The autumn of 1964 settled gently over the Harlin household. Dad’s climbing season had been frustrating, with no great successes to show for it, but we all felt more comfortable entering the second year at our various schools than we had just a year before. Language was no longer an issue, and Andréa and I were learning the lay of the woods around our house. Along with Derrick and Ashley Eder, almost-our-age children who had moved into the chalet next door, we found a clearing where we could play house using giant mushrooms for chairs, logs for tables, and a hollow stump as our precious toilet. (First paragraph of Chapter 9, The Eiger Obsession.)