to fulfill their separate dreams of climbing the highest mountain in the world. They went with different climbing groups for their attempt on Mount Everest. Their groups begin their ascent about a month apart. A tragedy occurs on the mountain, the fate of which will bring these two together is a most unexpected manner.
“It Happened on Mount Everest” takes the reader on a breathtaking adventure into the farthest reaches of the planet in Tibet. The reader will accompany the two protagonists on one of the most difficult climbs in the world, and also learn of other climbs throughout the world that prepared them for this dangerous adventure. The possibility of death is ever present, as many previous climbers have died on Mount Everest. By the time the first 600 people had climbed Mount Everest, 150 people had died attempting to summit.


But these climbers will express the thrill of adventure, and the discovery of the beauty and magnificence of life, when one takes that life to the very edge. It also takes the reader on an adventure into the deepest reaches of the human soul—who we really are—human potentiality—and love. This book was inspired by true life events, but is a work of fiction.
An unintended romance develops under extremely difficult circumstances, at a difficult time, and in a strange environment. Will this new relationship survive adversity? Will the spiritual lessons learned in a monastery help the fragile relationship of this couple cope with their different family backgrounds and their diverse life styles when they return to the states from Tibet?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781982263898

J. Randy Hall

That smile is born of Randy engaging in one of his favorite activities. In the old days they would hold a gelande contest (jumping) for the ski racers after the races were completed. In this photo he is jumping in one of these contests on the old Nordic Ski Jump at Sundance Ski Resort, Utah. This is Randy’s third book. His first book is “Divine Intervention” written with his wife Helen. This book is a true story about an airplane crash that Randy, Helen and two of their children were involved in along with their friends, the Wagstaffs. It is a rather hair-raising account of their plane icing up at night and crashing in the mountains in Arizona on their way to Mexico. It involves unusual miracles and of course Divine Intervention, without which Randy would not be writing his sequel to this book. The book he is currently writing is about Zach and Jenn raising a family in the mountains in Utah. Zach decides to divert from his teaching career and start a cookie manufacturing business near their home. Disaster strikes and he and Jenn must find answers to their dilemma. This is essentially a book on entrepreneurship. Randy is married to Helen Hall, and they are the parents of six children and eight grandchildren. They are currently living in Utah. The author would love to hear your comments. You can email him at: [e-mail]

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Copyright © 2021 J. Randy Hall.

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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue

in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-6388-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-6389-8 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date:  04/12/2021

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1     Zach

Chapter 2     Zach At Home

Chapter 3     Jenn

Chapter 4     Final Preparations

Chapter 5     Just Getting To Everest

Chapter 6     Zach Gets Ready For The Big Climb

Chapter 7     Finally, The Climb For Jenn And Ben’s Group

Chapter 8     Beautiful, But Deadly

Chapter 9     Help Me!

Chapter 10   Day 2

Chapter 11   Miraculous Trek

Chapter 12   Day 7

Chapter 13   Day 9, A Great Day

Chapter 14   The Monastery

Chapter 15   Healing

Chapter 16   Healing Physically And Spiritually

Chapter 17   Don’t Leave Me

Chapter 18   Zach’s Attempt On Everest

Chapter 19   It’s A Good Day To Summit

Chapter 20   Up And Then Back Down

Chapter 21   The Wall

Chapter 22   Getting To Know You

Chapter 23   Life At The Monastery

Chapter 24   Ang

Chapter 25   Discovery

Chapter 26   The Self

Chapter 27   Are We There?

Chapter 28   Love Is Dynamic, It Grows

Chapter 29   Homeward Bound

Chapter 30   Enlightenment

Chapter 31   Romance

Chapter 32   Home

Chapter 33   Back To Work

Chapter 34   The Taylor Family

Chapter 35   What Now?

Chapter 36   Surprise

Chapter 37   On Top Of Ensign Peak

Epilogue: Ten Years Later

About The Author

INTRODUCTION

In 1982, Dick Bass, the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah, and Frank Wells the president of Warner Brothers, assembled a competent team of world-class mountain climbers to assist them in their attempt to climb the North Face of Mount Everest. It was part of their Seven Summits on Seven Continents quest. They would become the first to accomplish this amazing achievement. They brought along Marty Hoey, who directed the ski patrol for Snow Bird Ski Resort in Utah during winter and guided on Mount McKinley in Alaska during summer. She was an accomplished high-altitude climber.

