Lucy Rivers Buckeley

[00:00:00] Lucy Rivers Buckeley: I was climbing up a ice fall. It was one of those really could have, you know, so easily avoidable, but also you can’t do anything about it. He and I were trying to left time, so I have a big ice fall and there were two climbers top right. And it was no one fault. It was just a freak accident. He said head.

So I ducked down the helmet, sunglasses, great green jacket. I was looking good. And and it was good. Quiet. And then I still looked up to do something perfect is going to move my top when I right ice ax.

the sort of list of what you’ve done is absolutely incredible over the last, what 10. 1212 years or so. And I suppose probably for people listening the best place is the [00:01:00] sort of start with you and how you sort of got into doing what you’re doing with these adventures. Yeah. Thank you very much. It was a mistake actually.

I was meant to be a one off. In 2008 to do the Sr submarines in six days, it was meant to be a one-off with my sister to raise money, my memory of my father, and made it survived. It, I mean, everyone’s meant everyone, everyone in the race had a sort of rucksack reus and probably like four or five kg max.

And we both had a kitchen sink on it that we had everything we were ready to be there for a month. It needs to be. And we had no idea what we were doing. Complete rookies, but she started didn’t complete it cause I mean, but I did make the extension line and completely loved it and it sort of opened up a can of worms and my sort of competitiveness, stubbornness and adventure streak, and has gone horribly wrong since the marathon desal, bla, was that sort of [00:02:00] the kick and was that sort of, you sort of had the drug of adrenaline and you were like, right.

How could I push myself further? Yeah, completely. And so when you one more in the classic, always dangerous and maybe one more. So I signed up for the Atacama, which is similar format in spring of 2009. Which went, it went a bit wrong. I tore my meniscus on day four and which I don’t recommend to anyone it’s incredibly painful and how many painkillers you’re inhaling.

It doesn’t seem to make any different sorts of Turner. I got to check point strapped up my knee and I was obviously fine motor and painkillers. And they sent another 5k and realized that I sort of had a balloon of a sort of me and it wasn’t, it wasn’t gonna make any better. So I had to wave the white flag.

So I’m not very good at. Not a confusing, something’s not right, but I go back to the article around 2010 and what I was thinking about that planning that now someone told me that no woman had done all four deserts in a year. So obviously another red flag to a bold. And that’s how I came about doing all [00:03:00] 40 a year, which I think in my body didn’t fit.

I didn’t fully appreciate what it would do to my body, the training, the sort of time of what, just, just the combination of a thing. And it was an amazing experience. Wouldn’t change it for the world, but definitely. Wouldn’t be recommending that many.

Good. And so your time in the Atacama, I, I suppose in terms of training for the sort of races, how did you go about it? Yeah, a lot of bit yoga because you know, being based in the, based in the UK, it’s not very easy to train for a heat of a desert. So it was, it was not a chamber in London, combination of that and bit from yoga.

Which is not your sort of average Monday spin class. But it did help. And I think once Ascot was the first, before that year and weirdly once you’re at a certain level of fitness or that you, that it was cases taking over. So I was never going to win these races. It was all about survival, [00:04:00] not sort of coming on the page, but I want to keep that year.

And this is sort of much, much time in 2010. It was when there was a big earthquake in Santiago. So we to get to some Petra, we had to go over Argentina and I met with another sort of team of British guys, and we had to do a road trip across the Andes from Saul to just Patrick’s get us the fix and start line.

So yeah, it was meant to submit, to write these things, very calm crap and everything, and actually just. It was amazing store new entry, which was great fun, but not quite the sort of prep we were inventing pre pre and ultra race. Wow. And so you had sort of done, done the F so when did you, so you completed all of them within the year?

Yes, it was March, June, September, October, sorry, November. So it was of nine months, basically of 2010 was. But nine months total of the four races. But it was amazing, you know, you see different places and you. It’s the sort of the whole experience of it and sort of [00:05:00] liberal apples have China in particularly like is going there at the time.

And then, you know, Ruchi Apple wouldn’t, they’re like why you hate, but you see all the paperwork as, you know what it was like the road trip to the us karma heading back, that was quite surreal, sort of Marin. I was about to see three 60 sound genes for the seven days, which is not great for the mental thing.

