Summit Day: May 24, 2007 at 9:30am.

Pat Hickey proudly displaying a Canadian tocque/hat on the summit of Mt. Everest where there were 40mph winds and -40 degree temperatures!

Many, many things happened on Summit Day and only now am I able to collect my thoughts and put some of those stories down in print as I want all to know that the summit was not gained easily ... and there were repurcusions felt for some time afterwards!

Today (6/4/2007) the Ottawa Citizen featured a story on my climb and was titled, "Atop Everest, climber remembers Almonte man". I was interviewed for this story a few days ago and the reporter who called me was very familiar with my friend Sean Egan who died on Mt. Everest in 2005. As a result of that knowledge he was able to tie together two parallel stories of which most of my fellow climbers were very aware!

When I discovered in 2004 that a hometown friend (Sean Egan) was planning on climbing Mt. Everest I was elated! At that point in time I had climbed 4 of the 7 Summits of the World and felt I could change my order of remaining mountains to climb Mt. Everest in 2005 with Sean as it would be so unique to have two people from the same town (Almonte, Ontario Canada) climb Mt. Everest together! Sean and I had talked mountaineering for years as he had already been to Mt. Everest basecamp to do research and had wondered aloud about the possibility of going higher on the mountain (he had already explored the Khumbu icefall and was excited about the chance to move further up the mountain!). Initially I was able to make required changes in home, school, and work life to be able to join Sean on his team, but soon thereafter realized that all changes were not firm and had to back out with apologies that we would not be able to climb together. In the meantime Sean continued to give me training tips and shared with me his mantra, "Festina Lente" which is Latin for take it slow and easy! I encouraged Sean to get some altitude and cold weather experience and as a result he traveled to Argentina to climb Mt. Aconcagua just prior to his trip to Nepal!

In Spring 2005 I was able to keep in touch with Sean while he climbed Mt. Everest as modern technology allowed email messages up and down the mountain. When he got sick I remember advising him to go lower on the mountain to recuperate ... only to find out days later that he had died while trying to recuperate! I was shocked, stunned, and in disbelief! Carol was out of town when I heard of Sean's death and I remember when she came home how I told her, between sobs, that Sean had died! I can't remember the last time I cried ... but I did that night! I called Sean's climbing partner Harold soon thereafter and told him that Sean had started the trail to the top for me ... and that I planned to finish the journey for both of us!

In Spring 2007 I contacted Sean's daughter Anna and she gave me a small urn with Sean's ashes in it so he could "join me for the journey". I made plans at that time to release his ashes at the top of Mt. Everest ... where we would finish our journey "together"! 

On my initial walk in to basecamp I came upon the memorial shrine that had been made in honor of Sean and it caught me by surprise! You may remember my emotional audioblog from 4/10. The view of Awi Peak from his shrine is breathtaking and is a very serene site as many other memorial shrines belay the great number of fellow climbers who have died on Mt. Everest! My visit to Sean's memorial site reinforced my need and desire to get to the top of Mt. Everest so we could both finish the adventure!

If the climb on summit day was not challenging enough, I now had a self-imposed pressure to finish the climb for self, and a friend who lived in spirit only! I had promised Carol that I would turn around if there were any problems, stop if I had any doubts, and retreat if there were any questions of safety ... but what of my promise to Sean? I had silently prayed that I would continue our journey, finish the trip, and by doing so bring closure to two years of grief over his untimely death!

The weight of the urn in my backpack grew heavier as I approached the summit and I felt the pressure to keep going ... despite all! And then, I was there, on top of the world ... we had made it! After a few photos by Dhorjee, my sherpa, I decided it was time to release Sean's ashes. I tried to explain to Dhorjee what I was about to do ... but his English was very limited, and after a minute or so he simply walked away from me ... leaving me totally alone on top of the world! I took advantage of this solo time to release Sean's ashes and with great ease those ashes were lifted high on the raging winds and spread across a wide expanse of mountainous land ... just as Sean would like it! What a view, what a place, what a great time to have this momentous occasion! On release of the ashes I repeated a quote that had been sent to me from Sandra Dickson, a nurse colleague and friend, "Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light". (Albert Schweitzer)

Sean's memory has been kept alive by those closest to him as he made a major difference in people's lives and continues to do so as evidenced by the AD Astra campaign (www.adastra-aimhigh.com) where a target of $150,000 has been established to build the new Child Haven School in Kathmandu as a lasting tribute to Sean Egan. Additionally, Elia Saikaly (www.findinglife.ca) has been filming a documentary on his interactions with Sean and how his life has changed as a result of that relationship! I too have changed because of Sean and am a better person for having known him!

Now our journey is complete, and mission accomplished. If only we could have stood on the summit together ... but then again, we did!  

More summit day stories to follow ...