The premier of High Ground on Saturday was simply awesome! Michael Brown did a fantastic job of documenting our Lobuche expedition and explaining the struggles that many returning veterans face. High Ground won both the “Call To Action” and the “People’s Choice” awards for the entire Boulder International Film Festival!
Visit the new High Ground web site to see some clips and find upcoming screenings as they are announced. And be sure to “Like” on Facebook! This film is going to be a huge help for veterans who are facing barriers of all kinds.
Back in September, I wrote about the Himalayan Stove Project, which is run by my friend George Basch. It’s a great program doing a wonderful thing for the health of thousands of people while also protecting the environment.
I just received word that an entire container with 1,539 high-tech biofuel stoves is on the way to Kathmandu. These will be distributed free of charge over the next couple of months. This is a real mile-stone and bodes well for the future.
On January 15th, my friend Kyle Maynard made a historic ascent of the highest peak in Africa became the first man to crawl to the 19,340 ft. summit. In setting a world record for what is achievable, Kyle became a prime example of what I call the “No Barriers mindset.”
Kili has been climbed countless times by people with barriers: some with prosthetics, some in wheelchairs, a seven-year-old boy, and I’ve made two blind ascents. My friend Neil Duncan climbed it after losing both legs to a bomb in Afghanistan. And Ray Edwards was the first quadruple amputee to climb Kili by using walking prosthetics.
What sets Kyle’s ascent apart is the level of his disability and his drive. Born with arms that end at the elbows and legs that end at the knees, he has gone on to become a champion wrestler and now owns his own Crossfit gym. I first met Kyle and his friend Dan Adams last summer at the No Barriers Summit when they asked if they could join me the next day for a hike. With only hours to prepare, they fashioned prosthetics from bath towels and packing tape. Crude but effective for our ascent of a 12,000-foot peak!
That climb allowed Kyle and Dan to dream of bigger goals, which is what No Barriers is all about! Soon they were thinking about climbing Kili, so I hooked them up with another good friend, Kevin Cherilla, who was with me on Everest and guides around the world.
All last fall, Kyle and Dan and Kevin worked to assemble a team and figure out the logistics of this epic endeavor. One of the big tasks was devising a more sophisticated system that would allow Kyle to climb up and down over mud, rock, and, snow. They ended up with an amazing rig that included a harness to hold things in place, lugged rubber soles, and crampons.
Joined by injured US veterans Chris Hadsall and Sandra Ambotaite, it took 10 grueling days to reach the top of the mountain. Along the way, Kyle and the team decided to alter their path to the most challenging and treacherous route–the Western Breach. ”I wasn’t sure if my body could hold up with the mileage that was required for the original plan. Once Kevin proposed a route that was much more dangerous but shorter, I knew I had to discuss this option with the rest of the team,” said Kyle. United behind Kevin’s experience and Kyle’s tenacity, the team unanimously decided to attempt the route that had resulted in three American deaths just a few years before. Climbing over boulders, through snowfields, and avoiding rock slides, the team made the successful climb through the Breach in just over 11 hours. ”I have never been tested like this before,” said Kyle after reaching the top.
In addition, the expedition accomplished several other goals, including having a ceremony on the summit and dispersing the ashes of John Corey Johnson, a member of the 10th Mountain Infantry who lost his life in Afghanistan in May 27th of this past year. The team also provided the Mwereni Integrated School for the Blind with much needed necessities for their 600 students and 84 orphans.
Dan wrote to me after their return. “Erik, you and your organization, No Barriers USA, served as the “spark” that enabled Mission Kilimanjaro to succeed this past January. In July of 2011, Kyle and I attended the 2011 No Barriers Summit which gave us the necessary confidence and resources to continue building upon our large scale dream. Through your insight and support, we were able to expand upon our vision and overcome all obstacles, embodying the “no barriers” lifestyle every step of the way. We are both very grateful to have met you and look forward to continuing our relationship as we confront future challenges.”
Kyle told me, “I hope that this sends a message to our heroes in the veteran community, and to kids with disabilities around the world–regardless of any challenge we face, no obstacle is too great to be conquered.”
