Dear Reader,
In this website you will find a lot of information about the
link between adrenaline addiction and extreme climbing. I chose this topic
because some books I have read got me thinking about the risks that are involved
in climbing mountains. The two books I read are “Between a Rock and a Hard
Place” by Aron Ralston and “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. They are both books
about climbers who were put in dangerous situations that they barely survived.
These books are important to me because I am a climber myself. I have visited
the Rocky Mountains countless times while growing up and it is one of my
favorite places to visit. Granted I’m not an extreme climber, but this project
gave me an insight into the dangerous lives of people who are extreme climbers.
Before I began my research, I did not know a lot about both
extreme climbing and adrenaline. I knew that climbing can be very dangerous and
that it can easily produce adrenaline but I did not know all of the risk factors
that come into play while climbing or that adrenaline can become as addictive as
drugs such as cocaine and nicotine. I knew the basic safety rules that every
climber should follow but I did not know how important those really were. I did
not realize that breaking a rule could cost a person their
life.
When I first began my research project, I knew that I wanted my
question to be about the dangers of climbing. I started with the question: How
can deaths be prevented on Mount Everest and other mountains? But that question
did not have the depth that is necessary in a good research question. So I
decided to take my question in a different direction. Eventually I ended up with
the question: How can climbing link to an addiction of adrenaline rushes? This
question required me to dig to find the answers that I needed. I had to get
creative to come up with search terms that led me to information about my
topic.
While doing my research I used many different tools. These
included sources such as websites, databases, and books. I found all three
sources very helpful and each one provided me with different information on my
topic. The websites were helpful because I was able to find quick facts that I
needed to know to understand how climbing or adrenaline worked. The databases
were helpful because they had such a vast amount of articles that I could read.
But, my favorite sources that I used were my books. Although the books didn’t
include very many facts, I saw personal experiences of climbing and adrenaline
addiction. I liked being able to read about Aron Ralston and Jon Krakauer and
why they love to climb. For me, it made the topic
personal.
I learned many new things while researching my topic. While I
didn’t have any epiphanies during my research, I now look at my topic a
different way. I learned a lot of different facts while researching the
adrenaline side of my question. I never knew that adrenaline could be as
addictive as drugs. But my favorite thing to learn about was the climbing side
of my topic. I am still amazed at how climbers will risk their lives to reach
their goals and I will always wonder why each climber will risk their life for
these goals.
Overall I enjoyed doing this project. The only thing that I
found challenging was finding information on my topic. Sometimes I would have to
dig through many articles to find what I needed to know. But, in the end it was
worth it. I now know a lot more than I did about my topic. The thing that I
enjoyed most about this project was that I was able to choose what my whole
project was about. It made it easy for me to stay interested and to do a lot of
research that I did not find boring.
If I had to do the project all over again, I would not change
much. I liked the process of the whole project. Everything I was required to do
helped me in the end even if I thought it was pointless at the time. Some of the
things we did in this project have already helped me in other classes I am
taking. The things I would change are the deadlines I set for myself. Sometimes
I did not meet my deadlines and that made it very stressful for me when the real
deadline came. Next project, I am going to make sure that I meet all of my
deadlines to save myself from a lot of stress later down the
road.
My research has made a difference to me in my life. Being a climber myself, I now have
insight into why extreme climbers do what they do. That is important to me
because I now have a better understanding of some of the people I am surrounded
with when I am climbing. My research will make a difference for others because
climbers may now be aware of the dangers that adrenaline can cause. They can
recognize when they are addicted to adrenaline and hopefully stop the addiction
before it goes too far. During this project the thing I am most proud of is the
info graphic I made. My info graphic compares adrenaline to many other addictive
drugs. My info graphic can be found on the Info Graphic page of this website. I
encourage all of my readers to visit this. Thank you for reading and enjoy the site.
Sincerely,
Natalie Rose
In this website you will find a lot of information about the
link between adrenaline addiction and extreme climbing. I chose this topic
because some books I have read got me thinking about the risks that are involved
in climbing mountains. The two books I read are “Between a Rock and a Hard
Place” by Aron Ralston and “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. They are both books
about climbers who were put in dangerous situations that they barely survived.
These books are important to me because I am a climber myself. I have visited
the Rocky Mountains countless times while growing up and it is one of my
favorite places to visit. Granted I’m not an extreme climber, but this project
gave me an insight into the dangerous lives of people who are extreme climbers.
Before I began my research, I did not know a lot about both
extreme climbing and adrenaline. I knew that climbing can be very dangerous and
that it can easily produce adrenaline but I did not know all of the risk factors
that come into play while climbing or that adrenaline can become as addictive as
drugs such as cocaine and nicotine. I knew the basic safety rules that every
climber should follow but I did not know how important those really were. I did
not realize that breaking a rule could cost a person their
life.
When I first began my research project, I knew that I wanted my
question to be about the dangers of climbing. I started with the question: How
can deaths be prevented on Mount Everest and other mountains? But that question
did not have the depth that is necessary in a good research question. So I
decided to take my question in a different direction. Eventually I ended up with
the question: How can climbing link to an addiction of adrenaline rushes? This
question required me to dig to find the answers that I needed. I had to get
creative to come up with search terms that led me to information about my
topic.
While doing my research I used many different tools. These
included sources such as websites, databases, and books. I found all three
sources very helpful and each one provided me with different information on my
topic. The websites were helpful because I was able to find quick facts that I
needed to know to understand how climbing or adrenaline worked. The databases
were helpful because they had such a vast amount of articles that I could read.
But, my favorite sources that I used were my books. Although the books didn’t
include very many facts, I saw personal experiences of climbing and adrenaline
addiction. I liked being able to read about Aron Ralston and Jon Krakauer and
why they love to climb. For me, it made the topic
personal.
I learned many new things while researching my topic. While I
didn’t have any epiphanies during my research, I now look at my topic a
different way. I learned a lot of different facts while researching the
adrenaline side of my question. I never knew that adrenaline could be as
addictive as drugs. But my favorite thing to learn about was the climbing side
of my topic. I am still amazed at how climbers will risk their lives to reach
their goals and I will always wonder why each climber will risk their life for
these goals.
Overall I enjoyed doing this project. The only thing that I
found challenging was finding information on my topic. Sometimes I would have to
dig through many articles to find what I needed to know. But, in the end it was
worth it. I now know a lot more than I did about my topic. The thing that I
enjoyed most about this project was that I was able to choose what my whole
project was about. It made it easy for me to stay interested and to do a lot of
research that I did not find boring.
If I had to do the project all over again, I would not change
much. I liked the process of the whole project. Everything I was required to do
helped me in the end even if I thought it was pointless at the time. Some of the
things we did in this project have already helped me in other classes I am
taking. The things I would change are the deadlines I set for myself. Sometimes
I did not meet my deadlines and that made it very stressful for me when the real
deadline came. Next project, I am going to make sure that I meet all of my
deadlines to save myself from a lot of stress later down the
road.
My research has made a difference to me in my life. Being a climber myself, I now have
insight into why extreme climbers do what they do. That is important to me
because I now have a better understanding of some of the people I am surrounded
with when I am climbing. My research will make a difference for others because
climbers may now be aware of the dangers that adrenaline can cause. They can
recognize when they are addicted to adrenaline and hopefully stop the addiction
before it goes too far. During this project the thing I am most proud of is the
info graphic I made. My info graphic compares adrenaline to many other addictive
drugs. My info graphic can be found on the Info Graphic page of this website. I
encourage all of my readers to visit this. Thank you for reading and enjoy the site.
Sincerely,
Natalie Rose