“Enlightenment isn’t found with a full stomach, or on a soft pillow.”
“The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters.”
“I think, as a young guy, I was always drawn to being in wild places. Climbing was a logical extension of that.”
“Mountains are freedom. Treat them respectfully.”
“It’s more of an adventure when you set off into unknown territory, and there’s nothing like that feeling you get when you discover a place on the Earth where no one has ever been.”
“The mountains are a demanding, cold place, and they don’t allow for mistakes.”
“Perhaps you could say that mountaineers are driven by ego or our competitiveness, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Whether it’s a huge face in the Himalaya or some crag in the woods behind your house, exploration offers us a unique perspective on the world that you can’t really find anywhere else.”
“Climbing, as my grandmother said, it’s a pretty frivolous thing. She always wondered when I was going to get a real job. But climbing is a real job for me now, and I enjoy it. It’s a gift that I’m able to do it, share adventure and motivation with people.”
“Meru is the culmination of all I’ve done and all I’ve wanted to do.”
4 years old on the island of Kauai…..I’ve had lots of interest come and go but I’ve never stopped climbing. rocks. trees, fences, buildings, no matter what it is I have to climb it.
Sonoran Desert
Jimmy Chin
Alex Honnold