summit

This morning we had a chapel service in which a local South African spoke to us. Reg introduced our group to Sean Wisedale, the first African to summit the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. In walks a scrawny, 40-somthing-year-old, sporting a big grin on his face and a bright blue climbing suit that can handle temperatures as low as -70 C. He mentioned that it was made in Seattle (I hollered)! Anyways, he shared a bit of his story and it was NUTS! So fascinating, I thought of dad the whole time. (You would have loved listening to him). The seven mountains include Mt. Vincen in Antarctica, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt. Koscuisko in Australia, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Mt. McKinley in Alaska, Aconcagua in Argentina, and Mt. Everest in Nepal-China. Apparently each climb can cost $30,000US and can reach temperatures below -50 C. While he was discussing his hobby (he is a filmographer too) with such passion, I just could never see myself enjoying that. In fact I couldn't really see how anyone would truly enjoy frozen eyelids, frostbite, and tent camping on ice for over three month periods.
Sean went into more detail about summiting Mt. Everest. His team had finally made it within 5 hours of the summit, when the weather turned (note: they move so slowly it can take an hour to move less than 100 yards). The conditions were so poor that they wisely turned around and disappointedly decided to go back home. They called for a helicopter but it wouldn't be able to get there for 4+ days. Over half the group opted for the 2-day hike down to the town. Sean and his friend decided to wait it out. Meanwhile, they met a group of American climbers who saw that the weather was supposed to clear up. Sean wanted to complete the trek and decided to climb, but his friend went back home. The weather report could not have been more accurate, the skies were crystal clear with no wind. He successfully planted the South African flag at the top of Mt. Everest and spent 30 minutes in total solitude at the summit. Sean mentioned that he could see the curvature of the world from the top, and he could see for 300 miles all through Nepal and where India began. Amazing! I can't imagine having that view, your breath would be taken away by more than the lack of oxygen. Sean's story was so inspiring, just wanted to share it with you!

"A goal is only a goal when you set a time frame to it"
"Great goals are made up of lots of small ones"
"Every step is just one more thing to celebrate"