After three weeks on Everest, the group had established camp 5 at about 25,000 feet. A small group of the best climbers on the expedition were in the process of setting up fixed ropes and finding a spot for camp 6 at just under 27,000 feet (the final camp before summiting). Jim Wickwire tells what happened in his book Seven Summits, by Dick Bass, Frank Wells, and Rick Ridgeway’.

The others were about a hundred feet above, looking for a site for camp 6, and Mary Hoey and I were at a rock in the middle of the Great Couloirs. (The Great Couloirs is an ice field, about 4000 feet of near vertical slope). The weather was deteriorating (about 30 below and windy) and we could see the others only intermittently through the mist. I heard a call down from above for more rope, and I was just moving to put my pack on when Marty said, ‘Let me get out of your way’. Then I heard this rattling of carabineers and I looked to see her falling backwards. She grabbed for the fixed rope but couldn’t quite reach it. She really gathered speed and then was gone. I looked back and saw her jumar (ascender) still attached to the fixed rope and to it her open harness, just hanging there. I guess she didn’t loop the belt back through the buckle, and it pulled through when she leaned back. I’m sure she went the whole way (down the mountain), 6,000 feet of vertical.

Dick (Bass) felt as if somehow his nerves now extended through his skin so each pore burned as though he might incinerate on the spot, to vaporize and disappear. He prayed he could purge his memory of what he had just heard (on the radio), that he could edit out that overwhelming despair, that he could come back and things would have returned to the way they were before. (Dick and Marty had become very close friends, particularly after Dick’s climbing Mount McKinley with Marty).

Over the radio Whittaker (the expedition leader) told everyone to take the day off, and Dick and Frank descended with Wickwire to camp 2. Some of the others climbed over to the base of the North Wall to see if they could spot anything. There was no sign, and it was felt that Marty had probably disappeared into the heavily crevassed area that separated the wall from the glacier. In the camps there was quiet mourning. Nearly everyone on the team had worked with Marty for years, and to some she was a best friend.

Marty Hoey’s body was never found. The expedition group sent Marty’s belongings home to her parents. She was not a worldly person and did not have much to send. A memorial cairn to Marty was erected out of rocks below the North wall of Mount Everest in Tibet, with her name engraved in rock and remains there today.

This book is a work of fiction. However, most of the stories and events in this novel are based on the author’s personal experiences and the real-life experiences of friends and acquaintances, but many of the names of the people have been changed to protect their identities. While the author did not know Marty Hoey personally, the idea for this book was stirred by her tragic event.

The author had the opportunity to teach skiing at Snowbird Ski resort in Utah, where he was able to meet many interesting characters. He was captain of the Brigham Young University ski team in Provo, Utah and participated in the Alpine Club where some of the events in this book had their genesis. The author is solely responsible for the book’s content, and does not make reference to any person in particular. There are pictures and footnotes in the back of the book explaining more detail behind some of the events in this story, based on real life experiences.

Many say that the Himalaya Mountains have a spiritual nature. Tibet, the home of the Dali Lama is considered one of the most spiritual countries in the world. Zach, the protagonist, found out why this is true.

Trekkers attending a ceremony at a Monastery

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Pictures of Mount Everest.

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The Rongbuk monastery lies near the base of the north side of Mount Everest at 4,980 metres (16,340 ft) above sea level, at the end of the Dzakar Chu valley. Rongbuk is claimed to be the highest monastery in the world. The monastery was also regularly visited by the early expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s and 1930s after a five week journey from Darjeeling in the foothills of the Himalaya

Picture used by permission of iStock Photos

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The Hillary Steps about 200 feet below the summit of Mount Everest.

Picture used by permission from iStock Photos

CHAPTER 1

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ZACH

The humming of the airplane’s motor provided Zach some peace and calm but the new silence robbed him of his tentative serenity and security. The pilot had cut the throttle to glide onto the glacier on approach to the North side of Mount McKinley in Alaska at the slowest speed possible. Too much speed and landing on the rough glacier ice can tear the skis off the plane; too little speed and the plane stalls and crashes. Even at the right speed if the skis on the plane hit a crevasse or a snow bridge the plane can cartwheel and kill the passengers. On the South side of McKinley where most of the climbers begin their climb a runway on the glacier is marked with flags and is quite smooth. But this was the treacherous north side where there are no markers and few pilots ever attempt to land.

