If you haven’t read the 2 posts from day 10, go back to those..
Wow, what a whirl wind trip, after getting to decompress on the flights home and thinking about the adventures, I just wanted to give some thoughts.
I did NOT fail, I may not have made 100 on the test I laid out for myself, but I sure made an “A”. An adventure like this is a success just by going and participating. Ashley told me it is not the goal, but the journey that is important, I loved this journey.
I choose to go and accept the challenge, and boy it was a challenge. It was probably the hardest mental and physical challenge that I have ever faced in life. I was tested from day one when by body questioned do you really want to suffer like this day after day. I was tested from about the 3rd day in when I started getting sick, that stressed my system because there was no way to recover and heal. I was challenged mentally to overcome the physical trials and the trials of being away from family and friends when I was so tired and sick. Yet, as previously stated, I loved the challenge, of knowing that I could take another step when I felt like I was finished or I could wake up and face a new day and push forward with what was planned, even when my body bank was depleted. By saying all this, did I do anything anyone else couldn’t do, no, there were people all around me accepting the same challenge, a bunch even handling it better than I. But in life, we all need to find challenges to accept and attack. Those challenges don’t need to be great physical challenges, sometimes they are helping others, playing the games we love, giving hugs more often than needed, or maybe walking an extra 3 kilometers. That keeps our hearts beating and and our souls pleading with God for a hand to hold.
My prayers for the last 6 months have always ended with “God, give me the mental and physical strength to trek to Everest Base Camp and up Kala Patthar the next day”. Did God not answer my prayers? No, God gave me exactly what he knew I needed, not what I wanted. I was above Gorek Shep and could look down upon Everest Base Camp and see the mountaineer’s tents. I was in Gorak Shep and I could look up and see the path up Kala Patthar. He took me there, he just didn’t think it was that important that I touched a foot on either. At this point, I don’t either. From a pride standpoint, I would love to stay I stood at Everest Base Camp, but still in Everest Base Camp, you are technically not touching Mt. Everest. It is a rocky valley sitting on a moving glacier. I got a great view of that.
I had a journey, I had a great journey. I loved seeing an exotic and different country. I loved seeing the heart of the people of Nepal. I am still amazed at the views of God’s world. The Texas sunsets are amazing, the Colorado Rockies are beautiful, but the view each morning when I woke up to clear skies in the Himalayan Mountains were nothing short of breathtaking (if you had any breath to take away). My journey was also a great inward look at myself and how well I can face the difficulties that are placed in from of me. That was a very satisfying part of this journey, I don’t mean to say that in a prideful way, because it was only with God’s strength that I even got to take this journey.
I can’t wait to see all my family and friends!!!
Philippians 4:13
Sherry says
I love you
Tami says
Proud of you and glad you are back safely!
Dick Rogers says
David, you and I have never met but are the same age and I grew up out in West Texas like you.
My family grew up in Abernathy and I keep in touch with Steve Myatt on occasion.
I had heard about your journey and have been following it. It sounds like you went above and beyond trying to reach the base camp, especially with the altitude sickness.
Glad you had the ability to make the right decision and get to lower altitude and recover quickly. I have not been to that part of the world but I have been above 13,000 feet and for those of us that have it’s shall we say it “interesting”..
Hope you made it home safely and can get some rest now. Your mind and body need to rest and recover.
We admire your spirit and look forward to your next challenge.
Sincerely,
Dick Rogers
Norm says
Well said, You had a Great Journey & Experience! Just the idea to attempt this was off the charts!! You are a ** year old West Texas lifer that attempted to go more than twice an altitude than you have ever been! You Suceeded! You went as far as you were mentally and physically ment to go, Spirituly you are still going strong! I’m proud of you! Glad you are home safe! Great Job!!
Jerry says
Glad you are home (Dimmitt? Colorado?) and back to familiar surroundings so you can rest. BUT I’m glad you went. Texi is in New Zealand because you walked the Camino. There isn’t anyway to predict how this adventure affected us all. My hunch is we all have an “Everest Base Camp” that we’ve ruled out due to age or another excuse. I appreciate you quietly kicking open the doors most of us are satisfied to just fantasize opening. Your concentric Circle has been watching and taking notes. Thanks for leading us past our excuses.