No Summit Out Of Sight: The True Story Of The Youngest Person To Climb The Seven Summits

“Let’s look at this one mountain at a time.”

When Karen tells Jordan to take each mountain one at a time, it is also a metaphor for how to successfully approach setting and achieving goals without becoming overwhelmed and feeling the need to give up. She helps prevent Jordan from getting ahead of himself or from taking on too much at once, emphasizing the importance of focusing on one goal at a time to reach his overall objective, supporting The Power of Setting and Achieving Goals as a theme.

“I kept my eye on the summit. Seeing my goal within reach gave me a boost of energy.”

During his practice climb before leaving for Tanzania, Jordan finds that keeping his eye on the immediate goal of the summit when it is in sight is what keeps him going during the final stretch, when the air thins and energy wanes. He knows the summit is there; all he has to do is get to it, imagining its pull. This is a metaphor for Jordan’s overall approach to life.

“We were standing on the roof of Africa, at 19,341 feet, looking down on an endless ocean of fluffy clouds.”

Jordan metaphorically describes the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro as a roof over Africa because of how it stands tall against a vast plain. In this moment, Jordan reaches a mental and emotional height that he never has before, while also reaching the highest literal height that he has ever climbed. The imagery of the scene is vivid as Jordan describes the view all around him.

“All my friends saw me on television, and that was pretty dang cool.”

Jordan’s informal language lets his personality shine through. He is young, and his writing reflects the casual way that he speaks. In addition, Jordan celebrates his newfound fame and recognition for climbing to the first summit because the accomplishment propels him to keep going to reach his larger objective.

“Wrapped in my down sleeping bag, I felt lucky to be warm and toasty inside, where the thick stone walls kept out the cold wind.”

Jordan is camping on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko and describes the contrast between his warm sleeping bag and the frigid, windy weather outside. Despite being on top of a mountain and taking a risk that most would not dare, Jordan feels safe and secure in the emergency hut. He often expresses feeling grateful or lucky to be where he is and to have the people around him that he does; this appreciation for team spirit and learning from others is one of his strongest traits.

“We worked as a team—always. I knew that if Dad couldn’t make the summit, none of us would.”

Jordan knows The Value of Teamwork in accomplishing great feats, and constantly expresses his loyalty and gratitude toward his father and Karen for helping him achieve his dream. Without them, Jordan could never have done it, and he knows this better than anyone. He also starts to mature and become more responsible, keeping an eye on his father’s health.

“The people who loved me would understand, of course, but I began to realize that I would be disappointed in myself.”

One of Jordan’s personal values is striving toward a personal best. He wants to live up to his father’s example of always pushing and searching for the next challenge to overcome. Now that he has climbed three mountains, he does not want to let himself down by giving up, although part of him wants to. Emphasizing Focusing on a Personal Best as a theme, this passage is a personal affirmation of his self-worth.

“I was no longer just a climber. I was a full member of the team.”

Jordan starts to feel like less of a child along for the climb and more of a full-fledged team member when the family climbs Mount Aconcagua. He is assigned the responsibility of keeping watch over everyone’s health and is allowed to lead the way up the mountain. All of this raises his self-esteem and drives him to push even harder to accomplish his goals.

“Every doubt, every agonizing step, every wind gust that had tried to blow me off the mountain disappeared from my mind. All the months of hard training were worth it because the view was spectacular.”

Focusing on a Personal Best is a key theme in the book. Such focus takes perseverance, which is exactly what Jordan demonstrates as he approaches the summit of Mount Aconcagua. Everything that he has done to build up to this point finally seems worth it, and he and his support team have overcome every challenge. One of the most rewarding parts of reaching the summit for Jordan is seeing the world from above, and after such a long and arduous climb, the emotional high is particularly intense.

“I swallowed hard to keep my heart in place. I needed it in my chest where it belonged, working for me, pumping away. Even leaning only slightly could mean instant death.”

On the slopes of Mount Denali, Jordan and his parents cross a dangerous wall of rock that provides only a foot of space to walk along and threatens them with fierce winds. Jordan describes the sheer terror and danger of the moment through the physical feelings he experiences as adrenaline kicks in.

“As they had on other summits, my mind and body teamed up to give me something more when the peak was within reach. A natural high took me up, up, and up. When there was no more up and I reached the summit, I threw myself on the ground, sobbing out of control.”

Every time Jordan climbs a mountain, he has moments of doubt, exhaustion, and fear but pushes through them, and when he approaches a summit, his indomitable spirit propels him to the top. Each time he reaches a physical peak, an emotional peak accompanies it, and each accomplishment makes him stronger. This thematically highlights The Power of Setting and Achieving Goals as one of Jordan’s greatest passions in life, and nothing compares to reaching a summit.

