Some of the women had trouble even getting their fifty-to-sixty-pound packs, loaded with boxes of food and fuel, on their backs. The Kelty packs they’d bought for this climb were designed to carry heavy weight. A metal frame held up a large sack on the mid-back and above, and a wide strap around the lower back distributed weight around the hips. When Arlene tried to pick hers up off the snow, it moved about as much as a giant boulder. She sat down and slipped her arms through the straps, then struggled to her knees—where
