Hi everyone,

A Time to Share

Well it’s that time of year where people are hopefully enjoying themselves and getting ready for the Christmas festivities.  This is a wonderful time of the year to spend precious time with family and friends, and maybe overindulge a little.  Whilst not being a party pooper, please take a moment to feel for those people who are not having such a good time, and facing the tough battle in the fight against cancer.

It was on Christmas Eve two years ago, that I was released from Cairns Private Hospital, after my first mastectomy.  I remember lying in bed at home, with two drains, in absolute pain, but the thought of having my husband, and my Mum and Dad by my side, was so comforting, and provided a wonderful distraction to what was actually happening in my life.

Planning the Ultimate Trip

I have been busy sorting out the finer details for the charity walk in Nepal in April next year.  At this stage, we are looking at organising a small group of intrepid trekkers who want to experience the magical warmth and culture of the Nepalese people, and follow the historic path through the Khumbu region, and into Mt Everest Base Camp.

Not only will this be a fantastic opportunity to be truly mesmerised, standing up close with the highest mountain in the world, but we will also be spending a few nights in Base Camp, with the opportunity to meet Pat, a close friend who is attempting the summit, and other members of our climbing team; including Sumit, our guide and expedition leader and Lakpa, our amazing head Sherpa.

Stay tuned for the details and itinerary early in the New Year.

Oxygen Magazine

Just to let you know, I have spoken with the editor for Oxygen Australian Women’s Fitness Magazine, and my full story will be featuring in an upcoming edition.  I am so excited about this, as I have always been a fan and avid reader, gaining awesome tips along the way to improve my training.  I will let you all know when the story is out.

Merry Christmas

I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the amazing words of support and I wish you all a wonderful and Merry Christmas.  Cherish these special moments and take nothing for granted.

There is no telling how many miles you will have to run whilst chasing a dream.

Author unknown

Look forward to chatting soon,

Sharon

Hi everyone,

It’s Official

Well it’s official, according to the Himalayan Database, the leading statistician that records details of climbers’ summiting a number of mountains in the Himalayas; I am the first breast cancer survivor in the world to have summited Ama Dablam.  This was unexpected, but nevertheless, I am wonderfully proud of my achievement.

Why I do what I do?

To be honest, I never set out to be the first to climb Ama Dablam, nor the first, when the time comes to climb Mt Everest.  I am not doing this to seek fame or glory, I am doing this because I am passionate about climbing, and it gives me confidence and the feeling that I am stronger than cancer, that I am in control of my life and my destiny.  It empowers me with self-belief, and at the time, I feel invincible.  Of course I am not invincible, and as susceptible to secondary cancer as anyone else, which certainly plays on my mind, but I chose to shut it out, and push myself to the limits, and maximise my time on earth.

I am also doing this to give hope to the thousands of beautiful women and men, who are diagnosed with this horrible disease, and are facing the long journey.  At the time of my diagnosis, my best friend Kelly gave me a copy of Lance Armstrong’s book, ‘It’s not about the bike.’  It was then that I discovered this was just a hurdle in my life, and I fought like mad to get through it.  In a strange way, I hope I am able to give people hope, and inspiration, and show that there is so much more to life after cancer.

Media

It was wonderful when I got home to see that the Cairns Sun had written another wonderful two-page story of my latest adventure.  Roz Pulley has been so supportive of me, and shown a keen interest in following my journey from the onset.

WIN News also came out to the house and Larise PRETTY interviewed me again and produced a wonderful story of the climb.

It’s nice to see that I have some local support, and people are interested in what I do: however sponsorship is still eluding me.  Hopefully this will change, and a white knight will come around the corner and help me on my next climb.

What’s happening?

I have not started any serious training just yet; I am still resting my weary body, but manage to do a short walk each day, stretching out the limbs.

The training approach will be a little different this time, as Cho Oyu is not as technical as Ama Dablam, but being above 8000m, it is a long arduous slog.  Our friend Pat, who summited earlier this year, described it as a marathon at altitude, so I will probably focus more on the cardio and endurance, meaning running and some long pack walks, as opposed to the strength aspects required on Ama Dablam. We will still train with our favourite boxing coach Ken, who saw me the other day, and raced up and gave me a big hug; he was so excited that we reached the top.

Next April

We are currently in the planning stages with Sumit in organising an awesome trip to Nepal involving a small group where we will trek to Everest Base Camp, and visit the Himilayan Ascent expedition, where our friend Pat, who is attempting the summit this season, will be there to greet us, along with other members of our climbing team, This will be a great opportunity for people to see what I am about to undertake, whilst at the same time, experience the beauty of the Himalaya’s.  We are running out of time and will have things sorted out shortly.  If you think this is something you or your friends may be interested in, let me know.