“We were at 20,320 feet in perfect weather—bluebird skies and barely a breeze.”

In this alliterative statement, Jordan creates imagery of his view by describing what he sees and feels around him. Literally on top of the world, he feels that way internally as well. It is like a paradise on Earth that few get to experience.

“There’s a light shining in you that wasn’t there before. I think the mountain brought out some of the man in you.”

Jordan’s mom notices subtle but significant changes in Jordan, which Jordan takes pride in and wants to live up to by being as responsible as possible. His father seems to notice the same changes, giving him increasing responsibility on each climb. Jordan is growing up and becoming more independent and capable.

“Would I really be able to reach the tallest mountain in Indonesia?”

In this rhetorical question, which also serves as the cliffhanger for the chapter, Jordan asks himself whether he can climb Mount Denali, while also building the book’s suspense and intrigue. Although Jordan accomplishes much at a young age, he experiences moments of doubt—getting through them is what matters.

“Carstensz was like a giant jungle gym.”

Jordan uses simile to compare the terrain and landscape of Carstensz in New Guinea to a jungle gym, which is also a play on words because he is in an actual jungle. He enjoys this climb the most because it requires him to rappel and climb up and over all sorts of rocks, and he finds himself quite skilled at it.

“Reaching the top of Denali had been the turning point for me. It had taught me I could survive total exhaustion, bitter cold, ferocious winds, and high altitude. With Dad and Karen behind me, I felt ready for Everest.”

Denali is Jordan’s most difficult mountain yet, so reaching its summit is a particularly significant achievement. Watching the rest of his team slowly fall to exhaustion and altitude sickness, persevering to make it to the top is life-altering for Jordan. Additionally, he thematically emphasizes The Value of Teamwork in accomplishing such feats, noting that his support system is crucial to his accomplishments.

“Even though we had an answer for every criticism, I knew climbing Everest was dangerous. But so was climbing into your car every day.”

The media criticizes Jordan and his parents for deciding to climb Everest when Jordan is only 13 years old. Jordan blames their skepticism on ignorance and misguided perspectives. He compares the risks of climbing a mountain to driving a car, making the point that everyone takes risks; his are just of a different variety. Given that people spend far more time in cars than on mountains, the risks inherent in the former far outweigh those posed by the latter.

“I wanted to experience every sight, sound, and smell. I hung my head out the van window and watched vehicles and pedestrians move around in complete chaos. Horns honked; dogs barked; children cried. The smell of diesel, incense, and curry filled my nostrils. Vegetable, fruit, and spice carts appeared everywhere as we drove down narrow, cobbled streets.”

One thing that Jordan appreciates most about mountain climbing around the world is the opportunity to experience other cultures and environments. He knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and wants to take in every second of it. The image that this description creates is vivid because it plays on multiple senses.

“These had been the most terrifying minutes of my life. If we had been just a few steps slower, the avalanche would have crushed us or sent us tumbling down thousands of feet off an unknown cliff. Death felt very real and very close at that moment.”

Mountain climbing is a high-stakes, suspenseful, and terrifying experience, and Jordan’s descriptions of key moments during each climb shed light on the sense of panic and urgency that often overcame him on the mountain. During his climb on Everest, the possibility that he could die became particularly evident, due both to the dangers and the presence of dead bodies on the mountainside.

“They have to find their own Everest. I just want them to know that it’s possible.”

Jordan makes it his motto and his mission to help other kids find their “Everest.” In other words, he wants kids to know that their goals are attainable and help them understand the tools that are needed for success in their personal endeavors, thematically emphasizing The Power of Setting and Achieving Goals.

“We slept like sardines the rest of the night, the Sherpas with their feet sticking out of the door because six people didn’t fit in a three-man tent. The wind continued hammering us.”

Jordan compares the situation in the tent on Mount Everest to a school of sardines packed tightly together. Despite the discomfort, a clear sense of community and brotherhood pervades the moment, as the Sherpas and Jordan’s family support one another to complete the climb. This is one of many examples in which Jordan emphasizes that it takes a team to succeed, which supports The Value of Teamwork as a theme.

“And then, there it was, five hundred feet away. The summit! The moment I saw it, I felt like a racehorse that had just been let out of the barn—but still one in desperate need of air.”

Each time Jordan reaches a summit is a significant moment in his life and an indicator that he is growing as a climber and as a person. Reaching the summit of Everest proves his greatest achievement yet. Even in the most emotional moments, Jordan finds room for humor, using simile to compare himself to a racehorse without enough oxygen.

“I didn’t feel like a boy anymore. I felt like a man. The mountains had given me that.”

Since he started mountain climbing at age 10, Jordan has grown taller, wiser, and stronger. He no longer feels like a child but more like an adult who has found his potential and conquered his fears by taking on one of the most challenging feats known to humankind.