Getting Sidetracked

Inspired (if that's the right word) by the tragic accident on Mount Everest, I bought some mountaineering memoirs and have been devouring them. I've read some before: Into Thin Air got me interested, and I've also read a book by Jim Wickwire. It's weird that I find stories about mountaineering absolutely fascinating because I'm scared of heights. Ed Viesturs' book called No Shortcuts to the Top is quite good.

I wonder where there is a small, easy mountain or large hill that I could climb. When I was in California, I wanted to "climb" Mount Tam. Living in Illinois, though, mountains or large hills are tough to find. Maybe I should take a trip to Missouri's Taum Sauk Mountain, which is supposed to be easy and is in a nice park. It's about 4.25 hours from here.