Podcasts about mera peak

Gościem dzisiejszej audycji jest Zofia Bachleda - przewodniczka tatrzańska I klasy i instruktorka narciarstwa wysokogórskiego Polskiego Związku Alpinizmu. Oprócz Tatr wspinała się w Alpach i Dolomitach. W Himalajach weszła na Island Peak, Ama Dablam i Mera Peak. Od 35 lat Zofia Bachleda jest także licencjonowaną kaskaderką. Pracowała przy kilkudziesięciu filmach i reklamach. Dzisiaj po Tatrach wędruje również z wnukami i nadal intensywnie pracuje w górach. Bartek Solik rozmawia z Zofią Bachledą o jej pierwszych tatrzańskich wyprawach oraz o tym, że płeć nie przeszkadza w uprawianiu zawodu przewodnika wysokogórskiego. Będzie też o prostej potrzebie bycia w górach. Zapraszamy! Scenariusz, nagrania, montaż: Bartek Solik Na zdjęciu: Zofia Bachleda. Fot. Bartek Solik Materiały wykorzystane w audycji:  Król A., Kamienny sufit. Opowieść o pierwszych taterniczkach. Historia osobista, Kraków 2021 Komosa-Styczeń A., Taterniczki. Miejsce kobiet jest na szczycie, Warszawa 2021 Ptakowska-Wyżanowicz H., Od krynoliny do liny, Warszawa 1960 Bachleda Z., Do przewodnictwa dojrzewałam wiele lat rozm. przepr. A. Szymaszek w Tatry, 2018, nr 65, s. 104-107  

Pour cet épisode de Beau Voyage, nous avons rencontré Quentin. Quentin vit à Paris, il est avocat d'affaires et à la tête d'une tribu de 3 enfants. Lorsque l'on discte avec ce quadra parisien ultra sympathique, on comprend vite que derrière un profil plutôt classique et discret se cache un sacré aventurier. Quentin n'est pas le genre à lézarder sur la plage pour relacher la pression, lui, ce qu'il aime par dessus tout, c'est le défi, le dépassement de soi et le fait de sortir en permanence de sa zone de confort. Alors sur ses temps off, il multiplie les aventures toujours plus folles, en France, en Norvège et ailleurs, pour vivre sa grande passion : l'alpinisme !  Fan de montagne, grâce à sa mère qui lui a transmis le virus, il grimpe sans être un pro pour autant et part en expédition sans grande préparation mais toujours entouré par un groupe de passionnés et de professionels.Cette année, il a décidé de vivre l'aventure de sa vie : il a laissé sa femme, ses enfants, son cabinet, ses associés et ses potes pour partir faire l'ascension du Mera Peak, le plus haut des “trekking peaks” népalais à 6 476m. Juste pour nous, il revient sur ces 3 semaines coupé du monde et cette folle expérience entre forêts tropicales et sommets enneigés. On a adoré ce moment avec Quentin, on espère qu'il vous plaira tout autant !**************************************Si cet épisode vous a plu, n'hésitez pas à nous laisser 5 étoiles sur Spotify ou un commentaire sur Apple Podcasts. Ce serait vraiment un sacré coup de pouce pour nous !**************************************Production : Sakti ProductionsMusique : Chase The Mississipi, Michael ShynesVous êtes une marque et vous souhaitez collaborer avec Beau Voyage ? Ecrivez-nous : mariegarreau@saktiproductions.com Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

This episode definitely involves physical fitness, but on a deeper level it's much more about resilience. The resilience to pursue an education while growing up in rural poverty. The resilience to survive the selection process for the Royal Gurkha Rifles. The resilience to persevere after severe combat injuries including the loss of both legs above the knee. Hari Budha Magar was born in 1979 in a village in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. He was born in a cow-shed at an altitude of 2,500m in a remote part of Western Nepal. He grew up in Mirul, in the Rolpa District of the Himalayas in Nepal. As a child, he had to walk 45 minutes each day to go to school and back, barefoot; at school, there were no pens or paper so he learnt to write with chalk stone on a wooden plank. He was forced to get married at the age of 11. During his teenage years, he was surrounded by the Nepalese Civil War where more than 17,000 people were killed over a period of 10 years. Hari joined the British Army via the Royal Gurkha Rifles when he was 19. He served across five continents, doing training and operations for the British Army, his roles included Combat Medic, Sniper, and Covert Surveillance, amongst other things Since his injuries, Hari has tried a variety of sports and adventures, they include: golf, skiing, skydiving, kayaking, and rock climbing. He has also played wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball. In 2017, he became the first double above-knee amputee (DAK) to summit a mountain taller than 6,000m (Mera Peak, 6,476m). Then, on May 19, 2023, he accomplished the record of being the first ever double above-knee amputee to summit the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest (8,848m). You can learn more about Hari and his current work on his website, including links to all of his social media.

Elevate your adventure with the Bucket Lister Podcaster! In this episode, we're exploring high-altitude territories and trekking on peaks breaching the 6000m mark. From the mighty Aconcagua to the magnificent Himalayan heights of Mera Peak, join us as we delve into the thrilling and awe-inspiring world of high-altitude trekking. Prepare for riveting stories, expert insights, and invaluable advice to fuel and guide your next alluring ascent. Conquered Kilimanjaro? Crossed Everest Base Camp? Now amplify your adventure and tune in as we ascend even higher!Island Peak Trip with the Bucket List CompanyMera Peak Trip with the Bucket List CompanyAconcagua Trip with the Bucket List Company———————————————We are The Bucket List Company. Welcome to our Podcast, where wanderlust and inspiration meet practical tips and information for all of the top adventure travel destinations around the world.FOLLOW US:Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_bucketlist_coFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bucketlistcompanyOfficial Website: https://thebucketlistcompany.co.uk/———————————————#bucketlisttravel #adventuretravel #travelbucketlist #bucketlisters

Oliver Browne is a qualified Mountain Leader and the Founder of True Summit Adventures. He has competed in many marathons, duathlons and climbed many mountains of 4, 5 and 6,000m including European Classics, Mont Blanc and Grand Paradiso, Andean Classics, Vallunaraju, Cotopaxi, Antisana and Chimborazo, Toubkal and Kilimanjaro in Africa, Lobuche East and Mera Peak in Nepal as well as touching Camp 3 on Mount Everest in Spring 2021, before becoming unwell with Covid19.6 weeks after leaving hospital in Kathmandu he won the NOMAN, Barcelona to Ibiza rowing race in 93 hours and came second in the 2022 edition of the Talisker Atlantic Challenge in the 8th fastest time of all time.In this episode, we discuss:Oliver's recovery storyCreating accountabilityTransfer addictionThe importance of physical challengesFinding purposeBuilding an adventure businessThe compounding effectLearning to say “yes” to adventureNature as a vehicle for transformationTo connect with Oliver & learn more:Website: https://www.truesummitadventures.com/Instagram: @truesummitadventures __Sun & Moon Sober LivingJoin our online membership community: https://sunandmoonsoberliving.com/membership/Find out more the Spring Sober Women's Retreat: https://sunandmoonsoberliving.com/spring-mountain-retreatJoin the waitlist for the 2025 Nepal Retreat: https://pages.sunandmoonsoberliving.com/retreat-waitlistInstagram: @sunandmoon.soberliving__Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment

You know we LOVE boots right? Well guess what...Andy and Dave want to chat about...YOU GUESSED IT! BOOTS! "B2, or not B2, that is the question" We've had lots of great questions focused on what boots to buy for our more technical 6000m peak trips such as Island Peak, Mera Peak, Aconcagua and more. So we want to unpack those shoe boxes and chat through the latest intel and what you'll need for these EPIC but tough adventures. As Andy said, check out our Mt Toubkal treks below.  https://evertrek.co.uk/holidays/mt-toubkal-roof-of-the-north-weekender https://evertrek.co.uk/holidays/mt-toubkal-roof-of-the-north-8-day-trek

Čeští bikeři Tomáš Zejda a Ondřej Novák se pustili do hodně šíleného podniku. Na kolech sjeli – jako první na světě – horu Mera Peak v centrálním Himálaji. Jak sami přiznávají, bylo to za hranou.Všechny díly podcastu Casablanca můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Pour cet épisode de Beau Voyage, nous avons rencontré Quentin. Quentin vit à Paris, il est avocat d'affaires et à la tête d'une tribu de 3 enfants. Lorsque l'on discte avec ce quadra parisien ultra sympathique, on comprend vite que derrière un profil plutôt classique et discret se cache un sacré aventurier. Quentin n'est pas le genre à lézarder sur la plage pour relacher la pression, lui, ce qu'il aime par dessus tout, c'est le défi, le dépassement de soi et le fait de sortir en permanence de sa zone de confort. Alors sur ses temps off, il multiplie les aventures toujours plus folles, en France, en Norvège et ailleurs, pour vivre sa grande passion : l'alpinisme !  Fan de montagne, grâce à sa mère qui lui a transmis le virus, il grimpe sans être un pro pour autant et part en expédition sans grande préparation mais toujours entouré par un groupe de passionnés et de professionels.Cette année, il a décidé de vivre l'aventure de sa vie : il a laissé sa femme, ses enfants, son cabinet, ses associés et ses potes pour partir faire l'ascension du Mera Peak, le plus haut des “trekking peaks” népalais à 6 476m. Juste pour nous, il revient sur ces 3 semaines coupé du monde et cette folle expérience entre forêts tropicales et sommets enneigés. On a adoré ce moment avec Quentin, on espère qu'il vous plaira tout autant !**************************************Si cet épisode vous a plu, n'hésitez pas à nous laisser 5 étoiles sur Spotify ou un commentaire sur Apple Podcasts. Ce serait vraiment un sacré coup de pouce pour nous ! ************************************** Production : Sakti ProductionsMusique : Chase The Mississipi, Michael ShynesVous êtes une marque et vous souhaitez collaborer avec Beau Voyage ? Ecrivez-nous : mariegarreau@saktiproductions.com 

Dans cette bande-annonce, Marie Faure-Ambroise aka @Mytraveldreams, vous dévoile les coulisses de Beau Voyage, le premier podcast qui vous parle des aventures extraordinaires de voyageurs ordinaires. Dès le 15 mai prochain, découvrez un condensé d'histoires captivantes, de bons plans et d'adresses cools autour du monde qui vont vous donner envie de partir à l'aventure en solo, à deux ou en tribu et de réveiller le Mike Horn qui sommeille en vous. Deux fois par mois, partez à la rencontre d'artistes, sportifs, avocats, créateurs de mode ou simples particuliers qui ont vécu des voyages étonnants.Du bivouac en famille dans les Pyrenées, à l'ascension du Mera Peak, en bas de chez eux ou à l'autre bout du monde, en quête du grand frisson ou pour découvrir de nouveaux horizons, cette nouvelle génération de voyageurs nous partagent leurs rêves, leurs désillusions, leurs meilleurs conseils et leurs pires galères, leurs adresses préférées et leurs immanquables. Dans chacun des épisodes de Beau Voyage, plongez dans une aventure extraordinaire et partez à la découverte d'une destination !  On a hâte de vous en révéler plus, alors rendez-vous le 15 mai prochain ! 

