A Life Well Lived- Alan Byerly's Mt Kilimanjaro Summit

I sit at my desk on a conference call, staring out into thin air as I listen to the voices on the phone. My eyes rest upon a Walt Disney World Metal hanging on my wall, it was given out for winning a marathon. It isn’t mine. It is Alan’s.  Alan Byerly was a bright spirited man I met on my Mt Kilimanjaro climb. His smile was contagious. At 72 years young, he had dreamed of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro for years. It is certainly no easy trek. It is one of the tallest freestanding mountains in the world, with a summit that is 19,371 feet and depending on the route, it is a 7 day trek covering 60 miles. The speed and voracity in which he climbed daily left me to shame. He was kicking my butt.

He continued daily encouraging me. He told stories of his daughter and friends. I thought to myself, “at 72, will I live with this much vest for life? Will I be living my dreams and running after adventure or will I be on a couch watching old reruns?” I questioned whether or not I would run after life with the intentionality and vigor that Alan displayed daily.

To prepare for climbing the mountain, he had spent 2 hours a day on a stair climber with a 40 pound backpack. I was intimidated. I hadn’t lasted more than 20 minutes a day on the stair climber and now I was attempting to climb one of the tallest free standing mountains in the world.

Our group consisted of 10 climbers. We had 3 young ladies from Seattle that all worked in progressive IT companies, one gentleman from Canada, also young and in superb shape. We had 3 retired men out seeking adventure, a woman pilot traveling alone and the two of us. 

The days were long. There was no radio or television, no texts, and nothing to distract us from conversation. We got to know our fellow travelers well. We had no where to go and nothing else to do. There was no ‘rushing’ off to get to a phone call or to get something done. We walked and talked for 7 days. Our bodies began to feel the strain almost immediately. The combination of the altitude and the uphill slopes tired out our muscles. Air came in gasps. Each step was a strain on our bodies.

As I stare at the award, I think of summit day. It was by far the hardest physical day of my life. At the culmination of 6 days of climbing, and 6 hours straight uphill starting at midnight, we finally summit-ed the mountain. The views were spectacular. It took my breath away. You can actually see the curvature of the earth at this height.

Soon after the the summit, Alan died. I believe his heart gave out. He was living his dreams. He was taking each step and living the adventure. It has been a year since that day. Tears falls down my face as I think a life well lived. I think of how encouraging he was. I think of his positive attitude and his encouraging words. He was a giver. He had touched lives.

Today, I think of you Alan Byerly. I recognize the amazing life you lived and I thank you for being even a small part of mine. Rest in peace my dear friend. #climbon #livetheadventure

Picture: Alan is all the way to the right in the picture

Climb: Feb 2016