Growing up in Torbay, Devon, I was always an adventurous kid. I tried surfing for the first time at 13 and really enjoyed the thrill. I got into hillwalking and rock-climbing through my school, and at 17 I went on an expedition to Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest peak. It had taken us five days to get to the summit and I remember as the clouds swirled all around I had a moment of realisation that climbing mountains was what I wanted to do to.
I climbed Everest at 21, making me one of the youngest British people to do so. It was an absolutely incredible experience, which is hard to describe to others. It is so physically hard because of the altitude and the difficulty of the climb. The mental aspect of being on the mountain for two months, preparing yourself, coping every day, was also extremely tough. I remember on my first day of preparation my guide told me climbing Everest was all about the extent to which you can suffer. I laughed at the time, but he was absolutely right. It is a massive test of yourself.
The hardest part was the day of the summit. I was at Camp 4, which is at 7950m, and the final camp before climbing to the summit. This is just 50m below what climbers call the “death zone”, where there is so little oxygen that life can’t be sustained. The summit of Everest is 8848m - more than 800m above the death zone. We climbed overnight, stopping all the time to catch our breath, and at that altitude your body is screaming at you to stop, but your mind is telling you to go on. Although you are with others, it’s a very lonely experience.
We reached the summit at 8am. It’s a very strange experience – you have focused on this moment for so long, trained for a year, but it’s so exhausting and overwhelming to actually get there. There was no real sense of joy or relief. And then you have to get back down the mountain safely. We only stayed at the top for 10 minutes.
It wasn’t until two days later at Base Camp that I was able to feel a real sense of joy and achievement.
These days I have two jobs. I work at the outdoor specialist shop Tiso in Edinburgh, where I moved just over a year ago, advising people on equipment, and I do motivational speaking at schools and corporate events. Having been through such difficult physical and mental conditions I can talk to other people about overcoming challenges in life, whether that’s in education, business or whatever. I tell people to break their challenges down into one little step at a time – that’s how you climb Everest.
Next week I’ll be joining Polly Murray, the first Scottish woman to climb Everest, at Tiso’s Inspiring Women event. There’s a real under-representation of women in adventure sports, especially mountaineering. It would be great if we could inspire some other young women to give the sport a go.
My next big expedition is climbing Everest again, this time from the north side of the mountain in Tibet. It’s a different climb, colder and windier. If successful I’d be the first British woman to climb the mountain from both sides, which would be an incredible achievement.
It costs £30,000 to do the climb, which is why I’m launching a crowdfunding drive. I’d be so grateful to anyone who made a donation, no matter how small. Having the support of other people means so much to me when I am up there facing the elements – knowing that so many people believe in me keeps me going.
Mollie will speak at the Inspiring Women event at Tiso Outdoor Experience Edinburgh, Commercial Street, Leith, on Wednesday 7 October. Tickets are free.
To donate to Mollie’s Everest expedition, go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/everest-from-both-sides-first-british-woman
By Marianne Taylor
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