Michael Davis' D.R.E.A.M. Steps

RESEARCH, EVALUATE, ACTION

"EVEREST & THE SEVEN SUMMITS"

To climb Mt. Everest and Seven Summits takes a series of RESEARCH, EVALUATION, & ACTION steps which I would complete for each mountain and expedition:

In late 1997, I had decided it was time to make some changes in my life. I first quit my 12-year old smoking habit, and for the first time in my life decided to get athletic. Since I was living in Los Angeles at the time, the outdoors was the obvious choice to take advantage of, and it was an easy entry since my friends had already been hiking around the hills in Southern California and all I had to do was join them. At first hiking a mile with an altitude gain of just a couple hundred vertical feet was exhausting, but with each hike the next time I was able to go a little further. The following summer some friends took me camping for my first time and I fell in love with it. The outdoors began to open my mind to so many new adventures and I was really starting enjoy it.

I went to the bookstore and bought books on Hiking in California, and began to challenge myself with longer and more difficult hikes. I went to Big Sur, Yosemite National Park, the mountains around Palm Springs, which can rise to over 12,000 ft with hikes over 20 miles long. And each time I would increase my time, distance and altitude, always monitoring my physical and mental condition. I would notice how I felt after the hike, and over the next few days. I also started other activities, which I thought would enhance my abilities such as mountain biking, yoga, spinning, weight-training; again, always increasing the difficulty slowly and monitoring my body.

I was always asking people I met along the way, "What should I do next?" and everyone had different opinions all based on their own desires and interests, and what seemed to excite me the most was mountain climbing. So back to the bookstore I went and bought "FREEDOM OF THE HILLS", the mountain climbers bible. I began to research on the web which company's ran mountaineering schools and trips, and requested their information. Then I began to call these company's and see what they suggested and why. Ultimately I came up with the decision to climb the glaciated Mt. Rainier in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. It was a two-day climb with a day of schooling prior to it, not too long and good test of my interest and abilities. I got a group of friends together who also had some interest in climbing and off we went. The climb itself was a successful experience although we did not summit, but I was still interested and wanted to learn more.

I had planned for this possibility by saving up enough money over the last few years to stop working and support myself as I tried to go after my desire to see the world and after reading a book called THE SEVEN SUMMITS, my dream was expanded, to try and climb the highest peak on each continent.

My first mountain was Aconcagua, the highest point in South America. It was the perfect first test because, it was 22,840 feet high which would test my bodies ability to handle altitude; it was an 18 day estimated climb, which would test my ability to be out on the mountain in the elements for an extended period of time; it was not a glaciated peak which meant it was just a really high and long hike, but no real major mountaineering skills were required; and I would also be going alone, with no friends along for support and that was the scariest part for me. Once again back to the bookstore, and searching for more books on mountain climbing and stories of others who have journeyed out there in the mountains. I also wanted to learn about Argentina and its people, and the Andes mountain range which was where Aconcagua is located. I know had to choose how I was going to climb it, and again I spoke to the different mountain guiding companies, finally deciding on the one I felt was the most responsible and experienced.

It was an unbelievable experience climbing Aconcagua, and after 17 days, of which we started with 7 climbers, I was the only one left standing on roof of South America. But I have to tell you I went there knowing no one, and to climb this for myself, but I stood on the summit with an empty feeling in my heart that I was alone, my new friends and teammates were not there with me, for us all to share in our joy together. This was the last thing I expected to happen. But I'm proud to say some of them are my closest friends today… Seven Summit #1…February 25, 2000.

After a few weeks of healing and some real expedition experience behind my belt, I was excited to continue on my journey, and I ended up planning the next two climbs together. I researched and choose Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mt. Elbrus in Russia, the highest point in Europe. I felt from what I learned that these would be a great one-two punch of more altitude, expedition, and some glacier climbing on Mt. Elbrus, which is the more typical mountaineering experience of climbing on ice, being careful of crevasse's. So the following June, I went to Africa first to climb the 19,339 foot Mt. Kilimanjaro which was a 7-day climb with no glacier travel. It was right after the rainy season and the mountain was still quite wet and slippery, and on June 8, 2000… Seven Summit #2 was reached.

I stayed in Africa, went on safari, and a week later I was in the south of Russia in the Caucasus Mountain Range between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. This expedition Paul, whom I met on Aconcagua, joined me and over the next 8 days we climbed the glaciated West Summit of Mt. Elbrus, which has two peaks, the west being just 20 meters higher than the east. With our Russian guide, Sultan, Paul and I summited the highest point in Europe… Seven Summit #3… June 25, 2000.

