On May 17, 1974, Armand, then nearly sixty years old, was at Tesi Lapcha, Nepal. In his book, A Catalog of Himalayan Mountaineering Correspondence, Armand included a copy of a letter he addressed to himself while he was 19,000 feet high, up in the pass known as Teshi (Tesi) Lapcha. He mailed it to himself in order to obtain the postmark and commemorate his climbing feat.
On the same page, he also has a copy of a letter from Sir Edmund Hillary dated September 27, 1974 in which Hillary congratulates Armand for reaching the pass: "...impressed at your endurance and determination." Little did Sir Hillary know that those traits of Armand's would continue for another 33 years.
The acts of journalling and sending himself postcards from all over the world appear as though Armand was marking his way through life. Marking, either as a testament to where he had been, or where he had yet to go.
It brought to mind another inveterate diarist, Dag Hammarskjold, whose only book Markings, was a collection of his diaries from 1925, when he was 20 years old, and ends at his death in 1961. A quote from the book, describes both men:
Never, "for the sake of peace and quiet," deny your own experience or convictions.
If I may add: ...but leave your markings along the way, for the sake of peace and quiet in those who follow.