Passion-What Would Life Be Without it?

 Time has flown by and I can’t believe that it was a year ago that I was about to go for my summit push on Everest. The trip was special and changed my life for many reasons but looking back I realize that it was so unique because it was so full of PASSION! For two months all I got to do was focus and enjoy something I was so extremely PASSIONATE about and had worked so hard to be able to do! It was three years in the making. Although some days I was freezing, gasping for air, or more exhausted than I had ever been in my life-MAN I LOVED EVERY MINTUE OF IT! I was in an environment unlike any other, surrounded by some extraordinary people, pushing my mind and body in ways I had never done before, I was LIVING IT UP, in every sense of the phrase.  A lot of people have called me crazy for going to Everest in the first place and even crazier for planning to go back next year. All I can say to that is that just the thought of being there again, seeing those mountains, pushing my body to its limit, experiencing nature at its most exquisite and its fiercest-It is a MAGICAL thing! I CANNOT WAIT!

It was so hard for me to come back last year, not only because of the failed summit attempt due to hypoxia, but because it was hard to fit back into the norm once home. All I wanted to do was find ways to replicate that thrill, that PASSION, in everything I did. Easier said than done! Since then it has changed my mindset about trying to now craft a lifestyle built around working and doing things I am passionate about. I have found it difficult to get involved or do things I do not care about. Hence I am trying to start my own business, continue to fundraise for women in the Congo, do things that bring a smile to my face, surround myself with love, and start taking necessary steps to try to bring as much PASSION into my daily life as possible. It is a beautiful thing and feeling to have PASSION whether from what you are doing, from another person, or for going out to seize the day.

Climbing has changed my life and open my eyes to a world I never knew existed, it has pushed me past personal boundaries, made me expect more of myself, made me more grateful for life, more appreciative of the beauty and miracle that is our universe, introduced me to some of the most amazing and inspiring people and dearest friends, allowed me to speak and raise awareness for a topic I am extremely PASSIONATE about- Empowering Women. I LOVE IT! I love being outside and enjoying our world…it is a privilege.

The thrill and rush of adventure as many adventurers know can become addictive, and so I try to fit in as much as I can within my means for sure. Whether it’s a simple hike, bike ride, ski trip, etc there is so much fun it can bring and fulfillment. 

Lately I have been reflecting so much on PASSION and what it means in my life. Right now it is setting which direction I am going to go. Whether at work, in love, in friendships, in my day to day, if there is no PASSION involved then it’s probably a good sign it’s not for me. Pursuing this lifestyle then comes with lots of compromise and also sacrifice I have learned, as it is not an easy path, but I think it will be totally worth it in the end.

I will forever be grateful to Eve Ensler’s article in Glamour I read back in 2007 that moved me so much to launch me on this journey to help Women of Congo. It was that article that made me pull the trigger on climbing seriously by creating Climb Take Action dedicated to raising awareness and support for victims of sexual violence in Congo-the worst in the world. I strongly believe that life does not happen by chance. For every experience, encounter, meeting, there is a reason.  I also believe good things don’t tend to come easy.

The next 11 months are going to be full of training, planning, and fundraising for Women of Congo (International Medical Corps and VDAY)! I am so incredibly excited and even more so as I will have two extraordinary ladies, Silvia and Tracey, joining me on the climb up the Big E! Counting down to that flight to Lukla!! The juggling act continues :)


Here is to living with PASSION! It is magical and can move mountains!

To support our efforts for Women in Congo please visit: http://climbtakeaction.com/page/donate-now (ALL Proceeds benefit International Medical Corps and VDAY and are Tax-Deductible)

xo

G

My speech to 500 young women at Immaculate Heart High School was a success! They inspire me to keep CLIMBING! :)

With the President from IH

I had the pleasure of being invited to be the key note speaker at my high school alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood, CA to share some insights on life, career, and vision and of course share more on Everest and my efforts for women in Congo. As I kicked of my “You Can Be Whatever You Want To Be” talk, I looked around the room and I thought what a fortunate group of ladies we are! After traveling to so many parts of the world and also keeping the women of DRC in mind, education is a true gift and blessing that so many young women around the globe do not have the luxury of receiving.  I was instantly energized by the potential in the room…these 500 freshman-senior ladies were our future.  As a result of that light bulb moment so to speak, I kicked off with telling them that the great news about where they are today is that they have the freedom to decide, to dream, to do, to be whatever they wanted to be and that it was a beautiful thing. 