Hari Budha Magar was injured in Afghanistan and is a double above the knee leg amputee. Serving for 15 years in the British Army's legendary Gurkha regiment, Hari has transformed from injured veteran to record breaking mountaineer. Changing perceptions towards people with disability is what now drives Hari. He is a champion of removing limits, most notably with his persistence and involvement in lobbying officials in Nepal to overturn a ban on people with disabilities climbing Everest in 2018. Not wanting disability to stop him, or others conquering dreams, he has been continually working to positively transform the way people with a disability are perceived, and how they perceive themselves. Hari seizes the opportunity to blaze new trails for people with disabilities. He has kayaked around the Isle of Wight, completed multiple skydives, para-glided and bungee jumped. Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro and his highest to date, the 6,476m Mera Peak in Nepal, are among the peaks he has already climbed. He is attempting to climb Everest in 2023. Krish Thapa, World Leading Mountaineer and Ex-SAS Mountain Troop Leader. Krish is a world-class high-altitude mountaineer, ex- SAS Mountain leader and professional guide. He was the first Gurkha from The Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment to pass selection into the British SAS, serving as head of the Mountain Troop. He has been at the front line in Iraq and Afghanistan in countless challenging situations. He led the largest Summit group up Everest of 13 UK special forces and Gurkha and he was the first serving Warrant officer to scale Mt Everest & K2. He has guided amputees, blind, deaf, Parkinson's disease sufferers and PTSD veterans on expedition in Africa, Europe, and the Himalayas of Nepal. Without a doubt, Krish is one of the finest and most inspirational climbers in the world. He has been the enabler behind some of the decade's most import climbs and has helped shatter disbelief in the perceived limitation of disabled mountaineers such as Hari whose ability is extraordinary. He has also inspired and trained some of the world's most prolific climbers including Nims Dai Their crowd funding page is here Music by Episound under license to DCT Audio.

Many people have trekked to Everest Base Camp or climbed Kilimanjaro but they always wander -  What is the next challenge?Mera Peak certainly answers this question.Mera Peak is a 6476m mountain and is classed as the highest Trekking Peak in Nepal.In this weeks Episode Keith is chatting with Bucket List Company Head Guide, Gareth Chalker about our 2022 trip to Mera Peak.They have a chat about the trip, who is a perfect fit and give a walk through of the trek.If you have Mera Peak on your Bucket List or  are wondering what you should do next then this is a must listen episode for you!For more information on our future Mera Peak Trips Click Here———————————————We are The Bucket List Company. Welcome to our Podcast, where wanderlust and inspiration meet practical tips and information for all of the top adventure travel destinations around the world.FOLLOW US:Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_bucketlist_coFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bucketlistcompanyOfficial Website: https://thebucketlistcompany.co.uk/———————————————#bucketlisttravel #adventuretravel #travelbucketlist #bucketlisters

A county standard swimmer as a teenager, Marc had his left leg amputated because of cancer when he was 17. His dream became to simply be the best that he could be and just 18 months after he finished his chemotherapy he was selected to represent Great Britain. Marc competed internationally as a swimmer for 17 years; winning 12 Paralympic medals from 5 Games and a further 21 from World and European Championships. In the past, he has held world records for 200m, 400m, 1500m Freestyle, as well as being part of the team that held the world record for 4 x 100m Freestyle. Since retiring from swimming in 2004 he has worked for both the BBC and CH4 at the Paralympic Games in Beijing2008, London2012 and Rio2016 and most recently Tokyo2020 When Marc retired from international swimming he embarked on a series of new challenges, including trekking in Nepal, Ecuador and Peru (the Inca Trail) and developing his mountaineering skills. To date, he has climbed the world's highest volcano, Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Mont Pelvoux, part of the Massif des Ecrins in France and the 22,200ft Mera Peak in Nepal. “Whether you succeed or fail to achieve specific goals you have to replace them. Turning my attention to mountaineering after I retired from swimming refocused my energy. In doing this I came to realise that focusing on achieving my potential was both more sustainable and rewarding than obsessing on specific outcomes like winning a Gold medal or summiting a peak.” But not forgetting in 2005 he wrote Personal Best, a combination of my life story and personal development advice and more recently Beyond The Call You can learn more about Mark via his website marcwoods.com and connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn For more information about James Roberts (the host of the podcast), visit jamesowenroberts.com and connect with him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Originally aired March 8, 2018Jim Lamancusa is on today to talk about Ski Mountaineering on Nepal's Mera Peak. This one is going to make you want to get out your skis and get to the mountains in a hurry!www.CusaTea.comInstagram: @Cusa_TeaSupport Adventure Sports Podcast monthly by going to Patreon.com/AdventureSportsPodcast or make a one-time donation to the show here. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/adventure-sports-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Roberto Sastre se comunica desde Karachi (Paquistán). Se mueve por Europa y Asia con sus dos perras Cocai y Chai. Mikel Bringas ha completado la vuelta a la península Ibérica en bicicleta. Ainhoa Lendinez regresa de una expedición de 5 mujeres al Mera Peak en el Himalaya de Nepal. El biólogo German Orizaola estudia la fauna salvaje en la zona radioactiva de la central nuclear de Chernóbil. José Cánovas ha realizado viajes en Interrail a lo largo y extenso de Europa....

Roberto Sastre se comunica desde Karachi (Paquistán). Se mueve por Europa y Asia con sus dos perras Cocai y Chai. Mikel Bringas ha completado la vuelta a la península Ibérica en bicicleta. Ainhoa Lendinez regresa de una expedición de 5 mujeres al Mera Peak en el Himalaya de Nepal. El biólogo German Orizaola estudia la fauna salvaje en la zona radioactiva de la central nuclear de Chernóbil. José Cánovas ha realizado viajes en Interrail a lo largo y extenso de Europa....

Roberto Sastre se comunica desde Karachi (Paquistán). Se mueve por Europa y Asia con sus dos perras Cocai y Chai. Mikel Bringas ha completado la vuelta a la península Ibérica en bicicleta. Ainhoa Lendinez regresa de una expedición de 5 mujeres al Mera Peak en el Himalaya de Nepal. El biólogo German Orizaola estudia la fauna salvaje en la zona radioactiva de la central nuclear de Chernóbil. José Cánovas ha realizado viajes en Interrail a lo largo y extenso de Europa....

We are releasing this podcast a few days after Alex's passing on Mera Peak in Nepal, where he was training to become to first person with Parkinson's to summit Everest. His family commented that "he went out exactly how he would have wanted to, off the high of having completed another adventure on top of the world about to step into a helicopter ready to take on the next challenge."We hope this episode does such justice to such a trailblazer of a man, and that it goes on to inspire you to live your fullest life, whatever hurdles are thrown your way.Alex Flynn has always had a high threshold for pain. But when diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at 36, his whole life changed. Determined not to let it define or restrict him, Alex has dedicated his life to raising funds for Parkinson's research, and aims to inspire others with disabilities to live full, joyous and stretching lives. We discuss how Alex has become the master of his own life and just how he managed to complete 10 million meters of running, walking and crawling around the globe. Tune in to find out more!

Jill Wheatley has a complex story - her life turned upside down in a moment and her journey to recovery and into thriving is circuitous. This discussion takes place with Jill in Kathmandu and Matt in Washington state - next month they finish the conversation in Nepal at Manaslu basecamp - a mountain they are each climbing for their own very personal reasons.  This is part one of that conversation. While working as a teacher in Bavaria, an accident on a sports' field changed Jill's life in a fraction of a second.   A medical team, hundreds of hands from 7 hospitals across 3 countries, guided Jill through a seemingly impossible climb, traumatic brain injury (TBI). Now traversing  an avalanche triggered by the TBI, which left her days from death, with 70% vision loss and a life threatening eating disorder, Jill chose to adventure in massifs around the world to celebrate the life she nearly lost. Mountains have housed a transformation from losing sight to gaining vision. Jill has run, climbed  and skied her way around the world embracing the eyesight she still has. Her trails have connected with the Andorra Pyrenees, Italian Dolomites, French and Swiss Alps, Slovenia's Julian Alps, Iceland, India and Nepal Himalaya, New Zealand, Argentina, Peru, and the American Rockies. Following Himalayan expeditions on Island Peak, Lobuche East, Mera Peak  and summiting the iconic Ama Dablam (6 812 m), along with ice climbing and skiing in the Annapurnas, Jill is currently training to climb Manaslu (8 163 m), the world's 8th highest peak.  You can follow Jill's adventurers at: Mountains of my Mind   Instagram Twitter You Tube Facebook Linked In   Photo credit: Vinayak Jaya Malla

With little to no mountain experience at all, Rachel set herself a goal of summiting Mera Peak (6, 476m) in 2018 and did exactly that. From there, she has never looked back. In this episode, Rachel talks about her growing love of the outdoors and how she is now a member of Mountain Rescue and training to be a mountain leader!If you are inspired to become a mountain leader yourself or brush up on your mountain skills, then contact Brian Bateson at Climb It or John Healy at Simply Mountains.Each month we are giving one of our listeners a summit jacket worth €150. To be in the running, all you have to do is sign up to our mailing list at www.earths-edge.com/podcast.For more information about Earth's Edge and the trips we offer, visit https://www.earths-edge.com/.

