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Climbing the World to End Alzheimer's

The Explorers Club: an Honor to Become a Member

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Feb 222013
 
The Explorers Club: an Honor to Become a Member

I am honored to now be a member of the historic Explorers Club. Founded in New York City in 1904, some of their legendary members include Sir Edmund Hillary, Roald Amundsen and John Glenn.  To join the club, you have to be nominated by two current members and accepted by the membership committee. The Club has about 3,000 members and 30 chapters in the U.S and around the world. It is humbling to be part of this environment but I am reminded of that famous Groucho Marx quote about clubs My hope is that by joining The Club, I can share continue reading


The Link Between Climbing And Business Leadership

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Jan 192013
 
The Link Between Climbing And Business Leadership

In my presentation for companies, “Leadership Lessons from Mt. Everest”, I discuss the key attributes shared by climbers and leaders in the corporate world: preparation, trust, teamwork, commitment, judgement, and humor. Each plays a role in making the push to the summit, or turning back – both are successes in my mind – because you live to try again.  These characteristics are critically important during times of stress or change for a business.  In my 30 years running businesses, I found many opportunities to apply my climbing lessons to business life. PREPARATION  Training for Everest is an all encompassing endeavor. It is not a continue reading


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 2 Responses »
Dec 292012
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Just a quick note to say thank you to all my readers, followers and supporters in 2012. My site has over 1 million loyal readers who follow me to keep up on climbing, Everest, my own adventures and, of course, Alzheimer’s. In that respect, a very special thank you to everyone who made a donation this year to one of the non-profits. 100% of your money goes to Alzheimer’s causes and none ever to me. I deeply appreciate your support and look forward to more in 2013. 2012 was a good year with more climbs, talks, friends and family. I continue reading


The Christmas I lost my Mom

 3 Responses »
Dec 202012
 
The Christmas I lost my Mom

In 2001 we returned to Memphis to visit my parents over Christmas, something I had regularly done since leaving Memphis to start my career over three decades earlier. One of our annual traditions was going to the Christmas buffet at the famous Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. It was always special. We said hello to the ducks in the lobby fountain, enjoyed the huge, beautifully decorated Christmas tree and made our way up to the top floor ball room to pig out. It was grandiose as usual. Smart white table clothes covered round tables that surrounded the dance floor. There, continue reading


The End of Innocence: 26 Dead in Connecticut

 9 Responses »
Dec 162012
 
The End of Innocence: 26 Dead in Connecticut

Standing at the curb, annoyed by the canceled shuttle service from the hotel to LAX, Cathy and I reminisced about the wonderful time we enjoyed at Disneyland the past few days. As I glanced at my iPhone to catch up on the news, I saw the headline “Shooting at Connecticut School”. Not again I thought and looked down the street for the bus. The journey home was uneventful – on-time flights, polite crowds, cramped coach seats – but as we learned more about the “shootings” the sadness sunk in. At Disneyland, we saw many kids. I often commented on the continue reading


The Colorado High Park Fire – A Personal Perspective

 1 Response »
Jun 122012
 
The Colorado High Park Fire - A Personal Perspective

The fear of anyone living in the mountains is fire. While there are many ways to protect your home from the onslaught of a raging wave of fire, sometimes there is nothing you can do. This past weekend, the residents of Northern Colorado saw such a fire develop and it continues today, 4 days later. The High Park Fire has gained notoriety and priority due to the explosive size and location next to an area of 250,000 people. Started by a lightening strike deep in the Roosevelt Forest, it started as a smolder but soon grew to 2 acres, then continue reading


A Week in the UK: Ben Nevis and ADI

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Mar 112012
 
A Week in the UK: Ben Nevis and ADI

What an exciting week! I summited the highest peak in Scotland, the UK’s Ben Nevis on Monday and spoke at the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) annual conference in London on Thursday with a corporate speaking event in between.  But more than that, I met some incredible people, shared some thoughts and learned even more about the world of climbing and Alzheimer’s. Ben Nevis Climb I have just posted a complete trip report along with an FAQ on my climb. It was everything I expected and more. It was just as beautiful as advertised, more difficult than anticipated and thankfully, the continue reading


Climbing UK’s Ben Nevis for Alzheimer’s

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Feb 272012
 
Climbing UK's Ben Nevis for Alzheimer's

I am excited to continue to climb the world to end Alzheimer’s. Next up is the highest in the UK, Ben Nevis, on March 5, 2012. I will be in the UK speaking at the Alzheimer’s Disease International annual conference. I will tell the story of my mom, Ida, her struggles and my sense of helplessness at the time. However since her death in 2009, I have channeled those feelings into raising awareness that Alzheimer’s is a disease, just like cancer or diabetes but unlike many diseases, has no cure, no effective treatment and no simple means of early diagnosis. continue reading


Communicating from Everest – 2012 Update

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Jan 022012
 
Communicating from Everest - 2012 Update

I receive many questions on how I did my live dispatches for the 7 Summits so I put together this short tutorial for anyone wanting to communicate during an expedition from anywhere on our planet. While staying in touch is mandatory and part of an expedition for me, some people want to get away from it all and escape the modern noise that comes with 24 by 7 communications. If that is your case, then take a sat phone for safety but don’t use it unless there is an emergency! Tell everyone that no news is good news and you continue reading


Words: 2011

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Dec 292011
 
Words: 2011

In the last days of 2011, I wanted to write about my last 12 months of climbing mountains to raise awareness and research funds for Alzheimer’s, but I couldn’t find the words. The emotions and gratitude are immense. I could only come up with the following in hopes it expresses my feeling to everyone who made a donation, everyone who followed the journey and to everyone impacted by Alzheimer’s. And we are not finished. I climbed mountains in 2011. Not for summits but for a message. Words are what we have. What we use. A collection of letters struggling to continue reading


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