From hiking to mountaineering. The true story of how a simple hiker went trekking in Nepal and was inspired to become a mountaineer. After his hike in the Himalayas, Horrell went on a journey that led him to climb Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua; finally he tackled the ultimate challenge of climbing Everest.
As he teetered on a narrow rock ledge a yak’s bellow short of the stratosphere, with a rubber mask strapped to his face, a pair of mittens the size of a sealion’s flippers, and a drop of two kilometres below him, it’s fair to say Horrell wasn’t entirely happy with the situation he found himself in. He had been an ordinary hiker who had only read books about mountaineering. When he signed up for an organised trek in Nepal with a group of elderly ladies, little did he know that ten years later he would be attempting to climb the world’s highest mountain.
But as he travelled across the Himalaya, Andes, Alps and East Africa, following in the footsteps of the pioneers, he dreamed up a seven-point plan to gain the skills and experience which could turn a wild idea into reality. Funny, incisive and heartfelt, his journey provides a refreshingly honest portrait of the joys and torments of a modern-day Everest climber. Here Horrell describes his journey to climbing, early expeditions, his expedition to Gasherbrum I and II, and his ascent of Everest in 2012 via the North Ridge.
Horrell has been on numerous expeditions around the world including Mount Kenya (2002), Kilimanjaro (2002, 2016), Ras Dashen & Bwahit (2004), Stok Kangri (2005), Cerro Bonete (2005), Mount Stanley (2006), Mount Speke and Mount Baker (2006), Lhakpa Ri (2007), Muztag Ata (2007), Yangchan Kangri (2007), Chulu Far East (2008), Iztaccihuatl (2008), Pico de Orizaba (2008), Nevado de Toluca (2008), Mera Peak (2004, 2009), Rucu Pichincha & Ruminahui Central (2009), Gokyo Ri (2009), Island Peak (2009), Gasherbrum I & II (2009), Antisana (2009), Cotopaxi (2010), Cho Oyu (2010), Baruntse (2010), Aconcagua (2006, 2010), Ritacuba Blanco (2011), Manaslu (2011), Denali (2013), Everest (2007, 2012, 2014), Elbrus (2012), Volcan Tajumulco (2013), Ishinca (2014), Jebel Toubkai (2003, 2014), Ouanoukrim (2014), Urus Este (2014), Cholatse (2014), Pumori (2014), Peak Lenin (2015), Iliniza Norte (2015), Pasochoa Norte (2015), Corazon (2015), Cayambe (2016), Chimborazo (2016), Mount Meru (2016), and Yala Peak (2017).
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