Training for Tibet

17,000 Feet Up

In August 2004 we had to practice in the Sierras for the 12 man mission trip from the church heading in the high country of Tibet. Click….The mission was to map out possible areas where the gospel could reach unknown villages, most of which weren’t even on the map. The projections looked like we were going to be anywhere from 15 to 20,000 feet high, so the only thing close to Los Angeles was the Sierras. Mount Langley is adjacent to Mount Whitney and only a few feet shorter. The team camped a few miles up on the trail before we started in the morning. I was very blessed with good blood for this sort of thing, being a captain on the cross country team and a four minute miler as a 14 year old. Click… I believe there were eight of us when we started the trek up. I laid back in the rear thinking to myself I have never tried to do anything like this before especially with a 70 pound backpack. After a couple of hours and feeling good, I started making my move towards the front. A few of the guys were probably a quarter-mile away as I watched them climbing. Feeling better and better I started picking them off one at a time trying to catch the leaders. as we got closer to the top it looked like the surface of the moon, and I just kept chugging and mowing them down until I was probably 50 yards from the front with two more people to catch. I pulled to the side and took my backpack off for a couple minutes to have some water, and enjoy the unbelievable view. Bad choice! I should say really bad choice!! we were probably only a quarter-mile from the top and My body completely shut down. I could barely move. One by one the team passed me and asked how I was doing and I told him I was just resting for a bit. I ended up picking out certain boulders and trying to do maybe 20 yards at a time. Slowly but surely I got my wind back and got to the top where everyone was waiting. The walk down was no easy task, but with help from one of my friends, I got to the parking lot in absolutely last place. Probably one of the toughest most physically grueling days of my life. I got better over the next few weeks, and when we got to Tibet, I was more or less at the front most of the time and helping others.