“To my oxygen depleted mind, the clouds drifting up the grand valley of ice known as the Western Cwm looked innocuous, wispy, insubstantial.”

Krakauer dismisses the clouds as harmless, but the reader—knowing that a tragedy is imminent—may note this foreshadowing of the approaching storm, which will devastate the groups of climbers.

“As I began my descent I was extremely anxious […] a check of the gauge on my oxygen tank revealed that it was almost empty.”

Krakauer is concerned about his low levels; he understands the huge risks to one's health without supplemental oxygen. His concern foreshadows the hypoxia of other group members, such as Doug Hansen, who runs out of oxygen when trying to descend the Hillary Step.

“Thirty feet below, more than a dozen people were queued up at the base of the Step. Three climbers were already in the process of hauling themselves up the rope that I was preparing to descend.”

Climbers’ progress is slowed by queues of other climbers, delaying the pace of the group on a day where timing will dictate who lives and who dies.