Hari Budha Magar is a Nepalese born man who served around the world with the Gurkhas in the British military. He stepped on an IED in Afghanistan back in 2010 and lost his legs, both above the knee. It was a long battle to regain his confidence and reclaim his life, and sports played a crucial role in getting him to where he is today. He is an incredible athlete and holds the world record for being the first double above-knee amputee to summit a peak over 6000 meters - which was Mera Peak at 6,476 meters. He is also preparing to be the first ever double above-knee amputee to even attempt to climb the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. There's a long list of many other feats, records and accomplishments, some of which we get into throughout the episode. You can find out more about Hari at www.haribudhamagar.com @hari_budha_magar

Alex, 36, is a multi-discipline adventurer, since 2015 she has hiked over 9,400 miles across America and New Zealand on the Pacific Crest, Appalachian and Te Araroa Trails. Alex has cycled around 4,000 miles across Australia and Indonesia, she’s also climbed up to 6,500m on Mera Peak in the Himalayas and has rowed across the English Channel.    During this podcast Alex shares more about her most recent adventure rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. She talks about the preparation, the challenges, dealing with sea sickness and adventure blues and what she hopes to achieve in the future.    As always Alex gives lots of practical advice and tips to help you achieve your dreams and goals.   Listen to Alex on the Tough Girl Podcast!   Show notes Who is Alex What adventures and challenges she's done Getting the idea for rowing an ocean in 2016 Team mate wanted on explorers connect  Dealing with doubt - can I do this…. Why the timing the first time wasn’t right Rowing the Atlantic as a training row.. Signing up for 2 rows! Partnering with Oxford Brooks University to continue the research  Getting a taste for Ocean Rowing by rowing the English Channel Dealing with injury and sea sickness… Funding the rows Getting sponsorship Qualification and skills needed on an independent row Starting rowing on the 5th January 2020 Final weeks of preparation Starting from Lanzarote Being on the Ocean! The power of team work to get the boat ready The realities of life on the boat Being ill for the first 2 weeks with sea sickness Rowing 2hrs on 2hrs off Pooing and periods on the boat Moving from a 4 person crew to a 3 person crew The memories and moments which stand out Not believing it’s been achieved Dealing with adventure blues, Covid and planning for the next row Changes to future plans adjusting to a new normal Getting a part time job with Tesco Working with Jo Bradshaw  Final words of advice      Social Media   Alex   Website https://masonalexandra.com    Instagram @masonalexandra   Facebook @alexmasonadventurer   Youtube @AlexMason   Rowing - Monkey Fist Adventures - Mixed crew rowing the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in 2020 as team Brain Waves. Supporting research into Parkinson’s Disease and PTSD   Website - https://monkeyfistadventures.com    Instagram @_monkeyfist   Facebook @monkeyfistadventuresltd   Twitter @_monkeyfist

In 2019 one of our Flight Instructors Soltani decided to set out on an expedition to conquer Mera Peak in Nepal. Sebastian Soltani wanted to challenge himself physically and mentally, and he also started a fundraising campaign to raise money for cancer research. This episode focuses on Sebastian's journey, the challenges that came with it and the many lessons he and his fellow adventurers learned along the way.OSM Aviation Academy is a proud sponsor of Sebastian's endeavor and his coworkers were following Sebastian's journey closely, cheering him along as the expedition progressed. Tune in to episode 11 of the Pilot Talk podcast to get the full story. 

