New Direction

Since I returned from Tanzania, I haven’t quite known what to do with this blog. My trip didn’t go as planned. I was the only one of 18 climbers who failed to make the summit. I was devastated. It was extremely embarrassing to come back and have to report this to everybody, since upwards of 90% of those who start the climb do make the summit.  And, of course, everybody wanted to know why I couldn’t do it.

I can’t explain why myself. There is no valid reason. I didn’t get altitude sickness- I only had a few mild symptoms. The altitude affected everyone to some degree.  I did have significantly more shortness of breath going uphill than everyone else did, but even that doesn’t make sense, since I have a very high level of cardiac fitness. In essence, the steepness of the last push to the summit was steep enough to cause me to have significantly more trouble than anyone else. Ultimately, I quit. And I regretted that decision from the moment I turned around. I now understand more than I ever did the famous quote by Lance Armstrong,  “Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever”

What is even more interesting is how people have reacted to my failure. Most people have simply trivialized my feelings about it, telling me I should be proud of how far I got, or by saying “at least you tried”.   Others have told me I need to get over it. Only a few seem to understand how difficult it is to set a big goal and fail to reach it.

In any case, life goes on. Since returning home, I can see there are many parallels between climbing a mountain and life in general. Any goal we set can be seen as a summit we are working towards. Nobody gets to every summit. So, one question we can ask is, “What do you do when you don’t get to the summit?” What have you done with a goal you haven’t reached?

In my case, I know that I will always be disappointed in myself for quitting on the mountain. To me, the only logical thing to do is go again. I reached that decision without even really thinking about it.  On the way down, I just knew that I would have to regroup, come back and get to the summit.

I believe that too many people give up on pursing life’s dreams. The challenges in life beat them down. They learn to “be realistic” instead. Achieving any goal often takes hard, boring work- and this is true of mountain climbing as well.  Mindset is often as important, if not more important than the actual activity needed to achieve a goal.

So I’m taking this blog in a new direction. It will be about Summit Day in a broader sense – with any goal being the summit, and what it really takes to stand on the summit.

Rains down in Africa

Great video: Remake of 1980′s classic, which begins with a simulation of a thunderstorm by the group using their hands.

Reverse Culture Shock

Today marks a month since we returned from Tanzania. The trip was quite an experience – it will take a number of posts to cover the take away points.

Returning to American society has been a bit rocky. Being in Tanzania made it very clear that American culture tends to lose sight of what is really important.

The people of Tanzania were very welcoming and friendly – even in the face of significant poverty. Our guide Yusuph, took us on a walking tour of Moshi the first day. He even invited us- all 20 of us- to his home for lunch. He explained to us that when a Tanzanian builds a home, it is built with the expectation that neighbors and family will drop in any time. And when he was describing the typical meals, he told us that he felt very fortunate. You see, Yusuph does very well financially by African standards- he can afford to feed his family 3 meals a day. His description of the typical meals was divided into categories according to whether a family could afford to eat 3 meals, 2 meals, or only one meal a day.

Being away from all the materialism of American life really gave us an opportunity to focus on what is important. For 8 days, we were sleeping in tents on a mountain. We wore the same few sets of clothes repeatedly. We learned the value of dry clothes after a major rainstorm caused tent leakage and we all had some clothing that got wet and didn’t dry for days. Our meals were simple. All that mattered each day was getting to the next camp site, together as a group.

Americans take far too much for granted, and many of us have lost sight of what is important in our quest to live “better” lives- bigger house, new car, the latest gadget. Returning to this rat race has been a bit of a challenge.

I challenge those reading this to take a moment to reflect on what is really important in your life. Could I tell from your actions what you value most?

Time to leave

Well, the time has finally arrived. After all the talking about it and preparations, we are actually going to do it!

We leave for Tanzania on Feb 13, and arrive there on Feb 14. The climb starts Feb 16. Summit day is Feb 22. Then we will go on a celebratory safari!

Follow along with daily audio updates  from Pack Paddle and Ski. You can also send us messages on this site!

Click here for audio updates

Also, check the twitter feed in the lower right corner. If all goes well, you may see a tweet from the summit!

You might also find the following links interesting: time and weather in Tanzania
Note that the weather in Moshi probably isn’t the same as what we are experiencing at higher altitudes!

Click here for time in Tanzania

Click here for weather in Moshi, Tanzania

Final Preparations!

After months of talking about this trip, it’s finally starting to seem real. We are leaving in 10 days! Now is the time that we are reviewing our final packing list, making sure we have everything we need. And after going to the gym and on hikes for the past six months, we are as physically prepared as we can be.

We’ve been to Passport Health, gotten our shots, our bug repellant and prescriptions for anti-malaria medication, and acetazolamide- a medication which helps with acclimatization to altitude.  The staff at Passport Health was wonderful- they gave each participant a booklet with all kinds of information about Tanzania. They cover everything you need to know to travel safely. And they review all the diseases endemic to Tanzania and how to avoid them. It’s like a review of medical school microbiology class- I haven’t thought about African sleeping sickness or Dengue fever since I finished my second year of medical school! The risk of actually getting any of these diseases is really quite low with appropriate precautions.

