Doing Hard Things
As we enter 2022, I believe most of us have great hopes for a better year, a safer one. Perhaps one with less divisiveness across tightly entrenched groups. But, to accomplish a safe and more inclusive environment, it will take all of us to do hard things, large and small.
Climbing As You Grow Older
I recently turned 65. Yeah, I know! But before you stop reading, this is a tale for the young and, well, the not-so-young. The question is, “When do you stop climbing?”
Does age even matter in climbing? Yuichiro Miura and Tamae Watanabe hold the Everest age records at 80 and 78 for males and females, respectively. Bill Burke began his quest of the Seven Summits at age 60 and got his second summit of Everest at age 72. And Art Muri recently made Everest at 75. Then there are the 13-year-old Everest summiteers Jordan Romero and Malavath Poorna. And let’s not leave out eight-year-old Roxy Getter on Kilimanjaro, not that I think that’s a great idea. By the way, the sweet spot to summit Everest, and most 8000ers, is age 35.
I started climbing at age 38, kind of a late bloomer in the climbing world. I never lived out of my car, was never in the “dirt-bagger,” club or did anything other than work. But then I discovered climbing. Mont Blanc was my first respectable climb. Much to the disgust of my French guide, I didn’t even know how to attach the strap-on Camp crampons that I had just bought in Chamonix. He scoffed, sighed, said something I didn’t understand in French that I’m pretty sure wasn’t a compliment as he strapped them onto my new climbing boots. So yea, I was a novice who didn’t know what I didn’t know and didn’t even know what to ask. But I loved the day, fell in love with climbing, and got my first of several summits on this historic Hill.
Thank You & Welcome to 2020!
Happy New Decade to all. Thank you so much for your loyalty and support not only in 2019, but since I started my website back in 1999. I also want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported my Alzheimer’s Advocacy in any way over the last decade. My heartfelt gratitude. We have shared a lot over the years, from my climbs on Everest, and K2 to Ecuador and Bolivia this year. Also during my annual reporting on the Everest climbing season, and now most of the other 8000ers year-round. I appreciate your ongoing thoughtful comments and questions, as well as the occasional disagreements we have. Keep it up! The traffic continues to explode. In 2019 there were over 6 million page views by over 2 million visitors for both my website, alanarnette.com, and blog, alanarnette.com/blog/ I was honored to be ranked as the fifth-best climbing blog by The Adventure Junkies site. 2019 In Review 85% of readers are between 25 and 65 years old, with the largest group between 25 and 34. And 67% are female. Readers are from all over the world with the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and Germany taking the top spots. Palu and Nauru have the honor of one visit each!! For those into more stats, the majority, 80%, of you used either the Chrome or Safari browsers. And 57% of the traffic came from mobile devices, 35% on desktops, and 8% on tablets. For 2019, these were my most-read stories: How Much Does it Cost to Climb Mount Everest? – 2020 Edition Everest Facts for KiDs Comparing the Routes of Everest – 2019 edition Everest: 2019 Coverage Everest by the Numbers – 2019 Edition Everest 2019: 3 New Deaths, Now 9 on Everest, 19 Overall Everest 2019: Near Death on Annapurna. What Happened? Description of Everest South Col route Everest 2019: Too Many Deaths – Opinion Why K2 Will Never Become Everest Everest 2019: Season Summary The Year Everest Broke The Next Decade Looking ahead over the next ten years, I believe we will see these trends. Climate change will be a real game-changer in the next decades. Reports are pouring in that glaciers are melting at alarming rates, and in some cases cutting off traditional routes. I see this as an opportunity for the next generation of climbers to discover new routes on new faces transforming the spirit of adventure from the ‘formula’ climbs to one of pure exploration. Record Summits and Deaths will continue. Everest saw a record number of summits in 2019 at 836, as did Denali with 793. I believe that mountains are for everyone with the caveat that each person should climb, being self-sufficient, and with the proper experience. The recent deaths on Everest demonstrate how people can be seduced by slick websites and low prices that sell the myth that anyone can climb anything from Everest to K2 to skiing across Antarctica. The truth is that adventure tourism has taken a turn to the naive. Follow your dream, but also do your homework. We will also see more new rules. China enacted a wide range of new rules for its 8000 meter peaks, including Everest. Nepal continues to talk but has taken no meaningful action concerning new rules. Canada imposed new regulations on Mt. Logan due to what they considered as too many rescues. And the Village of Chamonix has floated new rules for Mont Blanc all year after another summer of rescues and deaths. I hope these rules will leave room for a true adventure. Even though I think the absolute number of deaths will increase, the death rate will go down. With the advances in climbing technology from clothing, boots, communications, weather forecasting, plus a dramatic increase in the use of supplemental oxygen, the death rates on the world’s highest peaks have gone down. Everest is one of the lowest. With a new generation coming of age, I think they will pioneer new routes on familiar peaks and get a lot of first summits on previously unclimbed ones. And K2 will be summited in winter. My Plans and Hopes I started climbing at age 38 and went on to summit Everest at age 54 and K2 at 58, the oldest American. Climbing has been a vehicle for my learning and growth. I returned home after each climb an improved model of myself, more so when I didn’t accomplish my objective, but with great learnings after a difficult summit. As my reporting, writing, speaking, and Summit Coach consulting work accelerates, my climbing on the world’s biggest peaks is on the decline. I’ll always climb here in Colorado and explore a 20,000er here or there, but I think the days of “one more 8000er” are over. My hope, no, my challenge, during the next decade is for those hearing the draw of the mountains, follow it, embrace it. There is no failure; there are only lessons that will contribute to all aspects of life. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything P.S. With all my heart, I hope for a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease in this next decade. I believe.
