We can honestly say that Denali is a very tough and unforgiving mountain. For much of the expedition, the prospects of us actually making the summit looked very grim due to poor weather conditions. It took us 4 days to get on to the glacier to start the expedition, and then we were hit with more bad weather at 14,000ft camp. On an expedition like this, you only have 5-7 bad weather days up your sleeve to make a push for the summit.

After a few days of poor weather at 14,000ft camp, lady luck smiled upon giving us a weather break to move to 17,000ft camp, where we had a day’s rest. The following day presented us with a reasonable summit window, so we went for it. It is fairly unusual on Denali to get a clean run from 14,000ft camp, to 17,000ft camp and then have the right weather and snow conditions for a summit attempt. Many teams wait for days at 17,000ft camp for the right weather and snow conditions for a summit attempt given the instability of the weather at that high altitude. We definitely had some luck on our side.

Standing on the summit of this great mountain was an overwhelming experience. Given that we were constantly facing the prospect of not making it to the summit, we felt both very privileged, as well as perhaps even relieved that we would not have to make a return journey to have another go at this great mountain.

The completion of Denali which was mountain number No.5, now puts us on a collision course with the mighty Mt Everest on our quest to complete the ‘7 Summits’……….stay tuned.

The SPOT Device location map is viewed using the SPOT device locator page using Google Maps where you can toggle between various map types……personally, I love the satellite map view.

If you would like to follow our progress through the SPOT device locator page and Google Maps, please go to the link below.

Click on Link - Mt McKinley (Denali) Expedition “Live” Tracking Page

Click on Map to Enlarge

Press Release – Pint Sized Hero Raising Mountain Trekkers to the Top of the World

Tianna Zilifian is not your ordinary little girl, before she reached the age of 5; she had already been in the struggle of her short lifetime.

Late last year, as her parents Aleen and Ara watched their little girl’s health deteriorate before their eyes, the team at The Children’s Hospital moved Tianna into the priority one position on the transplant list. Tianna’s liver had begun to fail due to Biliary Atresia (liver disease).

Darren Wise and best mate Shane Pophfer first met Tianna after returning from their fundraising climb, which took them to the top of two of the world’s highest peaks, Mt Aconcagua in South America (22,841ft) and Mt Elbrus in Russia (18,442ft).

“It was a heart wrenching moment. We agreed we would climb the mountains again ten times if it would change Tianna’s life tomorrow – she touched our hearts. Moments like these really put life into perspective. Shane and I are not the brave ones… it is these children and their parents who face the daily battles and uncertainties through little choice of their own.”

This year the two mountain men have set their sights on greater things and will embark on the arduous and difficult terrain of Denali, Mt McKinley, in Alaska, as they continue with their aim to climb the world’s seven highest peaks. Darren and Shane aim to raise $16,000 for the hospital to purchase insulin pumps which will aid in the glucose control of sick children.

“Tianna has changed the way we both look at the world – she is a tangible measure of why we are encouraged to put our lives in danger to raise money for the hospital. We’ve kept in contact with little Tianna, and her progress, she is an absolute inspiration to us. The mountains we climb don’t compare to the mountain Tianna and many others like her have had to endure”

Tianna will be back in the hospital’s Outpatient Clinic on the 29^thMarch for a routine check-up post transplant. Darren and Shane will be reunited with little Tianna on the day and have affectionately named her – their climb mascot.

Press invited to attend for photographs & interviews by prior arrangement:

Rochelle Jeffery, Media Contact. (m) 0488 990 991

We will continue our journey of tackling Mt McKinley (Alaska), also known as Denali next June. Denali is regarded as perhaps the coldest mountain on earth and a difficult climb.

Shane is missing in the Mt Aconcagua summit photos as we had to split the team on summit day to rescue a female climber who became stranded high on the mountain after falling on her decent the previous day. She had frostbite and mild cerebral edema from being stranded at such a high altitude all night, but the quick actions of Shane and our guide ensured she was able to descend the mountain in safety.  

We think in the end we flew over 29,000 miles around the world, and climbed over 45,000 feet including the cache carries up the mountains over the 5 week expedition. We have some exciting stories to share from the expedition, as well as some insight into what we experienced during the summit days on the mountains. We plan to post these stories up over the coming months.

