The MountainWorld™ Blog

A new addition, a new Everest...

Some of you may have noticed that my posts the last three weeks have been less-regular than usual.

And, for good reason...On July 30, my wife, Wende, and I embarked on the journey of a lifetime, a new Everest which promises to be far more joyful (and challenging and expensive!) than any I've climbed before: the birth of our first child, Lila.

A few weeks back, I spoke to the Max New York Life agents in Denver. Before my keynote, the head of Max New York Life (India), Gary Bennett, gave an inspiring and passionate talk which ended with a remarkable poem by Rudyard Kipling. It is an amazing, motivating piece, and one which we should all read and re-read, reminding us everyday of that which is important in life.

It has been front and center in my mind since little Lila came into our lives, and will soon hang on her wall to inspire her to live life fully, to embrace each day, keep her chin up and see that indeed, all clouds have silver linings and nothing worthwhile comes without some challenge.

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a [wo]Man, my [daughter] son!
    - Rudyard Kipling, IF
    - From Rewards & Fairies, 1909

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

It's not about records...even when you're setting them!

My cousin Jenn Pharr is, to put it rather bluntly, a bad ass. A Division I tennis player in college, she has gone on to hike both the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, both in quite impressive times. She also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with my wife, Wende, and I back in 2006, and made it look quite easy to say the least.

Most recently, however, Jennifer embarked on a fast-paced journey along the Long Trail, a section of the Appalachian Trail running 272 miles from southern Vermont to its northern border with Canada. This has, of course, been done before, and it will of course be done again and again.

What is impressive at first, however, is that Jennifer - largely unsupported and hiking solo - made the 272 mile journey in 8 days, 13 hours, and 25 minutes. This potentially sets an all time unsupported speed record for the Long Trail, and is definitely the fastest time ever attained by a woman.

But, what if more impressive is not the speed of Jennifer's hike, not the sprained ankles, swollen knees, bee stings and lightning storms she had to endure, but rather the perspective with which she completed the entire hike.

As is often the case with impressive accomplishments, sections of the web have been buzzing with chatter over Jennifer's hike...many kudos have been thrown, and some criticisms and jabs as well. But, true to her spirit, Jennifer has taken it all in stride.

As she wrote so eloquently on the White Blaze forum:

It's always nice to be the first or only person to have accomplished something, but as any endurance hiker knows, it's not about the records. Being a "record holder" would never provide sufficient motivation to overcome sprained ankles, swollen knees, bee stings and electrical storms (all of which are very vivid memories of my Long Trail hike), instead the desire to overcome adversity, enjoy creation, and push mental, physical, and emotional boundaries was what personally made the endeavor rewarding.

She also chimed in on the Trail Forums, responding to both praise and criticism, again with grace and perspective:

I want to say that all encouragement and congratulations is warmly accepted and very appreciated. I also want to mention that all criticism is respected as well. But I do want to note that I did not set out to hike the long trail to come back as a "record" holder. Long Distance hiking is not associated or rewarded with public recognition and certainly not monetary gains. Instead, I hiked the Long Trail to test my physical, mental and emotional thresholds. In that I succeeded. I was thrilled with my time of less than 8 days, and I can say that, even beyond Division I college athletes, an ironman, and ultra-marathons, testing my endurance on the Long Trail pushed, strengthened me, and broke me in ways I had never experienced before. I will always share wonderful memories and a sense of accomplishment from this experience that is neither heightened by recognition nor discouraged by criticism. I don't think I would ever go out on a long-distance trail to break someone else's record, but I certainly love to set my own. Hope to see you guys out on the trail.

Well put, Jennifer.

Whether it be Everest, the Long Trail, or a walk around the block, we have choices: we can concern ourselves with records, with being the fastest, brightest, strongest, toughest, meanest, coolest one to do it.

Or, we can do it we can concern ourselves simply with breaking, as Jenn says, our own records, with finding our limits and pushing them, with reveling in the challenges inherent along the path.

Someone will always come along who is a bit faster, a bit stronger, or a bit tougher. Records will always be broken at some point. But, if we push ourselves in order to grow, to expand our horizons and overcome self-imposed hurdles...well, those personal records can never be beaten.

What is your Everest??

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Noel Odell's final view of Mallory & Irvine, June 8th, 1924

As many of you know, the mystery of Mallory & Irvine has been a major part of my life and passion over the years. I've written about it extensively here on The MountainWorld Blog, put together a Squidoo Lens on the story, and been fortunate enough to take part in the 1999, 2001, and 2004 Mallory & Irvine Research Expeditions.

