Tonya, was climbing Mt Everest a lifelong dream or a sudden inspiration?
Actually, it was neither. Interesting enough, it was a slow build that began in my mid to late 30’s. I like to joke and say that after Mount Rainier, it has been all uphill ever since and it is very true. It was the year 2000 that I first climbed a mountain outside of Colorado. It was indeed Mount Rainier in the state of Washington. The experience was good and I wanted to try more mountains. With each one, I found myself dreaming about the next. Naturally Everest was a thought, more of a maybe someday… Then the opportunity presented itself and I could not say no.