Chat soon

Sharon

‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ Confucius

Hi everyone,

We finally made it back to Cairns in one piece.  What an amazing trip, it still hasn’t fully sunk in that we reached the top of Ama Dablam, this has been a dream mountain for me, and I am so proud that I was able to reach its pinnacle.

My body is still recovering, and I think I need to seriously rest, before even thinking of our next climb.  I am so sore and feel like I could sleep for a week.  This one really knocked me around.

Whats next?

Plans are certainly underway for Cho Oyu and we managed to sit down with Sumit in Kathmandu and organise the team and logistics.  Lakpa, my wonderful sherpa will be with me again on the long haul up the 6th highest mountain in the world.  He is excited and I feel safe knowing he will be watching over me.

We are hoping to organise a trip in around April with a group of students or trekkers either in the Annapurna or Everest region.  Sumit is putting the finer details together, and we are trying to include Sherpas, cooks and porters from our Cho Oyu/Everest climbing team.  It should be an awesome trip, and excellent for someone who is interested in trekking in Nepal with experienced guides/sherpas, oh and me and Allan.  More details to come shortly.

Nepal/Tibet

We have decided to focus all of our climbing and training in the Nepal/Tibet Himalaya’s.  We love the people, the country and the breathtaking beauty of the mountains.  It is the one true place where I feel fit and healthy.  For that reason, we are no longer going to climb Mt.Kilamanjaro.

Thanks

I would like to thank all the wonderful people who have been following my progress, and for the amazing words of support, encouragement and congratulations.  It has been truly inspiring.

I would also like to thank Qantas for waiving our excess baggage on both legs of the trip.  We had over 100kg of climbing equipment and the staff made this stress free with their ongoing support of my quest.

Sponsorship

I will be trying to get out there and generate some interest in the hope of securing some corporate sponsorship, it is not easy, wish me luck, but I will have to put in the hard yards if I am to achieve this mammoth task.

Thanks again and speak soon.

Sharon

My quote of the day:

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways – either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

Dalai Lama

Well, we finally made it back to Kathmandu.  I still have all ten fingers and toes.  We did it, we successfully summitted Ama Dablam at 6812m.  I am so proud that I got to the top, it was an intimidating difficult mountain, and it took every bit of strength and determination to get there.  I could not send a blog any earlier as technology is pretty limited and unreliable in the Himalaya’s.

The Final Push

We reached the summit at 11.23 on the 5^th of November, having left from Camp 3 at 6.00am.  I got to the top and cried, all the hard work had paid off, and now I had shown that I was capable of tackling the technical mountains, and succeeding.  I would have never thought that just a year ago, when I was still battling cancer, that I would soon be standing on top of one of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

Hard Work

The expedition was so well planned. Sumit, our guide and friend, had made sure that everything from the staff, food to the tents and equipment was totally first class.  We even had a shower tent, which heated up in the day, and you could take in a 20 litre bucket of hot water, and feel a bit of luxury.

The climb itself was intense and physically demanding.  It took almost two weeks of climbing and returning to base camp to acclimatise and be in a position where we were ready to challenge the summit.

We climbed from Base Camp at 4600m to Camp 1 at 5800m, a massive height gain at altitude, 3 times and also once to Camp 2 at 6000m, before we headed down for some rest and recovery

My favourite part of the climb was between Camp 1 and 2, which only has a gain of 200m, but is all rock climbing and traversing.  The exposure was seriously intense and the final section, referred to as the Yellow Tower tests the nerve of the most experienced climber.  It is a shear vertical rock face, with little foot holds, and just to make it interesting, drops 600m below you.  Don’t look down is the best advice.

Camp 2 to 3 was also amazing.  The Grey Tower, also rock climbing, was a little precarious at times, with large pieces of rock hurtling down the mountain.  When you hear the word ‘rock’, it is time to tuck in close to the face, as you hear the missiles shoot past.  Pretty unnerving at times, but we got through.  At the top of the tower, you reach Mushroom ridge, which is a narrow snow line ridge, which drops sharply over 1000m on both sides, the views were just stunning, and I wanted to sit here forever, and take in the beauty.

Camp 3 was on the lower Dablam and we camped on the snow.  It was a cold night before our summit push, and got to -20 degrees inside the tent.  Leaving in the extreme cold was tough, and my hands and feet, as per usual, did not warm up.  This took my mind off the tough snow climb for a while, then I refocussed and put my mind on the job.  We climbed for 4 ½ hours and I could finally see the summit in sight.  Taking those final steps to be on top was the proudest moment of my life, and it all became too much, and my emotions ran away.  Allan was waiting for me and we held each other tightly and silently celebrated.  Allan told me he loved me and was so proud of what I had done and that I was super woman.  He is biased of course.  I just savoured the time at the top, and looked across to Mt Everest and Cho Oyu and got excited that these mountains were still to come.

