“The 750 Club”

by Manoj Vora, M.D.

 

 

It was love at first sight. I was a teenager trekking in the Himalayas of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. The sight of snowclad jagged peaks for as far as the eye can see would remain etched permanently in my brain.

 

Fast forward 2 decades. In that time period, I had finished medical school in India, residency training in the U.S.A. and relocated from New York City to Upstate New York. It was an invitation from a friend to go climbing in the Adirondacks that reawakened the love of the mountains. The year was 1997. I was now 36 years old.

 

What a joy it was to climb the Adirondack High Peaks. Little did I know anything about highpointing at the time when I summited Mt. Marcy, the highest point of New York, my first high point. A family vacation in 2002 to northern Maine saw me at the top of Mt. Katahdin, my second high point.

 

It was in 2003 that I read the book, titled 7 Summits, by Dick Bass, the first human to reach the highest points of each of Earth’s 7 continents. It got me wondering if I could test myself in the high-altitude realm. Kilimanjaro was the logical choice as it did not require any technical climbing skills.

 

I went to Tanzania in January of 2004 and got to the top of Kilimanjaro at my first attempt. I was excited as I did well on that climb. I came home and reread the 7 Summits book. I settled on Aconcagua as the next challenge to tackle. I set off in February of 2005 for Argentina and Aconcagua, the stone sentinel. Again, I managed to reach the top of the highest mountain outside the Himalayan Range at my first attempt.

 

Now I was intoxicated with building excitement. I started dreaming of “7 summits in 7 years.” Little did I know what the future had in store for me. I set my sights on Denali for my next climb. I needed technical skills for Denali. Off I went to Rainier to attend a 5-day seminar right on the mountain to learn those required skills. The seminar that was held in September of 2005 saw me climbing my third state high point, Mount Rainier.

 

In June of 2006, I set off for Denali with unbridled enthusiasm. My first taste of failure awaited me. I was turned around at 14,000 feet camp by my guide. He judged that I did not have what it takes to climb high mountains. My ego was decimated. I returned home quite depressed.

 

I have always believed that only oneself should be the authority on what one is capable of. To regain back some composure of confidence, I set out to climb Elbrus in August of 2007. The ease with which I reached the summit of Elbrus helped me bolster the deep-rooted belief in myself and my climbing ability.

 

The trip to Australia was a family vacation. In February of 2008 I reached my 4^th of the 7 summits. I was joined by my wife, my daughter and my niece. That May, I returned to Denali for a second attempt. I had put together a dream team of climbers and guides. My luck ran out on summit day. Frostbitten fingers! Summiting was optional, returning alive and in one piece was mandatory.

 

When I declared that I was returning to Denali in 2009 for a third attempt, I caused a lot of concern to a lot of well-meaning members of my family. But I had a foreboding that this time it would be different. And it was. Third time certainly was the charm for me. On July 5, 2009, I led my rope team to the summit for my fourth state high point and 5^th of the 7 summits. Only Everest and Vinson to go.

 

I thought that if I could pull off Everest and Vinson in one year, I could still have my “7 summits in 7 years.” I believed that by now, having done all the climbing that I had, I had earned my right to be on the Big One. I headed off for Everest in the spring of 2010. I had signed up with an outfitter that was relatively inexpensive. The services provided on the mountain were inadequate.  One cannot climb Everest on an empty stomach and with poor logistical support. I felt unsafe to proceed beyond South Col or high camp and decided to turn around. So much for a year of training, a lot of money and nearly one and a half month on the mountain.

 

I had now given up the 7-summit dream. In the fall of 2010, my climbing friend called me and insisted that I go to Antarctica with him. So, after getting approval from my wife and making the needed arrangements for coverage of my private medical practice, I headed off to the southern tip of Chile. And then to the blue ice runway on Antarctic ice. A 2-week expedition to the top of Mount Vinson and back. 6 summits done. 7^th for my next incarnation.

 

It was around this time that I started going into the Adirondacks for a few winter climbs with a new climbing friend. The thoughts of Everest had never left my mind. I was getting ahead in years as well. Could I even dream of returning to Everest for a second attempt? I felt a void in my life. My wife could sense it as well. When I ran the idea by her, she said she would agree but this would be it, there would never be a third time. I agreed.

 

I trained hard in the winter of 2012-13. I headed back to Everest in the spring of 2013. This time with a classy outfitter. Expensive but very much worth it for a hobby mountain climber like me. My performance was better than the previous attempt. On May 22, 2013, at 7:30 a.m. I took the final steps to the summit of Mt. Everest. The quest had ended. I became the first person of the Gujarati ethnic community of India as well as the first lifelong vegetarian to complete the 7 summits. After Vic Sahney, I was the second Indian-American to complete the 7 summits.

 

I have always climbed for the sheer joy of climbing. I continue to climb for the same reason. Now I set my sights on the Adirondacks of New York. I went ahead and completed the 46 High Peaks in 2016. It was around this time that I came across the Highpointers website. I thought what a neat idea it is to visit every state and reach its highest point.

 

In the spring of 2017, I purchased an RV from a friend with whom I had ridden a bicycle 3,700 miles across the country from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in 2015. Now, I merged the ideas of traveling in the RV and reaching the highest points of the states.

 

In July of 2018, I set out on my first RV highpointing trip. On this weeklong trip across the Northeastern states, I managed to get 7 more state high points: New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. The RV enhanced my joy. I had a home to return to after each climb, clean clothes, food and drink. My own bed and a clean bathroom. My count had now risen to 11/50.

