Tim Warren, author of "Lessons from Everest," has a mission: "Inspire as many people as possible to achieve a healthy, adventurous life." Warren, a local chiropractor and inspirational speaker, talked to roughly a dozen students and young adults Saturday at the Brown Bookstore.
Warren stressed the importance of enjoying the journey along the way to a goal. Drool frozen on his camera did not stop him from documenting his journey, but he could not linger when avalanches posed a constant risk — no matter how many changing shadows he wished to record.
When Warren attempted to climb Mount Everest in 2007, he suffered altitude-related illness and made the "good, smart decision to turn around." He said he felt conflicted afterward about mountain climbing, but realized he wanted to go back the following year. Warren showed a picture of a brain, illustrating his belief that one must bring the subconscious mind to the forefront with the aid of a catalyst, such as a screen-saver image of Everest.
Along with all the challenges of summiting Everest, Warren faced the additional obstacle of a fear of heights. He forced himself to climb at the Rhode Island Rock Gym, "gradually stepped it up" and within a year had nearly eliminated the phobia. Beside Everest, Warren has climbed Kilimanjoro in Tanzania, Denali in Alaska and Acancagua in Argentina.
Warren said he is fascinated by the human mind and its relationship to the realization of one's full potential. Everest is different from other mountains, and summiting it requires different training, he said. At some points, Warren was "in despair." But eventually, "I got my mojo back," he said. Upon his return, he found his eyesight and tooth enamel had deteriorated due to lack of oxygen.
He said he did not always know what time it was and his vision was at times limited to his three-meter headlamp beam. He dropped through a snow bridge into a hole, from which — with the help of a friend and passing skiers — he extricated himself in 10 minutes. He also mentioned the potentially fatal consequences of forgetting to wear one's crampons, which are heavy-duty spikes that provide traction on steep slopes. One lapse, and a climber can tumble down the mountain to his or her death.
Warren said he could not have made the climb without the assistance of Sherpas, native guides hired to assist with the climb. Warren showed an image of a Sherpa carrying packs at least double his height on his back. Sherpas performed such onerous tasks as the setting up of about 150 ladder sections for the journey, Warren said.
But his memories of the climb were not just of exertion. Movie night at camp featured the likes of "Superbad" and "Kill Bill," with the mountaineers bundled up and clustered together as they watched. Another highlight of the trip was the presence of yaks, which he described as "cows on steroids." The audience chuckled when Warren mentioned the Italian professional mountaineers who looked like Fabio Lanzoni, an Italian romance novel icon.
Sitting at his laptop at ease among the audience, Warren conversed with its members throughout his presentation and question-and-answer session. Several people expressed an interest in mountain climbing, asking about such issues as caffeine intake and altitude sickness.
Daniel Goodwin, who was visiting a friend at Brown, said he came to the talk because there are not many people who attempt or are able to climb Everest.
Kelly McCullough said she attended the event because she is fascinated by stories about Everest. "You can live vicariously," she said.
