Okay, so I’ve been on this crossword puzzle kick lately. It’s like, my new thing to unwind after a long day. And today, I tackled one with a “Mount Everest” theme. I figured, “Hey, I’ve read a bit about Everest, how hard could it be?” Famous last words, right?
I started out feeling pretty confident. Grabbed my pen, got my comfy chair, and dove right in. The first few clues were easy-peasy. Stuff like, you know, “Sherpa’s homeland” (NEPAL, obviously). Or “Highest mountain range” (HIMALAYAS, duh!). I was on a roll, feeling like a total crossword champ.
My Process
- First Pass: Read Every single clue. I went through every clue, top to bottom, just to get a feel for the whole puzzle. I fill what I know for sure.
- Easy Wins: After reading, I tackle all the “gimme” clues. The ones that popped into my head immediately. I was build an easy base.
- Work the Crossings: Then, I started looking at the letters I’d already filled in. See if those letters helped me figure out any of the connecting words. This is where it gets fun.
- The Guessing Game: And yeah, there was some guessing. Sometimes you just gotta take a shot, you know? I had to make sure I was using a pencil with eraser.
But then… things got tricky. I hit a wall. There were clues about specific Everest expeditions, climbers I’d never heard of, and even some weird mountaineering terms. I was like, “What is a ‘bergschrund’ anyway?!” (Turns out, it’s a crevasse at the edge of a glacier… learned something new!)
I persisted, though. I started googling a few things (don’t tell anyone!), reading old articles, and even digging through some of my dad’s old National Geographic magazines. It felt like a mini-research project, all sparked by this crossword.
Slowly but surely, I chipped away at it. It took a few hours, and a couple of coffee refills, but I finally managed to fill in that last square. The feeling of accomplishment? Amazing! I was pretty proud of myself for sticking with it, even when it got tough.
So yeah, that’s my “Mount Everest crossword” adventure. It was way more challenging than I expected, but also way more rewarding. It is not about climbing real mount everest, but I do conquer something!