And then, then the axon as a common law, which was sending to the Drake passive. So it was complete a year of extremes, but I probably should have stopped them. And so you, but you continued on, she continue on. I I’ve always loved mountains but never been slightly obsessed by it. Never thought I’d be able to climb it or be able to climb any sort of high altitude lungs.

Some of us are meant to be out there. And I was doing a talk at the RGS for a chat, an army charity evening. And I hopped on stage and I was the only female speaker that I hopped decision the broken leg, which is not the best look, you know, when you’re trying to be out there in a little black dress. And, and the guy [00:06:00] speaking before me had just come back from Everest.

And so obviously, you know, one story going to another, and then I got talking to him after that evening. And I, well, I knew if, if I wanted to climb Everest, how would I go about it? Cause obviously I wasn’t able to be technical at that stage. I know, you know, you have a rezone chair, critics, things, not tech, but I think you still need to know what you’re doing.

And and so he put me on the track of, and that’s when the seven stocks seven summit started. When you say he put you on track, how, how does, how does one start to climb Everest in terms of the planning, the logistics that go through it? Yeah, no, exactly. Sorry. Back on track. So it makes it sound so easy.

I he recommended, I speak, this guy could walk past me who actually we met him. We sort of arranged to meet up because he’s based in Canada and he’s a British doctor guide. And he’s based in Canada with his French wife [00:07:00] and we mess up actually remember it was the London 20 to 20, 20 to 2012. You have to have that.

Okay. London, 2012 Olympics. And we met. Yeah. And the pot fan just excused it, he was doing the exhibition that winter and wants to meet me what I was like, see whether my character would work. So he had a. Trip going mean commas, three people in the mountains on the kind of place to have sort of, you can’t have any gaze up there.

You don’t have arrogance luckily. And I’m a lighthouse and thought it was like talking to an old friend. It was brilliant. We went to, we decided that, you know, you know, he could help me with all the times new certificate he’d been on Everest. He was, had an exhibition going in a couple of years, times there was a sort of stepping stone, which we could work out.

So I went to, I can talk, I can cocky with him that winter was that, I mean, in terms of preparing your body for mountain climbing, had you ever done it before? I I’ve done some, some small things, but never sort of done anything. [00:08:00] Ridiculous. I’ve been in Sutent for days on end nights on end, but never sort of, you know, slightly different when you’re sort of too many lads.

But now I was having pack with down and not just a t-shirt and shorts, but I absolutely loved it. Didn’t have a headache. I was, you know, there’s no outs, you sickness. None of the suicides. It was have look out for. We had we were very lucky we had, I think it helped we had a good trip. There was no sort of, there weren’t too many dramas we had.

Okay. Ish weather. There was nothing. So the dress, so I think that sort of helped with most of the first big. You know, four weeks in a tent, you know, it helps. And I absolutely loved it except for the summit morning, whatever. Obviously you can see, everyone’s always talking about, you can see the Pacific because you’ve so far, honestly, I could bring the Brecon beacons.

My summit is just basically one big tile. And my family even said that you show all about it, like a promise off of that photo. It was an amazing experience. [00:09:00] Yeah. I, I I’m no quite on the same level, but there’s a. Peak in Sri Lanka where it’s meant to be all sort of quite Holy and, you know, Adam and Eve sort of made love there or something.

Some and Muhammad put his foot print in the, a stone or something. Anyway, it’s all quite religious and everything. And apparently you climb up at night for four or five hours and it’s quite sort of. As you say difficult not in your scale, but, and anyway, when we go to the top cloud freezing cold, just like, and then you had to walk all the way down and you’re like, that was great.

Oh, no, that’s what say that you have all these stories and how amazing it is and then stuff you’re like, and in terms of the sort of expeditions like that one. What are the sort of amazing moments that you have that sort of keeps you motivated to go on the next one? I think it’s, it’s, [00:10:00] it’s, it’s amazing what your body can do, whether it’s, you know, survival, it can survive on so little, you know, we’re hungry at work or you’re having a bad day, Monday or Tuesday.

You had a big weekend, you think go starving at lunchtime. Don’t raid the French West, actually. What your body can do on small reserves is incredible. And I always enjoy pushing myself to see how far also I stopped myself in the mountains. And it’s quite amazing what we can do. And also waking up about the clouds and knowing you’ve got back using your events, or when you’re in a plane looking at, and I got to this level using my feet and I just love them.

