University of Wyoming alumnus Mark Jenkins was part of the U.S. Everest North Face Expedition in 1986. Twenty-six years later, Jenkins returned to Everest for an exhibition up the South Face.
Jenkins, a critically acclaimed author and photojournalist whose adventures have led him from Tibet to Timbuktu, has traveled to Everest twice and wants to share his experiences with UW students.
He will talk about the expedition tonight at 7 p.m. in the Education Auditorium. Along with sharing his story, his goal is to help dispel the myths of Everest and show what Everest is like in the 21st century.
Jenkins is a UW writer in residence as well as a contributing writer for National Geographic Magazine. He maintained a blog during this Everest expedition.
“Everest has changed since my first trip; base camp is like a little village with internet and communication with the outside world. It wasn’t like that in 1986,” Jenkins said.
Guided tours of Everest also are now being offered.
“Back in the day, it used to be just climbers who would climb Everest. These guided climbs add to the popularity of Everest. Around 30 teams are climbing Everest at a time now. It used to be only one or two climbing the mountain at any given time,” Jenkins said.
Before his climb, Jenkins underwent extensive training for his climb. Physical training included running the stairs at War Memorial Stadium and push-ups and sit-ups. Jenkins ice climbs around Wyoming to maintain his climbing skills.
Mental training also is pertinent to climbing Everest.
“Experience and being mentally fit helps a lot up on the mountain. Experience comes from doing other climbs that are similar but different,” he said.
Everest has claimed a total of 11 lives in the 2012 season.
“Being alive was the most rewarding experience during the trip. Four climbers from other teams died during our expedition,” Jenkins said. “Our team was made up of professional climbers from the North Face and a National Outdoor Leadership instructor. We all summited expect a few who got too sick.”
With works published in magazines and newspapers ranging from National Geographic and The Washington Post, Jenkins has a lot to say. He has been on hundreds of expeditions around the world. His stories about these adventures have won numerous awards. His book “To Timbuktu” was named one of the 100 Best Books of 1997 by the L.A. Times Book Review.
“My favorite moment from the trip has to be when we all got back to base camp safe and alive. We celebrated and toasted the Sherpas for all their hard work. We couldn’t have done it without them,” Jenkins said.
