The MountainWorld™ Blog

Thursday Thought: Hegel, MLK, Obama, and the Dalai Lama

I definitely tend toward the left side of the political spectrum, and identify myself more as a Democrat than otherwise. But, I make a conscious effort not to be partisan...I try my best to praise the positive things the "other side" does and accomplishes, and make my voice heard when the leaders I support are, in my estimation, making bad decisions.

This, to me, is the very essence of democracy: The ability - and, in fact, the need - to voice our disagreement with those in power, whether they be friend or foe. As the historian Henry Commager wrote: If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism; if our government is to function it must have dissent.

So, it was with dismay that I heard President Obama chose not to meet with the Dalai Lama while he was in Washington to accept the Lantos Human Rights Prize. I'm a supporter of Tibet and it's quest for spiritual autonomy, but, even more so, I feel strongly that, for us to be a leader on the world stage, we must be willing to make a stand, to defend our beliefs and our ethics...regardless of the political capital on the table.

Certainly, President Obama felt that a meeting with the Dalai Lama would create friction in US-China relations. It almost certainly would. But, our ethics and beliefs should transcend our short-term priorities. By meeting with the Dalai Lama - which has been done by all sitting US presidents since George H.W. Bush - Obama would have sent a clear message to China, and to the world, that we as a nation believe what we say, stand up for our core values, and have a true desire to make the world a better place for all people.

Today's Thursday Thought offers a little advice on taking a stand to President Obama, and indeed to all of us, from the great minds of Georg Hegel and Martin Luther King, Jr:

To be independent of public opinion is the first condition of achieving anything great.
- G.W.F. Hegel

Cowardice asks the question: Is it safe?
Expediency asks the question: Is it politic?
Vanity asks the question: Is it popular?
But conscience asks the question: Is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular,
but one must take it because it is right.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

And, for those who are interested, here is a video of the Dalai Lama accepting the Lantos Prize on Tuesday:

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

First Ascent launches in 183 stores!!

Ed Viesturs on Everest, May, 2009. Photo by Jake Norton.

As most of you know, I've been working closely with Eddie Bauer and the First Ascent team for about a year now, helping with product development, marketing, and serving as the expedition photographer for our expeditions to Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Aconcagua in Argentina, and to Mount Everest last spring.

Well, the exciting time has come...While the First Ascent product has been online and in a few select stores for some time now, it will officially launch nationwide in 183 Eddie Bauer stores on October 12, 2009! (Read the official press release here.)

Is the gear any good? Well, I think so...I helped design and test it, using it in my backyard here in Colorado and up to the tippy-top of Everest this spring. In my opinion, it is the best gear out there, period.

But, sure, I'm a bit biased. So, check out what some others have said:

• Steve Casimiro puts the Hangfire Hoodie in his "Top Performers" list in National Geographic Adventure.
• Backpacker Magazine gave the Big Tahoma packa thumbs up in their October issue, saying: "This versatile pack is supportive and comfortable enough for a week-long trek, but simple and light enough for tackling big alpine peaks…The (removable) hipbelt never interfered with high-stepping, and two aluminum stays transfer loads up to 40 pounds directly to the hips. And the double ripstop nylon used in the packbag is not only superdurable, it’s highly waterproof.”
• Backpacker also loved the Downlight Sweater, saying: "This ultra-ultralight insulator nails the essentials: high draftproof collar, grapefruit-size packability, roomy zipped pockets, and light rain resistance–without layering on doodads that add weight or bulk." And, their Associate Editor, Shannon Davis, loved the warm and functional Peak XV down jacket for her climb of Rainier.
• And, Outside Magazine's "Gear Girl", Stephanie Pearson, recommends the First Ascent BC-100 for climbs in wet weather, like Kilimanjaro, where you need to stay dry but not carry too much weight. Read her recommendation here.

OK...you're getting the picture. The First Ascent line was built by guides, tested in some of the harshest conditions in the world, and reviewed by some pretty tough critics. And, it came out on top in all situations.

So, on October 12th, waltz into your local Eddie Bauer store and check out the new gear. It's great stuff, and comes with the legendary Eddie Bauer lifetime guarantee...so you just can't go wrong!

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

Off to the Rainier Mountain Festival

I'm off tomorrow morning for a few days of fun and photography at the Rainier Mountain Festival.

Always a fun event, the Mountain Festival brings together a slew of great climbers (I'm included...but don't let that confuse things...there are really some greats coming!) as well as a lot of fun events.  Some of the many things going on over the weekend are:

• Slideshows by Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall, Tyler Jones, Zoe Hart, Jake Norton, and more
• Book signings by Jim Whittaker and Ed Viesturs
• A massive Post Monsoon Sale of great gear
• Erect-A-Tent and Sled Pull Alpine Games
• And lots more...check the event schedule for more information and times

The Mountain Festival will, as always, be held at Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford, Washington, at the foot of Mount Rainier. It'll be going on starting at 9:00 AM on both Saturday and Sunday, September 12th & 13th, 2009.

Come on down if you're in the area and enjoy! See you there!

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

A Legend Needing a Hand: Layton Kor

The name associated with the climb was often more terrifying than the rating, or even the climb itself.

To me, gazing up at a route first climbed by the legendary Layton Kor was to know inherently that the route would bring stout climbing, perhaps scant protection, and would include reaches that only Layton - and perhaps a pterodactyl - could hope to make gracefully, if at all.

