interfered with his climbing. For a time, he worked as a delivery truck driver, which left him time for climbing. As time went on, he decided that climbing was his life's focus. He never married or had children, he never pursued a professional career, he never sought money or financial security as a goal--his goal was to climb mountains.

In 1955 Beckey joined the International Himalayan Expedition to climb the world's fourth-highest peak, Lhotse. During the expedition his tentmate developed cerebral edema