Inspiration from Everest
by John Darling
What do you do when you're 45, are a
single mom, have a nine-year old daughter at home and
hear your mother telling you not to do risky things --
like climbing
Mt. Everest.
Well, if you want to model positive roles and visions for that little girl, you go ahead and ascend to the highest point on the planet and you come home and tell your daughter the story, not just of the climb, done in a season and route that killed nine climbers around her and you set out on a career as a motivational speaker emphasizing challenge, risk, suffering and, ultimately, courage and perseverance, but going at it one do-able step at a time, rather than being driven, taking chances and inviting failure.
Bagley, 45, drew from her own experiences, taking on the ultimate risk while raising grade school aged daughter -- and wanting to model to her that a full life does have risks and calls on us to go against cautioning voices, such as she faced from her family members and her own inner doubts.
But she did it. She joined a score of American woman who summited from the north route and she did it applying the strategies she teaches to clubs, groups, schools -- "Accomplishing a big goal is all about breaking it down into small, one-step-at-a-time pieces. This will take you to your highest potential." That's from Laurie's website, lauriebagley.com
'It was very steep, technical and scary. I was in shock that I made it. It was a windy, clear, beautiful day and you could see the Himalayas going on forever. Looking down, I got scared at how icy and steep it was. Ninety percent of fatalities happen on descent,' says Bagley.
Although there are different opinions about the numbers,
Bagley believes she was only the 19th American woman to
scale the 29,028 peak, a feat that just won her
nomination to the California Outdoor Hall of Fame.
Passing through base camps on descent, Bagley saw the frozen bodies of climbers who had just tangled with Everest and lost. Some of them she had met and talked to at base camps just before their ascent.
'It was terrible, absolutely frightening. We knew they crawled in their tents and died. They were exhausted ' and when you push your body that hard, you can't recover,' says Bagley, who now gives motivational talks called, 'Journey of Hope, One Step at a Time.'
Her talks are not so much about her ascent as about
'tools and attitudes that helped me succeed' and
'guidance that benefits people in career and personal
life plans.'
Laurie
Bagley
The ascent, with Sherpa guide only on the ascent day, cost $20,000 and took a year-and-a-half of rugged training. Bagley wanted it to be for a good cause, something bigger than herself, so she promoted and collected funds for the work of Diane Kirwin of Mt. Shasta, helping the 'untouchable' children of Bihan, India.
Bagley talks to corporations, non-profit organizations and middle- and high-school students ' and there are always questions about what kept her going in an endeavor so arduous, dangerous and unpredictable that it kills 10 percent of people who try.
'It was a big risk, no question, and it was a challenge for my family, my mother in particular, but they were as supportive as they could be,' says Bagley, the mother of a nine-year old daughter, Avriel.
'What kept me going? I like the word 'spirit.' Some may call it God or other words. I had incredible guidance and that kept me safe. I just kept thinking of my daughter and saying 'I've got to keep going.' We all had our little carrot ' friends and family who expected us back.'
To climb to the planet's high spot, you have to do a lot of homework, have a good guide and Sherpa, plenty of oxygen (she used it above 25,500 feet) ' and you have to listen to your intuition, especially about weather, which 'is just a killer up there.'
Climbing Everest put real meaning in Nike's motto, 'Just Do It,' because you don't really feel the wind, cold and exhaustion ' you just put one foot in front of the other, taking rest-steps (five seconds rest between each step), she says.
'Every day on the summit attempt, I gave myself permission to decide if I would go up or down. I would check out any problems and my health and everything kept coming up positive,' she says. 'That's one of those things that kill people ' that they are driven and don't descend when they see the signs.'
Her motto, posted at the top of her website, www.lauriebagley.com, is 'Accomplishing a big goal is all about breaking it down into small, one-step-at-a-time pieces. This will take you to the highest potential.'
A competitive mountain biker, triathelete, marathon runner, Bagley placed 8th in Discovery Channel's World Championship adventure race, finished twice in the top 20 in Discovery's Eco Challenge and set the women's ascent record for Mt. Shasta of 7,000 feet in 133 minutes.
She's a personal coach, whitewater guide and, earlier this month, led a team to the summit of Aconcagua, South America's highest peak. She summited Mt. McKinley, North America's highest peak, in training for Everest.
She also founded Fit Maternity and Beyond, a fitness wear company for mothers and mothers-to-be.
Bagley confesses she's been criticized for placing herself in danger while single parent of a grade-school aged child, but it casts light on one of her main motives: courage.
'All I can say is if I threaten people or bring out their fears about risking my not coming back, well, it was a risk. For me, I felt strongly that I wanted to model what was possible, that she (Avriel) can do whatever she wants in life.'
Her daughter has hiked and climbed with her mother, observing, 'It's not that much fun.' She acknowledges she was 'a little bit worried' during her mother's climb and is 'a lot happier' now that she's back.
As to whether she would follow in her mom's lofty footsteps, Avriel says, 'I don't think so. I want to be a singer and dancer.'
Asked if she would ever climb Everest again, Bagley shouted, 'No! I've been asked to do it again and I thought about it, but Mother Nature has been very kind and I wouldn't want to tempt fate.'
About the Author:
John Darling has been a freelance writer for 20
years, mostly for Oregon newspapers and magazines. He
has worked for the Portland Oregonian (daily), been
political reporter for United Press International, news
director for KOBI-TV in Medford, taught journalism at
Southern Oregon University and written many public TV
documentaries, including "Crater Lake: Mirror of
Heaven," put on PBS in 05. He has also climbed a lot of
the big peaks in Oregon.
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