Before he had a chance to digest these thoughts the plane had already landed and it was time to unload the gear and begin their assault on Denali (The native name for Mount McKinley). Chuck, the pilot told Zach and his two companions to pay attention before they deplaned. Look over there and you will see two grizzly bears in that clump of pine trees on the North end of the landing site. I suggest you keep a good eye on these two observers of potential food. This time of year, the bears are hungry and at best will only be interested in eating your food, but at worst may possibly be interested in tearing apart your flesh limb by limb for a tasty human meal. Don’t dilly dally around, but get up on top of one of the steeper cliffs over there. Your friendly grizzly bears can’t climb those steep ice faces, like you can with crampons and ice axes.

Strikingly good-looking Zachary Taylor, six feet two inches in height, sandy blond hair and deep blue eyes stood taller than his two college roommates Jerry and Kent. They stood by the plane loading their plastic sleds with food and gear and then stepped into their cross-country skis intent on pulling their sleds with a waist harness rather quickly. They were ready to go. The pilot said he would fire up the plane as soon as they dashed to the safety of the ice cliffs about a quarter of a mile away. The pilot warned, This may keep the bears away from you for a few minutes. Sorry guys, but I did not bring my rifle this time. You’ll most likely be ok—just make it quick.

As they charged to the cliffs, the bears waited a few moments until they got accustomed to the roar of the plane’s motor and then started meandering towards the boys. These two brethren, two rather large grizzly bears, possibly nine feet tall when standing followed them at a distance of about 200 yards, which would be about a 14-15 second charge, should they decide to hurry up for their meal. Bears run twice as fast as humans. Zach could not help but wonder what it would feel like to have his back shredded by these predators. At one point he could almost feel their five-inch claws tearing into his back. He saw the bears leave the trees to follow them. But after skiing for a few hundred yards, he did not dare take time to look back, and thus he had no idea of their distance.

But his worst fears never materialized. The bears never came closer than 100 yards. The guys made it to the cliffs without incident. Zach climbed quickly up the ice face, and then while Jerry and Kent climbed he hoisted their sleds and gear up the mountain. Once all three were on top of a large flat area, the bears lost interest and went back to their clump of trees. As they took a few minutes to better organize their gear Zach said he had named the bears Bubba and Mac. He imitated the bears suggesting to Kent and Jerry that Bubba was probably scolding Mac for not hustling to pick up their lunch. You lazy SOB, Martha will be madder than a hornet. How will I ever explain to her and the cubs that I did not hustle for our lunch?

They took time and re-packed their food and gear to make sure everything was accounted for and secure. Then Kent said, Since weren’t someone else’s lunch today, let’s take a few minutes to have our own lunch. We also need to drink lots of fluid. Dehydration on this mountain is legendary. The all agreed.

Hundreds climb the south side every summer, but only a few fearless souls attempt the North Face of McKinley. To climb this side of the mountain, climbers start from a low elevation of 1,000 feet to climb 19,000 vertical feet up the steeper and more treacherous north side. Most climbers land on the Kahiltna Glacier which is on the south side at 7,000 feet elevation with a 14,000 climb to reach the 20,320-foot summit of McKinley.

As Zach listened to the humming of the plane taking off watching it fade into the western sky, he wondered what lay in store for him on this expedition. Fear was not normally in the Taylor lexicon. Therefore, it was more rousing anticipation than fear which dominated his thought process prior to this climb. In fact, when climbing mountains, he felt more like David meeting Goliath. Jerry and Kent felt the same way so the three adventurers had a high level of confidence in their bid to summit the mighty North Face of Mount McKinley. Zach reminded his climbing buddies that, We are facing 19,000 vertical feet of ice and snow, which is unequaled in the climbing world. It would be akin to a Himalayan experience.

To carry all their food and gear they back-country skied up the long glacier into their first night’s camp. They would spend almost a full week on the lower glaciers of the mountain and over three weeks on the mountain altogether.