Gretchen Evans served 27 years in the US Army, earning a bronze star, and rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major. During her service, Gretchen survived a rocket blast which left her with hearing loss and a traumatic brain injury.  While struggling with depression after her injury, she relied on a new rope team to bring her back into the world and show her she still had the ability to find purpose by serving and leading again. Despite her injuries, Gretchen serves others as a passionate volunteer. She also achieved her No Barriers goal by finishing her book, “Leading from the Front.” On this episode of our No Barriers Podcast we connected with Gretchen remotely from her home in North Carolina. Showing her Army roots, Gretchen was early to the call and well-prepared, including with adaptive technology to communicate since she is deaf. The episode begins with Gretchen detailing her time in the Army, her many tours, and her overall love for the service. “I’ve done 9 Combat tours...I’m like a cat with 9 lives.” She was a natural leader and despite her very small frame she was a commanding force and was dedicated to her troops. After an unexpected rocket blast, Gretchen was devastated when she woke up in the hospital and learned she would never hear again. “The thing that really kicked me in the gut wasn’t even my physical injuries, what made me pause, made me afraid, was that I went from zero to hero in one second with no transition and no plan for retirement...that I wasn’t going out on my own terms.” As she was forced back into civilian life with a disability she struggled to figure out her new role. She describes the hopelessness and despair that can take over your life as a hole: “I had tried therapy, medication and those things somewhat helped but they weren’t the silver bullet. I wanted out of this hole. I was clinging to the sides to keep from falling in.” Eventually, Gretchen talks about finding No Barriers Warriors, the No Barriers programs for Veterans and on her first expedition out into the wilderness she discovers that it's not her disability that's been holding her back, it's her disconnection from other people. Being around other Veterans and having a team is what Gretchen was missing. She talks about how that was the catalyst to rediscovering her purpose - to lead teams and help others. She was still a leader at heart, just in a different capacity. “First you gotta realize you have a hole, having self awareness, and letting people into your life - realizing that helping other people - and engaging with other people who have their own holes- that’s healing.” Buy a copy of Gretchen's book: Leading From the Front Learn more about No Barriers Warriors TRANSCRIPT Erik: This is our No Barriers podcast. This is Erik Weihenmayer talking [00:00:30] from Golden, my home. We have my fellow host Jeff Evans. How are you doing today, Jeff? Jeff: Good, Erik. Good, Erik. It seems to be another shorts and t-shirts day here in the middle of winter in Colorado. Everything is going as not planned for our winter, but it's still a beautiful day here in Colorado. Erik: Dumped 12 inches yesterday I heard up in the mountains so maybe things are looking up. We're not getting much of a winter. I didn't [00:01:00] get much of a winter these last few days because I was out visiting one of our No Barriers graduates, Matt Burges, who runs this awesome organization, Freedom Fidos, training service dogs for vets. I was checking out his facility. Then I went down to Miami to meet one of our No Barrier sponsors, Tom Sullivan who founded Cabinets To Go. They have 50 something stores and they're gonna have a scholarship for vets, youth, [00:01:30] really anyone in our community to take part in one of our event, one of our programs, one person from each of those Cabinet To Go communities. That's 50 something scholarships of people that are gonna get to participate. It was a really good day connected with Tom and Cabinets. What you been up to, Jeff? Jeff: This half winter that we got here has been challenging for me, outdoor [00:02:00] perspective. It's like just when you think the ice is good enough to get in, we have a 50 degree day or 60 degree days. It's made for some challenging conditions. Things are going good for our upcoming trip to Nepal. We're gonna climb a mountain called Mera Peak, which is a 21,000 foot peak a little bit off the checking trails up to base camp. Fortunately as it plays out, [00:02:30] we have six former No Barriers participants joining us for this trip. A lot of the No Barriers messages will be percolating throughout the trip and the climb that we do. A lot of the messaging and content that we share and talk about will be centered around that idea of embracing this journey and being together and really soaking up the idea of fellowship. I'm really excited about [00:03:00] that. I know you and I will not see each other in Nepal at least this spring. You're heading back there in June with our guest for the day. Why don't you give us a little bit of a 30,000 foot view of that? Erik: It's gonna be so fun. I can't wait. I don't get into the field as much as I'd like with our group. We're gonna be leading a youth group to Nepal and we have kids signed up of all abilities, not just kids with [00:03:30] physical disabilities but kids with invisible disabilities. Kids, perhaps, who have been bullied and want to use a trip like this as a platform for social change to bring an experience like this home and create their own No Barriers pledge to elevate their community in some way. We're gonna be heading to [Muston 00:03:50], which is a remote area of Nepal. It's up on the Tibetan Plateau. We're gonna be exchanging with a bunch of villages and schools and [00:04:00] school for the deaf, some disability organizations and really trying to understand, culturally, how issues happen, how people break through barriers in Nepal, what kind of barriers haven't they been able to breakthrough yet. We're gonna be studying some sustainable projects that this great partner organization, the Z Foundation, have created. They get community buy in and then they have the villagers do [00:04:30] sweat labor and build sewage and electric, hydro-electric, all kinds of cool projects to bring modernization to those villages. It's gonna be an amazing trip. We're recruiting right now. Great transition because our next guest is going to be one of the leaders on this trip. I am so thrilled to be speaking with you today. Jeff, why don't you introduce our guest. Jeff: Gretchen has ... probably within the past [00:05:00] two years, she participated in various warriors female trip down in the Gila wilderness. She's got an amazing story. She served 27 years in the army all the way to, I believe, one of the highest ranks in CO ranks of command sergeant major. During her service, she was involved in a rocket blast, which impacted her [00:05:30] obviously in a lot of different ways. It caused a significant traumatic brain injury as well as significant hearing loss. We get introduced to Gretchen after these life changing episodes and we see them thriving. Of course, I want to hear more about Gretchen's story, about her journey that she's been on [00:06:00] to go to the point to the fact that she just wrote a book called Leading From the Front, which I'm gonna read for sure. The fact that she's now gonna step off with you and go to Nepal. Gretchen, welcome to the podcast. We're excited to hear some of your story. Erik: Gretchen, you served for 27 years serving our country. That's a long time. [00:06:30] Tell us why you chose to do that. Gretchen: Initially, honestly, it was just out of survival. I lost both of my parents when I was a teenager. I was attempting to become financially self-supportive. It just became really difficult. The military offered a job and training and income [00:07:00] and all that kind of stuff. I went down and enlisted in the army with the thought that I would stay in for four years and take advantage of their educational benefits, get out and finish college. What I really found was an intense love for what the military did and what it represented and the people that I served with. Four years turned into being 27. Jeff: You were telling me, Gretchen, you met your husband. I [00:07:30] find it interesting that he's a navy guy and you're an army gal. Can you tell us how that played out. Gretchen: Yeah, so my husband, Robert, was a navy chaplain in '06. He was sent to Afghanistan to be in charge of all the chaplains in Afghanistan. At the time, I was the senior command sergeant major in Afghanistan of all the installations. Everything good and bad came [00:08:00] across both our desks because the nature of both of our jobs. We really had this intense friendship and respect for each other. It came with the good news, it also came with the bad news when we had casualties and had to notify families and things. Robert left after a seven month tour and went home. I guess about a month later, I get this really lengthy letter full of nonsense until the last paragraph. [00:08:30] Then he said, "Could you ever be romantically interested in me?" Oh my God. I wrote back and said, "Did you forget where you left me? I'm in Afghanistan. I can't be romantic about anything. You must have a plan so indulge me." The plan was we'd write letters like they did in World War II and try to get to know each other that way. Ultimately then I got injured and life changed, but Robert [00:09:00] had proposed two months prior to me getting injured. I really thought that might be a war stopper. He said he didn't care that I was blown up and deaf. That's a great guy, don't you think?. Jeff: Yeah, yeah. Erik: I love that. Jeff: The fact that you feel in love in the sandbox and then developed and cultivated this relationship and it was all prior to your injury, that says a lot about the character of both of you and what you've been through. Erik: [00:09:30] Gretchen, by the way, I can relate to your story because my wife, when we were dating ... I'm blind and I have prosthetic eyes. It was this big event for me to have the courage to take my eyes out in front of my wife. I don't know if you can relate, but I was terrified because I was thinking, "Oh, I'm imperfect. She's gonna think I'm ugly." I took my eyes out and she said, "I [00:10:00] can live with that." I love that, when you find somebody who understands you're imperfect, you've been hurt and beat up a little bi but you're still lovable. Gretchen: Absolutely. I agree totally. Jeff: Tell us a little bit, Gretchen, about the journey that led you to that day and give us a sense of [00:10:30] how that day played out and then the near future as you started to heal, both emotionally and physically. Erik: And people don't know that you had nine combat tours. Gretchen: It started in Granada. I jumped into Granada and did Panama and Central America, [inaudible 00:10:59], Bosnia, [00:11:00] Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Over a 27 year period, I had nine combat tours. I felt like I was a cat. I knew it was gonna get me sooner or later. Jeff: Was it the ninth when the incident took place? Gretchen: Yeah, the last one. That was that one. What happened that day was I was flying around in my helicopter [00:11:30] to visit troops at a fort operating base, a very remote place. It was pretty exposed. I was just there visiting troops. We were out walking around. I'm just asking troops questions. All of sudden we take rocket fire coming in like rain. It was pounding us. I was telling to [00:12:00] the troops to get in the bunkers, get in the bunkers. We had these concrete bunkers scattered throughout the installation. Before I could even get myself into a bunker, a rocket hit about 10 feet from where I was standing. It threw me into one of the concrete bunker, which then resulted in my brain injury. It blew out my eardrums and took some shrapnel in places that weren't protected by my flight vest. The next thing I know I'm waking [00:12:30] up lying down in the back of a helicopter and I'm thinking to myself, "This is not the way I normally ride in a helicopter." Then I was motored back to [inaudible 00:12:40]. When I got to [inaudible 00:12:44], they put me in a semi-coma just to do an evaluation to see what all ... maybe if I had some internal injuries and just to plug up all the little holes from piece of shrapnel. Those things just make it nasty. [00:13:00] They get in and they fester and things. When I came out of the coma, there was a very young army doctor standing next to me with one of those white dry erase boards and he had a marker. He wrote on the board and then showed it to me. It says, "You're deaf." I took the board from him and I wiped it off with my hands. I wrote on there, "Forever." He goes, "Yes." Of all my injuries, [00:13:30] that was probably the hardest one to overcome because you wake up deaf. You're a hearing person. I was 46 years old, been a hearing person my whole life. All of a sudden, I'm deaf, on top of that with the head injury and all the other things. Honestly, the thing that really kicked me in the gut wasn't even my physical injuries. What kicked my in the gut and made me pause [00:14:00] and made me afraid was I went from hero to zero in one second. I didn't have a transition plan. It had not even crossed my mind about retirement even though I had 27 years. We were still at war and I wanted to be with my troops. I was just so devastated and probably really angry that I'd didn't get to go out on my terms, that my career was snatched from me [00:14:30] at the hands of the enemy. I think that injury, that devastation was the hardest one for me to overcome. Erik: What's that like? No Barriers is a lit about understanding these processes that we go through. What is that like being a hero one minute and then a zero in the next? What's going in your brain, all the [00:15:00] uncertainty, all the confusion, all the psychological fear? What is that experience like? Gretchen: The experience for me was I just didn't have a path any longer. I was just kind of like, "What now?" Toppled with these injuries, I just thought, "Nobody's gonna want me. I'm not ever gonna work again. How am I gonna communicate with people." [00:15:30] I was lost, as lost as lost can be. I hit this really low point and where, as hard as I tried ... and I'm a pretty determined person. I'm a marathoner and I jump out of airplanes and I repel. I do all these things. All of a sudden, I was this hearing and the brain injury were almost prohibitive from doing all the things I knew how to [00:16:00] do. I had these non-marketable skills like taking over small countries. That doesn't really resonate well in the civilian life. I didn't know what I was going to do. Honestly, I was in a black hole for a very long time. Jeff: I've heard you say as well because remember I heard you speak in Ashville and you talked about losing your family and your fellowship and your mission. When you say [00:16:30] your family, you're talking about your military family, right? Your team, right? Gretchen: Yeah, my team, my soldiers. I had been with them my whole adult life. If you think about it, I went in right after I turned 19 and I was 46 years old. My entire, almost, adult life had been spent in uniform with troops. I was not prepared for the civilian world. I'm still kind of a little bit of a crappy civilian to be honest. [00:17:00] That was my family. That was what I woke up to everyday for 27 years. These were my battle buddies and I had a mission. I knew what I was supposed to do. It was very well defined. I was good at it. I had honed in on my skills. That's when I said I went from hero to zero. I had no skills that I thought were applicable to life after the military. Jeff: Do you also think that there are certain people that get [00:17:30] into a routine maybe, they have a direction of serving? You're very good at serving other people. Then you get hurt or something happens and you don't know how to be served. You don't know how to be helped. It's like a totally weird situation that a lot of people get in that situation where they don't know how to handle it, right? Gretchen: Yeah, very true. Especially as a sergeant major because our rank is very special. We're supposed to be the advocate for the troop. [00:18:00] If you work for a three or four star general, he or she comes to you and usually he defers to you because they're your third or fourth general and you may be their first sergeant major. Anyway, you have the pulse of the unit. Your responsibility are to the troops and to make sure they're taken care of. I wasn't used to anyone taking care of me. I was taking care of other people. All of a sudden, [00:18:30] now I was kind of needy, which is gut wrenching at first because you don't even know how to ask for help nor do you want to. You don't have the words for it and also, it just feels so wrong. Jeff: It sounds to me like, Gretchen, you went through all of these different phases of emotion following your injury that we always hear so much about all the way from anger to frustration to sadness to [00:19:00] depression and then finally, at some point, you get to reconnect. Can you walk us through that path for you and how you've morphed from that fateful day to where you are now and then maybe give us a sense of your experience in the Gila wilderness and what part that played [00:19:30] in your experience as far as healing. Gretchen: It was really very a strange thing. I had kept in touch with some of my troops. We don't have to say a lot for people to know that something's not right. It's like a sixth sense almost. One of my guys wrote to me. He says, "You know, sergeant major, [00:20:00] I realize you're in a bad place right now. I just came back from a No Barriers expedition. You really should check this out because I know you like to be outside and you like to hike because you used to march our butts off all the time. This is right up your alley, carrying heavy crap and walking all over the place and not showering." He says, "This has got your name all over it." Initially, I tried everything else. I had tried [00:20:30] therapy and I tried medication. Each of those, at the time, were somewhat helpful but they weren't the silver bullet that I was looking for to get out of this hole. I wanted out of the hole. I was clinging to the very sides to keep from falling in. Just because he asked me and because of our relationship, I got online and filled out an application. Part of the process is that the physician [00:21:00] that works with No Barriers calls and talks to the warrior and talks about your disabilities. He gets on the phone and he says, "Okay, tell me what's wrong with you." In my mind, I thought, "They're not gonna take me anyways, but I'm gonna be honest." I said, "Okay, I'm deaf as a doornail. I have a traumatic brain injury. I have PTSD. I have little shrapnel pieces still all over me. I have a right side weakness [00:21:30] that can be problematic." I had a litany of things that I said that were wrong with me. He paused for like three seconds, then he says to me- Erik: You're perfect. Gretchen: You're exactly what we're looking for. Erik: You're perfect. Gretchen: You're perfect. Erik: That's right. You're perfectly imperfect just like the rest of us. That's beautiful. Gretchen: It was beautiful. Erik: Okay, you got accepted into the program. I'm just curious about what it was like to be with some colleagues because, [00:22:00] as you mentioned, the biggest pain you were experiencing was this lost of comradery and fellowship. Take us through that a little bit. Gretchen: At this point, really my physical injuries were what they were. I made accommodations to all the technology out there to help me with my hearing issue, my brain injury same with that. My real issue was [00:22:30] that I was just disconnected from life and from other people. I go on the expedition and a group of fantastic people, there was one other female and the rest were male warriors from all eras. We had two guys from Vietnam and then the rest of us were mostly post-9/11 veterans. It was in Colorado. The minute we all sat down [00:23:00] for the very first meeting, I felt like I'm back home. I might not be wearing a uniform, but these are my guys. Once we kind of told each other about ourselves and I told them I was a sergeant major, they wouldn't even call me by my first name anymore because that, to them ... Later they told me that made them feel so safe and so connected to because they each had a story about a beloved sergeant major who had made a difference in their life. It was like all [00:23:30] the stars lined up. It was just perfect. We hiked and we talked and I felt like all of a sudden, that hole started filling up with just good things. The despair that I been feeling and the hopelessness, little by little with each step as I was walking up those mountains started to dissipate. It turned the corner for me. There was some healing afterwards. I still wake up every day and not [00:24:00] everybody's perfect but that one expedition was the turning point in my life. Erik: I thought that was interesting. This is Erik, Gretchen. You talked about a hole and then you start to fill up that hole. Do you think that's what healing ultimately is? There's a lot of people listening probably that are experiencing a loss or getting stuck somewhere [00:24:30] and they want to heal. What does that look like? What did that process look like for you, filling in that hole of loss? Gretchen: What it looked like for me is first you gotta realize that you got a hole. The first step in getting better is self-awareness. I knew I had a hole, but it became really obvious to me how deep and wide it was when I got on the expedition. [00:25:00] Letting people into your life and realizing that helping other people, I would say probably other than the guides, I was in the best shape on that hike. I'm very petite. I'm 5'2" and 98 pounds on a good day. I would carry extra stuff for people and hike. That let me help other people, which is really was I felt like destined [00:25:30] to do my whole life. I was just doing it in a different way so that void of losing my troops was replaced by engaging with other people who also were trying to fill a hole. There's like this unity thing like we're gonna heal each other. Erik: Cool. Where did that lead you after that trip? You graduate and then you make a No Barriers pledge. Tell us about that amazing pledge [00:26:00] that's resulted in your book. Gretchen: I had to think about this pledge. There's lots of things that I could've pledged but I had been working on this book that really came out of putting down the stories of 27 years of serving with the most heroic men and women I've ever met in my life. It's really about the troops. It's written from my perspective but it's these wonderful stories about them. My pledge was the finish the [00:26:30] book. It probably was honestly about 89% finished already, but for some reason I just couldn't put that last period on the page because I didn't think I was healthy enough to finish it. Maybe I was afraid. I said to my guys and gals that were hiking with me, I said, "I'm gonna finish that book and you're gonna read it some day. Hopefully it will be meaningful for you." I did. I finished [00:27:00] it shortly ago. It's called Leading From the Front. It's lots vignettes about these remarkable things that happened in those 27 years. Jeff: Do you consider yourself a writer? I think a lot of people ... Erik and I have both written books. I think some people would say, "I'm a writer. I enjoy the process because in a way, it's a little bit therapeutic." Did you find that through the case or was it a struggle or did you despise the process or did [00:27:30] you embrace it at some point? Gretchen: When I was writing it, I wasn't thinking I was writing it ... I was writing it to help heal myself because I was writing about things that happen. When you put it down on paper, you have to remember better. Sometimes your brain plays tricks on you. When you write it down, I had to explain what it smelled like and what it sounded like and why Sergeant so-and- [00:28:00] so did this and all the little [inaudible 00:28:03] pieces. I don't consider myself a writer. I consider myself a storyteller. Jeff: Why did you call it Leading From the Front? I've seen books and people talk about leading from behind and leading from every direction. Why did you call it Leading From the Front? Is that an allusion to the frontline? What is that? Gretchen: In lots of ways, that title resonated with me. One, always try [00:28:30] to be someone that my soldiers could respect and look up to, not physically but somebody to eliminate and to lead with a firm but a kind heart. Also, I did lead from the front as often as I could. I wasn't one to stay back at the headquarters. I wanted to be up there with them. I wasn't a risk taker, I just [00:29:00] felt like if I'm asking them to do that then I aught to be there with them. It's that. That's where that title came from. Erik: I think that's your wiring, Gretchen. You're just absolutely wired. One takeaway from you is you were born to lead and when that got taken from you, you have to find a different outlet for you. I so applaud the idea of [00:29:30] who you are and what you've become since your injury. It's clear you live for others in a big way. The fact that, fur to your injury, you were put in a situation where you couldn't do this thing that is so you. I can imagine that really hurt and really [00:30:00] struck you right in the gut. After you finished your first No Barriers' experience other than the pledge and the book, what else have you taken on your journey since then and how have you applied it to your life in Ashville as a civilian and doing the things that you do from day to day when you're not in the back country with a warrior's team. Gretchen: [00:30:30] I went on another expedition after that initial one to the Gila wilderness. Part of the No Barriers program is a phase three where we stay connected with warriors after they finish their expedition and offer them we call it coaching. We offer them assistance and encouragement. You become part of a rope team for them to help [00:31:00] them achieve their goals. I find that incredibly satisfying. I have my little group of warriors that I reach out to and just plot along. Sometimes they need a kick in the butt to say, "Come on, you can do this." Sometimes they need you just to listen and you let them work out the problem for themselves because usually within themselves, they have the answer. You just get blinded by the circumstances. I spend a lot of my time working with my Barriers alum. [00:31:30] Also, I'm working with our development team so we can raise more funds so we can send more warriors and youth on programs. I enjoy that because I love telling the story about No Barriers. To me, it's not hard to sell such a great program. I can speak from experience that had I not taken the chance and filled out the form that day, I feel like I could have very easily become another statistic, which would have been [00:32:00] awful for everybody. Also, I help my husband in his job. His hospital serves 10,000 veterans every week or so. Just advising him sometimes on the way that soldiers think and what's important to them. I'm a good person for him to come home to and say, "I had this situation. What would you suggest would be best way to handle this," and try to [00:32:30] help him so he can make the VA an easy, safe place for veterans to get good healthcare. Erik: A lot of this conversation, Gretchen, has been about leadership and service. You served for 27 years in the military and then this thing happens to you, this thing of great loss. You're still leading. In a way, [00:33:00] what's going through my mind is that there's an ironic thing here. Has this helped you understand leadership or become a better leader than you might have if you hadn't gotten hurt? Gretchen: Absolutely, I have no regrets. You know what? It made me a better leader, absolutely. I really had to dig deep and I had to understand and try even harder to be empathetic and sympathetic [00:33:30] and be this strong person so that people would ... I used to always say to my people they don't care what you know until they know that you care. Part of it is just letting people know that you care to begin with and then to walk with them. Part of my pledge on my last one was to sit with the broken. I mean that in the sense that I want to be there when people [00:34:00] feel like they don't have any other hope and I can reach out because I've been in that hole. I don't want to get back down in it with you, but I'll certainly give you a hand because I know the way out. Just to help people get out of that hole and fill it with things that are out there. I think that's really. It's made me exponentially a better leader. Erik: You certainly are. Jeff: You truly are [00:34:30] the prototype of a No Barriers warrior, Gretchen. You've gone through a transformational experience. You been knocked down, and then you stood back up. Now what you're doing is completing that heroes journey, that whole Joseph Campbell's heroes journey circle. You chose to go into battle. You elected to voluntarily. You went into battle, you got your butt kicked. Now on the return of the completion [00:35:00] of that circle, you are now sharing our experiences to be able to improve the livelihoods of the people that you care the most about. I think that that's ... I know the word hero gets thrown around. You probably don't like it. It's just a little bit I know about you, but that's the true testament to what it means to be an archetype hero within a hero's journey. Really amazing. Erik: I think it's all of us in the No Barriers community [00:35:30] are honored and fortunate to have you as a colleague. Jeff: Yeah. Erik: And it's gonna be fun trekking across the Tibetan Plateau with you in June, Gretchen. Looking forward to that experience. Thanks for being with us today. Gretchen: That you both for your kind words and for having me on your program and for all that you do. I'm gonna keep plugging along until I get to the finished line and I'm exhausted. Yes, Erik, it will [00:36:00] be fun to be trekking across wherever we're going. I look forward to it. Thank you, gentlemen. Jeff: Thanks, Gretchen. Erik: Alright, cool. Hey, Jeff, that was an awesome interview. A lot of takeaways- Jeff: I just continue to be blown away by how the definition of a No Barriers participant continues to grow in my mind. I've been with you since the beginning [00:36:30] and watched the program evolve. There's some stories that are outstanding, but Gretchen's may be the most because she really exemplifies, embodies what it means to be a warrior and to be a hero. Give me your bullet points of what you take away mostly from that conversation with Gretchen. Erik: I think it's [00:37:00] just such authentic lessons of leadership, none of this stuff that you hear in Hollywood or fictional books. It's real. It's so real. It's somebody who's bled their message. I love stories like that. That personally inspires me. I like what she talked about it terms of what she talked about, a hole of when she got hurt. A hole being formed and you gotta fill that up. I love that analogy. Yeah, I think even a psychological loss [00:37:30] is like a hole. You gotta fill that up. What do you fill it up with? You fill it up with purpose, with mission, with your team, with service, with love, with empathy. That's powerful for me. Jeff: And the fact that ... I find it so profound that this woman literally was probably a child and knew she was going to be of service to other people. You can just tell it. It's just in her genetic [00:38:00] code this was going to be her path whether she's gonna embrace it or not. It's just who she is. I find that so fascinating. Then to have it pulled right out from under her, the ability and the venue to be able to engage and inspire and lead from the front for her soldiers. I think she mentioned it, the idea that could've [00:38:30] just sat and spun. She could've just fallen right off the cliff, but she chose not to. You and I have heard it plenty of times in all the warriors that we've done trips with and have gone through the program, I feel like that is the universal core message is my leg is one thing, my PTSD is one thing, my hearing is one thing. Just like Gretchen said, the thing that hurts the most is I'm not with my people. [00:39:00] I lost that purpose and I need to rediscover it. I'm so happy for her that she continues to find that through this program. Erik: Still building that map. I love it. Anyway, thank you. It was an awesome interview. If people want to learn more about No Barriers, go to nobarriersusa.org. We have a lot of events coming up. We have our What's Your Everest event out here in Colorado. We got a summit coming up in October [00:39:30] in Manhattan down the intrepid aircraft carrier. In Central Park, we're gonna have an amazing line-up where you can come out and celebrate the No Barriers life. Just check us out and we'll keep coming to you with amazing people like Gretchen. Thanks, Jeff. No Barriers.

