Hello to the Grade Fours at Amherst Cove Consolidated School in Bourden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island. Thanks for all your great questions. Here are my answers.

1). Describe your climb to Mount Everest.

My climb to Mount Everest was awesome. I got to walk and climb in the footsteps of my heroes. Ever since I was a girl I’d wanted to climb Mount Everest. And finally after lots of hard work in 2007 and then again in 2010, I got to try to climb Mount Everest. It takes about two weeks of trekking to get into Mount Everest base camp on the Nepal side. You have to climb slowly because you need to acclimatize your body so it can get used to the high altitude.

When you finally reach base camp, you move into your base camp tent. This will be your home for the next two months whenever you are at base camp. You don’t just climb Mount Everest once. You actually climb three or four times because you need to go up and down the mountain to get your body ready for the demands of high-altitude. First, you head up to camp one. After staying at camp one for a few nights you descend back to base camp. Then you go back up and go all the way to Camp Two. You spend a few more nights at Camp Two and then you go back down to base camp. Again, after some rest he had all the way back up to Camp Three which is the highest camp that you go to before summit bids. Usually, you take a big rest after going to Camp Three to get ready to be going all the way to the summit. Finally, when everything is in place you go back up to Camp One, to Camp Two, to Camp Three, and eventually onto Camp Four and make a go for the summit.

2). Did you leave any oxygen tanks behind on your expedition?

My expeditions have not left any oxygen bottles behind on Mount Everest. We’ve tried to take everything we brought to the mountain off the mountain. In fact, we’ve had to post a bond of $10,000 maintaining that commitment that we will bring everything back with us that we brought to the mountain. This includes all of our trash all of our equipment and even all of our human waste. It is important to take care of the mountains in which we climb so we can leave them even better for the generations that will climb after us.

3). How high is the peak of Mount Everest?

Mount Everest is 8848 m high or 29,035 feet. It is the highest mountain in the world and it is located half in Nepal and half in Tibet. When you stand on the summit, you stand half in Nepal and have in Tibet. How cool is that!

4). How do you get the rope to connect to the top of the mountain?

The first person to climb the mountain each season brings the rope up with them. He or she is called the lead climber and they are belayed by the second. They use anchors that they build in the snow or ice to keep them safe as they ascend the mountain. Once they have climbed a section, they make something called a fixed rope. The fixed rope allows those of us that climb behind to be safe as we make our way efficiently up the mountain.

5). How does it feel when climbing the mountain?

I feel lots of different ways when I climb mountains. Sometimes I’m Oh so excited about the views that I’m seeing. Other times I’m Oh so tired because it’s very much hard work to climb the mountain. Sometimes I’m scared because I’m traveling through a dangerous part of the mountain. Other times I can be bored because I have to put one foot after another foot after another foot. But altogether, I usually feel fun and excitement and enjoyment as I climb the mountains.

6). Did you use mostly ropes or your legs to climb up Mount Everest?

I mostly use my legs to climb up Mount Everest. My legs provide the propulsion up the mountain. The rope is there to catch me if I happen to fall. There are a few spots where I might use the rope a little bit to help get up a tricky spot. But for the most part it’s my legs that do the climbing.

7). How many mountains have you climbed in total?

I don’t actually know how many mountains I’ve climbed in total. I forgot to count. I have climbed 6 of the seven summits. The seven summits are the highest peak on each of the seven continents. Mount Everest is my last of the seven summits to complete. I have been privileged to stand on the highest peak of North America Mount McKinley. The highest peak in Europe, Mount Elbrus. I very much enjoyed climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. When I climbed Mount Koziosko in Australia, I saw kangaroos and koalas and wombats on the way to the mountain. Mount Aconcagua in Argentina was a big challenge. Reaching the summit of Mount Vincent in Antarctica was very exciting for me as well. And I’m sure one day, I will also stand on top of Mount Everest.

8). How long did it take to climb Mount Everest?

It takes about 2 1/2 months to climb Mount Everest. Both times I tried to climb Everest, I was on the mountain for about two months. Unfortunately both times I tried to climb Mount Everest, I got sick and had to abandon my climbs. The illnesses had made me not strong enough to climb safely on. Fortunately, some of my teammates were able to go all the way to the summit and I could cheer them on and enjoy their summit successes with them when they returned to base camp.

9). Were you scared when first seeing Mount Everest?

I was scared the first time I saw Mount Everest. It seems so big and so tall and almost impossible to climb. But just like everything else, when you take it step-by-step even my Everest can be climbed.

