April's Everest Journey - Fulfilling A Dream
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I am new to Quincy, California, but even having moved here in times of COVID and forest fires, I have learned to love my new home. I have built such a wonderful community of friends and family in such a short time, that I couldn't imagine ever living anywhere else. Several of my friends have encouraged/suggested that I share this campaign with you, so here goes.
Some of you may have heard about the "crazy" woman dragging a tire down Chandler or Old Highway Rd. And, well, that was me. My journey towards Everest started as a child, but it has been in the works of becoming a reality for a couple of years now. I was supposed to have summitted in the spring of 2020, but being out of work for almost half a year and the global pandemic got in my way - as I am sure it did for many of your plans. This year, however, the dream is back on.
I am asking for support of any, and all, kinds, and in return, I will pay it forward.
I would love and appreciate words of encouragement. Send me good thoughts and vibes. Write me a note/letter to read on this 2-month climb. Draw me a cool bookmark. Send a token for me to share with the mountain or remind me of home while I'm gone. Send or suggest a favorite paper or audio book, movie, or music for my mountain entertainment. Share your favorite yummy snacks. Monetary contributions are also welcome and helpful - Venmo (@AALeonardo), GoFundMe (but they take a percentage), cash/check.
Over the course of this past year, I have changed jobs, moved states, started over, was diagnosed with prediabetes, and kept up my training. I have been physically, emotionally, and mentally preparing for this opportunity every day for almost two straight years. So what I am offering today, is a chance for you to be a part of this journey with me. It has been a rough year for all of us, and I think it would be great if we could all get excited together, as a community, about something positive and magnificent. With the closure of Nepal last year, I got dropped from my original team and prices went up significantly, but I am making my way forward.
Over the course of my climb, I will post my location and brief messages on my Facebook page so that those interested can track my progress. I will also take a TON of photos and would be so excited to share my experience in more (and visual) detail when I return. Also, 20% of any money I do raise I will donate to a good cause - see below.
I will be on a small team with two other climbers and a Nepalese guide. They will be my family and my lifeline, as I will be theirs, for the 58+ days of the climb. I have never met the other two climbers, but one is a guy from Australia that just climbed Mt. Vinson (highest peak in Antarctica), and the other is a guy from the U.S. who runs ultra-marathons. I am sure I will be in good company.
I have decided to dedicate this climb to two of the strongest women I know. If/when I make it to the top of the world, I will have made the dream I had as a little girl, who's only other dream at that time was to be a waitress at Denny's, come true. And these two women, in their own ways, will have helped me get there.
1) Abuelita - my grandmother; 93 years old; always rooting for me; has had her own share of hardships; progressive dementia and age has kept her from enjoying the traveling she never could get enough of when I was growing up; COVID has kept her isolated from me and the world; I'm just grateful she still knows who I am; it has been hard to be away from her as her dementia has worsened
2) Fatima - my "sister" who died at age 16 years; her death would have been preventable if she had access to basic nutrition, an education, and medical care; she was my rock for the 2+ years I lived in a tiny village in Morocco; she was my soulmate; I learned unconditional love from her; she had never left her village but had such an adventurous spirit and an old soul; she wanted to see the world; I take her with me everywhere I go
While each and every one of my patients has touched my life in one way or another, I have had the hardest time personally coping with those who have dementia and those with an unheard voice. The feelings of helplessness and powerlessness experienced both by the affected individuals and their loved ones can be overwhelming. These are community afflictions that require a community to overcome. Let's be part of their communities.
Twenty percent of any raised funds will be donated to either BRACE (https://www.alzheimers-brace.org/what-we-do), in support of the pursuit "to find better treatments, achieve earlier diagnosis and one day, a cure" for dementia, or to a Peace Corps Volunteer's grassroots project to support the education of women in developing countries.
To hear more about how I even came to be here, about to climb the highest mountain in the world, please, by all means, continue reading.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Since I was a little girl, I've said I wanted to climb Mt. Everest. However, I don't think any part of me really thought I would ever actually attempt to climb Everest. (Kinda like what I still say about running a marathon...) Then, after university, I joined the Peace Corps, met some cool people, and started climbing mountains. To this day, I strongly believe that climbing mountains is one of the greatest ways to create lifelong relationships with people from around the world and all walks of life. It is an education in humanity.