“Think About What You Love And Move Towards That” Heather Thompson In this conversation, Heather shares both her highlight reel and more interestingly her backstory about the hard work and hustle that it took as she climbed the mountain of success. Not content to sit on her celebrity status that she found through her time on the hit reality show, The Real Housewives Of New York, Heather recently took her success all the way to the top of the mountains of Nepal, to help raise money and awareness for the underserved in that community. We begin the show by talking about how Heather engineered her own, “school of design” through mentorship, hard work and her ability to turn every opportunity into street credibility within the fashion industry. Raised by a mother who encouraged her to follow her passion, Heather climbed her way up the ladder through hard work and creativity, to eventually become the founder of her own, very successful line of fashion wear. Heather shares what it took to enable her to do it “afraid.” She talks about the fact that she never sought overnight success, but rather a foot in the door that would allow her, along with patience and persistence to succeed and soar. Heather shares that her drive and ambition are also balanced by her desire to help those around her also succeed. We talk about the importance of recognizing our light and unique talents that we bring to the table, along with the power of collaboration and especially the importance of mentorship. We talk about the fear of failure and it was refreshing to hear Heathers perspective on this topic. While we all have fears, Heather shares that she "starves her fears by feeding her faith." She goes on to say that her failures do not define her but rather they mold her into the strong dynamic person that she is meant to be. She talks about the importance of creating a resilient mindset that will allow you to embrace the good the bad and the in between. We talk about Heather being an “everybody-ist” and she believes that to be able to create change in this world, it is important to create a diverse and dynamic table where many different people and personalities are invited.  She talks about the importance of learning the skill of reading a room to be able to get an emotional pulse at every meeting. This is the way you are to able to create a team where everyone can shine and succeed. Heather talks about ‘the adversity advantage” and how often our worst times can be the catalyst moments for the greatness to appear. She also talks about the importance of recognizing the times when we may also need to sit in the dark times for a while and allow ourselves to dig deep to see what is really under the fear or negative emotions. Shifting gears we touch on her time in the world of reality TV when she was a fan favorite on The Real Housewives Of NYC. She shares her most unexpected lessons from her time in front of the camera and how she has leveraged her “fame” to raise awareness for her charities. Just last week Heather completed her climb to Mera Peak in Nepal. This 21,246 feet climb is one that would challenge any of us, but in true Heather fashion, she completed the challenge with heart. Back down off the mountain, Heather continues to raise awareness for the many who are underserved. To find out where you can support Heather and find out more about the orphanage in Nepal click here:   Connect With Heather Online and Social Media  Website Instagram Facebook Twitter No Barriers USA More About Heather Heather Thomson envisions the goals that she wants to achieve and then does whatever it takes to make them happen. Instead of focusing on critics or naysayers, she focuses on believing in herself and using her immense work-ethic, strong self-discipline and determination. Heather says, “When you go through hardships and decide not to give up, that is strength”. It is from this experience that Thomson has garnered 25+ years of fashion experience under her belt, including serving as Design Director for the Sean “Diddy” Combs line, Sean John, and Co-Creative Director alongside Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Lopez to launch and develop their respective labels. In 2008, Heather founded her innovative and fashion-forward collection, Yummie by Heather Thomson which changed the shapewear and lifestyle game for women. To many, Heather is an adored reality star that got her claim to fame from her 3 years on the hit Bravo reality series, The Real Housewives of New York City, showcasing her life as a married fashion executive, international business professional, and mother of two.  