But, without fail, the Kor routes I have climbed have been some of the best ever...perhaps due in large part because I knew I was climbing in the footsteps - and handholds - of a legend.

From The Diamond of Long's Peak in Coloradoto Castleton Tower and the imposing Titan in Utah to a winter ascent of the Eiger's North Face, Kor climbed harder and climbed more in a decade than most will do in a lifetime.

Sadly, however, Layton - now 70 - needs help. Suffering from kidney disease, Layton is in need of a transplant...but is having trouble paying his bills for dialysis and everything else. Fortunately, other legendary climbers - namely Stewart Green and Steph Davis - have stepped up to the plate and started the Layton Kor Fund to raise money for his treatment and transplant.

If you don't know much about Layton, read Stewart's article, or a new one by Alison Osius in Rock & Ice Magazine, or the countless other musings about the man on The Mountain Project, SuperTopo, and elsewhere on the web. What you'll find is that, his climbing aside, Layton was - and is - a great person, and one who gave a great deal through his grit and enthusiasm to the sport of climbing.

Pat Ament recalled in an interview with Climbing Magazine a letter he once received from Layton describing a frenzy of climbs in Yosemite. At the end, Layton offered some advice, saying:

Be sure to use lots of protective pitons. Climbers lead a hard and lonely life, and it only takes one fall to end everything.

Layton has lived the climbers life...Let's not let him fall now.

Visit the Layton Kor Fund now and do what you can to help him out.

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

In Memoriam: Craig Luebben, 1960-2009

I didn't know him well, but certainly knew of him. Amazing climber. Kind-hearted man. Inventor of the Big-Bro, making off-width cracks protectable if not climbable.

And, the couple times I met him, at the climbing gym, cragging at North Table Mountain here in Golden, and elsewhere with his wife and daughter at parades, the farmer's market, etc., Craig always struck me as one of those unique figures: extremely talented, relentlessly dedicated, and yet somehow also quiet, kind, humble...

To think that he is now gone saddens me beyond words. There aren't too many details, but it sounds as if he and Willie Benegas were training for their American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) exam on Mount Torment in the Cascades when Craig fell into a moat.

Willie was hurt, but is by-in-large alright.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to Craig's wife, Silvia, and daughter, Giulia Maria.

Read more about the tragic accident on Stewart Green's climbing page. 

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

Hot, Flat, & Crowded - a rare dip into politics for this blog...

As you regular MountainWorld Blog readers know, I generally stay away from politics. It's not that I don't have my opinions on them - those who know me well know that is far from the case! But, rather, I've opted to focus in this space more on mountains and their ability to inspire.

But, here in the USA with the 2008 election cycle in full swing, politics are all that we tend to hear about. And, for good reason, as this is a critical election no matter which side of the partisan fence you stand (and even is you prefer to straddle it).

I won't make comments here on the ideologies or policies of either major candidate. But, I was filled with frustration, in all honesty, during the coverage of the Republican National Convention when I watched an animated Rudy Giuliani lead a chant of "drill, baby, drill" to the crowd in Minnesota. Now, you don't have to be a liberal, or a greeny, or really anything at all to know that we simply cannot, cannot, drill our way out of the current oil problem. At best, increasing domestic drilling is akin to putting a Band-Aid on an aortal bleed: you might slow the problem a tiny bit, but you won't solve it. Just ask lifelong Republican T. Boone Pickens, who probably knows a bit more about oil and energy than Rudy.

Anyway, my point is that yesterday i listened online to a wonderful interview by Terry Gross with Tom Friedman, author of the new Hot, Flat, & Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America. It's a great, straightforward interview, and one well worth listening to - it helps get above the noise of this election cycle, the 5 second soundbites, slogans, and chants, and gets to the real energy issues facing us today.

Listen to Terry's interview with Tom Friedman here.

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

In Memoriam: Bradford Washburn, 1910-2007

With great sadness I received the news this morning that Bradford Washburn, an inspirational man, climber, photographer, and academic with a resume which defies imagination, passed away last night, January 10, 2007.

His dedication to climbing, photography, science, and preservation were nearly beyond measure, and his passing leaves me at once saddened at the loss of such a great man, but also inspired by the life he lead, the example he set, and the greatness for which we all can strive.

His background is far too extensive for me to go into here and now, so instead I'll point those who are interested to come great links online:

Visibility Unlimited - Outside Magazine
Bradford Washburn - Wikipedia
Photographing in high Places - Some of Bradford's photography
Biography of Bradford - King Albert Memorial Foundation
Eye of a Legend - More images of Bradford's on Outside Online
The Life of Bradford Washburn - The Boston Globe

There is much, much more to be found online on this amazing man. Read, and be inspired!

 

Let's say thanks...

Regardless of what you think of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, one thing is clear: our troops deserve support. And, they especially need it at this time of year when they are far from friends, family, and loved ones.

In a great gesture of generosity, Xerox is offering to send FREE postcards to our troops. It only takes a minute to give them some support, and, again, it is FREE. So, why not do it? Go now to their website Let's Say Thanks (www.letssaythanks.com), take a minute to select your design and enter either a generic message or your own, and send a note to someone serving in the armed forces.

Happy Holidays!