A few days ago I was chatting with some friends about Noel Odell's famous final sighting of Mallory & Irvine on June 8, 1924. If you are not familiar with the story, Noel Odell was a strong climber and Himalayan veteran who was also a member of the 1924 Expedition. While he was not deemed "fit enough" to accompany Mallory on his final, fateful summit bid, Odell did climb up to Camp VI on Mallory & Irvine's summit day to support them.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, Odell's sighting of the duo going strong for the top would be the final sighting of them alive. Odell later wrote of the sighting:

At 12.50, just after I had emerged from a state of jubilation at finding the first definite fossils on Everest, there was a sudden clearing of the atmosphere, and the entire summit ridge and final peak of Everest were unveiled. My eyes became fixed on one tiny black spot silhouetted on a small snow-crest beneath a rock-step in the ridge; the black spot moved. Another black spot became apparent and moved up the snow to join the other on the crest. The first then approached the great rock-step and shortly emerged at the top; the second did likewise. Then the whole fascinating vision vanished, enveloped in cloud once more.
[From Gareth Thomas' excellent website]

This final view, the last sighting of Mallory & Irvine alive, has forever been a source of great debate: Did Odell see them reach the top of the First or Second Step? If the former at 12:50 PM, it is doubtful at best that they reached the top. But, if they were atop the Second Step at that time, it is almost unthinkable that they did NOT reach the summit.

I won't give my full opinion here and now, but rather would like to share a couple of images with those who are interested.

I took these shots from roughly Noel Odell's vantage point on the North Ridge while Dave Hahn and I were climbing in 2004. They were taken 2 minutes apart, one zoomed out to roughly the level of the human eye, and the second image zoomed in showing people quite clearly on the ridgecrest.

Take a look, zoom in, pan around, and enjoy the images.

Do they spark any thoughts or theories? Please feel free to comment and share your views.

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Monday Motivation from Robert Pirsig

I've climbed Mount Rainier now nearly 90 times, and when people hear that, they usually either (a) question my sanity or (b) wonder if I left my car keys up on the summit.

In all seriousness, most people wonder how on earth anyone could enjoy climbing the same mountain that many times.

Doesn't it get old? Don't you get sick of the peak, of seeing the same old thing time after time?

The answer - surprising to many - is no, it never gets old to me. The reason? Because I'm passionate about climbing, I revel in the small steps, the minutia of the moment, the thrill of the challenge and the joy of pushing myself.

A mountain is a dynamic place, constantly changing, ever in flux. As a result, a mountain - much like the passage of each day of our lives - is never the same as it was the day before.

Certainly, it can be seen as the same. I could choose to focus on the sameness and lose my self in the drudgery of routine, of climbing the same route on the same mountain again and again. I would find monotony, for we often find what we seek.

But my choice has been to hone in on the differences, the nuanced changes from one day to the next, and to enjoy the moment, the here and now rather than the distant summit or even more distant finish of the climb.   

That crevasse is wider than it was last week.

Look at the way the soft pink of dawn is radiating across the glaciers.

I felt tired at this point last time, but feel good here today. Let's push on.

 

By focusing on the difference rather than the monotony of the climb, each of my trips on Rainier have been unique adventures, new experiences, rather than repetitive drudgery.

Back in June, 2007, I shared one of my favorite quotes - and the one I mention in closing my keynote presentations -  by Robert Pirsig, author of Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. At another point in the book, Pirsig discusses the difference between what he terms selfish (ego) and selfless climbing. This is a relevant passage all of us can apply to our lives:

To the untrained eye, selfish or ego climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical.… Both kinds of climber place one foot in front of the other. Both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when tired. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego climber is like an instrument that’s out of adjustment. He puts his foot down an instant too soon or late. He’s likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step says he’s tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see what’s ahead even when he knows what’s ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about something else. He’s here but he’s not here. He rejects the here, is unhappy with it, wants to be further up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because then it will be ‘there.’ What he’s looking for, what he wants is all around him. But he doesn’t want that because it is all around him. Every step is an effort, both physically and spiritually because he imagines his goal to be external and distant.

How will you climb your mountain? Selfishly, or selflessly?

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

1938 High Camp Discovery on Mount Everest

Back in 2004 on the third Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition, Dave Hahn and I scoured the upper mountain looking for traces of Mallory & Irvine from 80 years before. I have posted videos from this expedition in the past, here and here.

After a couple days of searching on our second round working about 27,000 feet, Dave and I decided it was time for him to make a summit bid. Having reached the top the two previous years, I had little interest in climbing to the summit again and chose to let Dave go with our stellar Sherpa team of Danuru and Tashi. I would remain high on the mountain in support and do some additional searching.

My target for the day was multi-fold. I wanted to head to the Northeast Shoulder of Everest, due north of our high camp at 27,300 feet, and:

• get a look at the famed Pinnacles where Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker disappeared in 1982
• check out the Longland Traverse used by the British in the pre-World War II climbs
• see firsthand what the Yellow Band would have looked like for Mallory & Irvine back in 1924 approaching it from their high camp on the North Ridge
• and see if I could locate the remains of the 1938 Camp VI

The day was far from perfect - the wind howled, blowing frigid snow into my down suit and knocking me over as I left our tents.

As I moved across the terrain of the North Face, my excitement built. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always had a fascination with history, with finding bits of the past long forgotten. Although the weather was not ideal, I had a good feeling about the day and was happy to be off route, away from the fixed lines, going where very few venture.

