By Alli Sinclair
I took this photo in 1994 at Base Camp on Mera Peak in Nepal. It was my first-ever climbing expedition and this trip awakened a passion for mountain climbing and travel that has never left me (and I doubt it ever will).
At a height of 6,476 metres (21,247 feet), Mera Peak isn’t for those wanting a Sunday stroll. I took this photo the day before we arrived at the summit and my life changed forever. Standing on the top of Mera Peak, overlooking the 8,000 metre peaks of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga, I discovered my ability to push myself beyond the physical pain and mental torment of climbing at high altitude. This awareness changed my whole philosophy on life, and at the age of 24, I realised the only limits are the ones we place on ourselves and once we smash those down, we can achieve almost anything we set our heart and mind to. Eighteen years later, and I still believe this is so.
How about you? Have you ever had a life-changing moment while traveling?
Oh my. I'll have to think about your question after I figure out whether you photoshopped this photo! Whew, I can see how this could change a person. Are those crevices in the foreground? How did you navigate around them? Phenomenal. Is this what led you to later become a mountain guide? Do tell!
ReplyDeleteYes, they are crevasses and we spent a lot of time avoiding them or crossing them if we had no choice. No photoshopping, Supriya -- this photo took exactly what I saw. Amazing, huh? For sure I was inspired to become a mountain guide with views like this!
DeleteI can see why you became a mountain guide, Alli. What an amazing photo! A view like that could almost convince me to sufferthe pain and misery of getting there.
ReplyDeleteI think my life-changing experience wasn't a single moment. It came the first time I lived abroad on my own, as a student in Salzburg. I'd traveled a lot before that but having my own place and not a hotel room or a corner of a relative's apartment that made me realize what travel means to me: immersing myself in the culture.
Believe it or not Heidi, the pain goes pretty quickly when you have views like this to gaze at. I can totally see how living abroad on your own can change you. You're so right, immersion is a fabulous way to understand a different culture. Would it be awesome if everyone got a chance to do that?
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