It’s also your cut off from the, from what the world. With the Combs, he everyday some emails and then social media, which is all very well, but it’s also quite good to step back and zoom out. No, I agree. And say you just sort of moved onto there and see your attempt in Everest. That was in 2014. Yes. [00:11:00] So I went out with great guy and we had good tea.

We had a really good team and we’ll have a little pond together and shine about couple months before, you know, And you, you need to know what your teammates and like, you know, if I get quiet, I wanted to get, you know, I need a chocolate bar very quickly and I don’t get quiet, easy to check I’m. Okay.

Whereas, you know, I know a guy who sort of starts talking, not us. That’s not very happy to know each other’s quirks. So if something does go help me move me, you know, that’s good. Stay, come back. And we were there in 2014. Sadly, we had the ice that first morning of the retention when the surgeon came off and killed 18 sharp, which was absolutely horrific.

And in case of sliding doors. Cause when a couple hours later, we might’ve been, might’ve been in the high school as well. And we went and we had our harnesses on, we were heading to the mess temper quick. Tonya now as, and when you have a radio message saying hotel types and you just think you never envisage how Fonda is using up extra copies to toast and you keep [00:12:00] eating on the mountain.

We’ll be, we’ll be heading off in a couple of minutes. Develops into the disaster. We know there’s now. It was very surreal being at base count where it was all unfolding. Because I said, well, because the doctor said he was spread strength cause he knew it. He was helping rescue people. His wife was a cardiologist, so she was advising heavy pods to capacity.

I’m thinking of CATIA stains that whenever I was being rescued or. We all, and you also in a weird bubble when you’re on an expedition or a mountain, you are in a site who know people at home who adore you and love you, but you forget, you have to take some wallets in them, but actually bring them up.

Hey, about this quite quick, the news. Feudal bat flies very quickly. Doesn’t it? And so we will have to make sprinkles, Hey, want to stop and go back to sleep three quarter hours ahead of just remember the string. Who’ll give us even goodness. We did do that [00:13:00] because obviously it’s Easter Monday, final quarter.

There was no the news. And then you can just went my wife and also one of my families wake up domestic. not to be managed to get a message saying. You’re okay. So we’ve done. We’ve actually had four expeditions and some expeditions wants to continue, but it was sort of Suetand because what is tenant?

Technically what’s current. Just not, it’s not, it wasn’t very different, but it’s the whole mountain, right? There’s nothing new. Yes. 2015. And I was on a final training time in Chamonix with a guide friend over there. And I got caught a nice avalanche, which I’ll send you a photo. I’ve got a small sky hat.

It’s disgusting. Also, they would just say, look at it when you B’s. And, and and I was cleaning up a nice school. It was one of those really could happen, you know, so easy to voidable, but also you can’t do anything about it. high school and there were two, John is top, right? And it was no one [00:14:00] sold. It was just a freak accident.

He leaves his head. So I ducked down the helmet, sunglasses still great green jacket. I was looking good and, and it was quiet. And then I sort of looked up to do something perfect is going to be my ice ax and just a notes out. The notice freaky bit of ice came down. What to me, and I just thought it was nothing you going to get hit in the head.

The momentary days last week around Barnes and YC, otherwise Sachs were in the rules. I wasn’t going anywhere. And so I ended up down my , my bright green jacket is no longer green. And I was like, Hmm, I think I might have to go so bad. Nothing because I was surrounded by ice and snow. I could get on hold, compress it really quick.

It’s helped the scar, but I am. Smashed my cheekbone, couldn’t see on my eyes for three weeks. And that was when my 2015 Everest expeditions cooled off, which actually is assigned. It was named again because Nicole had the earthquake and my team was stuck at camp long. So yeah, it was meant to be in a, in a very weird way.

Good. That’s [00:15:00] sort of incredible. So you had, you had done 2004, which was sort of a disaster then. So 2014, that’s the one. So in 2014 you had that sort of setback and then was it 2016 when you made the second attempt? No. 2015 was when I smashed my face was meant to try and guide, and then I had to cancel because of my very cheap rent and all, I couldn’t see out him for well I was carrying a sort of its motives, you know, having to pack to life a lot less than me.

And so then we decided that, that she. Take a step back is actually it’s. So it’s such a big, extra Japan, emotionally, physically, mentally, everything in the mountains. It’s time to have a break, have a break go to so then I went to deny it in 2017. And ASCA which was stunning and based incredible mountain.

He’s never been a high recommended, most beautiful mountain [00:16:00] range and also drugs. And it’s very old school kind of your drops in the middle of nowhere by this little thing at base camp just sounds very ground, but isn’t it. You just maybe two or three times as nothing else. And then, and you’ve got your rucksack and sledding.

There’s no room supply, whatever you need for three, four weeks in your license on your back, or maybe. Out back and we loved it and we got to high camp. We had great rotations up and down and we ought to high camp whiteout, nothing other guys Gordon’s fans. So we descended, but luckily the rest of my team wants to send off that.

And Todd, we would have extracts from my account, but that was that they were heading home. But a guide coming up I’ve kind of before somewhere else. So I I jumped onto his team, made sure I had enough supplies and they went back up and we had in the most useful, clear summit day, four days later, everything aligned.

It was amazing. And after that, having another good experience and a big mountain, is that right? [00:17:00] We can get ready to get back to Everest. He attempted to fall again. Third time. Lucky, definitely lucky. Yes.

Easter 2018. Having, which is always, you know, good bit about nonsense, great funds eating kind of produce the fat for muscle up. So it was a very, very greedy Easter and then threw off to South of that. Yeah. I was saying to just on the team ups in 2018, which is very lucky. Good. And how was that? How was the climb?

It was, it was amazing. It’s everything I’d read about thoughts, bouts. Some days with Wes you know, you just, your body definitely shouldn’t be out that however, fat, how strong you are physically and mentally your body really doesn’t like being above 8,000 meters. And I take my hat. I was on oxygen and I take my hat off to anybody who doesn’t.

I think if you do it without oxygen, you are a full-time [00:18:00] athlete. You have to a subject, different extreme of training. But even with my. I could definitely it wasn’t shutting down. I was very lucky. I didn’t have any injuries, but you can definitely to you shouldn’t be out there. When your folks tonight, my buddies for first on count four and high campus, 8,000 and just heading up to a summit, hadn’t had any problems the whole way out.

No headaches, Noosa, calm and breathing. Inhaling sweet or Pringles or some really nutritious West night, then what we eat on the mountains and that kind of thing. Or Capus was something really extravagant like that. And it sort of started dry retching just below the balcony and sort of, that’s not what was happening.

Luckily, I was with this amazing guy called Assange, whose brother was with my teammates about how far ahead of me, you know, there, we all knew each other at all times a certain force [00:19:00] that was given to my pulse. Okay. My eyesight was all good. It’s all my stats was sharing. Normal for that, that altitude, that height.

And so I then started worrying that it might be assigned my body shutting down in a different way. And I had tried promising everyone. I said goodbye to, but I would push myself extreme, but I would definitely, my aim was to come home and you sort of, and your mind starts, you’re shattered your 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock at night.

You’re in a zone. You shouldn’t be in your mind, starts playing tricks with you. We luckily had everyone on the radio. I think they did two base cabins and all the basics. And we had somewhere to camp to nose, checked everything. And then luckily my teammate came on the radio about half an hour, which I won’t repeat on here.

So it’d give me abuse. I’m winding me up and I bet back, and you can hear him giggling on the radio and you’re like to, and she’s absolutely fine. So we knew it was just literally my body going through a bad patch and nothing worse. So that was. That was quite a sort of scary moment, which you [00:20:00] can’t do it into path.

Well, let me go to the balcony and all I will say is I thank goodness you climbed from the dock because between the balcony of the South summit is seeing the narrow, you’ve got drops by the side and no photos don’t do justice. It’s just incredible. And my one regret, I go to photos, the sunrise, which you could see the cover the earth, and I wish I’d taken a video of it.

Would it be an amazing, but you, you are fixated on that little dot of orange drawer, right? For quite a few hours, knowing it’s going to bring some shine and will that doesn’t seem to move in as fast as you’d like it to be, but it was everything I wanted it to be. I’m more, but I was knocking. Did you have any issues with kraut?