We eventually headed back down to Base Camp the following day and arrived in the night after 13 hours of abseiling, traversing and walking down.  I was shagged but still on cloud nine.

The Amazing Lakpa

Throughout the climb, I was with Lakpa Sherpa, a wonderful beautiful man, who has climbed Ama Dablam 17 times now, and just returned from guiding our friend Pat on Cho Oyu.   Lakpa never left my side, he was my shadow, and will be with me on Cho Oyu and Everest.  I am so lucky, and feel safe around him on the mountain, he is so calm and experienced.   I can’t wait to see him again.

Tragedy up High

We met some amazing people along the way.  At Base Camp, we spent time and had dinner with Lydia Bradey from NZ, who was the 1^st woman in the world to solo Mt Everest without oxygen.  She was such a wonderful inspiring woman and we spoke about my future climbs.  Lydia guides on Mt Cook and we will probably try and climb with her next year.  She climbed Ama Dablam with her friend David, an orthopaedic surgeon from Dunedin.

As it turned out, it was lucky David was on the mountain.  While we were returning to Camp 1 from Camp 2, we saw a climber, who appeared to be not moving up on the summit ridge.  Sumit made a call to Base Camp to see whether any information had been received or whether this climbers predicament had been noticed and plans being made for his rescue.  As it turned out, he was an Austrian mountain paramedic/guide, and had developed HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Odema) whilst climbing with his friend, and had become totally irrational.

His friend, also a guide, left him on the mountain, and climbed back down, but without a radio, was unable to alert anyone of the situation.  Due to the time, being late in the day, and the location where he was at, rescue at this time was impossible.  It was so sad to see a man left on the mountain, and as the sun went down, I think everyone thought the same thing, that he would not last the night.  A team of Sherpas and Adrian, an American guide from Alpen Glow, were to leave in the morning to get to the climber.

We spent the night at Camp 1, and his other friends who were in a tent beside us, were up all night crying and fearing the worst.  In the morning, I looked out of the tent, and could not believe my eyes.  He was moving, he had started to head slowly down the mountain, it was truly a miracle.  It ended up taking 2 days for the rescue team, including Jangbu from our team, to get him down the mountain.   It was so sad to see him back at Base Camp, and David, who had been co-ordinating with Adrian, on dosages of medication, including dexymethamphetamine, gave him a big hug.  It was very emotional, and really reinforced the dangers of the mountain.  In the end, a helicopter arrived and flew him back to Kathmandu.  He lost both his hands and had damage to his feet from frost bite.

Friends you Meet

Along the trail, we also met two exceptional men, Irwin, a pilot with Emirates, and Mark, a dentist in NZ.  They were undertaking their own climbing adventure, and we spent many great evenings laughing and chatting in warm dining rooms.  They were great company and will be friends forever.

Nepal – A Magical Place

The people living in the Himalayas were wonderful, and the service and hospitality we received was heart warming.  We have had the best time, and it truly has not sunk in yet that I climbed such a majestic yet difficult mountain, where experienced climbers from around the world come to test their skills.  I will fondly think back on this expedition forever, and remember that indescribable feeling of elation and self-satisfaction at standing on top of this beautiful mountain.  Achieving this dream has given me strength and further belief in myself that I can do this, and has only made me more excited about what is to come.  I am already counting down the days to Cho Oyu.

Reflection

Battling breast cancer was a terrifying period of my life, where everything was out of control, and my destiny was placed in the hands of experts around me.  I look at it now as a turning point in my life, a positive experience that has taught me what is important and given me insight and direction.  It is certainly not the way I wanted to rethink my life plan, but those were the cards I was dealt, and I have to deal with it the best way I can.  I still think about cancer and that it may return one day, and that scares me, but at the same time, drives me to do as many things as I can, whilst I can.  I love what I am doing, I love my friends and family, I love life, and in some way, truly hope that I am able to give some inspiration to the people still fighting this horrible disease.

Take care and will blog soon

Sharon

x

P.s Pictures to follow shortly.

We had an early flight from Kathmandu to Lukla on the 20th and as always the flight is beautiful and the landing is something you never  forget.

Stopped for a quick tea and biscuits at the German Bakery then headed of on our 6 hour trek to Monjo. Was great to get out and start our expedition to Ama Dablam. The  scenery is breathtaking and the air so fresh.

We have never been in Nepal this time of year, and found that the trail was very busy with trekkers heading on different walks, so we spent alot of time getting around them.  Didn’t spot many climbers going up, but saw a few European teams coming down from various expeditions.

Spent the night at Monjo and had an early rise and headed up to Namche Bazaar.  We got up into Namche in a couple of hours, and sat down for some coffee and cake.  There is a definate theme starting here.

Today we did an acclimatization walk to 4100m and I felt great, you can certainly start to feel you are at altitude. 

Tomorrow we head to Tengboche Monastery to be blessed by a monk for our expedition and will stay overnight in the village.

Our Sirdar Lakpa headed up to Ama Dablam base camp today, and is looking to climb to Camp 2 tomorrow.  He is rallying up some strong Sherpa support to try and establish ropes along the higher part of  the route.  To date, three teams have attempted the summit and all have been unsuccessful, due to weather conditions and difficulty in establishing camps high on the mountain, which then requires a push to the summit from lower down the mountain,  making for a long day, and lessening the chance of reaching the top. 

We head to Ama Dablam base camp in two days, and will acclimatise and do some further training.  I will probably not be able to post another email until we are off the mountain,  and back amongst civilisation, as technology is limited in these parts.

We both feel very strong and are very excited about what lies ahead.

Always believe in yourself and aim high, nothing is impossible.

Speak soon

Sharon

We arrived mid celebrations of the Dipawali festival known as the Hindu festival of lights involving  5 days of celebrations, worshiping animals, nature, mountains, human beings and gods.

Thamel came alive last night and the streets were adorned with beautiful displays of marigolds, candles, lights and lots of firecrackers.  Lots of singing and dancing in the streets, truly a wonderful sight to see.

We got up early this morning and started to organise all of our climbing gear for the expedition. We met up with Sumit, our leader and Lakpa, our Sirdar (head Sherpa).  Lakpa was heading directly to the airport to fly into Lukla, and trek to Ama Dablam base camp.  Already 1500kg of equipment and food has been sent, and Lakpa will be co-ordinating the porters, and yak teams to make sure everything arrives in base camp safely.

We are off to Sumit’s house tonight for more Dipawali celebrations, with his sister cooking up a feast, with goat and yak featuring on the menu.  Looking forward to it.

One more day in the Du to get last minute items, then we head out early Tuesday morning on the hair raising flight to Lukla.

Until tomorrow.

Sharon

Well it has been a few days since my last post as we have basically been training and resting for the upcoming expedition. Bangkok offers a great training environment for us, especially with the awesome 13m indoor climbing centre at Soi Klang. Training has never been so much fun.

The weather here in Bangkok at the moment is pretty good, still their rainy season but nothing likes Cairns. At least here the rain stops every so often to give you a break from being drenched all the time. The humidity is pretty good and you can safely walk around without feeling you have melted away.  I suppose the weather never bothers us as living in Cairns it is pretty much the same.

I have been dealing with a mild stomach bug at the moment but have been eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegies not to mention a plethora of vitamins I take which seems to have kept the the bug at bay.

Also drinking the lemongrass and ginger tea which is a real winner for me.

The Take 5 magazine article I did  for Breast Cancer October Awareness month is out, so check it out. Issue 43.

Only 3 sleeps until we fly to Kathmandu and meet up with Sumit and Lakpa. Very excited and can’t wait to be back  in the Himalayas and getting back to basics. Also time to put my new Spantik boots to the test.

Quote for today

At the end of the day, I am aware that I will never live this particular day again. I am grateful to be alive”. – L. Hay

Sharon

x

Sitting at Sydney airport just waiting for our flight to Bangkok. Checked luggage in at 107 kilos… Even I was amazed.

The amount of equipment needed for mountaineering is huge, but it is specialised equipment that maximises your well being on the mountain.  When you are at altitude with extreme weather, you need ultra quality gear to keep you warm.

I  am really excited and feel confident in achieving my goals with Ama Dablam. Going through cancer I now understand the importance of living dreams and achieving goals that you are passionate about.

Love hearing your comments. If you want to leave a reply to these posts click on the read full story icon below and fill out the comment box.

Ad Alta – To the summit!!

Sharon

Just finished off the last of the packing and we are all set to go.

I feel very excited and am prepared for this climb of Ama Dablam.

Ama Dablam stands at 6860m and is a beautiful mountain in the Khumbu region of Nepal. It is technically difficult  with mixed rock and ice.

It’s sheer beauty is absolutely breathtaking from which ever angle you look at it.

We have trained very hard for this mountain and incorporated a lot of upper body strength training, not to mention the pack walks, endurance running and also interval running.

In fact I am off now for a last run before the early flight tomorrow.

Love this quote

“You’ll never achieve your dreams if they don’t first become goals” -Unknown

Sharon

On Wednesday night you can catch me on Win TV Local News to see the final packing of all our climbing equipment for the awesome expedition we’re about to undertake.

Our luggage will total more than 100kg by the time we’re finished, and Qantas have kindly waived the excess baggage costs to get all our gear to Bangkok for intensive final preparations for the trip.

Just finalising housekeeping and logistic issues. It’s a big task to get everything in order before we head off for 6 weeks.