The climbing to the NE Shoulder is not tough - scree slopes and snow gullies wind up a 35 degree angle. The hard part is simply the reality of scree climbing: one step forward lands you two steps back. Not a fun thing anywhere, but especially not at 27,300 feet! But, my excitement for the day propelled me forward.

Eventually I gained the NE Shoulder...and the full force of the wind as it howled across the North Face and out onto the Tibetan Plateau. I scrambled around trying to think of where I would pitch a glorified pup-tent back in 1938. No place made sense at all, but I finally saw a small wind-break in the rock and moved toward it. As I did, I got distracted by something long and thin in the rubble to the west and, upon investigation, found a full length wooden tent pole.

Bingo. It had to be from 1938, the camp must be nearby. Since I had walked downwind to get to the tent pole, I figured the pole must have blown there and thus the tent site would be upwind. Heading back, I b-lined to the rocky windbreak I saw before, and, sure enough, lying under a dusting of snow were the remains of the 1938 Camp VI.

After scouring through the meager remains of the camp, I took a more thorough look around - the mighty Pinnacles loomed above and the Longland Traverse, obvious as an interstate cutting through the Yellow Band, headed off diagonally some 200 meters away.

I could just envision Mallory & Irvine here 80 years before climbing upward toward the as-yet-unclimbed summit of Everest. The adventure and trepidation they must have felt was almost palpable. The mountain may yet yield their mysteries...but not that day.

It had already been 4 hours for my outing on the ridge, and I knew from radio conversations that Dave, Danuru, and Tashi were coming down from a successful - but windy - summit day.

As I always do, I knelt down and said my private words of thanks to Chomolungma, Sagarmatha, the mountain deities, for sharing the terrain, the experience, the adventure with me, and I walked happily back to camp.

(See the Youtube video of the day here, or watch it on Google Video.)

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

The Absurdity of Everest

My friends and I often laugh at some of the stunts and "firsts" people try to pull off on Everest - and elsewhere around the world - these days. It seems that the days where climbing mountains for personal joy, challenge, and growth are somewhat behind us and we have transitioned into a world where each climb must be a media spectacle incorporating some sort of first.

The first fondue party on Everest, 2002.
This was evidenced most poignantly last spring by the efforts of "The Iceman" Wim Hof who attempted to climb Everest wearing only sandals and shorts. An impressive attempt was made, but to me begged the question: What is the point? Was it to prove something to the world? To gain notoriety? To impress a girl?

We may never know, but we do know that the era of firsts on Everest and beyond are just beginning. More will come with each year. I do not fault people for figuring out clever ways to get to Mount Everest, but do question the ethic of "creating" a first just to include that in one's CV.

Climbing has traditionally been about process, about growth and challenge, about personal, inward exploration in an environment which never ceases to humble, to point out our weaknesses and faults, strengths and successes.

When this ethic transitions - as it has recently - into one of pushing to gain the spotlight, climbing solely to make a buck, complete a "first", or be the star of the most recent reality TV series, the discipline of climbing is cheapened.

And, more importantly, poor decisions are made and lives and limbs are lost.

George Mallory put it eloquently back in 1911:

Have we vanquished an enemy? None but ourselves. Have we gained success? That word means nothing here. Have we won a kingdom? No...and yes. We have achieved an ultimate satisfaction...fulfilled a destiny. To struggle and to understand -- never this last without the other; such is the law.

If you want to read a good article on Everest follies - and get a good laugh - be sure to check out Ben Vernon's article Climb Every Mountain in today's Townsville Bulletin from Townsville, Australia.

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Many dream, but few make it happen

There are only a handful of people who have climbed all of the world's fourteen 8000 meter peaks. Reinhold Messner was the first (see his book All Fourteen 8000ers); Ed Viesturs is the only American to accomplish this feat.

It is inspiring, then, to hear of young Noah McKelvin, a 15 year old from Colorado who has a bold dream to one day join this select group of stunning climbers.

I have written in the past about the importance of dreams and of visualizing those dreams, of keeping them in the forefront of our minds, of keeping the dream alive. This is the key to success on all of life's Everests, and young Noah knows this.

As he eloquently put it in a letter to MountEverest.net:

Many don’t get to say, “I Lived My Dream.” You usually have to work unimaginably hard to get there. Some are willing to work and others are not. It’s all up to your commitment and your endurance to get to the top of your game. As I always say, “Many dream, but few make it happen.” You will have to keep working to get there. You will face obstacles beyond belief but overcome them.

The key to success is: What you think you can do, you will always do. So think you can do this! And you will get there. Don’t think, “I can’t do this.” Let nothing stop your dream from happening. Don’t give up. Tackle your dreams! And get to the top!

Well put, Noah.

Let us all find some inspiration, a nugget of motivation and wisdom from this young man with a big dream.

Unearth those passions and dreams you have kept hidden because they were too difficult, too challenging, too risky.

Allow yourself to dream in life, to set lofty goals...and to go after them.

As Mark Twain once said:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.