No, we were very lucky. I was there in 2018, the photos and the crest and 2019 was horrific. There’s no, that famous painting again. We, I think we were very lucky combination of them, less people climbing, not yet for whatever reason. Also we had a very [00:21:00] long way, the window that was 10, 12 days of weather.

So all the big teams had the Johns sprout. They weren’t so rushing without worrying about. And I think not what went wrong. It turns 19 was all this. We had like five, six days, which every single team, there’s a little saver there as a Western mechanism. I think that’s what caused it. We had no crowds. We did change a summit attempt five nights.

We end it because there was. Was the year at Mendelson was that then thinking about that, we might’ve had a bad storm. The storm he was causing, it was the Sunday night, Monday morning. So no one went to summit to the Monday night. So you have on the Tuesday night going to some extra, when we were gang out there, you have sort of the two nights and one which, which my been fed up and you’ve seen photos and it was beautiful morning, but there were about 134 people up there.

We made a decision, which at the time I felt like it was such a life [00:22:00] cycle, defining decision. Three of us made that, you know, because you know, you think you’ve got the weather, right? You sit, you’ve got a surprise, but actually 24 hours later, we learned our tent was hearing everyone. My team had actually left and came back for five minutes later, which I’m so glad he did some good and for a night and the phone that we were in credibly, lucky, everything was the side.

Put my boarding up in the home now, mobile. And there was six of us. My, I reached some of those six was up there and shooting myself into saying another person I knew. And then I was out there 45 minutes. And you can’t find them how far you can see that’s, what’s so extraordinary about their thoughts.

And then for the last 10 minutes, I was, it was just my son and assignments all over the world because see people going down by size, coming up by size for 10 minutes, just hanging out.

God. Wow. That sounds incredible. It was, it was amazing. There were definitely some tears like that. And also I had my, my one girly moment of the whole two street when my hair [00:23:00] escaped by wooly hats and the freeze. And I touched on Chromebook in my hand. I was like,

it wasn’t amazing. 45 minutes. And so what I mean. Unbelievable. I mean, are you, you must have felt so lucky seeing those pictures in 2019 and just being like, thank God, thank God. You know, I didn’t have to witness that. Do you know what? I felt sick looking at it because I know I know how hard it is up there.

I know how colorism is. I know how tough, how Taj while your body sort of were running on January, that stage between the South summit and the summit Henry step. You, you hear the horror stories, people read the books and seen the films of the disasters and the month in 96 and things like that. And then starting to see it in 2019 when I’ve been so lucky the year before.

And actually, I think you’ve one of your previous guests was Dewey Stewart and I messaged Judy about, and he was like, how luck the both were the years we were there. [00:24:00] We didn’t have the crowds. I know I was incredibly lucky, but actually ISO things up there. I don’t particularly want to see ever again, but that was on a good year.

So it doesn’t that thinking about, you know, what you would expend itself, then they must’ve increase and the books would be running out. It just, it just, and you also can’t get round people. If someone is to start as a crowd, even if you decide to turn around. On that Ridge was not even originally. You probably can’t go either way.

You’d be stuck and that’s yeah, it might be focusing God. And so you’ve now done. Six of the summits. Was that Everest climb? That was the sixth one. Yes. I kept the sick. There was people would make my thoughts, but maybe keeping the seventh is the last one, but I didn’t want to make a decision up high. That I probably shouldn’t make cake.

If it was the last one, you you’d just hope I was making the right decision for the right reasons. So the final one is going to be Mount [00:25:00] Vinson and on top SCA plan and hope, hope for next year, but it depends on anything in the world travels and how it opens out. It’s closed down that moment. I mostly keep it that way.

So that will be the final climb. The seven summits, hopefully fingers crossed. It’s quite remarkable that from going on your first desert adventure in the Sahara doing the marathon, the sub sea suddenly what, 10 years later. Yeah. Yeah. It was 10 years of extremes, but I, yeah, 10 year, it was 10 years, but I think, yeah, it was, it was, it was never planned.

It was never, as I said, I think it’s very lucky. The opportunities came around and I, and I’m very, you know, I can’t wait to.

[00:26:00] If everything goes according to plan and how in terms of sort of funding. Cause I know when I spoke with Jody, we sort of bought up funding for funding for let’s say Antarctica and climbing mountains. And how, how do you go about it? Yeah, it’s great comment for sponsorship. Isn’t it.