Charlene Gibson grew up as a studious bookworm, who wasn't keen on the outdoors. She is an only child who was brought up by her Mum and Nana in a pretty rough area of Scotland, near Glasgow. Although an avid reader of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books, there was really nothing adventurous about her at all. However, in her mid 30s, following the break-up of a long-term relationship, she discovered her inner adventurer when, to avoid spending Christmas alone, she booked on a trekking holiday to Morocco. Despite the horror of having to nip behind a rock, armed with only a roll of toilet paper and some matches, she discovered that she loved the trip (albeit still not quite used to nipping behind a rock!) and decided that she wanted more. Trips to Turkey, Morocco (again), Kazakhstan, India, Peru and Nepal followed, with each trip being more strenuous and challenging than the last. That could only lead to one thing - mountaineering! In 2013 she decided to aim high and successfully summited Mera Peak in Nepal, which is classed as a 'trekking' peak. Despite the success, it highlighted to her the limits of her mountaineering skillset and how fortunate she'd been that nothing had gone wrong. Several high-quality mountaineering courses later and rather more experience under her belt saw her looking for a worthy challenge to help celebrate (or commiserate) turning 50 in 2016. And what better challenge than attempting an 8000m peak for the first time. On 1st October 2016, Charlene became the oldest British woman to summit Cho Oyu (8201m) and living proof that the most unlikely people can sometimes do the most surprising things - it's certainly been a surprise to her mother. As of March 2018, her Cho Oyu record still stands, but will be under threat in Spring 2018, when two British women will be vying for it. Charlene's next challenge is to attempt Ama Dablam in October 2018 Show notes Growing up in Scotland and joining the civil service Growing up as an only child, with not much interest in the outside Starting trekking in 2000 Hating PE and doing everything she could to get out of it Getting into mountain biking, but never describing herself as outdoorsy Breaking up with the boyfriend after 12 years Deciding not to spend Christmas and New Year alone Heading to Morocco to trek for 2 weeks and getting hooked! First time going on holiday by herself and feeling nervous Taking that first step and not knowing what to expect Why it’s about challenging yourself and not about other people Enjoying being uncomfortable and starting to understand more about her limits Dealing with lost luggage & how to handle it! Being shy and dealing with the group dynamics Developing fitness and starting to run - even though she doesn’t like running and would never call herself a runner! The Everest Marathon - being fit and healthy enough to start it. Rally Driving from Plymouth to Dakar (in a free car costing less than £100!)  Looking for a change in 2013! Deciding on mountaineering! Summiting Mera Peak in Nepal and wanting to see how she coped with the altitude Developing technical skills… while on the trip and doing courses to continue to develop the skills needed Tibet - 1st October 2016 - Climbing Cho Oyu (6th highest mountain in the world!) 8,201 metres! Wanting to do something special for her 50th birthday Summit night and struggling with acclimatisation and not knowing if she was going to make it  Reflecting back on what she’s achieved - especially in relation to knowing her own personal limits! What’s next!! - Climbing Ama Dablam in Oct 2018! Running and working with a personal trainer! Advice and tips for stepping outside your comfort zone and why going the commercial route could work for you How she funds her trips and why she pays for it herself Doing mountaineering for herself Social Media Twitter - @MadOldCatWoman  

A former corporate business management specialist within the banking sector, she's now fully focused upon soul sustaining adventuring with purpose. Megan has mountaineered across the globe and has scaled some of the world’s most famous peaks such as Elbrus and Mera Peak. Megan is one half of the all-female adventure team Dare two Do. Megan is an advocate of adventures in any shape or size, is partial to an overnight bivi wild camp under the stars as well as an epic self-powered voyage, and is an avid fan of all that’s deemed a challenge. Show notes Walking away from her stable job Being drawn to the outdoors Heading to Borneo when she was 17 & getting to climb her first mountain Getting distracted by university her job and her career Deciding she needed to do something with her life Running away to the mountains at every opportunity Everest Base Camp, the preparation before hand and getting ready to go there Arriving into Kathmandu & meeting new people with a similar mindset Being changed by the whole experience and having a need to be in the mountains Getting up-skilled and learning about alpine climbing Her first taste of being scared in the mountains How it changed her future expeditions Deciding to quit and do adventuring full time Having a purpose to her life Heading of to Mexico to climb  Taking the step and why it took her 4 years to get there What will other people think? Heading back to Nepal in April 2015 to climb Mera Peak Taking some time out to figure out what she wanted to do Going to Climb Mt. Elbrus What did she want from her life - trying to figure it out The decision making process Feeling like an imposter The Paddle Pick Up with Love Her Wild Creating - Dare two do The first Challenge - The Grand Union Canal Plans for 2018 The Great Pacific Race! Advice and tips for you to follow your own dreams   www.daretwodo.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mhoskin Instagram: @meg_hoskin Twitter: @meghoskin  

Welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it. I’m Robin Lofton, the Chief In-house Historian and host of this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history. I find history to BE inspirational, instructional and entertaining. And African American history fits the bill in all of these ways. Personally, I hate boring stuff. So boring stuff is not allowed at rememberinghistory.com or at this Wiki history podcast show.   Speaking of the show, today’s podcast show is about Black explorers and adventurers. I think that this is a great time to learn about Black explorers. Why? Because it’s October. In the United States, October is the month that many people celebrate Columbus’s birthday. Yes, it’s a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. But it’s important to know many individual states are celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ day instead of Columbus’s birthday. And I think that we all know the reason for that.   Here at rememberinghistory.com, we are celebrating Black explorers as we have for the past several years by discussing a few Black explorers and their inspirational stories. However, this year, we’re doing something a bit different. We are going to examine WHY people explore, why exploration is so important, and then we’re gonna ask for your thoughts about what exploration means to you and where you might like to explore one day.   During this podcast, you will hear about people, places, events and issues. You will HEAR about them, but I completely understand if you want to actually SEE them, too. You can find pictures of them on the Wiki History Podcast Page on Facebook. You will find pictures, animated videos and a community of history lovers. There is also a place for comments, which I hope that you will leave for me because I really appreciate them and I do respond. Also, if you enjoy this show, please let others know about it. They might like it and find it inspirational too. Let’s change the way that we think of history—one friend at a time.   So, why is exploring important? First let’s look at what exploring actually is.   To explore means to travel to an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it.   Throughout the centuries, exploring has taken different forms. Yet there was always the aspect of a “new and unfamiliar” place. In days past, many people explored new areas to find new riches and wealth like gold or other precious minerals. Others explored new areas to acquire land that they could homestead and farm. Still others were interested in the peoples of new and unfamiliar lands for reasons such as enslavement, slave trading or promoting “civilization.”   Wow, these past purposes of exploration were not so noble or endearing. Exploitation was the focus. And we know the damage and destruction that was done to indigenous peoples and their land. Gee, this makes me think of the quote “I fear the evil that men do in the name of evil but God save us from the evil that men do in the name of good.” Lots of death and destruction in the wake of many early explorers. Columbus included. But did you know that there were several Black explorers who traveled with Columbus like the Nina brothers Juan (he actually helmed La Nina), Francisco who was a sailor and Pedro who was actually with Columbus when he landed in Trinidad. Another Black explorer, Juan Guarrido, accompanied Vasco de Gama in his search of the Fountain of Youth. Juan Guarrido was also part of the Cortez-led invasion of Mexico, which led to the conquest of the Aztecs in 1519. (Okay, that’s not a great legacy for an explorer but he is also credited with harvesting the first commercial wheat crop in the Americas.)   Modern exploration is MUCH different from exploring in days long past. (Unless perhaps you’re thinking of exploration for oil, rubber or other precious commodities.)   Modern explorers focus more on the educational and observational aspects of exploring. Today’s explorers really want to learn about a new place or to discover the existence of the new place. Take Matthew Henson for example. He is credited as being the first African American to reach the North Pole. (Some say that he was actually the first person from anywhere to reach the North Pole!)   But Matthew Henson was an able and experienced sailor, navigator and craftsman. He learned the Inuit language and culture, married an Inuit woman and learned to build igloos and drive dogsleds in the Inuit way. I remember an iconic quote from Henson saying, “I think that I am the first man to sit on the top of the world!”           And, of course, there was William Henry Sheppard who explored the Congo river area in Central Africa. Born a free man in Virginia in 1865, he attended a “colored” school where he learned to read and write then actually took classes with Booker T. Washington at Hampton College. After becoming a Presbyterian minister, he developed a burning desire to become a missionary in Africa. He was finally allowed to go to the Congo river basin in what is today called the Democratic Republic on Congo. He settled in a village called Luebo.   He met the Bakuba people and learned their methods of survival and culture. He studied their crops, textiles and music. He studied the way that the Bakuba people worshipped their ancestors. He learned to hunt and killed snakes and large game to help feed the villagers. He even killed a hippopotamus and learned to dry the meat to trade and share with the villagers.   Sheppard learned to speak the Kuba language, which helped him to discover parts of the Congo region where no American or European had ever gone. Sheppard and his local Bakuba guide would go from village to village buying eggs at different markets. For three months, he would buy and eat eggs and preach the gospel at every village where he stopped. For years, he stayed and studied the culture and, because of his excellent language skills and respectful manner, he was welcomed into the villages by the local leaders. William Henry Sheppard was definitely an explorer!   As a boy, Sheppard had often said of Africa, “When I grow up, I shall go there.” And that’s exactly what he did!   Barbara Hillary also went there! Not to the Congo but to the North Pole. Then to the South Pole. Many people told her that she was too old and that she would die from the cold and hardships. That the North Pole was no place for a 75-year old woman from New York who had reduced breathing capacity about a bout with lung cancer. But she went there anyway. At the age of 75, she went to the North Pole. Then at 79 years old (in her case, 79 years young), she went to the South Pole! She always said that age was just a number. To get out a challenge yourself. That was exactly what she did.       Another explorer who wouldn’t let age stop her was Sophie Danenberg who at age 34 became the first African American woman to climb Mount Everest. Through the urging of a childhood friend, she started mountain climbing while living in Illinois.   Danenberg's first major climb was at Mount Rainier in Washington State in 2002.  Over the next two years, she scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Baker in Washington state, and Mount Kenya, 2003.  In 2005 she scaled five more major peaks including Denali and Mount Tasman.   But 2006 proved to be her big year!   Sophie received a surprise phone call to inform her that she was permitted to join the expedition that was going up Mount Everest. And she only had one week to prepare! Yes, it was a struggle. On the mountain of mountains, she developed bronchitis, frostbite and a clogged oxygen mask. Yet but she persisted and prevailed. And, on May 19, 2006, she became the first Black woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.   Sophie was the first Black person but definitely NOT the last. With privately raised funds and sheer focus and determination, men and women from the African continent have scaled Mount Everest. Notably, Saray Khumalo from South Africa climbed Kilimanjaro, Mera Peak, LoBuche East, Elbrus and Aconcagua—all in four short years. She has faced Everest but, unfortunately, nature stood in the way. In 2014, she was deterred by deadly avalanche that killed 16 sherpa. The following year, an earthquake prevented her from climbing Everest. But Saray Khumalo will not be forever deterred and she’s already started raising the money for her next excursion—this time to the summit!—going up Everest, encouraged by a quote from Nelson Mandela: It always seems impossible until it’s done! Saray climbs for herself but also for others: she has raised money to building libraries and schools in South Africa and to provide lunches for school children. And, by the way, another South African, SibuSiso Vilane, became the first Black man to climb Mt. Everest in 2003 and has actually climbed all seven major peaks and completed the 3 Poles Challenge (you know, North Pole, South Pole and Everest).     But explorers have not stopped with Mount Everest. That’s the highest peak offered on this planet but other Black explorers went beyond the limits of planet Earth. Where did they go? They went into space! African American astronauts are a group of extreme explorers and have gone “where no man (or no ONE) has gone before!” (Sorry I just couldn’t resist that Star Trek quote!)   Let’s quickly meet them:   *Colonel Frederick Gregory—an accomplished pilot and test pilot BEFORE joining NASA. He spent more than 18 days in space and he was the first African American to pilot and command a space shuttle mission.   *Mae Jemison was a scientist and medical doctor before joining NASA. She spent 190 hours in space as a mission specialist and conducted groundbreaking experiments in space on weightlessness and motion sickness. In 1992, she became the first African American woman to go to space.   *Major General Charles Bolden was an experienced marine aviator and test pilot before joining NASA. He went on 4 flights and served as commander and pilot on the different flights. Major General Bolden spent more than 28 days in space.   *Colonel Guion Bluford, Jr.—a fighter pilot and engineer before joining NASA. In 1983, Colonel Bluford became the first African American to go to space, logging in more than 28 days in space as a mission specialist.   *Stephanie Wilson was an aerospace engineer before joining NASA as an astronaut. She has spent more than 42 days in space as a mission specialist and was responsible for robotics for spacewalking support. Ms. Wilson is still in active duty with NASA.   *Joan Higginbottam was an electrical engineer before joining NASA. She logged in more than 12 days in space where she operated the space station remote manipulator system.   *Robert Satcher was a surgeon, chemical engineer and professor at Feinburg School of Medicine before joining NASA. He was a mission specialist logging in 10 days and 2 walks in space. *Robert Curbeam was a Naval flight officer, pilot and engineer before joining NASA as an astronaut. He worked as the spacecraft communicator and spent 37 days in space, including 45 hours on 7 walks in space. And yes THAT is the record for time spent walking in space!   *Lieutenant Colonel Michael P. Anderson was a physicist before joining NASA as an astronaut. He spent more than 593 hours in space as a mission specialist, payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments.   *Captain Winston E. Scott is an engineer, pilot and (today) Dean of the Florida Institute of Technology before joining NASA. Captain Scott logged in 24 days in space, including 19 hours spent on 3 WALKS in space.   *Alvin Drew was a physicist and aeronautical engineer before joining NASA. He spent more than 25 days in space as a mission specialist and CAPCOM officer. He also did 2 walks in space for 12 hours!   *Leland Melvin was a materials science engineer before joining NASA. He has since logged in more than 23 days in space as a mission specialist.   *Bernard Anthony Harris was a biologist, medical doctor and pilot before joining NASA. He logged in 18 days in space as mission specialist and payload officer. In 1995, he became the first African American to do extra-vehicular activities, meaning that he actually WALKED in space.   Wow, we could make an entire show of the African American astronauts who have graced the NASA program AND ventured into outer space.   I want to give a special salute to two astronauts who died during their explorations:   *Major Robert Lawrence, Jr. was a skilled pilot and scientist. He was the First African-American astronaut; the first to be selected for astronaut training in 1967 in the Manned Orbital Laboratory program, which predated NASA. Major Lawrence was killed in a jet accident.   *Ronald McNair—was an optical physicist when he was selected by NASA. McNair was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster mission in 1986.   Before we move on to another interesting group of explorers, I do want to mention one more astronaut: Jeannette Epps. She has not yet gone into space but her time is coming. In 2016 NASA announced that Ms. Epps will launch on her first spaceflight in May 2018. She will be a flight engineer on Expedition 56, remaining on board for Expedition 57. Ms. Epps will become the first African-American crew member on the space station!   Let’s cheer her on in May of 2018. Great to watch a first flight AND a great step forward for African Americans and women everywhere!   But African American explorers didn’t only just aim higher and higher. They also set their sights on what lies beneath. In this case, they aimed—and conquered—the Mammoth caves in Kentucky.   We’re gonna stop here in this podcast show. We’ve covered a lot of great explorers; people who explored the North and South poles and the Congo. We just discussed people who have explored outer space and even walked in space! I think that we’ve gone high enough for now. In the next podcast show, we’re gonna explore another dark and untouched part of THIS planet. And we’re gonna continue our discussion about why we explore and why exploring is so important. I hope to see you at Part II of this great and groundbreaking discussion.   Also, please remember that you can “meet” many of these people on Facebook at out Wiki History Podcast page. Or at least you can see them. Pictures really do say a thousand words and seeing these people can help to bring them to life. You will also find our newsletter that helps you to learn history and teaches ways that you can MAKE history. Remember, we’re all history makers. We all have something to contribute. These stories show that ordinary people can do extraordinary things and live extraordinary lives.   So, I look forward to seeing you at Part II of the Black explorers podcast show at rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it every day. Bye for now!                                                                           Welcome back to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it. I’m Robin Lofton, the Chief In-house Historian and host of this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history.   This is part II of the podcast show on Black explorers. In the previous show, we discussed the importance of exploration and how exploration has changed over the centuries. And we discussed people who had aimed high (Mount Everest high) and even higher (outer space). Those were such interesting and inspirational stories. I hope that you’ve listened to part I of this series. I promise that you’ll be ready to stand and salute these brave men and women. But for now, I think that we should continue with the discussion of Black explorers.   Remember at the end of the show, I introduced the next group of explorers. They didn’t aim to go higher and higher. They were focused on discovering a part of this planet that had been ignored and feared: the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky. Let’s get straight to their fascinating stories and then we’ll end with a discussion of why exploring is important and why it’s important to learn the stories of these great explorers.   The Mammoth caves make up the longest known cave system in the world, with more than 400 miles explored. Did that stop or scare these explorers? Not for a minute. In fact, many African Americans (some former enslaved persons) extensively explored this grand, gloomy and peculiar place.   Let me just mention a few of these courageous and skilled cave navigators.   Although human activity has been recorded in the Mammoth caves for more than 6,000 years, Stephen Bishop was one of the lead explorers and guides in the complex and yes dangerous subterranean cave system. In fact, he is the person who coined the “grand, gloomy and peculiar” term to describe the Mammoth Caves.   Stephen Bishop came to the Mammoth caves in 1838. He was African American, 17 years old and enslaved. Yet because of his great exploration and guiding skills, he did enjoy some freedoms and privileges in the Mammoth caves—and avoided the grueling physical work and suffering endured by other enslaved people. In fact, he was first introduced to the Mammoth caves by a white explorer. This developed Bishop’s love of exploration—and he spent the next two decades exploring the Mammoth caves.   Although he was introduced to the caves by other explorers, Stephen Bishop went far beyond those explored and toured areas. Bishop discovered miles of new routes that no human eye had ever seen. And he opened the gateway for modern exploration of these vast and incredible caves. Bishop also worked to draw a map from memory of the different passages in the caves. It was published in 1844 and was the defining map of the caves for over 40 years!   Yes, he made history: Stephen Bishop was the first to cross the “Bottomless Pit” which was a series of deep vertical shafts. Other explorers had stopped at the Bottomless Pit, refusing to cross over that dangerous abyss. Quite understandable but Bishop was not scared or stopped. He continued past the Bottomless Pit and into areas that had been completely unexplored. And he later safely guided others over the Bottomless Pit and into new regions of the caves. Bishop also explored and guided others into areas of the Mammoth Caves called Fat Man’s Misery (I can only guess why it was given that name!), Cleveland Avenue and the Mammoth Domes. Those are some of the most famous areas of the caves, made famous and popular by Stephen Bishop. Other popular attraction discovered by Stephen Bishop He discovered strange blind fish, snakes, silent crickets, and the remains of cave bears.     He absolutely loved the Mammoth caves and had a real drive for exploration. Still it was hard work and he crawled through tight winding passageways, discovered an underground river, scaled huge rocks, and dared to walk on a rickety nature-made ladder across the "Bottomless Pit."   In 1856, Stephen Bishop received his freedom but unfortunately died the following year at the age of 37.   Stephen Bishop might have been born into slavery, but he was never a slave. He was an explorer! And today he is a legend!   Another Black explorer who came to the Mammoth caves in 1838 was Nick Bransford. However, Bransford didn’t become a full-time explorer for nearly 20 years after moving to the caves. He started full-time guiding in 1857, after the death of Stephen Bishop.   Nick Bransford was an enslaved person (born during the period of slavery). Like Bishop, he was leased out and sent to the Mammoth caves to work. And interestingly there were records showing that he was valued at $800, which was substantially more than for other enslaved persons. This was most likely because of his skills as an explorer and guide.   Bransford later purchased his freedom by selling eyeless fish that he captured in the underground rivers within the caves.   The Mammoth Caves attracted many formerly enslaved people. Ed Bishop for example. No relation to Stephen Bishop. He came to the Mammoth caves in 1886.   Among his greatest achievements was to guide the German cartographer, Max Kamper, into the Mammoth Caves. For 8 months, he and Kamper remained at the cave, visiting all the known sections. But Ed Bishop also discovered new sections that he presented to Max Kamper. One such newly discovered point (located on the Violet City Lantern route) was named Bishop’s Pit in 1908, in honor of Ed Bishop. Together Bishop and Kamper produced a map representing more than 35 miles of passages in the cave. Ed Bishop was widely recognized for his knowledge of the cave and as a teacher for the guides.   Ed Hawkins discovered a monumental series of vertical shafts. The passage leading up to these incredible shafts was later named Hawkins Pass. A great honor to this great explorer. And, yes, visitors can still see these shafts. Just take the Wild Caves Tour!         The last person that we’ll discuss who was important at the Mammoth Caves was Will Garvin. He was a private in the army, serving in a Colored Troop during the Civil War. Will Garvin was never an enslaved person. Following the Civil War, he began exploring and guiding in Mammoth caves where he made his mark for discovering an area later call the Corkscrew. This was actually a maze through collapsed rubble that linked the upper levels of the cave system to the lower levels near the water table. This area also provided an exit from the cave so visitors wouldn’t have to retrace their steps.   Some people say that Will Garvin also discovered the Colossal Caverns. This area was so treacherous that it even wasn’t opened to the public until 1972 (some 70 years after its discovery). It is one of the caves still protected within Mammoth Cave National Park.   But Will Garvin also made another important discovery—or had an important experience. This is really interesting.   He was the first person to experience the optical illusion called the Statue of Martha Washington. As he was exiting the cave, he saw a spectral silhouette of a woman who looked just like Martha Washington! I know strange things can be seen in the caves but this was one of the strangest! And it is still occasionally seen on certain tours in the historic section!   So, that concludes the discussion about Black explorers at the Mammoth Caves. And it concludes the presentation of Black explorers.   Now I just have one question:     Why do we care about these explorers?   Because they faced their challenges with honor, courage, and determination.   Whether it was Mount Everest, the Mammoth caves, the mighty Congo River, the North and South poles or outer space, they went there (using the words from Henry Sheppard in the Congo!) And they went boldly!   Everyone has an Everest. Everest can take many forms: going to school, applying for a job, fighting injustice, writing a book, public speaking or fighting an addiction. We all have our Everests. We are ALL explorers. The personal accounts in this podcast are stories of REAL people. And we can have a story too. We just have to find our challenge and face it. Victory is inevitable.   So we have much to learn from explorING and from exploRERS. Like many other people, I have done my share of exploring. And I think that the main thing that explorers discover is actually something within themselves. It is strength, courage, determination, creativity, persistence and other qualities that helped them to endure hardships, face their fears and rise to new heights. As Barbara Hillary said, when she reached the North Pole at the age of 75, there are no limits to what we can do and we can all challenge ourselves to do great things.   On that high note, I think that this is a great place to conclude this podcast. I hope that you have found it fun, educational and inspirational. I definitely have!   One interesting thing that I noticed about all of these great explorers is that they had so many different interests. Of course, they were completing committed to their explorations and their time, energy and focus were always in that direction. But they were multi-dimensional people in every respect. Matthew Henson—who went to the North Pole—was also a survivalist and linguist who loved the Inuit culture.   William Henry Sheppard –who explored the Congo—was also an avid art collector.   Mae Jemison—the first African American woman in space—loves African history and dance and speaks four languages: Swahili, Russian and Japanese in addition to English.   Others are voracious readers, cartologists, scuba divers, marathon runners, musicians, public speakers, sculptors and so many different interests. So, it’s important to remember that we can have many interests—some might be consistent with your dharma (life’s purpose) but others might conflict. Yet these interests make us complete people.   And, since I mentioned Mae Jemison, I read a story about her. After she had finished her medical studies and returned from the Peace Corps, she received a phone call. It was from NASA. She had submitted an application to NASA years before. On the phone call, they asked her: “Are you still interested in becoming an astronaut?” She answered simply “yeah”. That answer opened up a whole new world to her and within 2 years she went to outer space. Lesson here: Say “yes!”.   All of these explorers said yes to new experiences even when others were telling them to say no. But saying yes opened them to becoming great explorers.   Finally, Charles Bolden, the astronaut who was the first African American to become head of NASA, showed how there are no limits except what we can envision. He said,   "You know, the universe is a big place. I'm a practicing Christian, so in my faith, I learn about omnipotent, omnipresent God, which means he's everywhere. He's all-knowing. He does everything. And I just cannot bring my little pea brain to believe that a God like that would pick one planet of one of millions of suns and say that's the only place in the vast universe that I'm going to put any kind of life. And so the problem is I haven't been far enough away." [29]   I realize that I mentioned lots of names, places, events, experiences and other information that you might want more information about. The rememberinghistory.com team has you covered. You can get more information, see the people and places, read the “What You Can Do” list, see great pictures and even find good a book list at the Wiki History podcast page on Facebook. You can also find the newsletter called Making History Today! which discusses practical ways that you can actually MAKE history through education, the arts, political activism or whatever interests you.   Finally, I just want to remind you that 2017, the Wiki History podcast show is dedicated to the National Museum of African American History & Culture. Located in Washington, DC, the National Museum of African American History & Culture opened in 2016. This kind of museum was long overdue but it finally happened and it is a place that everyone should visit and explore. Museums are a great way to bring history to life and to keep it alive for future generations. Wiki History is honored to be a part of this important process. For every person that listens to this podcast show, rememberinghistory.com will donate $1 to the National Museum of African American History & Culture.   Come back soon to Remembering History where we ARE remembering history and we’re making it. Every day! And, like Matthew Henson, get ready to sit on top of the world! Bye for now!    

