I decided to design myself a T-Shirt to celebrate the path to Nepal and the trek itself. Well. That is not entirely accurate. I have an IDEA for a t-shirt that my friend Sonya Vasilieff (proprietor of Pink Bird Studio) is actually designing from my very limited artistic abilities. Therefore, I am sure it is going to rock.  I am going to use the front as a tattoo that will offically embed the trip to me externally as well. AND  the design will become the avatar of WhelanTrek.  

The front (and ultimatly the tattoo) will be an image of the mountain itself encircled by a border of celtic knots. The back will list all of the locations I will hit along the way and their elevations overlaying a map of Nepal. I am learning a bit about how to get parts together for use in the design. Vector graphics. Never heard of it before this. See how much fun this adventure is? Anyway. Sonya worked up a graphic of Mount Everest that will adorn the front of the shirt. Around it will be a very nice Celtic knot circle.

In the process of doing what has been done so far, Sonya attached a quote from Tom Whittaker. Whittaker was the first one legged man to climb mount everest. He overcame much to do such a task. But the quote is apt for anyone who seeks to reach a goal: “Everest for me, and I believe for the world, is a physical and symbolic manifestation of overcoming odds to achieve a dream.” — Tom Whittaker.

I used Everest symbolically to achieve my dream of becoming an attorney. I actually used the Seven Summits, but Everest was the top of them all, the last one after conquering each of the six achievements along the way that I needed to get to that ultimate goal. Now I am going to Base Camp to physically achieve my own Everest goal. No. It is not to the top of the mountain, but rather to the bottom of the mountain. I never yearned to climb it, only to see it, touch it and be there. That is MY Everest and I need to overcome the odds of age, decades of sedentary living, and weight to achieve it. I have seen the reaction in people’s faces when I tell them what I am doing. Many faces are skeptical and more are down right dismissive. As if, in my age and condition, it is a pipe dream. I have my own demons of doubt to battle. I am learning how to push harder when I think I have reached my physical limit. Because the truth is, we each have far more in us than we are willing to believe.

This is what a wall ball work out looks like.

Yesterday I was doing a wall ball workout at CrossFit Max Effort. I was required to throw a 10 pound medicine ball above the low target 150 times. I was given 15 minutes in which to do it. This was after what was a nice, big, warm up that included a 500 meter row. After a fast start, I was bogging down. Pretty soon I was resting between 2 to 3 throws. I kept having the same conversation with myself. “Stopping is not going to get you to base camp.” and “The trek will be at LEAST this hard with no O2 and steep terrain.” I had to remind myself “You are not crawling on your hands and knees on the floor so you must have more in you.”  I found that there is more there to access. I got 146 throws and know that the reason I did not get 150 total was because of my mind and not my body.  As I train my body, I will train my mind to overcome the odds to achieve my dream!

...to overcome the odds to achieve my dream