There was a couple of the sponsors you came on board for Denali. And Alaska in 2017, who couple came off the one-offs because they didn’t have a time to Alaska or America or propulsion company, but as a couple of years stayed on forever as you are Connie staying for Vincent as well, which is great.

Obviously then I ended up not the whole thing ends. We start talking to people. And what I was thinking about sounds approachable. The summer that obviously came ahead. It’s not really the email you want to send, like, hi, Hy-Ko Health’s good blank, Jack. So we’ll [00:27:00] start again in the spring. And I think the years of having one big sponsorship, well, the two thousands, I think they will have one big company to the sponsor, which.

I think those days are long gone. It’s it’s not small sponsors and then there’s the toolbox and essentially that’s different. So I think that’ll keep me entertained next, next spring and summer, I think. Yeah. I sort of think I’m good. If you think about sort of how accessible these sort of big adventures have become over the last 20 years, you know, if someone had said 20 years ago, I’m going to climb Everest, it was like, Whoa, you know, How come you’re the only one in the world that even heard of it was trying to attempt to lose now, you know, it’s, I think it’s quite lots of people doing everything and jumping off the sofa and actually pushing themselves.

But I also, from the sponsorships Shango

[00:28:00] yeah, there’s a lot of noise. The masses, but also I think, you know, the time we’re in. Extraordinary. And I think that’s everything combined will be quite tricky. And I think people are still keen to be involved, but it’s in a different angle that I’ve probably asked. You have spies who wants to sort of two big ones just sort of mindset that you have when you go into these adventures.

Because as I’ve sort of spoken on the podcast quite a bit, it’s this sort of mentality to endure a lot where others might quit, where. What’s in the sort of, back of your mind pushing you forward? I think I probably have a site in a stubborn streak, which I’ve discovered. I think initially when I first started was raising money raising money was, was basically my 100% my goal, my main reasons.

That’s still [00:29:00] that I still, you know, not so small things, but ever since of commitment. And again, Vince in the final one from them. And so that’s a small driving force, but also I, if you were in a situation, lucky enough to get the sponsorship and beginning to have a great team, I think I’m very lucky.

I’m very lucky to be able to do that. Am I lucky that my body is able to enjoy what I’m pushing it through? If that makes sense. It just sort of, I, I think my stubbornness, my. I just, I just loved the adventure. I love not knowing what’s next. You know, you wake up outside in a tent, whether you’re in a desert or, you know, you might have a sound store.

You want to have a snow storm, you might have, you know, just, it’s just, it’s the not knowing where so much in life was.

Yeah. And I mean, in terms of your day-to-day life, how, how does it sort of compare sort of completely different? Exactly.

[00:30:00] But I think, but I think it makes me. That I’m better at sort of everyday life because of the extremes I’ve seen and witnessed and had done. I’m probably less sort of not tolerant. That’s the wrong word, but I think I’m the small things. Don’t bother me as much as they used to. And you’re starting to track down the silvers and competing costing you.

But there are, you know, I think my day-to-day life, you know, you’re in a meeting or everyday actually it’s not, it’s not something you don’t panic, you know, it doesn’t upset. When I’m out in Phoenix, you see things in a mountain rule on the bench of this fall less on Everest. I was lucky we had an amazing summit morning to send thing and someone died at count three, an hour ahead of me.

And that was horrific to see. And that was, you know, some point of view, quite good, starting to face me to realize I still have three and a half miles to seven to the relative safety of base account, but also. [00:31:00] You know, someone split second decision has gone horribly wrong, but it’s something I shouldn’t see.

And you don’t want to see if something goes wrong in everyday life. Everything’s running. Do you feel that these adventures are almost like a drug now whereby you’re pushing yourself a bit further each time? No, I think, I think it’s it’s. I think it is. It’s not addictive. It’s not sort of. I mean after the addictions, I say, this is what I made is not as safe for addiction.

I think it is. I think it’s. So, you know, you go, you there’s three comes in there unless you want to visit you ticked off to smell the full companies. Then they go back on your travel. And I think, yeah, I, you know, I still got for my seventh mountain, probably not. I think, I think it is however, the big ones, smaller ventures, mini eventual, micro that job in the Brecon beacons or [00:32:00] Scotland or Cornwall, but also you could do.