Zach reflected on some of the events and experiences in his life that got him to this point. Zach could not remember a time when he looked at a mountain and did not ache to climb it—we’re talking from the time he was pre-kindergarten. It seemed as if every mountain begged to be climbed by Zach, to feel his feet on her slopes, to feel his heavy breathing while climbing vertical walls, and to see the look in his eyes upon summiting and gazing at the view.

Zach grew up on a farm in a mountain valley in a small town by the name of Huntsville, Utah, which is about 30 miles northeast of Ogden, Utah. Some of the neighbors and friends said of him, Grew up is an overstatement, or exaggeration because Zach never really grew up—all he did was seek adventure playing in the mountains and pursuing every outdoor activity known to man. If you call ascending every peak over 11,000 feet in Utah, and skiing down many of these peaks, and all the significant peaks in the surrounding states, along with back country skiing, alpine skiing, water skiing, kayaking, and actually teaching and making some money from these activities, then he would be guilty as charged.

The next morning they awoke to a deep blue sky with a monster white cream puff in front of them—the cream puff being this monster mountain. It was time to continue to climb the glacier. They started skiing uphill on the glacier. Their skis had skins on the bottom enabling them to walk up steep hills without sliding backward. When one pets a short-haired dog it is obvious that the hand slides smoothly from the head along the back but when one slides their hand the other way it is met with stiff resistance—thus skins on the bottom of skis.

The going was slow. They took turns leading and breaking trail. Kent joked about the grizzlies and commented that Yesterday was rather exciting—today seems boring.

Zach said, We want boring on this mountain. You know the dangers—I won’t bore you with details. Zach was somewhat prophetic in his pronouncement. About two hours later, Kent was breaking trail and leading the group, about 30 yards ahead of Zach and Jerry. Suddenly Zach heard a terrifying scream and saw Kent disappear. Zach skied as fast as he could to get to the spot where Kent disappeared. Upon arriving at the spot, he could hear a voice with a slight echo, Get me the hell out of here. This hurts.

Kent had skied over a snow bridge which broke and then he fell into a crevasse. He was wedged into the scary cavity, both he and his skis about 25 feet down. They were not roped up at this point, but luckily the crevasse had a bottom. Zach yelled to Jerry to explain what happened. Hurry, we both need to pull him out. To Kent’s chagrin, before pulling him out Jerry insisted on taking a picture of him in the cavity with his skis pressed up against his chest. They would get a good laugh after the trip.

They toiled up the mountain for two and half more weeks. After spending almost three weeks on the mountain since being dropped off by the pilot, having fully acclimatized, they were finally hunkered down at 17,500 feet, ready to summate. Later that night they found themselves on an angry mountain in a major storm with the temperature at minus 20 degrees; the wind at 20 to 30 mph, and the wind chill factor at minus 50 degrees. Zach would later write about his experience in a mountaineering journal.

"We had been on the mountain for over three weeks. We were only the second party to attempt the North Face of McKinley that summer. We started our climb from an elevation of only 1,000 feet and had climbed over 16,000 vertical feet. Some of the climbing was near vertical and required ropes, anchors, belaying each other and a lot of technical expertise.

Though none of us said anything, we felt that if the storm did not let up, we may die on the third day. The tent was starting to come apart from the high winds, and we had burned part of it from a cook stove. We were almost out of food and we only had a few minutes of fuel left for our cooking stoves to melt water and to be able to fix hot soup and cocoa. Snow does not work well for drinking so heating is sorely needed to avoid dehydration. We had been hanging on, clearing snow off of our tent every hour 24 hours a day. We were exhausted, freezing, and weak from the high altitude. If we got to a point, where we were too exhausted and could not dig the snow off the tent we would suffocate, or if we lost the tent altogether, we would freeze to death. One does not last long in minus 50-degree temperature without shelter and food to provide energy for body heat. At high elevations, without food, water, or shelter, people typically die within 24 hours. Someone suggested prayer. The three of us prayed with a great deal of sincerity. We made certain promises to the Lord. I had never prayed with such intent. After our prayers a warm feeling came over me, and I had no thoughts of death after that.