Alex has always has a love for the outdoors and has always been fiercely independent. Her love of adventure began when she first went travelling in Africa.  In 2015 Alex hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2700 mile trail that starts at the border of Mexico and goes through America to the border of Canada. Returning to work was an impossible task and after 4 months back in an office she quit to become a permanent adventurer. First stop back to America, second stop New Zealand (with a few thousand miles of hiking in between). Listen as Alex shares more about her adventures on the Tough Girl Podcast Show notes Going back to her childhood and what she was like growing up Being inspired by her granddad Having a normal life! Spending 6 months over in Africa Questioning what she was doing and why she was doing Deciding to take a sabbatical from her job! Dealing with the obstacles….  & facing up to her fears Why she choose the Pacific Crest Trail? Taking us back to the start! Getting her tourist visa for America! Getting to America and what was happening in her head before she started The moment that stood out for her while on the trail Meeting Kat Davies while on the trail - Listen to her PCT hike here! Overcoming fears on the trail Finishing the trail on her birthday! Making the transition back to “normal” life and going back to work Heading to the Himalaya’s to climb Mera Peak (6,476m) Quitting her job and what she did next! The differences between walking North and South on the PCT Being under time pressure to get through the Sierra before the snowfall Having no responsibility and being free Her trail name! Dealing with the time pressure while heading Southbound What’s happening inside her head while being out in the woods Why she wasn’t trying to “find herself” Being able to share the trail with a friend How she’s funded these trips and how she funds her lifestyle Her monthly budget Learning more about Love her Wild - (You can listen to Bex on the Tough Girl Podcast as well!) Her cycle tour in Australia (Sydney to Darwin)- why she decided to do, what inspired her, planning the route, buying her bike! Having low points and how she handles it Being a hiker at heart What she’s learnt from leading this life Her beliefs The charities she supports   Feeling inspired week after week?  You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast! Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment! Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.  Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you! Want to do more? Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.   

Jeremy Tong is a traveller, adventurer and mountaineer. He has conquered many mountains throughout his 12 years of climbing. Some of these mountains include Mera Peak in Nepal, Aconcagua in Argentina and Lenin peak at Kyrgyzstan. He currently plotting his way to the highest mountain in the world, Mt Everest next year.

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Jim Lamancusa is back on today to talk about Ski Mountaineering on Nepal's Mera Peak. This one should make you want to get out and explore the mountains by ski! www.CusaTea.com Facebook@CusaTeaTime Instagram: Cusa_Tea