The first mountaineering I ever did was Mt. Toubkal in Morocco, Africa, which is where I served in the Peace Corps for 27 months. That experience got me interested in scaling mountains and since then, my interest has only grown stronger. The next mountain I climbed was Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa - my first of the "Seven" Summits, and the fourth tallest. What a tough but beautiful experience. Following that, I took a mountaineering course in WA, climbing Mt. Baker and the Kautz route on Mt. Rainier. This led me to Aconcagua in Argentina, via the Vacas Route. Aconcagua is the second highest of the "Seven" Summits with, again, breathtaking terrain.
Then, in 2019, I climbed Denali in Alaska, the third highest of the "Seven." Denali is the most similar of the climbs to Mt. Everest with respect to terrain and technical skill. This climb was with a small group of new friends, and we did it in record time: I even got to help lead the descent. It was/is the perfect precursor to Everest.
All along, this journey has been a "one foot in front of the other" kind of thing: I have taken each mountain on its own, and as I have, I've fallen in love with the challenge, adventure, excitement, and sense of awe and accomplishment mountaineering gives me. A few years ago I made the personal goal to try, as long as it was still a desire of mine at the end of each successive climb, to climb the highest peak(s) on each continent: The Seven Summits (really nine). So, when I reach the summit of Mt. Everest this spring, I will have climbed the four highest continental peaks in the world. How cool is that?!
Campaign Photo: Me enjoying a block of Wisconsin cheddar cheese on Denali (third highest, and most technical, of the Seven Summits), 2019
Above: Me on the summit of Denali, 2019
Above: Me on the last ridge run to the Denali summit, 2019
Above: Me, sitting at the edge of the Aconcagua summit, watching the weather roll in, 2018
Above: Ana and me at the top of Kilimanjaro with the glacier fading in the background, 2017
Above: Abuelita and me on New Years Eve after a day of tamale-making as per our family tradition, 2019
Above: Fatima and me in our Moroccan home, 2007
I am new to Quincy, California, but even having moved here in times of COVID and forest fires, I have learned to love my new home. I have built such a wonderful community of friends and family in such a short time, that I couldn't imagine ever living anywhere else. Several of my friends have encouraged/suggested that I share this campaign with you, so here goes.
Some of you may have heard about the "crazy" woman dragging a tire down Chandler or Old Highway Rd. And, well, that was me. My journey towards Everest started as a child, but it has been in the works of becoming a reality for a couple of years now. I was supposed to have summitted in the spring of 2020, but being out of work for almost half a year and the global pandemic got in my way - as I am sure it did for many of your plans. This year, however, the dream is back on.
I am asking for support of any, and all, kinds, and in return, I will pay it forward.
I would love and appreciate words of encouragement. Send me good thoughts and vibes. Write me a note/letter to read on this 2-month climb. Draw me a cool bookmark. Send a token for me to share with the mountain or remind me of home while I'm gone. Send or suggest a favorite paper or audio book, movie, or music for my mountain entertainment. Share your favorite yummy snacks. Monetary contributions are also welcome and helpful - Venmo (@AALeonardo), GoFundMe (but they take a percentage), cash/check.
Over the course of this past year, I have changed jobs, moved states, started over, was diagnosed with prediabetes, and kept up my training. I have been physically, emotionally, and mentally preparing for this opportunity every day for almost two straight years. So what I am offering today, is a chance for you to be a part of this journey with me. It has been a rough year for all of us, and I think it would be great if we could all get excited together, as a community, about something positive and magnificent. With the closure of Nepal last year, I got dropped from my original team and prices went up significantly, but I am making my way forward.
Over the course of my climb, I will post my location and brief messages on my Facebook page so that those interested can track my progress. I will also take a TON of photos and would be so excited to share my experience in more (and visual) detail when I return. Also, 20% of any money I do raise I will donate to a good cause - see below.
I will be on a small team with two other climbers and a Nepalese guide. They will be my family and my lifeline, as I will be theirs, for the 58+ days of the climb. I have never met the other two climbers, but one is a guy from Australia that just climbed Mt. Vinson (highest peak in Antarctica), and the other is a guy from the U.S. who runs ultra-marathons. I am sure I will be in good company.
