The Summit of Life
My buddy Rob was in town this weekend. That in and of itself probably doesn't excite the masses of literary connoisseurs reading this post, but the reason for his visit is a bit more interesting. Rob works for a company in Los Angeles that broadcasts satellite television. This company, oh what the hell its Direct TV, is having an inspirational meeting with the top executives at the company. They were looking for a speaker that would capture the audience with inspiring words about overcoming adversity. They looked toward Denver and a man named Erik Weihenmayer.
Erik lives in Golden, CO and is an amazing world-class mountain climber who has summited the highest peak on all seven continents - this of course includes Mt. Everest being the highest peak in Asia. Erik is also a marathon runner, paraglider, skier, and adventure racer. Many of his adventures are captured in a book he authored called Touch the Top of the World. These are all impressive credentials for an athlete 37 years old, but one minor detail makes it all the more inspiring. Erik is blind.
There are few people that I can think of that would be more appropriate to say a few words at a meeting set to discuss overcoming adversity than a blind man who has summited the highest peak in all seven continents, and the first blind man to summit Everest. However, he had already scheduled a talk during their meeting so Rob hopped on the next flight out of LA to shoot a short speech by Erik Weihenmayer set to be played at the meeting.
When I was a kid I used to think that being unable to talk would be my preferred handicap - I guess I realized at a young age how much unnecessary bullshit flies around. After reading up on Weihenmayer a bit, I started thinking about what it would be like to be blind. It's difficult to fathom going through life with memories built upon touch, smell, and sound. I bet Erik can describe the smell of all seven summits with the utmost of detail and accuracy. The wind, the cold, the warmth of the the sun, the crunching of crampons on snow - this is Erik's recollection of the Seven Summits.
Of course, I don't know exactly what went on in the interview. I'm going to have to wait for Rob to get back to the office and edit the thing up, but I do know one thing - when Erik Weihenmayer stood on top of the World as the first blind man to summit Everest - his view was spectacular.
Check out Erik Weihenmayer's website at www.touchthetop.com or for something a bit less exciting (but still fun) email John Poole at poolejohn@gmail.com.
Erik lives in Golden, CO and is an amazing world-class mountain climber who has summited the highest peak on all seven continents - this of course includes Mt. Everest being the highest peak in Asia. Erik is also a marathon runner, paraglider, skier, and adventure racer. Many of his adventures are captured in a book he authored called Touch the Top of the World. These are all impressive credentials for an athlete 37 years old, but one minor detail makes it all the more inspiring. Erik is blind.
There are few people that I can think of that would be more appropriate to say a few words at a meeting set to discuss overcoming adversity than a blind man who has summited the highest peak in all seven continents, and the first blind man to summit Everest. However, he had already scheduled a talk during their meeting so Rob hopped on the next flight out of LA to shoot a short speech by Erik Weihenmayer set to be played at the meeting.
When I was a kid I used to think that being unable to talk would be my preferred handicap - I guess I realized at a young age how much unnecessary bullshit flies around. After reading up on Weihenmayer a bit, I started thinking about what it would be like to be blind. It's difficult to fathom going through life with memories built upon touch, smell, and sound. I bet Erik can describe the smell of all seven summits with the utmost of detail and accuracy. The wind, the cold, the warmth of the the sun, the crunching of crampons on snow - this is Erik's recollection of the Seven Summits.
Of course, I don't know exactly what went on in the interview. I'm going to have to wait for Rob to get back to the office and edit the thing up, but I do know one thing - when Erik Weihenmayer stood on top of the World as the first blind man to summit Everest - his view was spectacular.
Check out Erik Weihenmayer's website at www.touchthetop.com or for something a bit less exciting (but still fun) email John Poole at poolejohn@gmail.com.
posted by John Poole at 8:12 PM
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