It was a special moment for me to be able to talk about my life, my choices, my mistakes, my successes, and my own dreams, all in hopes of inspiring these young women to dream big and go after it! It was great to hear from those that thought they knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives upon graduation and also hear from those that were still figuring it out. I enjoyed sharing my vision statement for my life at 18 while I was there at Immaculate Heart and my vision statement for myself now at 31 and a professional  Life has taken some interesting turns. The passion for helping others has not changed. The most rewarding part of being able to talk to these girls was at the end, when a few of them came up one by one and shared their stories and dreams with me and thanked them for giving them some good ideas and pointers. It was also interesting to see their reaction when learning more about the issues young women just like them are facing in DRC (rape, unwanted pregnancies, HIV, malnutrition, war). I encouraged them that throughout their life to always remember their fellow women and to help each other along the way. I know that the feeling to want to empower less fortunate women has been in me since my high school days and is still going strong. 


I am a firm believer that women hold the key to successful communities. So many studies have been conducted to reiterate the fact that communities thrive when women and girls can participate in the workforce, are educated, and empowered.


Thank you Immaculate Heart for letting me share my story and thank you to all the young women there for inspiring me to continue my mission of empowering women of DRC through my Climb Take Action campaign. Thank you to the women of Congo, whose strength and courage has been my endless source of inspiration since the campaign began in 2007.


I leave you with a great article from Forbes:  Does Empowering Women Improve the Economy? 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mahaatal/2012/03/30/does-empowering-women-improve-the-economy/


To get involved with our efforts for women in Congo, please visit: www.climbtakeaction.com




Much Love,


Georgina

Thank you Dokument Films and Ning!

Thank you to Dokument Films for creating this piece for Climb Take Action and our efforts

for women in Congo! Thanks to Ning our web sponsor!

Everest 2013...we are getting ready for you!

NING presents Climb Take Action from Dokument Films on Vimeo.

Updates! What is to come for 2012!

Dear Friends,

Well 2012 is in full force! How is it February?!?

So sorry it has been so long! Life has thrown around a few hard knocks for me since my return from Everest and life is finally getting itself to a more normal pace :) I have lived in three cities in the past 6 months and will for now be calling Los Angeles home again.

I have decided to return to Everest in 2013 for the cause along with a few other climbers. More details to come shortly, but we are very excited to launch our campaign again and climb for the women of DRC!!

International Medical Corps and VDAY continue to do great work in Democratic Republic of Congo. Below is a great story that provides an example of the change and support that can come when organizations such as these have support! I hope you will all continue to support our efforts.

VDAY: http://drc.vday.org/city-of-joy-celebrates-first-graduating-class

On January 28, V-Day and the Fondation Panzi (DRC) celebrated the first graduating class of City of Joy in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). City of Joy, a revolutionary community for women survivors of gender violence, opened its doors to the pilot class of 41 women this summer. V-Day Founder/Artistic Director Eve Ensler, Executive Director Susan Swan, Communications & Campaigns Manager Kate Fisher, photographer and long time V-Activist Paula Allen, and a delegation of incredible visionaries including V-Board members Pat Mitchell, Emily Scott Pottruck, and Amy Rao, and supporters Lauren Davis, Frannie Kieschnick, Belinda Munoz, Andrew Dew Steele, Erin Strain, and Marsha Williams all were welcomed at City of Joy to witness and celebrate the graduation ceremony of this first incredible class. Eve has written a note to all of you about the miracles that were witnessed at the graduation, please read: http://drc.vday.org/city-of-joy-celebrates-first-graduating-class

If you would like to get involved with our efforts, please contact me.

More to come and thank you for your ongoing support!

