Climb Every Mountain? (Patreon)

I am fascinated by tales of adventurous men and women who dare to go deep diving (either with or without gear, or other apparatus for submersion). And I am equally drawn to tales of mountaineering and bouldering, stories of the daredevils who rely on meticulous planning, rigorous show of physical and mental aptitudes, and the final adrenaline rush to set foot on those rugged and snowy heaps. These feats are sometimes life threatening - with the problems due to the cold, altitude, terrain, as well as limited accessibility to help. Nevertheless, the climber's mind occasionally produces "summit fever," where he or she becomes so invested in reaching the top that its lure eventually outweighs even the risk of likely death. And it's ironic that the mongers often succeed, with a majority of falls and other mortal accidents happening on the way down and not down. Some get so exhilarated, that e.g. prior to the 1995 K2 disaster some chose to stay on top until dusk. What on earth were they thinking?  

This is all illogical, as the mountaineer already knows that there's really nothing on the summit - no treasure, gold mines, food, or access to instant fame because in most cases it has already been climbed hundreds of times before. But in some instances that goal subjectively becomes everything - maybe we as a human species are just pre-programmed in our brain to infinitely make our next step even marginally higher than our last. Who knows.