There will be a total of 22 people traveling in our group to Tanzania. Of those, 18 will do the climb. The other 4 will stay behind and volunteer at a local orphanage. We will arrive in Moshi, Tanzania at Kilimanjaro Airport on Feb 14. We’ll spend the 15^th hanging out in Moshi. Then, on the 16^th, we will begin the climb. Summit day will be Feb 22. We will return to Moshi on Feb 23, and the next day many of us will celebrate our success by going on a safari.

Most of the people in our group have agreed that we will each bring only one checked bag. This leaves space for each of us to bring another checked bag filled with things to donate. Ginny is brining a bag with supplies for the orphanage. Dara’s bag has warm clothing for the porters. We are glad to be able to share the abundance we have in the United States with those who have almost nothing.

Come back soon for a link that will allow you to listen to the daily audio updates from the climb!

I am touched

As we get closer and closer to departure day, I am amazed on just how generous people have been.  The people I have meet, the stories I have heard about past climbs, and the lessons I am learning during my preparation some times leave me speechless.

Thank you for your prayers, donations and emotional support.  Together we will make a difference!

Ginny

Dara’s First TV Interview!

I had fun taping this interview for YNN in Rochester, NY.

LINK TO INTERVIEW

 

And please, donate to our cause!

Survivors

As I’ve been undertaking this project, I’ve started to think more about what it really means to be a survivor. Obviously, I am a survivor. And many people think that they wouldn’t be able to handle surviving a major illness.

Ginny and I are partnering with Journeys of Inspiration for this climb. Up until now, JOI has been focused on cancer survivors.  Our hope is that we can expand awareness beyond just cancer. After all Hospitality House/Hope Lodge will serve not only cancer patients, but also transplant and trauma patients. It’s also very important to realize that Hospitality House will also accommodate a family member for each patient.

In his book, The Survivor Club, author Ben Sherwood starts out with Rule number 1: Everyone is a survivor. No matter how much we deny it, each one of us will, at some point in our lives face some sort of calamity. It might be a hurricane, the diagnosis of some major medical problem, or maybe a bus. Perhaps the calamity won’t affect you directly, but will strike the person you care for most in your life – putting you in the much overlooked category of co-survivor.

More than fifty million Americans provide care for friends or family with chronic illnesses or disability. The stress of such care giving can take 10 years off the life of the caregiver.

Many survivors and co-survivors face a difficult challenge trying to navigate in their new reality and deal with the threat, while at the same time living in a world where most people really don’t want to acknowledge that bad things can happen. Friends say “let me know if I can do anything” partly because they don’t know what to do, but also partly because they’d rather just forget about the issue.

The process of climbing a mountain is very symbolic of the process of being a survivor.  It’s a difficult process. Some days we won’t make a lot of progress, as we will simply be adjusting to the altitude. It will be harder than we imagine. We may want to quit, but, with the help and encouragement of our friends, we won’t.  We will make it because we are all stronger than we know.

The mission of Hospitality House is to be a refuge in the midst of calamity for both survivors and their co-survivors. It will be a place where it’s OK to openly talk about the struggles and fears, and to ask for help, and get help.

If you haven’t already, please donate.
And check out Ben Sherwood’s book The Survivor’s Club for more inspiration and insights on survival.

The companion web site, which includes a survivor’s personality quiz, can be found at http://www.thesurvivorsclub.org

Power of momentum

Thanks to DeMarr Zimmerman, one of the most successful people I know, for sending this video to his team. He’s also one of the most unassuming leaders I know. To look at DeMarr, you’d have no idea that he is a wildly successful multimillionaire, and a major leader in his company. He comes across as a regular guy.

When it comes to my Kilimanjaro climb, and fundraising for it, I have frequently felt like the first guy in the video. People think what I’m doing is cool, but they haven’t changed their behavior or taken any kind of action. I think Ginny is guy number two. It’s a little less lonely, but we still need guy three, and then the crowd will join.

Ginny and I are just regular people trying to make our way though the world. We have great vision for what’s possible in our businesses, our personal lives and for this cause that we have joined together to support.

We know that climbing a mountain is something few people are willing to try. That’s OK. We hope that you will see the analogy to accomplishing a goal in your life and be inspired to more forward with that goal. We also hope that you will be inspired to register to become an organ donor and discuss your decision with your family, so that fewer people will die waiting for an organ.

The most difficult thing for us at this point isn’t the physical preparation for the climb. Many people in our city have triumphantly stood on the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro before us. Right now, the biggest challenge is raising the money. We can’t fund the climb ourselves. Before we can inspire others with the story of our success, before we can give a big, fat check to Hospitality House, we need your support. Just five dollars is all we ask. And tell your friends and family about our cause as well. We are looking for our third guy to help generate the momentum needed to make this all possible!

I hope you enjoy this video. Notice what happens when the third guy joins. Were is our third guy?

Great Song

Song by All 4 One, a tribute to organ donors. Proceeds from sale of this song go to Donate Life. Enjoy!