Georgina

Speaking in Palo Alto on August 9th 7:30 PM

Hey Everyone!

I will be speaking in Palo Alto Tuesday, August 9th @ 7:30 PM! This will be my first Everest Slide show presentation. Please come join if you are in the Bay area. Hope to see you there and learn more about our efforts for women in Democratic Republic of Congo!


Georgina Miranda: Climb Take Action on Everest
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=137105716365907

Location:

Peninsula Conservation Center
3921 East Bayshore Road
Palo Alto, CA

Info:

In what has become an annual tradition – the Everest slideshow – this year’s presenter fits with Madame Chair’s “Year of the Woman” theme. Join us as Georgina Miranda shares her experience on Everest’s South Side this past Spring. Georgina was climbing Everest as part of her Climb Take Action 7 Summits Challenge.

After reading an article in Glamour in 2007 about the violence against women in the war-torn Democratic Republic of... Congo, Georgina founded Climb Take Action in order to empower women in the region by climbing to raise funds and awareness to their suffering. Thousands of women have been neglected, murdered, abducted, brutally raped, tortured, and overall forgotten. Congo Wars have claimed more lives than any conflict since the end of World War II, yet the crisis has received little attention outside of central Africa.

Georgina is a native Los Angelino currently residing in San Francisco. She is a business woman by day (MBA from Loyola Marymount and a full-time management consultant) and an adventurer by night having climbed all around the world, including five of the world’s tallest peaks on each continent.

Come hear Georgina’s riveting story of her Everest climb and about the amazing efforts she has made as an individual to make the world a better place.

Latest Huffington Post Piece on my Everest Summit Bid

Hi Everyone,

It has been a while! I just realized I never posted our piece published in the Huffington Post on my Everest summit bid.

So here you go! I am in the process of updating the site, will be speaking to a group this week about the climb in the Bay area, and gearing up for the next of the 7 for women in DRC! More to come on future events and fundraisers.

You can still make a tax-deductible donation to help support women in DRC by visiting: www.climbtakeaction.com. All proceeds benefit VDAY and International Medical Corps!

Everest: Summit, at What Cost?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georgina-miranda/climbing-mt-everest_b_894785.html


After three hours of restless sleep, I rose at 3 am to pack up my gear, test my oxygen mask, and start the ascent to the South Col (26,000 ft.), the fourth and final camp before the summit of Everest.

This particular climb posed many new challenges. For one, you have to climb with an oxygen mask because you are inching your way toward what is called the "Death Zone," an altitude, generally at 26,000 ft., where your body begins to deteriorate because of a lack of oxygen. Without artificial oxygen, our bodies cannot survive at this height, and even with it we can only make it at that altitude for a short period of time.

When I first started climbing with my mask on, I thought I was suffocating. I kept moving it away from my face for a gulp of fresh air only to sip something that felt nonexistent. As I struggled to breathe, it took every bit of mental focus and strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I had to recite little mantras of encouragement: "You are on Everest! This is what you have dreamed of, you are living the dream!"

I also thought about the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- who I was climbing for as part of my campaign to climb the seven summits -- and the incredible resilience they show every day, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. With images of them in my head, I kept going.

After traversing some 100 meters of the Yellow Band on the Lhotse Face, and scrambling 150 feet of snow-covered rock at the Geneva Spur, I caught my first up-close glimpse of Everest. I was exhausted, but fulfilled and ecstatic at how far I had come. For three years, I had been training and planning for the next 24 hours. I was here!

Once in the "Dead Zone" at the South Col, even the tiniest tasks take ages to complete. You're so depleted of oxygen that even your ability to make decisions and feel fully mentally aware is compromised. Because of the toll it takes on your body, the original plan was to start the summit that night, but because of high winds, we were forced to stay another night at the South Col, hooked up to our oxygen tanks.

I felt great when I left the South Col the night of May 12, but about three hours into the climb, the lack of oxygen started to take a crippling toll. My stomach started to cramp up, and I collapsed. Like an instinct, my inner voice told me to keep going, so I got up and pushed through only to collapse again an hour later. Finally, five hours into the summit bid, it happened again, but this time just below the Balcony of Everest (27,500 ft.). I had lost consciousness for a few seconds and when I opened my eyes I saw that I was down, holding onto the rope with my jumar, body against the icy slope.

I lay there for what felt like ages, debating what to do. I saw a stream of headlamps coming up the slope behind me. One by one, 15 or so climbers passed me; only one asked me if I was ok. I felt so alone, doubting that anyone would -- or could -- compromise their summit bid to help me if I really needed it. I knew that if I fainted again past the Balcony, I could fall off the exposed ridge and not only jeopardize my life, but other climbers as well. I asked myself if I was willing to possibly die that day for the sake of reaching the top, and to be a huge step closer to conquering all seven summits.

The answer came immediately: no.

At six or seven hours from my goal, I choked back tears as I told my sherpa I had to turn around. To give up my dream, then and there, was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make.

We headed down and my health continued to deteriorate. I continued to have sharp stomach pains and my digestive track completely shut down, emptying into my down-suit. But I had to push on. Thankfully, I made it back to the South Col at around 3 am.

Before going to sleep, I called my best friend, Trisha, and Crystal from International Medical Corps and left frantic messages. Crying and exhausted, I gave them the news that I could not yet believe myself: "I did not make it. I am so sorry."

I felt like I had let so many people down with my failed summit, not just myself. Right then, huddled in my tent, I vowed I would someday come back. I woke up at 6:30 am to our sherpas ushering me to get up and start our descent. I did not feel like I had the strength to climb all the way down to Camp 2, back over the Geneva Spur, Yellow Band, and Lhotse Face. It took me eight clumsy hours with only a half-liter of water, but I did it, and again for seven hours the next day down to Base Camp.

Once at Base Camp, I saw a doctor who said that I had suffered from Hypoxia, where the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. When this happens, your body thinks that it is dying and starts to shut off oxygen to non-vital organs. For me, it was my stomach and intestinal tract. Thankfully, unlike a climber just days before me, my body did not cut off oxygen to my brain, and I would have no lasting conditions as a result of the Hypoxia.

When I was in the ER tent at Base Camp, an Australian climber was carried in with snow blindness and severe frostbite on his hands and feet. He had summited. His friends were all congratulating him, but he stopped them: "Well, yes, I summited, but I was blind by the time I got up there and could not see, and now I will lose fingers and toes as a result. I am not sure if congratulations are in order."

My heart broke for him. I felt a rush of gratitude that I had made it back safely without a single life-altering injury. I could still climb and Everest would always be here for a second try.

Now back home in San Francisco, I feel blessed to have gone on this remarkable journey, to have pushed myself to my ultimate limits both mentally and physically, and to be alive and healthy. Everest left an imprint on me and I will never be the same again. I am reminded of it each time I look in the mirror and see my "Everest Tattoo," a scar across my cheek from wind burn on the night of my summit climb.

But while the scar should fade in six months, the memory of Everest, the desire to go back, and inspiration that the women and children of DRC bring to me every day will never disappear. And for that, I am eternally thankful.

Thank you to my employer, McKinney Rogers, for helping make this journey possible, and to my website sponsor, Ning. I will continue on my pursuit to climb all seven summit for the women of DRC. To contribute to my campaign, please visit www.climbtakeaction.com. All donations are tax-deductible and 100 percent of your contributions will go directly to International Medical Corps and VDAY and their courageous efforts in DRC.

Look back on Everest...our new Huffington Post Piece

Today was an awesome day, I got to climb and our latest Huffington Post piece was published! I am in Breckenridge, CO, enjoying this beautiful landscape and I made it to the top of Quandary Peak today (14,265 ft) alongside my friend Bill from Mt. Elbrus in Russia and my friend and tentmate Pam that was also on Everest and Elbrus! That is the highest I have been since the Everest climb. We also went on a 30 mile bike ride at 9500 ft and so my body is feeling it alright!! But it is good, because I have been working little by little to get back into shape, yet allowing my body time to heal from the climb. I can now proudly run 5 miles, which is a big step after not even being able to run 1 when I got back.

