I wanted to write about Ed Viesturs and his book No Shortcuts to the Top - this is a man who received his doctorate in veterinary medicine, was an incredibly successful guide and climber on Mount Rainier in Washington and later decided to embark on what he coined as Endeavor 8000. Endeavor 8000 meant climbing fourteen 8000m or taller mountains without the aid of bottled oxygen. Mountains like Everest, K2, Annapurna, Cho Oyu, etc...I think this book spoke to me so much because the level of commitment, preparation, and desire that Viesturs demonstrated during each of his climbs (not all of which were successful...some he had to turn around only a couple of hundred feet from the summit) is really similar to the type of approach that can lead to great success in rowing.First off, Viesturs was always extremely well prepared in terms of physical conditioning, equipment, planning, and his choice of climbing partners. Secondly, he was always generous when confronted with incredibly challenging conditions...if another climber was afflicted with pulmonary or cerebral edema Viesturs would be the one to sacrifice his own climb to help that person survive. Lastly, and perhaps most important, each mountain that Viesturs attacked would be done in stages that were well thought out and he never thought about more than the direct task at hand...that is how he survived on over fifty expeditions to 8000m mountains.
When you're confronting your training and preparations for school in this next week, simply focus on the task at hand and let the rest take care of itself.