10). Have you received a lot of mail from other schools asking about your climb? If so, how many?

I love getting mail from schools. Sometimes students send me pictures they’ve drawn. That always makes me smile. I also like to get questions because then I can answer the men share more of my experiences with students around the country. I don’t know how many schools I received mail from, but I have visited about 75 schools in total to show pictures and tell stories from my climbs.

11). What was the last mountain you climbed?

The last mountain I climbed on was called El Pico de Orizaba. It is the highest mountain in Mexico. We also climbed a peak called Iztaccihuatl, the third highest mountain in Mexico.

12). What was your favourite mountain to climb and why?

My favorite mountain to climb thus far has been Denali (Mount McKinley). It was my first really high and really hard mountain that I climbed. We were out for 32 days and didn’t see any other human beings until summit day. We had the north side of the mountain all to ourselves. What views we saw and wow hard we worked to climb that one. It was that mountain that got me started on the seven summits. This summer I’m going back to north again to try to climb Mount Logan Canada’s highest peak. Mt. Logan is located in the Yukon Territory and is nearly 6000 m high. I think it’s important to take adventures both close to home and far away. I will be climbing Mount Logan in June I hope your class will follow along as I climbed that mountain.

13). How many mountains do you usually climb in a year?

I usually go on two big expedition a year and maybe two smaller expeditions. Sometimes I’m lucky and I can combine a climb with a business trip. Like when I went to Barbados to do a speaking engagement I was able to climb Barbados’s highest peak. When I went to Denmark for conference, I was also able to that country’s highest peak. I have climbed to the highest points in 10 countries thus far.

14). How do you have fun on your journeys?

Yes, I have fun on my journeys. They are hard work but often much laughter is involved. Sometimes we laugh because it’s hard work. Sometimes we laugh because someone cracks a joke. Other times we laugh because one of us is falling in the snow and has a face full of white stuff. And sometimes we just have funny faces and funny hairdos because we haven’t washed or showered in 30 days.

15). How did you get sick?

The first time on Everest I got sick because they came into contact with contaminated food or water or soil. I got something called Giardia. It was a tiny protozoan that took up residence in me and made me very sick. I lost lots of weight and threw up almost every day for two weeks. It’s hard enough to eat at altitude when you’re feeling good, but when you’re sick, it’s very tough. After two weeks I wasn’t any better and had to make the hard decision to abandon my climb. It was very disappointing but I’ve never regretted trying to climb Mount Everest. It’s a big dream and takes lots of work and maybe for me it may take three tries. My friend Alan Arnette summitted Mount Everest on his fourth try. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit Everest, took four tries as well. So I haven’t lost hope and I’m trying my best to learn lots stay healthy and get strong and fit for my next try.

16) How many oxygen tanks did you use on your climb?

On my 2010 Everest expedition, I turned back after reaching Camp Three. It is at Camp Three that climbers usually begin to use oxygen on their summit bids. Because I haven’t yet gone on a summit bid yet, I’ve only used oxygen in practice. I have a mask that I wear in St. John’s when I go on hikes sometimes to practice. It’s very tough to climb while wearing an oxygen mask because you can’t see your feet and it’s hard to know where you are stepping on.

17). What was the hardest mountain to climb?

Every mountain is hard to climate some point. Usually there’s a moment where you wonder am I strong enough to complete this mountain? Do I have enough energy I often ask? What are the hazards I’m facing? Sometimes, I need to give myself a pep talk. I remind myself that I’ve trained hard have good skills and have everything it takes to get to the top of the mountain, that is if it’s the day that the mountain will let me climb up. Sometimes you don’t get to climb as high as you want to. Like in Mexico on Orizaba, we had to turn back because the conditions were too icy to be safe. Ed Viesters, a very famous mountaineer, always says, “The summit is optional, getting down is mandatory.” I always tell myself that the mountain will be there waiting for me whenever I’m ready to return.

All of that being said, the hardest mountain I’ve climb so far or I’ve gotten to the top would be Denali. Everest is also been hard because I’ve gotten sick. Vinson was hard because it was so cold. Gunnbjornfeld in Greenland, the Arctic’s highest peak, was hard because we skied 28 days across frozen Greenland to get there first.

Thanks again for all your wonderful questions. Enjoy your Grade Four Explorations curriculum and I hope you’ll get outside every day and explore. Who knows maybe when you go up, you’ll want to climb Mount Everest too.