The American Mount Everest Expedition was led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, and included Unsoeld, Jim Whittaker, Lute Jerstad, Barry Bishop and Tom Hornbein.

[6] Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein ascended Everest's difficult West Ridge route in May 1963, on a National Geographic Society sponsored expedition while Barry Bishop and Lute Jerstad followed Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s South Col route established during their 1953 climb.

[7][8] The grueling expedition cost Unsoeld nine of his toes due to frostbite, and required several months of recovery in the hospital.

Unsoeld and the team reunited in July 1963 when they were presented with the National Geographic Society’s highest honor, the Hubbard Medal, by John F.

[5] After a stint in the Peace Corps, Unsoeld joined Outward Bound and traveled about the country giving speeches and promoting the organization.

"[14] Unsoeld died in an avalanche during an Outdoor Education Winter Expedition climb of Mount Rainier on March 4, 1979, at the age of 52.

He died during the descent from their high camp in Cadaver Gap along with one student, Janie Diepenbrock from Sacramento, California.

If it does not enable you to cope more effectively with the problems — and sometimes it doesn’t, it sometimes sucks you right out into the wilderness and you stay there the rest of your Life – then when that happens, by my scale of value; it’s failed.

You go to nature for an experience of the sacred … to re-establish your contact with the core of things, where it’s really at, in order to enable you to come back to the world of people and operate more effectively.