Reaching the world’s highest peak, Rock This world touches heaven!
One of our very first Rock This World agates trekked along with Dr. Doug Brockmeyer, pediatric neurosurgeon and professor of neurosurgery (brain surgery) at the University of Utah. Dr. Brockmeyer and his wife are Rock This World champions, climbing the world’s highest peak, through all sorts of dangers from men and nature to reach as close to heaven as anyone can while keeping two feet planted on earth. We salute Doug and his wife and congratulate them on this truly fantastic achievement. Doug is an inspiration for all our Rock Travelers. He is a world class brain surgeon dedicated to caring for children who are sick with brain diseases. That takes years of school and many nights without sleep. Doug then went on to become our best mountain climber and pushes himself everyday to be physically fit. It takes more than muscle to conquer these dreams though, it takes the spirit of determination and will power, even when everyone around Doug said you work too hard or can’t do it, he has. All of our Rock Travelers can take Doug’s adventure as a life lesson. When things get tough, so do you. Make plans, set goals and Go For It! Stop when you’re tired, but never quit.
Mount Everest rises above the country of Nepal located in South Asia. Nepal is only a total of 56,139 square miles in size. The country is located between India to the east, south, and west, and China to the north. The Himalayan mountain range forms the northern border of Nepal, separating it from China. Eight of the ten highest mountains in the world are found here, including the tallest, Mount Everest (29,035 feet above sea level!)
The capital of Nepal is Katmandu. Only ½ a million people live in the city with about 1 million people in the entire valley. There are no other major cities in Nepal other than Kathmandu. The majority of the people living in Nepal reside in villages or small market centers. The country geography is quite diverse and rugged, beautiful to most visitors from around the world. The southern border with India is host to a subtropical climate while the northern border with China ranges from an alpine to an uninhabited climate. This wide variety of weather makes Nepal a fascinating country to study.
Along the climb up Mount Everest, Doug will pass many small villages in Nepal. These are home to the Sherpa people. Most of the people are Buddhists and many have proven to be quite adept in mountain climbing. There are no roads connecting these villages to one another which makes for a very isolated lifestyle. Most of the people are farmers growing potatoes, barley, or bitter buckwheat. These plots of vegetation have been terraced on the slopes of the mountains. Since most Sherpas are devout Buddhists, you can expect to see stupas, prayer flags, and mani stones. A stupa is a religious monument that is most often made of stones. Prayer flags which are often hung outside of homes and religious monuments are said to bring happiness, long-life and prosperity to those who place them. Finally, mani stones are flat rocks that are carved with religious symbols.
Yaks are also a common site along the Himalaya Mountains. These animals are used for food, clothing, shelter, and transport. The yak can carry double the load of a person and is extremely adept at high altitudes between 10,000 and 18,000 feet.
The mountain region of Nepal is a world unto itself. The altitude, isolation, and tradition make the villages of this area unique.
We Rock Travelers wish Doug and his wife the best trip. I’ll bet Doug’s agates find their way into other climbers and local people who continue to share there adventures with Doug for years to come. Rock On!!
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Reaching the world’s highest peak, Rock This world touches heaven!
Mount Everest rises above the country of Nepal located in South Asia. Nepal is only a total of 56,139 square miles in size. The country is located between India to the east, south, and west, and China to the north. The Himalayan mountain range forms the northern border of Nepal, separating it from China. Eight of the ten highest mountains in the world are found here, including the tallest, Mount Everest (29,035 feet above sea level!)
Yaks are also a common site along the Himalaya Mountains. These animals are used for food, clothing, shelter, and transport. The yak can carry double the load of a person and is extremely adept at high altitudes between 10,000 and 18,000 feet. 
