Have you ever wanted to climb Mount Everest???

I can’t say I would ever aspire to climb it, yet I have always had this fascination with Mount Everest. I remember, as a kid (though I don’t think I ever shared this with anyone), being amazed by stories of climbers who risked life and limb to stand on “TOP OF THE WORLD.” I can’t imagine what that must be like. I can’t imagine the sense of accomplishment… and the sense of awe.

When asked why he would climb Mount Everest, British mountaineer, George Mallory replied, “Because it’s there.” In addition to being amazed by stories of Everest climbers, there was a part of me that sort of thought these people were CRAZY! Why do these people do it… what drives them to make that kind of sacrifice? Is it all for adventure? Is it all just to say you’ve done it? (I’ve often wondered the same about people who run marathons or compete in triathlons).

Today I went to lunch with my mentor. I was assigned a mentor to help me get acclimated to my new job. Nicole is super cool and we always have these great conversations – usually never about work. Today we talked about how she met her husband and we talked about some of the cool stuff she’s done. She hasn’t climbed Everest, but she’s done a lot of cool stuff. Today while talking with Nicole, it kinda hit me… I think I know why (some) people climb Everest or why (some) people run marathons and compete in triathlons. I think these experiences, and specifically the training for these experiences, builds character. My mentor seems to have gained a lot of character from the cool stuff she has done and the cool places she’s visited. I suppose that’s not a earth shattering revelation, cause I would think that that’s the purpose of SPORT.

Anywhoo… I don’t think I’ll be signing up for an Everest expedition anytime soon, but there’s a lot of other cool stuff I’d like to do. And a lot of cool places I wanna visit.