 

I convinced my wife to join me on the next RV adventure. This time we set out for the Southeastern states in September of 2018. This trip saw me on the highest points of 9 states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. My count was now 20/50. My wife’s count went up to 8/50.

 

A solo climb of Mount Hood in May of 2019 raised my count to 21/50. Climbing Mount Hood was a test of sorts for me. So far, I had been professionally guided up technical and high mountains. It felt like I was buying my way to the tops of high mountains. I wanted to stop feeling that way. I felt that it was time for me to put my skills and experience to the test. The Pearly Gates of Mount Hood put me through that test. I enjoyed the climb and returned safely.

 

Then came my first Konvention in July of 2019. I jumped in my RV and planned a Midwest climbing spree after the Konvention. I requested and was allowed to make a presentation about my 7 summits at the Konvention. I thanked the organizers for that. I enjoy sharing my climbing stories with likeminded people. My badge of 21/50 did not earn much respect from the attendees. I knew I had to work harder in the coming months.

 

That trip in the summer of 2019 saw me add 10 more high points: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. My count had risen to 31/50. I still had the deep south and 9 of the big ones out west to go as well as Hawaii.

 

The planning kicked into high gear. A 2-week December 2019 vacation to cover the deep south. Again, I jumped into my RV which I had named “Dad’s Dream” after my deceased father who was one of the biggest dreamers of his generation. I would like to believe that he has joined me on these journeys in spirit form. This trip saw me add 9 more high points to my growing list: Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. My count was now 40/50. 9 big ones out west and Hawaii to go.

 

In March of 2020, I finished climbing the Adirondack Winter 46. This involved climbing the 46 High Peaks between December 21^st and March 21^st, the harshest winter months in Northern New York. There were days when the temperatures were negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit.     

 

I spent hundreds of hours planning my next RV trip to cover the 9 western high points. My 22-year-old nephew joined me for the first 2 weeks of a 4-week RV adventure. I drove from New York to Colorado in 2 days to begin the climbing adventure. On 7/5/20 we tagged the high point of Colorado, Mt. Elbert. Then came Wheeler Peak in New Mexico on 7/7/20. After enjoying the night sky from the International Dark Sky Park in Arizona, we tagged the high point of Arizona, Humphreys Peak on 7/9/20. An overnight tenting trip saw us both get to the high point of Utah, Kings Peak on 7/11/20. My nephew had never worn crampons in his life. We had to abort our attempt of Gannett Peak via Titcomb Basin/Bonney Pass. We turned around from more than halfway up Bonney Pass. My nephew’s time with me was up. I dropped him off at the Bozeman airport and made a beeline back to Gannett.

 

My second attempt at Gannett Peak, the high point of Wyoming was successful. I used the Glacier Trail approach this time. I summited on 7/19/20. Then I was on my way to Granite Peak in Montana. I had fallen a little behind on my planned schedule and felt a bit of urgency. I went up to Lower Aero Lake and was planning a long summit day for the following day. Not to be. I was tenting on a grassy patch which just so happened to be the grazing ground for the mountain goats. They kept me up all night rubbing against my tent walls. I made a beeline out of there the next morning after a sleepless, fitful night.

 

Westwards to Idaho, COR (chicken out ridge) and Borah Peak. On 7/23/20, I reached the Idaho high point in style. I was fully acclimatized by now, having spent so much time at high altitude, and attempting some difficult climbs. 7/25/20 saw me on the top of Boundary Peak, the high point of Nevada. I made a new friend on Boundary Peak with whom I would later climb Granite, not once, but twice. On 7/27/20, I set foot on the highest point in the lower 48, Mt. Whitney in California. I did it in a single push and even got to help a damsel in distress. I had now carved out a couple of additional days for a second attempt of Granite from the FTD (froze to death) plateau.

 

The new friend from Boundary met me at the Mystic Lake trailhead as we headed up for the climb. Near tree line, we got caught in a fierce thunderstorm. Lightning bolts crashing around us, lashing rain, hail and thunder loud enough to rupture your eardrums. I rolled up into a ball and trembled with fear. I said to my friend that if I am alive at the end of this storm, I am out of here. He agreed. The storm ended and we hightailed it out of there. The Mountain Gods had spoken, and I always listen. Granite Peak was not yet ready to receive my offerings.

 

A couple of months later, I made a quick trip to Montana. It was the Labor Day weekend. My friend from my second attempt joined me. We went up to the Sky Top Lakes. When I woke up in the night to take a leak, I smelled the smoke from the forest fires. Off to an early start and up the SW couloir. And thus, on 9/6/20, I jubilantly raised my hands on the summit slab of Granite, the high point of Montana, and my 49^th of 50 state high points. Third time was again the charm! We would learn later about the death on the mountain on 9/5/20 that explained the helicopters we saw flying around the summit. My sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.

 

This past July, I took a monthlong vacation to go climbing in Colorado. I climbed 19 of the 58 fourteeners of Colorado. I carved out 2 nights and 3 days to make a quick trip to Hawaii to climb Mauna Kea. On 7/30/21, with enormous respect in my heart, I trod on sacred ground to pay obeisance at the altar built by the Native Americans at the very top of Mauna Kea. Having offered prayers at some of the holiest sanctums around the globe, I felt no qualms going to the top despite a sign discouraging people to do so. If I had a say, I would change the sign to one that reads, “All Worshippers Are Welcome.”

 

In conclusion, it has been a wonderful journey. I have made many friends. I have been touched by the generosity of so many that I have met along the way. I would like to believe that I have also touched a few lives along the way. I am looking forward to continuing to spend time in the mountains of Colorado and elsewhere. And finally, if your highpointing journey brings you to Upstate New York, please contact me as I would love to be of help.