I would like to share our latest piece on the Huffington Post! This is part 1 of 2 and a look back at the Everest climb. Enjoy :) Please share with family, friends, and coworkers to help us spread the message of what is happening to women in Democratic Republic of Congo and what you can do to help!

Thank you!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georgina-miranda/everest-no-turning-back-n_b_891686.html?ref=tw

Everest: No Turning Back Now

Two months on the world's highest mountain: where do I begin?

I guess I should start with why I found myself up there to begin with. Three years ago, I decided I wanted to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, in hopes of raising support for the women and children of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), home to the world epidemic of rape and sexual violence in the world.

When I started, I would not have considered myself a "climber." I loved the mountains and hiking, but had never actually summited anything that required real mountaineering skills. Even before I had learned of what was happening in DRC, I had wanted to climb the seven summits, but it wasn't until I learned of the atrocities committed against women and girls that I found the fuel to make me do it.

I haven't turned back since.

When I embarked on Everest, I had five of the seven summits behind me, but everything about this mountain, both physically and emotionally, was on a whole other level. Through every step, camp, and decision, I came to understand myself differently, and felt an endless fulfilment and motivation in what got me to this place, regardless of what happened along the way.

When you climb Everest, you climb it not once, but many times. We began our trek down the valley at Lukla (9,383 ft.) and climbed over seven days to Everest Base Camp at 17,700 feet. Once at Base Camp, you make the same venture up and down the valley several other times, mostly for altitude recovery. You also shuffle up and down from different camps along Everest to acclimate. By the end, we climbed the ice fall -- one of the most dangerous parts of Everest -- four different times: the first to reach one-quarter of the way up, the second to reach Camp 1, the third to reach Camp 2, and the fourth to attempt the summit.

Each ice fall climb was a different experience. It was important to set off through the ice fall before 5 a.m., so that you didn't risk getting caught on the ice in the heat of the day, when there's a higher risk for avalanches or for the ice to shift or break off. This often meant that some of my time on the ice fall was bitterly cold, while other times I thought I was going to cook right there on the glacier. There were times my body felt great and I could move quickly, other times I could barely muster the energy to reach the next camp.

For two months, I played a mental game with myself. Each time I reached a new camp, I felt a surge in confidence. Even though I had trained and prepared for this climb, both mentally and physically, Everest has a way of knocking you down, and you have to fight to not get psyched out and discouraged.

Honestly, it did not help that I was not the fastest on the team. Some days I felt invincible, and some days I felt like I hadn't trained a day out of my life and I was out of my league. The altitude was a constant struggle and it amplified the effects of all of the other factors that determine how well you climb -- sleep, hydration, food. I never took for granted any given day that I felt well up there, and I hope to keep that gratitude now that I am back in the comforts of home.

Reaching Camp 3 (24,500 ft.) was a high point, and I really felt that I had a good shot at the summit. We were a smaller team, after having lost some of our strongest climbers to illness. I had survived a painful, 11-hour climb to Camp 2 and what felt like 100-degree temperatures on the glacier. My tent was shredded at 2:30 a.m. at Camp 2 from 70+ mph winds (thankfully our guides let us use their tent), and at one point I had the energy to do yoga at 21,300 ft.

Camp 3 is probably the most dangerous of the four camps. If you leave your tent, you have to clip into a safety tent so that you do not slide down the Lhotse Face. But that was not the only reason I was anxious: from this point, you have one more camp to reach, the South Col, before you attempt the summit. I had about 48 hours to go until I was on my summit bid.

I had come too far, experienced too much, to not reach the top. I did not want to let anyone down, including myself. My two months on the mountain had already changed me and I was starting to view life differently. Above all, I was charged to be doing this for the women of DRC, and pursuing a dream that seemed impossible.

There was no turning back now.

Stay tuned for more diaries from my trip to Everest for the women and children of DRC. To support my campaign, Climb Take Action Seven Summits, click here. Every cent of your donation will go to International Medical Corps and VDAY, two organizations providing humanitarian relief in the Congo.