I came back from Russia and realized I needed more training, and in September I went back to the Cascades outside of Seattle and signed up for a 7-day mountaineering course. This course helped me hone in my skills for glacier travel and crevasse rescue, as well as gave me more experience in winter/cold weather camping since my next target was Antarctica, the frozen desert at the bottom of the earth.

There has been no more exciting journey for me than traveling to the frozen continent of ice that encompasses the South Pole. To sleep and live where very few humans in the history of the world have been was like traveling to the moon. Paul again joined me on this expedition as did Neil, one of our guides from Aconcagua. We spent 7 days climbing Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica, and 12 days on the continent. We survived -30 degree ambient temperatures in our tent, with outside wind chills of -50 degrees Fahrenheit, but the beauty and desolation there is unequalled. There is just one commercial base camp on the continent, the rest are scientific stations, and at Patriot Hills Camp, which is just inside the Antarctic Circle, there were about 40 of us climbers and explorers, among them were Conrad Anker, who found George Mallory's body on Mt. Everest in 1999, Jon Krakauer who wrote "Into Thin Air", and we watched the arrival of two Danish athletes who in 63 days, skied to the South Pole and back. One of the things I love most about climbing is the people you meet along the way. They are from all different countries and walks of life, and are all there for different reasons. On January 13, 2001…Seven Summit #4, we summited just 20 minutes ahead of Erik Weihenmayers, the first blind man to summit Vinson and just four months later became the first blind man to summit Mt. Everest.

The next mountain, Denali, some consider one of the hardest mountains in the world. It lays just outside the Arctic Circle in Alaska and is 20,306 feet high, though being at such a high latitude it can feel as high as 24,000 feet, which means thinner air. It is also known for its harsh weather, with long storms lasting usually 5-7 days and its frigid cold temperatures, which can give Antarctica a run for its money. I felt I was ready to tackle this beast with the multiple expeditions I have been on, the glacier climbing training of Elbrus, Vinson, and the course, as well as the cold weather experience of Antarctica. And after 21 days, the average length of a climb on Denali (Mt. McKinley), we summited the highest point in North America. This time Paul was not with me, but our guide Vern Tejas, one of the world's greatest living mountaineers and the most accomplished Denali climber, and who also happened to be my guide in Antarctica, took us to the summit on June 4, 2001…Seven Summit #5.

That left two or maybe three depending on how you see it. You see there is a difference of opinion as to which is the real continent either Australia or Australasia. Carstenz Pyramid is on an island called Irian Jaya in Indonesia it is 16,023 feet high, and Mt Kosciuszko is 7,310 feet high and is on the island of Australia. Most people do both just to be sure, but due to the political situation today in Indonesia, I opted for Australia until things calm down there. The reason many like to not include Kosciuszko is because you can take a chairlift then a very easy metal walkway right to the summit, so there is no mountaineering involved at all. I choose to skip the lift, climb the extra 2,000 vertical feet and do it in early spring while the mountain was still covered in snow. And on October 15, 2001… Seven Summit #6, Mt. Kosciuszko was reached.

This leaves the highest point in the world, Mt. Everest, at 29,035 feet high. There are only two times during the year, which it is summitable May and October. There are two main routes, the South Col Route entering from Nepal a very glaciated route (which I will attempt), and the much windier less snow covered North Route, which you enter from Tibet/China. The length of climb is estimated at 60 days, it takes this long due to the acclimatization process of human body to live and exist at such high altitudes. If successful I will become one of the first 30 Americans to have summited all Seven Summits, if not its one more great step in my journey and my completion of attempting the Seven Summits.

What I've learned so far during these experiences about myself, the world, people, geology, nature, human spirit, and on and on are immeasurable and irreplaceable. These are experiences I will take with me throughout the rest of my life, and understandings I will continue to build upon.

My hope is that this will help teach youth about a new world, as they experience and travel with me on my journey up Mt. Everest, and inspire and motivate them to set their own mountains to climb in whatever worlds they may desire. As well as give them the understanding that it takes a long time to accomplish any goals we set, they just don't happen overnight, and that we will always be learning in order to reach our full potential. But to understand most importantly that it is the journey and the action taken, with the experience we have that will leads us down the path of living the most truthful and honest lives we can. As well as how crucial it is to not only live this journey for yourself, but to help others and our communities to reach their full potential as one united world.