I have always admired the American Himalayan Foundation and their commitment to - and success in - bettering the lives of Himalayan peoples. Thus, when Brot Coburn, author of the amazing books Nepali Aama, Aama in America, and Everest: Mountain Without Mercy, called to see if I would like to contribute images to AHF's new book, Himalaya, I was honored and excited to make a submission.
After an editing process with hundreds of images from many photographers, two of mine were chosen for inclusion in the final work, which is being released in conjunction with National Geographic books. 
The first photo, taken when I was covering the 2002 American Women's No Boundaries Everest Expedition for the Discovery Channel, shows a woman's hand tracing the carving on a Tibetan Buddhist mani stone outside of Thyangboche Monastery in the Khumbu Region of Nepal. It has always been one of my favorite images.
To accompany a piece on famed climber Conrad Anker, AHF and National Geographic chose another
favorite image of mine. In 2003, I shot stills and video for the Global Extremes television series, produced by Outdoor Life Network. After my failed attempts in 1999 and 2001, I had always hoped to climb the Northeast Ridge route and, in my own way, ensure that Mallory and Irvine got to the summit of Everest in some way. On May 30, 2003 (almost 50 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzin Norgay first reached the top), I made the summit for my second time. Out of my down suit I pulled a picture of Mallory with his wife, Ruth, Andrew Irvine, and who some would argue was the instigator of the whole pre-World War II Everest climbing frenzy, John Noel. In 1913, Noel, then a young army officer stationed in Darjeeling, India, went AWOL from his post and, dressed as a Tibetan pilgrim, made it to within 40 miles of Everest before being captured and turned back by the Tibetan police. His findings and subsequent reports to the Royal Geographic Society led, after the conclusion of World War I, to the 1921 Everest Reconnaissance Expedition. As he said to the RGS in 1919:
Attention during the last few years has been focused more and more upon the Himalayas; and now that the poles have been reached it is generally felt that the next and equally important task is the exploration and mapping of Mount Everest. It cannot be long before the culminating summit of the world is visited, and its ridges, valleys and glaciers are mapped and photographed. This would perhaps have already been done, as we know, but for the war…
So, with excitement and anticipation, the AHF and National Geographic will release Himalaya: Personal Stories of Grandeur, Challenge and Hope this month. With stunning photographs by many photographers and essays by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, former President Jimmy Carter, Sir Edmund Hillary, and others, this promises to be a magnificent book on the wonders of the Himalaya and its people.
I will help promote the book at two events in Colorado - please come and join us:
December 7, 2006, 7:00 PM
American Mountaineering Center, Foss Auditorium
710 Tenth Street
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 279-3080, ext. 111
December 8, 2006, 7:00 PM
Boulder Bookstore
1107 Pearl St
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-2074
Stay tuned for more details as the dates approach!
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