We would like to thank the Doyalson-Wyee RSL Sub branch, as well as Art Equity who supported us on this expedition. We look forward to their continued valuable support on our remaining expeditions.

Mt Elbrus - Russia (18,442 feet). Flying the Australian Returned Services League (RSL) Flag who were expedition sponsors.

Mt Elbrus - Russia (18,442 feet). Flying the Art Equity banner who were expedition sponsors.

Mt Aconcagua - South America (22,834 feet). Flying the Australian Returned Services League (RSL) Flag who were expedition sponsors.

Mt Aconcagua - South America (22,834 feet). Flying the Art Equity banner who were expedition sponsors.

We are ready to go!!!

A similar headline was used by one media outlet in the lead up to our latest expedition. It certainly sums up the challenge ahead of us over the next six weeks.

Shane and I head off tomorrow morning but you can follow our progress at www.darrenwise.com.au  Our updates will keep you on the edge of your seats, but we hope they will also give a laugh and even inspire you to pursue your goals and dreams.

Many people ask us why we would put ourselves through such a tough physical challenge: not one, but two peaks in six weeks.

There are a few reasons, but first we want to thank everyone who has supported us leading up to this expedition.

Special thanks and love go to our families. When you are pursuing your goals and dreams, it is those closest to you who give the most encouragement and support – they are the wings beneath your wings.

We are very fortunate to have massive gusts of wind beneath our wings, and we are so grateful for that. Our families know us and understand that our adventurous streaks must come out and play from time to time, and they respect that.

We would also like to thank everyone who donated to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Your support has gone a long way in assisting the hospital to provide better care and facilities to help the sick and injured children who are admitted every day.

As we have said all along, the children are our heroes: they deal with pain, adversity and the fear of the unknown every day. To us, they are little brave warriors.

Special thanks to Art Equity

The donation facility will stay open until April 7, 2010, during our expedition. If you would like to make a further donation, or know of others who might support our cause, please pass on the following link.

 http://www.everydayhero.com.au/corporatemonk

We would also like to convey a very special thanks to Raj and the team at Art Equity. Art Equity has generously supported our expedition and cause by donating a beautiful painting that will be raffled during our expedition, with all the proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. We have recently gone through a global financial crisis, but it is generous gestures like this that bring us back to reality and remind us that we can always find a way to help others. Once again, thank you Art Equity. You can find out more about Art Equity at the following link: http://www.artequity.com.au/

The first reason we’re taking on this challenge is one not widely known, but in reality is it how this whole dream to complete the 7 Summits began.

It is my main motivation. Tragically, my sister Sharon was knocked off her bike and killed by a drunk driver when she was aged 12. It is one of those moments in your life that you never forget, but you can chose to move forward with your life and empower yourself with the emotions.

Sharon’s life was cut short before it had really begun. I decided it was up to me to live with enough passion for both of us, and to celebrate life.

Many people have lost loved ones in tragic and unfortunates circumstances, but I think the best thing we can do is to carry on their memory,   to live life with passion,   never forget and remember often, but leave the burden of the loss behind and move forward. As Terry Hawkins would say, “be a STICKMAN, not a pitman”.

About four years ago, I told Shane that I wanted to climb Mt Everest and carry a locket of Sharon to the top – to leave it at the roof of the world. The summit of Mt Everest is a special place on earth that very few visit and I could think of no better place on earth to leave the locket – what a beautiful view of the world.

So, closure for me will be to complete the 7 Summits, to show Sharon how much I love her and miss her, and that she will always be part of my life.

In life it is not about how hard you hit

It’s about how hard you can get hit

How much you can take

And keep moving forward

That’s how winning is done

So next time you feel that life is getting a bit tough, ask yourself the simple question: “Am I a winner?”

The second reason is that I believe adventures, challenges and the unknown are part of the journey of self discovery and personal growth. We commonly call it stepping outside our comfort zone. We achieve personal growth and forward momentum in life when we discover and learn new depths of our own inner character.

It is said that the greatest leaders are born when the headwinds are the strongest. Much of our character, self-belief, confidence and overcoming our fears are developed through our life experiences.