By noon on the fourth day, the clouds broke, and the temperature warmed. The three of us summited and returned, coming down the much easier and heavily trafficked south face. We made it to the Kahiltna Glacier by the next day, and flew in a ski plane back to Talkeetna. I still think that careful planning, and not taking unnecessary chances saved our lives. In other words, my Dad’s counsel has come into play many times in my life, ‘Son, always prepare well, and error on the side of safety." (See Note 1 in back of the book)

CHAPTER 2

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ZACH AT HOME

Climbing and skiing were as important as breathing for Zach, and he also had a great desire to ski down many of the mountains he would climb. He always wanted to, but could never quite imagine in his wildest dreams going on an expedition the magnitude of a Himalayan adventure. He would soon be invited on a trip that would take him to the outer reaches of this planet and perhaps even more amazing and awe-inspiring, the inner reaches of his soul. Who would have ever dreamed that these prodigious mountains would have a spiritual nature; where Zach would discover who he is and learn about the nature of love within their shadows?

Putting fears at bay came natural for the courageous young Zach. Yet when considering the hundreds of bodies lying frozen in the eternal snows and ice on the highest slopes in the world, there was at times some curiosity. Would he someday join these frozen corpses?

Surprisingly, even after coming close to joining other frozen bodies on McKinley Zach had an even stronger desire to climb Mount Everest, but wondered if he would ever get this opportunity. George Mallory said, when asked why men trek all over the world to climb mountains said, Because they are there. The 38-year-old Mallory and 22-year-old Andrew Irvine, along with a British Expedition set out to reach the summit of 29,028 feet Mount Everest on June 8, 1924, nearly three decades before the first successful ascent in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. On that fateful day, Mallory and Irvine, climbing without oxygen, left their high camp at 26,700 feet (already above the death zone of 25,000 feet), to attempt to climb to the summit. They were thought to be seen near 28,000 feet in telescopes from a lower camp. No one knows for sure if they summited, but it is thought by most experts that this was as high as they achieved, the highest anyone had ever been in the world. George Mallory’s body was discovered at 27,641 feet by Conrad Anker in 1999. Mallory had obviously fallen to his death. The team recovered several artifacts including a bundle of letters, his watch, a pocketknife, and goggles. They did not find the collapsible vest pocket Kodak camera he carried, which might have provided undisputed proof that the pair had reached the summit.

There are more than 240 bodies strewn on Mount Everest, preserved in remarkable fine shape because of the perennial freezing temperatures. Some of the bodies have been thrown in to crevasses and some bodies have been hauled down the mountain, but this is rare. Of the first 600 people that summated Everest, over 150 people died in the attempt to climb the highest mountain in the world—that is one for every four people that achieved success.

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Zach’s parents taught their kids to alpine ski at local resorts in Utah. According to Zach, "Shortly before my 5th birthday, on Christmas morning my younger sister Nicki and I woke up extra early and charged downstairs to find two pair of skis, poles, and boots standing by the Christmas tree. It was barely getting light when we ran out behind our house, climbed a small hill and tried to ski. We would glide straight down the hill until we crashed and then laugh and express to each other our good fortune at being able to ski like our parents.

In an essay Zach wrote in college he said this, For some reason ever since that day behind our house, skiing in the winter and climbing mountains in the summer were my life. I enrolled in the junior race program and raced throughout the state for a number of years in USSA (United States Ski Association) races. I loved perfecting my ski abilities and even enjoyed the competition, often placing in the top five in a number of races. Midway through high school I found myself doing more extreme skiing and backcountry skiing. It was more thrilling to me to climb an imposing mountain and ski its near vertical slopes than to race, and so gradually I left the racing world.

If one can picture a drawing by Norman Rockwell of an old white Victorian farm house in the mountains of Utah with kids, chickens and farm animals running around, you would understand how Zach grew up. He had a great family. His father, Paul loved to farm and taught him at an early age to appreciate the earth and all that it provides. His Dad was somewhat of gentleman farmer; teaching history at the local high school was his real job. His mother Linda, also taught high school—she taught English. Teaching provided his parents with lots of free time to take the kids on outdoor adventures. The family included a younger sister, Nicki, and two younger brothers, Jim and Jess. The boys were fortunate to have a mom who was a perfect mother for boys, as she loved doing many of the outdoor activities that they enjoyed, and encouraged them to explore and to learn.