I have decided to dedicate this climb to two of the strongest women I know. If/when I make it to the top of the world, I will have made the dream I had as a little girl, who's only other dream at that time was to be a waitress at Denny's, come true. And these two women, in their own ways, will have helped me get there.
1) Abuelita - my grandmother; 93 years old; always rooting for me; has had her own share of hardships; progressive dementia and age has kept her from enjoying the traveling she never could get enough of when I was growing up; COVID has kept her isolated from me and the world; I'm just grateful she still knows who I am; it has been hard to be away from her as her dementia has worsened
2) Fatima - my "sister" who died at age 16 years; her death would have been preventable if she had access to basic nutrition, an education, and medical care; she was my rock for the 2+ years I lived in a tiny village in Morocco; she was my soulmate; I learned unconditional love from her; she had never left her village but had such an adventurous spirit and an old soul; she wanted to see the world; I take her with me everywhere I go
While each and every one of my patients has touched my life in one way or another, I have had the hardest time personally coping with those who have dementia and those with an unheard voice. The feelings of helplessness and powerlessness experienced both by the affected individuals and their loved ones can be overwhelming. These are community afflictions that require a community to overcome. Let's be part of their communities.
Twenty percent of any raised funds will be donated to either BRACE (https://www.alzheimers-brace.org/what-we-do), in support of the pursuit "to find better treatments, achieve earlier diagnosis and one day, a cure" for dementia, or to a Peace Corps Volunteer's grassroots project to support the education of women in developing countries.
To hear more about how I even came to be here, about to climb the highest mountain in the world, please, by all means, continue reading.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Since I was a little girl, I've said I wanted to climb Mt. Everest. However, I don't think any part of me really thought I would ever actually attempt to climb Everest. (Kinda like what I still say about running a marathon...) Then, after university, I joined the Peace Corps, met some cool people, and started climbing mountains. To this day, I strongly believe that climbing mountains is one of the greatest ways to create lifelong relationships with people from around the world and all walks of life. It is an education in humanity.
The first mountaineering I ever did was Mt. Toubkal in Morocco, Africa, which is where I served in the Peace Corps for 27 months. That experience got me interested in scaling mountains and since then, my interest has only grown stronger. The next mountain I climbed was Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa - my first of the "Seven" Summits, and the fourth tallest. What a tough but beautiful experience. Following that, I took a mountaineering course in WA, climbing Mt. Baker and the Kautz route on Mt. Rainier. This led me to Aconcagua in Argentina, via the Vacas Route. Aconcagua is the second highest of the "Seven" Summits with, again, breathtaking terrain.
Then, in 2019, I climbed Denali in Alaska, the third highest of the "Seven." Denali is the most similar of the climbs to Mt. Everest with respect to terrain and technical skill. This climb was with a small group of new friends, and we did it in record time: I even got to help lead the descent. It was/is the perfect precursor to Everest.
All along, this journey has been a "one foot in front of the other" kind of thing: I have taken each mountain on its own, and as I have, I've fallen in love with the challenge, adventure, excitement, and sense of awe and accomplishment mountaineering gives me. A few years ago I made the personal goal to try, as long as it was still a desire of mine at the end of each successive climb, to climb the highest peak(s) on each continent: The Seven Summits (really nine). So, when I reach the summit of Mt. Everest this spring, I will have climbed the four highest continental peaks in the world. How cool is that?!
Campaign Photo: Me enjoying a block of Wisconsin cheddar cheese on Denali (third highest, and most technical, of the Seven Summits), 2019
Above: Me on the summit of Denali, 2019Above: Me on the last ridge run to the Denali summit, 2019Above: Me, sitting at the edge of the Aconcagua summit, watching the weather roll in, 2018Above: Ana and me at the top of Kilimanjaro with the glacier fading in the background, 2017Above: Abuelita and me on New Years Eve after a day of tamale-making as per our family tradition, 2019Above: Fatima and me in our Moroccan home, 2007Organizer
April Alexandria Leonardo
Organizer
East Quincy, CA