It is difficult to learn and develop these character traits through a text-book.

Life experiences and stepping into the unknown go a long way toward answering the following questions.

1. How do you handle adversity when times get tough?
2. What are your fears?
3. Can you grow beyond and conquer your fears?
4. Are you are team player?
5. Are you a leader?
6. Are you confident?
7. Do you have self-believe and motivated to succeed?
8. Are you persistent?
9. When would you, or would you give up?

The above list is not exhaustive, but these questions can be answered the more you experience in life and the more you step outside your comfort zone. Unfortunately, most of the questions cannot all be answered when times are good and easy, many of these questions are answered when the times in your life or the surrounding environment is the toughest. The more you answer and the deeper you delve into your own heart and soul, the more you will discover about yourself and life.

I think the quote below about sums it up.

“It’s not the mountains we conquer – but ourselves”.  Sir Edmund Hillary.

Both Shane and I have had our own fair share of adversities and challenges in our lives. It has definitely not been smooth sailing, but we have always found the strength to rise above and fight on.

In the end, we are the sum of all our experiences. On our last days, not too much will matter other than the reflection of your own life and how you lead it. Shane and I dream big, but everyone can dream big, you just need the motivation and the passion to make it happen.

Australian RSL flag is making the journey

I coined the quote, “dreams without actions are just illusions”. If you want something in life, fight for it and be passionate and persistent, but more importantly … take ACTION, if you don’t, it is just an illusion built on false hope.

Dreams without action will burn the motivation candle for a while, but then life will fall back into the same routine. If you want to change something in your life or fulfill a goal or a dream, just do it, take action, own it and remember…. ‘NO EXCUSES”   

Setting and completing challenging goals in your life develops habits of motivation, dedication, passion, persistence and overcoming fear. Completing goals also increases your level of confidence and self-belief. You will find that these character traits are required to achieve success in any part of your life or business, no matter what your goals or dreams are.

The third reason is that through “extreme” adventures, we can help others along the way.

With this expedition, we have thrown our support behind the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. We are still waiting on confirmation of a couple of deals, where we receive donations based on the metres we climb, but we are hopeful that we will raise a significant sum.

Everyday Hero web portal will remain open during our expedition, so we are hoping more donations will flow in to help the hospital.

If you can make a donation, or know others that may like to support our cause, please go to the following link: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/corporatemonk

Live Large,

Darren and Shane

 By Fabian De Marco

What do we all have in Common?

Did you know that the successful millionaire and the corner homeless man have lots in common?

Did you know that the club who wins the UEFA Champions League (hopefully Inter Milan in 2010) and the club who is knocked out first round have lots in common?

Did you know that the Managing Director of a Multi National Corporation and the office cleaner both have lots in common?

Did you know that a Professional Athlete and an Amateur Athlete both have lots in common?

You see that each of the above have all experienced extreme frustration at some point in their life, each of the above have all experienced incredible pain, extreme doubt, temporary defeat, criticism, anger at their own circumstances, and most importantly, at some point each of the above made a definitive choice.

Millionaires, Champions, Managing Directors, Professional Athletes will always respond to what life throws at them, whilst others will always react!

A sick patient may either have an allergic “reaction” to treatment or will they will “respond” well to it – It has taken a while for the penny to finally drop for me on this one but I have began to realise that in order to achieve what we want in life, we must get into the habit of “responding” to what life throws at us instead of simply “reacting.”

Have you been “responding” or “reacting” lately?

 By Fabian De Marco

When Do Real Champions Emerge? 

Something occurred to me recently that really got me thinking. Take a second to think back to the last time you ran in a race, what usually happens as you approach the finish line? If you’re anything like me you’re usually buggered, so as you get closer to the end you subconsciously begin to slow down.

Sound about right?

Next time you’re watching a Melbourne cup race observe how the real champion does not usually emerge until the final straight. Why is this?

I have started to observe a common characteristic amongst those at the top of the success tree. As they approach the finish line, instead of slowing down, they actually dramatically increase their activity, discipline and effort.

“Next time the clock reads 4:30pm and you’re thinking about slowing down, remember it is in these moments that the real champions emerge.”