Mountaineering: Climbing The Seven Summits

One of the milestones of my life is my completion of the Seven Summits, the highest point on each continent. My quest began in 1995 with the ascent of Denali while I was a schoolteacher in Phoenix, Arizona. After this exhilarating feat, I committed to life as a full-time adventurer. I climbed to the highest point on each of the 7 continents over the course of 13 years, and, in 2008, I stood atop Carstensz Pyramid, my final continental summit, completing my goal.  Learn more about each expedition by visiting the links below. 

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Everest
Everest

Straddling the border of Nepal and Tibet lies the highest point on Earth, Mt. Everest, my fifth continental summit.

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Denali
Denali

Denali, meaning the “great one,” in the native Athabascan language, was the first of my seven summits.

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Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro stands alone on a flat plain, formed by a massive volcanic event, known as a stratovolcano.

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Aconcagua
Aconcagua

My third of the Seven Summits, Aconcagua is the highest point in the southern hemisphere.

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Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif

Vinson Massif was my fourth continental summit. It is one of the world’s most remote peaks.

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Elbrus
Elbrus

Mt. Elbrus, my sixth summit, straddles the war torn boundary between European Russia and Asian Georgia.

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Kosciuszko
Kosciuszko

Kosciuszko is a day hike and, by far, the least difficult of the traditional Seven Summits.

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Carstensz Pyramid
Carstensz Pyramid

Carstensz Pyramid is a jagged and snow-capped peak that looms over the vast central rainforest of New Guinea.

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