Welcome to my new blog! Many of you know that we have been offering a free email newsletter for several years. This has been great for telling about bigger adventures and projects. However, the format was not conducive to brief updates about shorter trips, upcoming talks, and noteworthy news from friends and the non-profit organizations that I support.
Starting this week, we will offer all of this material and more on my new blog. You can check it out as you peruse my web site or subscribe via an RSS newsfeed to stay up to date. I will also use Facebook and Twitter to notify friends and followers of new blog posts. Please leave comments and suggest future topics.
We will continue to offer the email newsletter for those who prefer that format. These will be published when there are bigger stories to tell.
Dear Erik:
I’m watching a documentary program about you, your friends, and 6 Braille Without Borders students climbing. It is so inspiring!
I made a small donation and I hope it will help somehow.
Rock On Erik!
With Much Affection,
Sylvia Reardon
syjere@gmail.com
Hey Eric, I like the new formats. Little Eric really enjoyed summiting the Iztacchuati Volcano in Mexico with you. Hope you make it back to Arkansas sometimes. Our kids still talk about the Mt. Magazine hike and climb with you. I know you’ve heard it many times but you really are an inspiration to us all. Say hello to Winnie for us.
James Caton
Residential Services Manager
Arkansas School for the Blind
dear Eric,
my name is alycia brooks. i live in midland texas, and we are talking about you and your adventure up mount everest. my class and i would really like it if you could come to my class and share more of your story. that would be great.
yours truely,
alycia brooks.
p.s.
i go to richard milburn acadamy in midland tx.
i very love your own writing type, very charming.
don’t quit and keep writing due to the fact it just simply good worth to read it,
looking forward to find out much of your own writing, have a good one
thank you so much for writing me back. my teacher mrs. kirk and us students wanted to write letters to eric. if thats ok with you i would really like to know the address that we could send these letters to….
yours truely
alycia brooks
Alicia, we have a lot going on now so getting to Midland probably won’t happen anytime soon. But we are hoping to setup video conferencing with schools in the future.
Hi Erik. I heard you speak yesterday at the USAT conference, and was simply blown away. To say I am inspired by your message of alchemy, hope, and a pioneering spirit, and ALL that you represent is an understatement. Thank you SO much for coming and sharing yourself with all of us. Thank you for the work you do, each and every day. I wish you all the best of luck in your continuing work to keep spreading this message of hope! Keep it up! God bless you and yours! – Al
I’m doing a project for you in school. I had to pick an autobiography and I picked yours “Touch THe Top Of the World”. Its a really fascinating book. Do you mind if I ask u some questions????
Oh well im gonna ask them anyway!!!
1.If you could go back in time, and you had a choice to see or not what would you pick??? To be the way you are today or have sight?????
Tough question Callie. Had I not gone blind, I might not have discovered the mountains and the thrill of adventure. I am fortunate to have a wonderful family, great friends, and an exciting career. Who knows how things would have turned out if I had retained my vision. So I have to say that I have no regrets.
Hey Erik: Am so very pleased to know that you are still leading and paving to the future for all of us who are blind, truly your accomplishments, have blown the preconceived notions, and narrow attitudes about the blind are able to accomplish out of the water and down the toilet. Your courage, and determination, not to be limited by a mere inconvenience, has inspired me greatly.
God bless you and your family.
Most sincerely!
Michael G. McKay
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
E-Mail: mgmckay1963@gmail.com
Erik, Thanks so much for inviting the transition students down to the convention center to hear you speak. It was so inspiring. Also I have over come more then one of my disability’s. I hope to over come some more things that I struggle with as time goes on. Thanks angin from the bottom of my heart…
Your Friend, Shanna
Hi Eric-
You won’t remember me, but I’ve met you twice at the YUM! convention two years ago in Prague, and then again last year at the KFC convention in Las Vegas. I’m an Ecuadorian, amateur mountaineer who just climbed Chimborazo (6340), and some day I’d like to follow in your footsteps.
I purchased your video the last time I saw you speak, and was showing it to my 8-year old son today, as he chose the Everest for a class project and wanted to get a sense of what it was like. Watching it closely, he noticed one of your teammates had the Ecuadorian flag on their clothes! It’s a yellow, blue, and red flag with an emblem which was on one of the red full-body suits.
Out of pure curiosity, do you know who that was? Or why he was wearing it?
Thank you and when are you coming do to do the mountains around here? We’re waiting!
Best regards,
Carlos Montufar
That would be my good friend Luis Benitez who is indeed from Ecuador! Luis is an amazing person himself–he overcame childhood asthma and has now climbed Everest six times. Check out this video on Facebook.
Erik, climbing Everest is one of my top goals in life, and I was wondering if you could give me any tips or advice on accomplishing this goal. Let me say that your story is inspiring and it has inspired me to go after something that I have always dreamed of completing successfully. I am a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran who was disabled during a bad accident and am hindered by bad ankle and knee problems, but still want to accomplish this feat. Any and all words will be heeded and highly appreciated. You rock dude! Thanks for all your inspiration!!
Hey Luke,
We are currently recruiting for our next Soldiers To The Summit program. You sound like an excellent candidate so I’d suggest applying for the program: http://www.soldierstothesummit.org. We’ll be training in Colorado and then climbing a volcano in Ecuador next year.
Reach,
Erik