Glad to be finished with high school and happy to be attending college would be an understatement for Zach. He writes about his college years: "Because of my poor grades due to farm work and adventures, I decided to go to Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City, where it would be easy to find a part time job, and of course be close to the best ski resorts in Utah. Admittedly, my high school grades were not sufficient to get into Utah State, U of U, or BYU, so this was my only alternative for my first year, and then I would transfer to a major university. The fact that there would be great rock climbing in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, only 20 to 30 minutes from where I lived in Salt Lake was a nice perk.

Some of the best granite walls in the state were in these canyons, with many well-established routes that had fixed bolts for safety. Climbing routes are rated from 5 to 5.11, but now since people can climb vertical walls and overhangs with very few ‘holds’, the ratings include 5.12 to 5.15 with an A, B, and C in each of these grades. For example, a 5.14C was at one time thought to be an impossible climbing route, but now they go beyond this classification. My preference was not so much to go out and climb established routes, which was always convenient, close, and of course good practice, but to pick a mountain with some difficult, technical wall faces, and climb to the top, and enjoy the view from the summit.

I did well my first year at Salt Lake Community College, despite my active social and outdoor recreation life. My general education classes were not that difficult, so I earned a good GPA and was accepted to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah the next year. I already had visions of climbing in Rock Canyon right above the university, and participating with the Alpine Club on campus. I had heard that they take lots of trips, and they do both summer climbing and winter mountaineering. I had been advised that many fine looking, somewhat athletic ladies join this club to be able to learn climbing skills. I knew I would end up being more an instructor for the club—which I did. Life would be good.

It turned out I loved everything about BYU and had more fun than I ever imagined. It is an extremely friendly campus, with thousands of like-minded students, and a myriad of activities going on all the time. The education department is one of the best in the Western States, and so I felt like I was headed in the right direction. I got a job teaching skiing, both alpine and cross-country for the school, and was paid well for doing what I love.

I had met several great ladies at school but when I saw Jody walking down the hallway in the Smith Field House to sign up for skiing, I was taken back. Whoa, I thought—who is she? This tall lady with faded jeans, a tight sweater top, all the right curves, and long blond hair bouncing around her shoulders as she walked was stunning to say the least. I thought to myself—she is perfect in every way—she must be the Ski Goddess. I was with a group of instructors and we were talking about how we would organize the ski school. We thought that we looked rather cool, but as I look back, I realize that our thinking was flawed, especially when our jaws dropped and hung open staring at Jody. I assumed she would ask to take an advanced ski class, because she had the look of an accomplished skier. To my surprise, she informed the ski school director, Gary that she wanted to teach a class, that she had been teaching skiing since high school and had been racing since junior high school. She was about ready to go before the board in the Intermountain Ski Association (A division of PSIA, Professional Ski Instructors of America) for certification. I was not certified at this point. She was obviously a more accomplished ski instructor than me.

She laughed easily and made friends with Gary quickly. He suggested to her that while he had already picked his staff, he would like her for back-up. Somehow, she and Gary talked about mountain biking, mountain climbing, fly-fishing, kayaking, and more. Gary qualified as an expert in all of these, and I assumed by their conversation that she too, was an expert in these activities. I was dumb-struck. Who is this woman? As she walked out of the room and down the hallway, I could not take my eyes off of her. She moved well. I thought to myself, there goes the perfect girl. She’s it.

Gary walked up to me with a silly grin and said, ‘Zach I want you to take charge of the next training session, and train about a dozen new instructors including Jody who just walked out of my office.’ He looked serious for a moment and then busted out laughing. ‘I saw how you looked at her.’ Gary and I had become good friends.

Within a week I was dating Jody. We skied and hung out a lot together before and after our ski classes. She taught within two weeks, and was definitely a better teacher than me. We had both been junior racers, and so we could fly down the slopes at a rather high speed—the steeper and the more extreme the terrain the better. I remember skiing at Snowbird with her, crossing over the Cirque Traverse and then watching Jody take off before me at the top of Great Scott’s Bowl jumping off the cornice and flying down though the powder with considerable speed. I could not take my eyes off of her. I was gazing at poetry on the mountain. She stood still at the bottom looking back up at me. Using her tracks, I jumped off the cornice and did a front flip, and then I made perfect ‘V-eights’ out of her tracts half way down the bowl, before traversing over to an out-cropping and jumped for about 30 feet doing a ‘helicopter’ in the air. When I skied up to her at the bottom of the run, she was staring at me, and her eyes were glassy. I said, Hey what’s wrong—you ok?

