Friends in the High Places

I’m Tom Mays, and I am living the dream!  I have a great wife and son who light my day with their smiles, my family is healthy and happy, I have a job that I love, working in an exciting industry with people who inspire me every day, and I’m living my dream of trying to climb the “7 summits”, the highest peak on every continent.

In May/June 2008 I summited Denali (also known as Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, considered the 2^nd hardest of the 7) via the West Buttress route.  In Jan/Feb 2009 I summited Aconcagua (the highest peak in South America, as well as the southern and western hemispheres, considered the 3^rd hardest) via the Ameghino traverse route.  Up next is Everest, by far the most difficult of the 7.

In preparation for climbing Everest in the spring of 2012, I am headed to Nepal in the spring of 2011 to attempt to climb Lhotse, the world’s 4^th highest peak.  I am fortunate to have climbed both Denali and Aconcagua with Mark Postle, a renowned high altitude mountain guide, and we’ll be attempting Lhotse together this year.

So why, if my life is so great, would I leave the sun and warmth of South Florida for months to go risk my life on a cold mountain?  As far as risk goes, I may be safer on the mountain than my daily 2-hour round trip commute to Miami on I-95!  Seriously though, risk on the mountain can be mitigated by proper timing, planning, protection and focus.  By gaining knowledge and experience in the mountains, you learn to understand the risks.  Once you can identify the risks, you can try to mitigate that risk by protecting the route, moving quickly through hazardous areas, or starting earlier or later.

As far as why I leave all the comforts of home, there are many reasons.  I find that I accomplish the most when I have a specific goal.  I also find that mountaineering reminds me to appreciate what most of us overlook in our daily lives.  Simple things like cotton sheets, a hot shower, being able to run to the store for whatever we want, pretty much whenever we want it, turning on the tap and getting water that doesn’t have things floating in it.  There are many lessons that I take from each mountaineering experience, and I think it makes me a better person, husband, father, and business person.  I will try to share some of the lessons I’ve learned through this blog.  I hope you enjoy following us!