In January, I reunited with my friends from Expedition Impossible, the Modern Gypsies, for an exciting whitewater kayaking adventure in southern Mexico. As you may recall, Taylor Filasky, Eric Bach, and John Post won the month-long adventure race in Morocco while my team, No Limits, came in second place. I hate losing but, if I must, I’m happy it was to people I truly like.
Joining us on this paddling trip were some other good friends including Rob Raker, Chris Weigand, Skyler Williams, and my little brother Eddie. Since none of us had been to this river before, we contacted Rocky Contos at SierraRios Trips.
Our goal was an 88-mile long section of the Usumacinta River—“Sacred Monkey River” in Mayan—that is on the Mexico-Guatemala border. The largest river in Mexico, the “Usu” normally runs around 40,000 cubic feet per second in the winter, which is the dry season. However, when we arrived, it was running about 100,000 cfs. For comparison, the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon averages around 25,000 cfs. So we are talking a major volume of water!
The trip began when we met Rocky at the airport in Villahermosa and then had an exciting drive to the put in the next day. The first couple of days on the river were fairly mellow as we drifted through the jungles; the screeching of howler monkeys sounded like tyrannosaurus rexes from Jurassic Park. There were also intimidating 9-foot crocodiles that we were assured are the “reclusive kind”… yeah right!
There were occasional easy rapids in this section but the real surprise was massive, boat-eating whirlpools that appeared out of nowhere and just as quickly disappeared. They travel back and forth across the river, lurking about six feet under the surface and suddenly boiling to the surface, where they spin you around violently and try to suck you down. I had some frightful moments but John had a terrifying swim when he couldn’t roll his kayak and was in the water for almost two miles before he could be pulled into an eddy by Rob. For some of the rapids, John was hanging on to the back of Rob’s kayak but the water got too rough, and a few times, he had to let go to prevent pulling Rob into the massive canyon walls. Rob said John’s head submerged once and didn’t reappear until about 100 feet down river.
Also, along the river we hiked up a side tributary and jumped off a 35-foot cliff into a beautiful pool of water. It reminded me of the big jump I did with Jeff during Expedition Impossible, but this time I was solo.
Our fourth day was a layover where we got to explore the Mayan ruins of Piedras Negras (Black Rocks). This extensive ancient city is largely unexcavated but what has emerged from the jungle is a tantalizing glimpse at a major civilization. After the trip, we also visited the extensive ruins at Palenque.
The next day was notable for the numerous incredible travertine waterfalls of Busiljá. This side stream cascades into the Usumacinta and gave us the unique opportunity to run our kayaks over a five-foot drop.
But it was the sixth day of our trip when the river unleashed its might into a series of major Class 3 rapids. With the huge amount of water flowing through, these are indeed powerful and unpredictable with massive surging waves and chaotic eddy lines. Despite being relative novices, the Gypsies did really well; Taylor in particular was a natural who unlike me, always made his rolls and never swam. On one rapid, a converging wave hit me and flipped me. Under the water, I was banging my head and elbows against rough rocks. I managed to roll myself up, but my paddle wedged between two of the rocks and was pried out of my hands. So I found myself going down a rapid sideways which flipped me again. This time, I didn’t roll up and took another swim. Rob said afterwards, I should have paddled with my hands. Darn! Wish I had thought of that at the time.
All in all, it was a great trip with great friends. I was humbled but survived. I now know that I need a lot more practice before I’m ready to run the Grand Canyon. The running joke after I was flipped by a massive swirly and swam through another rapid was, “Guess there’s a reason why there aren’t many blind kayakers.” This spring, I’ll head to the National Whitewater Center near Charlotte, West Virginia so I can train in a less stressful environment.
I am psyched to announce that the Adventure TEAM Challenge is now open for registration! This year, we have moved the race up to May 18-20 to give everyone an awesome kickstart to their summer. And we’ve moved it to the mountain-bike mecca of Colorado, Fruita!
This year’s race is going to be bigger and better than ever. Get your teams together now and sign up by going to the web site. See you there!
Recovery is a vital part of training. And the older I get, the more I have to recover! All those accumulated little injuries begin to take a toll. While rest and massage great ways to heal your body, lately I’ve been receiving treatments of cold laser therapy. This is a clinically-proven method for stimulating your body’s own healing mechanisms. Check out this video to learn more:
If you have questions for Anton Ferguson, you can reach him by email: contact@fitnesslaser.com