I’ve gotten, I kind of saw somebody like just everything’s one or two, but I think in a good way, very good way. Oh yeah, massively. I mean, this, this is sort of how I got into it was very much, I sort of had the idea and I think what I’m finding out by speaking to people on the podcast is it sort of starts with.

Ugh, a 10 K men, half marathon, and then a ultra marathon. And then from there, you sort of, you just say, ah, I did that now, how far? And you just keep sort of nibbling away pushing yourself and it sort of, it also, when you live life slightly on the edge, the sort of monotony of day-to-day life becomes quite.

Well, not boring, but it does. You come by takes quite long. [00:33:00] You probably find that you come back from a big trip. It takes quite a, it takes me quite a while to get back into the normal web life. And sort of, as you say, the monotony of life, isn’t it. And one of my favorite clips on a movie was, have you seen the film hurt locker?

It’s quite an old film, but it was about this guy who diffuses bombs and he sort of out in Afghanistan or Iraq diffusing bombs. And then he goes well, after his six month tour, he comes back and then there’s just a clip of him in a supermarket looking at 26 different brands of cereal. It’s just complete, extreme ways.

You’re lucky to find a sort of a non achiever Pringles of during date. Yeah, exactly. And then, but when you’re on these sort of trips in, as I’ve spoken before on the podcast, it’s very much those small luck, small things, which in now, you know, me living in London is very much. Sounds disgusting. But at the [00:34:00] time, you know, the idea of sleeping in a public loo, let’s say, which has running water and.

Electricity was a complete luxury to me, but now I wouldn’t dream of doing it, but I’m sure once I came back into adventure sort of mood, I’ll be like, Oh my God, this isn’t right. Completely. It might’ve had running hot water like panic when you were having your day-to-day normal life. Whereas actually.

You know, on a mountain, you know, you’re not, you know, you’ve got a ball, the ball, it’s just, it’s just, it, it just puts out. I think it was everyone’s perspective. Never. And I think, you know, I think, I think more people should be able to do it, whether a small one or it doesn’t have to be, as you say, everyday life into perspective.

I’ve certainly what’s the word become less interested in sort of small, pointless things. Well, I think, you know, 10 years ago when you’re sort of a [00:35:00] young adult or a late teen, those things really, really important, but you sort of get to . No,

it’s so true. It’s so true. Why will I get a ride? Was it hurt? Locker up? Write that down. Yeah, it’s just that, it’s a very good film. I think it won an Oscar, but yeah, it was just that clip. I remember so well with him just going from one extreme to another and you’re just like, Whoa. Yeah. I remember actually from some sort of Everest back to London was six days.

I’m Emma hanky. And it sort of actually probably slept when I go back to London and it takes a couple of days, but he still thinks it’s sort of inhaling every meal, eating and drinks expenses, dreading what you’re gonna ask it to do next. And then obviously you’ve gone from two months of choosing when I had dolled up to use the sat phone or communicate with someone who was a blog or social media [00:36:00] post to suddenly having, you know, 20, 20 or 2018 at the time of technology was pinging in every direction.

It was quite a sort of.

No. And so there’s a part of the show, which we are the same five questions to each guest. And so the first one is on your trips and expeditions, whether climbing Mount Everest, or running across a desert, what’s the one bizarre thing that you crave or miss from home. I was thinking about this and my initial reaction.

My niece, Michelle, it says probably sounds awful.

Yeah, I don’t smoke. I don’t drink coffee. And I think, I think, you know, just because on the next question is, you know, it’s electrolytes and waters and you’re a bit of sort of. [00:37:00] Juice drink. So I think I probably crave I’m really coast. Not, not Daniel. Every source here we get back off the rotational assistant counts or new attendant, really cold, cold, dark, nutritious Westmont.

Very nice. What about your favorite adventure book? Oh, there’s so many, I’ve got a bookshelf, which is just one of those sort of quite doesn’t help the addiction does it always once I had the first one I read was Robin Knox Johnson’s book, when he said around the sixties. Well, the Maya, he was cool.

