Blog
CARRYING THE TORCH – LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING THROUGH EXPEDITION CLIMBING
Leadership and learning opportunities are created by involved parents, dedicated teachers, and skilled bosses. My first lucky break in leadership and learning came from working with my father and my uncles in the family painting business. They taught me to hustle, to...
BEST PHOTOGRAPHS AND LESSONS FROM CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO
I am fortunate to be able to climb big, beautiful mountains. After recently summiting Mount Kilimanjaro I am now twice as lucky because I got to accompany my 20-year old daughter, Jess, on her first high-altitude ascent. We discovered a treasure trove of experiences...
ADAPTATION AND THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO
I recently got the chance to summit Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet) in Tanzania with my daughter, Jess. Over six days, as we worked our way up the mountain, I noticed how the snows of Kilimanjaro (the ones made famous by Ernest Hemingway) looked different as...
HIGH ALTITUDE LIFE – DISCOMFORT AND SPLENDOR
Life at high altitude consists of discomfort. With all adventure travel, discomfort comes in familiar forms, like: Achy bones from sleeping on the ground Upset stomach from foreign microbes in your gut Sore muscles from long hours hiking uphill. When you add in high...
THREE MENTAL STAGES OF EMBRACING CHALLENGE
Going on a challenging expedition is fantastic. And, it’s awful. Traveling far to seek adventure creates energy, builds excitement and fosters life-enriching experiences. It is also time consuming, stressful and messes up other areas of your life. In two days I leave...
ENCOURAGING YOUR CHILD TO EMBRACE LIFE’S ADVENTURES – A KILIMANJARO JOURNEY
For people who seek thrilling adventures, raising a child also raises an interesting dilemma: Should you encourage your child to embrace adventure? Don’t let anyone fool you – when you become a parent, everything changes. Your personal habits, your economic behaviors...
TRAIN HARDER THAN YOU THINK YOU’LL NEED
Sliding the climbing rope into my pack, I carefully stacked the coils above four other ropes. When I nestled four water bottles atop the pile, the gallon of water topped off the load. A grunt escaped from my mouth as I hefted the backpack up onto one knee and guessed...
THREE CRITICAL LESSONS ABOUT RUNNING AND LIFE
In this blog, I recently shared some lessons about “Handling More” from my Uncle Bob, a long-time marathon runner (see blog of 9/29/14 below). Although I couldn’t even jog a mile in high school, Bob Carr inspired me to start running and he coached me to finish a...
FIND THE TIME TO CLIMB MOUNT EVEREST (or Pursue Your Passion)
When people find out that I am going to climb Everest soon, some ask me, “How much time does climbing Mount Everest take?” The entire trip takes 65 days, including the extensive travel and the four to five weeks that we’ll spend struggling up and down the mountain,...
TRAINING FOR ADVERSITY
To reach big goals, you must train yourself to face adversity. By actively putting yourself in difficult and unpleasant circumstances, you increase your resilience for overcoming even more difficult situations later. Building resilience through adversity training will...