Wednesday means half-way through the week, on our way to the weekend, and of course, a new episode of The Rest of Everest. This week it's Episode 40: Another Reason For Everest.
The bulk of the episode is spent interviewing Richard Dougan, an Irish climber who heads up a team of both Catholic and Protestant climbers from his home country, who are out to prove that both religions can work together to achieve their goals. Anyone who knows anything about the political climate in Ireland can tell you what a big deal that is. Richard discuess climbing on Everest in the thin air, and what that can do to you physically. He also experience a scary brush with disaster when his his throat swelled shut, making it even more difficult to breathe at those altitudes.
It's interesting to listen to Richard talk about his interest in restoring old builldings and working with his hands on a project. You can see his eyes light up when he talks about something he was working on at the time. Several years later, you can see the fruits of his labor at his Lurga Boy Adventure Centre, where you can rent cottages on the Irish countryside, or sign-up for a Team Building exercise.
Jon also notes in his dispatches that Richard climbed with his two friends, Banjo Bannon and David Sharp. Yes, that David Sharp. The one whose death last year caused all kinds of controversy on Everest, and throughout the climbing community.
