“My definition of failing is not trying. We live in a society of losers and winners... It's this winner-loser mentality that people are afraid to fail. They're afraid to try stuff. 'What will people say if I don't make it?' And that fear of failure, I think, is what keeps people from trying. You never lose when you really try hard.”

“Soloing is like being a pilot. There's no gray area. You've got to do everything perfectly. Your edge is really narrow. If you step off that edge, there's very serious consequences...”

“... the actual tundra is just flowing with water. I mean, it's like, it's almost like a river itself on land. There's so much water coming off. And as a result, all these streams are just flooded.”

“... the actual tundra is just flowing with water. I mean, it's like, it's almost like a river itself on land. There's so much water coming off. And as a result, all these streams are just flooded.”

“The situation here, you can't study this in a map or a satellite photo... These conditions are totally different like anything on an expedition... You just have to change your strategy rather than… changing your plan around.”

“I was basically going to take a route on the divide. Well, I found out now because it's later in the season, that's not feasible because of what I went through the last couple of days... So I was able to lose about 300 feet. And in these conditions, 100 feet makes a big, big difference.”

“The snow got so I couldn't dodge it. Then, there was a crust and I was going through the crust. Which is pretty hard with an 80-pound pack... There's a lot of water under this snow, this crusted snow in this area... It's basically an area that has flooded tundra.”

“This is all limestone in this country... It goes up in, like, benches and steps... And the number of waterfalls, very beautiful. Kind of like they fall down stairways... It's just absolutely stunning beauty here. It really took me by surprise, despite the weather.”