He was the first person who was sailing around the world, sailing and meet six is which. You know, now we’re in 2020, it’s mind boggling what he achieved, that massive era. And I know I’m not a

So I think that’s in his era was even more amazing than when, when you wrote the book, what is your favorite [00:38:00] adventure book? I asked, Ooh, I was thinking about this. There are too many, I love it. And I have a bookshelf for this starting books. I need inspirations, quite a lot of people to draw on, but I think one of the first sort of upon is it’s just extreme.

And amazing ideas with Robin Knox Johnson, myself. I think it was what’s it called? Well, the Miami. And it was what was the late sixties was the first person to say no wrestled on the world, which I think in that era, it was even more mind-boggling than it is now. It’s absolutely phenomenal. And way ahead of his time, I could think of nothing worse, but I think it was amazing.

Did you have an inspirational figure growing up?

Hopefully everyone always says this. I think Renner finds was again, like. So incredibly sort of forward thinking when as adventures I’ve luckily covered my, my fingers. I don’t have to cut into my note, but I think [00:39:00] what he’s achieved over his lifetime is just mind-boggling. And I’ve heard him a couple of times speak connect.

She, luckily I was very lucky to overlap with in Alaska and and the Americans and Alaska were quite sort of they’re very sort of. Not nondescript. They were very sub laws about who am I going to fund a Brit? I was like, Oh, how exciting? Who was not many of us? It’s a small world. Isn’t it

real? I was like, I was like vinyl. And they’re like, yeah, that’s him. I was like, okay, where exactly is he on this mountain? Because he was, he’d played in a couple of days of Alaska. So I was very excited about it and he was doing it very late in the radar trip and he had full British doctors, so know, and quite sad about some parts doctors being a day ahead of the automatics and as well.

And sadly, he had to fly out Tuesday to the bad back. So I actually overlapped with him and talking to for a day of chats and we had lunch, which was unbelievable. He needs even [00:40:00] that as talk to in real life. Then when you hear him in a talk or, you know, we use books. Wow, you are lucky. Did you ha do you have a favorite quote or motivational quote?

There are some which, which drive me up supporting you see, come up there. You know they been, I think my day went by 10, who wrote it eventually may harm me, but Nazi will kill you, which I think that’s what we were saying earlier, you know, have a big or smaller ventures. Just get out of your sort of normal day-to-day wherever you’re based in the world could have your day to day regime, because it’s so much better for you.

Even if it’s a half an hour, a day and night, it doesn’t have to be two months in a tent. Just, I think I need to find out who is my favorite one. Amazing. That’s a good one. I have heard it. And people listening are always keen to go on these adventures. What’s the [00:41:00] one thing that you would recommend them to get started?

Talk to as many people as you can. You know, we’re such, everyone said, we’re so lucky to get a bunch of the coming years ago. It was just, it was sort of the old person here. And that was not me. So many people are doing it. Whether it’s an adventure or a big adventure, there’s always someone you can contact, whether it’s social media, email website.

New friend, her friend book, you know, this there’s so much knowledge out there. And I think the more you can talk about it, the more you can brainstorm, you can have an idea. And it gives you advice, which advice from someone else’s far, far better than reading a book or looking it up online, I think. And then.

And, and when he’s been there, I would love, love talking about it. I’ve spent here at that time and Kelly and things like that, or lumber or something, or, you know, I probably told people in the climbing side of things, I’ll tell you now, but it’s just, I think talk to as many people as you can. It doesn’t matter how big or small your ideas Homesite go for it back yourself, [00:42:00] mentally and physical.

And then you do, if you didn’t do it, Yeah. And what are you doing now and how can people follow your journey? What I’m doing now is trying to get that to full thickness also to really lock down the tire. At the time he used to come back out and start driving. You’re supposed to feel I I’m going to stop preparing and planning my final climate to be it’s the non-toxic.

And the best way is by my website dot com or Twitter, which is UCR Reese folks. Amazing and say, Mount Vinson is the next one. And what you’re hoping to do that in 2021. Yeah, I would love to, to season down Maris to end of November, beginning of January. So I found the Christmas this year in skip next year,

that will be patterned depending on [00:43:00] fitness team or all the usuals. But that, that would be the, that would be the ideal. Amazing. Well, hopefully yeah, hopefully we can follow your journey. When that happens. Thank you very much. Well, thank you so much for coming on today. It’s been nasty pleasure listening to your stories.

Thank you very much. No, it was great. Thank you.