The Gall of it All!
My eyes popped open with an urgency I rarely felt while sleeping. The pain in my upper abdomen was strong this Friday night after Thanksgiving. Nine hours later I was being rolled into the operating room gleefully singing: “So long, farewell Auf wiedersehen, goodnight” The pre-anesthesia was kicking in but more so was my own belief in trying to find the positive in a bad situation. From 1 until 5 am, I tried to clear whatever was causing my pain but to no avail. The pain was constant and increasing. Finally around sunrise, I told Diane “Its not getting any better. I know my body and we need to get to the ER.” She kicked into action and 15 minutes later I was there, hunched over, alternating between sweating and shivering. As I checked in the nurse joked – “Bad turkey?” I wished it had been that simple. Gallbladder Disease I had gallbladder disease – sounds worse than it is but is still serious. After a slew of high-tech tests and imaging, the Docs said I had a blockage in my gallbladder that was stopping the release of bile into my stomach. The backup had built over time and reached a critical mass that night. The gall bladder was extended, enlarged and generally in a bad mood. The surgeon was more succinct: “It’s rotten.” I was presented with several choices: do nothing and see if it corrects itself (unlikely given it was enlarged now), wait until another episode then take care of it (not a good option given what I had just gone through and especially a bad option if it occurred in the middle of a climb) and third: take it out. I choose door number three. A ticking Gall I have had stomach, GI or whatever issues for years. Starting back in high school when I would vomit after every track practice. Then when I started climbing, many expeditions were cut short with intense abdominal pain. I was flown off Denali in 2007 with such symptoms only to find no root cause after going through a Mayo Clinic class of tests. I made some changes to how I maintained my hydration and nutrition during climbs that seemed to do the trick and I haven’t had any GI issue since 2011. But apparently the calcium stones were slowing growing regardless of my diet and life style. Could Of, Would of … This is the time when some readers start to type “Well, Alan, you should have …” and I usually welcome these shared experiences and advice – similar to telling me I shouldn’t use plastic trash bags … 😆 but I’m not sure I’m ready for this at the moment. Of course I could eat better, exercise more, not break my leg, be taller, change my hair color, change my genetics … But the Docs said about 10% of us get this thing and there was not a lot I could have done. Drum roll for those who will now promote the latest probiotic, Dr. Gall’s Bladder treatment, the new North Afghan Diet that is guaranteed to reduce gallbladder stones, ultrasound, light theory and 48 hours of continuous Kenny G music … and more. I know your heart is in the right spot but can you hold off a bit? Next Steps This Thursday, I will still have the screws and plates removed from my broken leg. The good news is that they will have to use less anesthesia since I’m already under now! (joke). I will be laying low in December to recoup from both of these year-end events and enjoying family time and watching football. I just wish Denver had a pro football team. In January, I will begin a 24 week exercise program designed by Steve House and Scott Johnston of Uphill Athlete. It’s a standard program available to anyone. It will give me a carrot to encourage my overall recovery to fitness with the stick coming from the hole in my abdomen to remind me that I can always do any things better. I don’t have any climbing plans for 2018, but I’d like to be ready if an opportunity presents itself, perhaps in the autumn? 2017 By now, if you are still reading!! 🙂 you might be think, Wow Alan, you have had a tough 2017. Well yes and no. Of course the broken leg in February and now this in November were unplanned and put a dent in my plans. But the good outweighs the bad by a mile this year. Diane and I formalized our relationship and have built a home with Cory. I have used the incidents to build a positive foundation for the next phase in my life. I have deepened my understand of who I am in the process for dealing with these events. My true friends have become even closer and my new friends have made contributions I never imagined. I furthered my connection with The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund in October and my Summit Coach business has taken off and I find great satisfaction in helping others achieve their dreams. Yes, 2017 has been a good year – and it’s not over! Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything