MSU Alumni Magazine, Fall 2004 issue - MSU Alumni Association ...

selves from falling by sticking
their axe in the ice. I was very,
very lucky. Once, at 28,800
feet, I was going around a traverse
that was only a foot wide
with an 8,000-foot drop when I
noticed the end of my rope was
all frayed from rubbing against
the rock. It was shredding. My
heart basically shook to my toes.
It was unnerving.
Most climbing deaths do not
occur, as the movies suggest,
when climbers slip and plunge
thousands of feet to their deaths.
They occur when one sits down
to rest, falls asleep and never
wakes up. They freeze to death.
Typically, it happens to someone
who strays from the team.
On your own, you’re more likely
to sit down when you get tired.
With a group you push each
other along and make sure
everyone keeps going. Ironically,
many climbers die when they
attempt to hide from the wind.
As they do so, they are more
likely to fall into slumber.
Besides the cold and inclement
weather, another major
hazard climbers face is the lack
of oxygen. While in Camp IV, I
took my oxygen mask off for a
couple of hours. While talking
to my teammates, I couldn’t remember
any of their names or
what countries they were from.
So I put my mask back on, and
within 15 minutes I could remember
everyone’s name.
5:30 a.m. was a moment I’ll
never forget. Until then we were
climbing in darkness. Suddenly
the sun rose over the horizon
and I could see for 50 miles. It
was a stunning view. You could
see all the peaks and their shadows.
That was neat. But you
could also see the 8,000-foot
drop-offs, some from ledges that
were about two inches. I don’t
like heights, so that gave me a
real queasy feeling.
PAGE 32
At 9:45 a.m. I reached the
summit. It was the culmination
of ten years of dreaming and
four years of preparation. To be
perfectly honest, however
thrilling the moment was, my
emotions quickly turned to an
intense desire to get down safely
and quickly.
I was totally exhausted, and
nervous. We had been on the
move for nine hours. Eight out
of 10 fatalities take place during
the descent, when climbers
are tired and running out of
oxygen.
After taking some photos
with banners from the sponsors,
I started down. That was
challenging, since you have to
look down, and as I said, I’m
not particularly fond of
heights.
Many people have asked me
whether conquering Everest
has been a life-altering experience.
I think it has. It definitely
makes you more humble.
Makes you appreciate life.
Makes you want to say “please,”
and “thank you.” Makes you let
people know you appreciate
them today rather than tomorrow
as you realize you may not
be here tomorrow. Makes you
appreciate running water, hot
showers, toilets, soft toilet paper,
and good food.
Number one, you appreciate
your family and friends! Also it
keeps you close to your religious
faith.
Within the next three weeks,
I ate everything in sight and
gained much of my lost weight
back. My desire to complete
the Seven Summits is still there,
but I’m not in a rush right now.
I plan to do the Vinson Massif
(16,067 ft.) in Antarctica in the
next three years. And Mt.
Kosciuszko (7,310 ft.) in Australia
will happen on a vacation
in the next two years.
SPARTANS CLIMB MT. KILIMANJARO
On Thursday, July 22, 11 Spartans traveling with an MSU
Alumni Association tour reached Mt. Kilimanjaro’s Uruhu
Point, at 19,340 feet the highest peak in Africa and one of the
world’s Seven Summits. The MSU contingent included football
coach John L. Smith, his two sons, Sam and Nick, John McCallie,
husband of basketball coach Joanne P. McCallie, Greg
Hauser, member of the national alumni board, his son Steve,
Gary and Jill Witzenburg, Hal Lehr, and sportswriter Dave Birkett
and photographer Jimmy Chin, covering the climb for
ESPN Magazine. The team was supported by five guides, a cook
and 29 porters.
“The sunrise that morning (when he reached the top) has to be
the highlight of your life,’’ John L. Smith recalled after returning
to campus. “You’re up there at 19,000 feet when that giant red
ball seems to come up through the clouds . . . it was phenomenal,
almost like a religious experience.
“What a moment! I couldn’t stop crying.’’
Jill Witzenburg, scaling the mountain for the second time in
two years, lauded Smith’s leadership. “Coach Smith’s determination
to reach the peak inspired other team members to fight off
nausea, headaches and dizziness to join him,” she notes, adding
that from the base camp at Kibo Hut, temperatures dropped to
the lower 20s.
☛ For MSUAA tour information, visit www.msualum.com
Spartans Atop Kilimanjaro—Assembled at Uruhu Peak are
(back, l to r) Gary Witzenburg, Nick Smith, Greg Hauser, and
John L. Smith; (front, l to r), Dave Birkett, Jill Witzenburg and
Steve Hauser. The four other climbers in the MSU group—John
McCallie, Hal Lehr, Sam Smith and Jimmy Chin—reached the
peak earlier and had already begun their descent.
FALL 2004
MSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE