Friday, August 28, 2009

Has Climbing Blind Lost Its Luster?

Often I ponder over what peak to climb, what seems feasible and attainable. I run through the list of must climbs in my head, the ones everyone has heard of. Denali, Elbrus, kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Vinson Massif, Kosciuszko, Everest etc. They've all ben climbed, and all by a blind guy no less (no disrespect meant to Erik weihenmayer who is a fantastic climber). But i do have to complain a little bit. erik couldn't you have left a couple of the well knowns alone for the future generation to climb?
I recently submitted an article to a magazine to be considered for publication about our trip to Mt Kilimanjaro and the editor informed me that even though it was a decent article and he thanked me for submitting it, that blind climbers summitting well known peaks has become rather old news, although inspirational. in exchanging a few emails in the past with Team Sight Unseen friend and mentor, Erik Weihenmayer, and a few members of his climbing team, Eric Alexander and Jeff evans, they seem to share a similar opinion. Erik did all the well known peaks, the ones people thought a blind guy couldn't do. Well Erik proved them wrong. Now there are still a few climbs out there that are reasonably well known, but would be absolutely suicidal to attempt at the present time do to Team Sight Unseen's experience level in the mountains. But it begs the question. Is it time to step up a notch and become a better climbing team than the ones that Erik was apart of? is it time to attempt something that seems even more crazy?
For me, I have dreams. i know in my head what i want to do but i also know that it's going to take a lot of training, sacrifice, effort and most of all teamwork to get there.

Climb High

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