What did they see on their way up, and how did they react?

• A. They saw their first corpse, then another 50 feet away; they stared for a while, and after five more corpses they stopped staring.
• B. They saw no corpses and remained calm.
• C. They found a shelter and rested.
• D. They encountered a live climber who warned them.

Answer: (A)

Seeing death along the ascent is a stark moment that tests their emotional response. They spot their first corpse, then another about 50 feet away, and they stare for a while. That initial pause shows shock and the gravity of what they’re witnessing. As they encounter five more corpses, they stop staring, signaling a shift—perhaps numbness, fatigue, or the need to press on despite what they’ve seen. This combination of concrete sightings plus an evolving reaction best fits the described moment. The other scenarios don’t match the details: there isn’t calmness in the face of corpses, no shelter is found, and no live climber warning occurs in this part of the narration.