Everest 2013: Interview with Georgina Miranda – More than a Climb
This interview with Georgina Miranda is one of an ongoing series I do each season with Everest climbers. Not the famous, look sponsored ones who get plenty of publicity but the regular people, prescription who often have full time jobs, full time families and climb for the love of the climb. This is the last interview for 2013 as the regular seasons starts up. Now here’s Georgina: She is a consultant by profession. You know, sitting on windowless conference rooms giving and listening to PowerPoint presentations all day long. She helps companies accomplish their objectives. For people, she helps them accomplish their dreams. Georgina’s story has a similar beginning like many climbers. She took a rock climbing course and was hooked. She went on day hikes, enjoying the down time. But a magazine article on the plight of women in the Congo changed her forever. She made a big decision to use her newfound passion of climbing to bring awareness and raise money to stop the violence against women in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. She started a foundation and campaign, Climb Take Action. With her sights set on the 7 Summits, Georgina has reached the top of five. Now she is climbing Everest with her mission. Please meet Georgina Miranda: Q: Your foundation, Climb Take Action, is focused on helping women in the Congo. This is an enormous issue. Can you tell us why this cause has become so personal for you and how it is going? What started out in looking for a new hair cut idea, turned into a campaign to raise support and awareness for women in Congo by climbing the world’s 7 summits. Sound a little crazy? Probably. In late 2007 I read an article that changed my life and set me on a mission to empower women in Congo (Glamour” magazine). The article educated me on the fact that thousands of women and girls were being sexually abused, which was unfathomable and unacceptable. No victim was too young or old ranging from only a few months old to women in their late 70s. Why did no one know this was happening? I immediately decided to create the Climb Take Action~7 Summits Challenge, geared at raising funds and awareness for women in Congo as I attempted to fulfill my dream of climbing the world’s Seven Summits. Having been out to the field and meeting some of these women back in 2009 has made this very personal to me. I cannot forget their stories and their strength in surviving some unimaginable experiences. New statistics show 48 women are raped per hour and that the sexual violence in DRC is some of the worst in the world. Some very memorable moments over the past few years of Climb Take Action have been when others joined us for our climbs and treks! We had a team of 9 head to Kilimanjaro in 2009 on behalf of the cause and then in 2011 we had a team trek to Everest Base Camp with us. So very grateful for those that joined us on the journey and helped us raise support and awareness! Q: You say “It only takes one.” What does this mean? The problem in DRC impacting women is a large one, and my campaign alone will not solve the problem by any means, but it helps to raise awareness and support for two extraordinary non-profits, International Medical Corps and V-DAY, doing life changing work for these women. It is a collective effort that will make the broader difference indeed. Yet, my belief is that if you can have a positive impact in one life, that is all it takes because for that one person they now have hope and the means to keep living. Having an impact is often measured in scale, yet impact on an individual standpoint should not be discredited, as for that one person impacted their world is changed. Q: You have climbed five of the seven summits. Given you were born and still live in California, where did the love of mountains begin? I grew up in Los Angeles and as a child got to visit Yosemite, Big Sur, and do local hikes around Griffith Park. My first “serious” hike was Mt. Baldy in 2006 🙂 It was not until I was an adult working full time and going to grad school full time at night that I discovered my real passion for the mountains and the outdoors. The mountains created an incredible escape away from the corporate world and textbooks. They also encouraged me to explore and push new limits I had never thought possible and changed my perspective on life in so many ways. I feel I discover a new part of myself every time I am out in the mountains, a magical experience really. Q: Your parents are from San Salvador and Nicaragua. What do they think of their mountain climbing daughter? This is a tough question, because my climbing has caused some tension in the family. My dad has been super supportive and even joined me on some of the climbs- he joined my team for Kilimanjaro and then came to Everest Base Camp last time I was on Everest in 2011. He has become quite the avid hiker now 🙂 He has always had an adventurous spirit and encouraged me to keep going. Others in my family worry about my safety on these climbs and would have preferred for me to choose a less risky sport 🙂 Q: You stopped on Everest in 2011 near the Balcony (27,500 feet) due to altitude related issues. Smart decision to turn back but it must have been gut wrenching. Can you walk us through what happened? The night of May 12/13 2011 will live with me forever. I had been feeling good throughout the beginning of our summit push from base camp. When we got to high camp on the 11th of May 2011 the wind had kicked up and our team was pretty exhausted. Enough of our team members had turned around early on and so it allowed the 7 of us left