My Climbs - Megan Delehanty HiTop Images

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After viewing a "Trekking in Nepal" slide show at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds in 1991, I dreamed about the Himalayas, tea houses and dahl baat (just kidding, I didn't dream about dahl baat) until I finally flew to Kathmandu eight years later. That's when and where the addiction began.

Mountain climbing is a fun, challenging and adventurous way to see the world and a great incentive for staying fit. There is usually time to be a tourist, too, and actually see more than just the mountain. Unfortunately, in between home and work and everything else going on in daily life, it's not easy to find the time to attempt big mountains that require extensive travel and acclimatization. That's the toughest part!

The photo above was taken on the summit of Illimani in Bolivia. It was very quiet and peaceful, mostly because there were just two of us up there and we didn't speak the same language.

I understand why some people are puzzled at what drives others to want to climb mountains like Everest. It can be miserable and scary, and it certainly takes time and costs money. Being a woman in this heavily male dominated world adds to the challenge and presents all sorts of frustrating and humorous situations (buy me a bottle of wine and we'll talk). Mountain climbing can also be hugely disappointing.

But the experience of expedition climbing, being in an unfamiliar yet spectacular location with people from different cultures and backgrounds, all working together toward a common goal that can be miserable and scary and hugely disappointing, but also extremely gratifying, is AMAZING. If it were easy it wouldn't be nearly as rewarding. Strong leadership, teamwork and a sense of humor go a long way in making a successful expedition, as in many other endeavors in life.

However, I have to admit that before I leave for a mountain, there's a small part of me that looks forward to looking back on the mountain climb.

The picture at left is from the summit of Denali with Stefano. As you can see, I was not happy at all.

I have done various rock and ice climbing in the US, and I would like to venture into more technical climbing, but what I enjoy most are high mountains in exotic places.

Photos can be found in the Travel Gallery - Mountains, the Everest 2007 Gallery, and Snapshots.

Below is a list of mountains I've climbed and summited, unless otherwise noted (did not summit Everest & Mont Blanc). Underlined mountains are links to photos:

Everest (29,035f / 8,848m) Tibet. No summit - Climbed to the Second Step (28,230ft / 8,600m) before descending - 2007

Aconcagua (22,841f / 6,962m) Argentina - 2003, 2006

Dufourspitze (15,203f / 4,634m) and various peaks in Zermatt, Switzerland - 2005

Elbrus (18,510f / 5,642m) Russia - 2005

Denali (20,320f / 6,194m) Alaska, US - 2005

Rainier (14,410f / 4,392m) Washington, US - 2004

lllimani (21,201f / 6,460m) Bolivia - 2004

Huayna Potosí (19,996f / 6,094m) Bolivia - 2004

Pequeño Alpamayo (17,618f / 5,370m) Bolivia - 2004

The Dolomites Italy. Various rock and via ferrata climbing - 2003

Mont Blanc (15,771f / 4,807m) France. No summit, poor weather, got lost (will she return? she would like to when the euro settles down) - 2003

Shasta (14,162f / 4,317m) California, US (d/n bring a camera!) - 2003