‘Zach, I can’t ever remember having so much fun skiing. I have never skied with another man who takes over the mountain like you, who skies with such fluidity, grace and strength. You have to understand that the guys I have skied with have never been able to out-ski me—you are the first—I absolutely love this about you. And on top of all that you are the best looking, most striking guy I have ever been with.’

I dropped my ski poles, slid my skis between her skis in front of her and put my hands on her arms, which were holding her ski poles—that way she could not move even if she wanted to. Thanks, that means a lot coming from you, although I’m not sure if you are completely accurate about me out-skiing you. May I ask you a question?

‘Sure, anything.’

We have not kissed before, have we?

She smiled with the most beautiful and sexy smile I could ever imagine and said, ‘No, that’s true. Yer a little slow in that department. I am not sure if you can kiss as well as you can ski’, she laughed with her blue eyes flashing in the sun, matching the deep blue of the sky above the brilliant sparkling white snow. I thought I had seen beautiful women in the world before, but this scene with Jody laughing, looking better than a Greek Goddess, exceeded anything I had seen on the cover of any magazine.

I continued to gaze into her lovely, intoxicating eyes, May I kiss you right now?

Jody said, with a hint of humor in her eyes, ‘I can answer that.’ She ripped off her ski helmet and goggles, and then my helmet and sunglasses, grabbed me by the back of my neck and pulled me into her and our lips met in a strong passionate kiss. I paused, held her cheeks with both hands, kissed her on both cheeks, kissed her slowly and intensely with a moist, soft kiss that lingered for quite some time considering the circumstances. I kissed her a few more times.

She let out her breath and said, ‘Wow! That is how I always dreamed a first kiss should be. That went right down to my toes, warmed them, and now I am reeling all over. I will have to take back my comment. You are not bad. You obviously have at least two areas of expertise.’ Then she laughed with an infectious laugh and she lunged at me and gave me another kiss. We fell over in the powder, started throwing snow on each other, and laughed until we cried. We kissed again, but knew it was time to ski the rest of the way down the mountain.

I thought I had died and gone to heaven. We were together every day for one reason or another. We worked together teaching skiing, and hung out with all the same people. We constantly found excuses to be together, whether meeting in the student center for lunch or studying in the library or curling up by the fireplace in the home I was living in with five other students.

It is interesting how men develop an unseen mold of exactly how they envision a woman, from the exact look of their face, their physical body with all of its features—face, hair, eyes, shape, to abilities, to all the things they do, to common interests, to how they act, to their personality, to how they kiss and hug, to how they move, to everything about them. Men then doubt that they will ever find a lady who will fit that mold—’she probably does not exist, and if she does, she would not want to be with me.’ Jody fit into my mold like my hand in the perfect ski glove. I had just proved my theory wrong—here was the perfect girl for me. Neither of us had any intentions of marriage, because we both wanted to get through school first, but damn, were we having fun together! If you had told me in high school that I would have a girlfriend the likes of Jody, I would have said, ‘Only in my wildest dreams.’

I had visions of riding off into the sunset with her—either on horses, which we had at the ranch, or a very fast Porsche, which I would never afford as a schoolteacher. In the meantime, we had a lot of fun together. It felt so good to be with someone with whom I could laugh almost non-stop, and who I could stare at non-stop.

I assumed we would be together for a long time. Within a few months the newness began to wear off. Our communication was not light and easy as at first. During nights by the fire when we would have long intimate talks, I began to feel somewhat of a disconnect. We just were not on the same wave length all the time, particularly about spiritual matters. I don’t think she understood me, not did I understand and appreciate her uniqueness, and her potential. Within a few more months, all the while we continued to have some really good times together, we drifted apart. I felt we should date other people. I called her late one evening and expressed this thought to her. She was gracious, and agreed with me.

The next day, I got a call from one of her best friends, Kate also a lady ski instructor. She demanded, ‘Zach, what the hell were you thinking? You didn’t even bother to visit her in person to tell her you wanted to break off the relationship. What kind of guy are you? I always thought that you were top notch—a super nice guy. You really blew it. I am so disappointed in you. Jody is distraught. She cried all night. She was not ready to end the relationship.’

Wow, did I ever feel like the world’s biggest jerk. I dropped by her apartment and found her home. She