22
Almond Facts
JULY | AUGUST 2017
FEATURE
Arvin Man Summits Mount Everest
It all started with his dad.
For 31-year-old Arvin native
John Stenderup, a passion for
hiking started with his dad
ten years ago.
But what began as local hikes quickly
turned into “climbing, ice climbing,
rock climbing mountaineering,
anything out doors...being in the
mountains is where I want to be,”
explained Stenderup.
So after conquering Mt. Whitney,
Mt. Rainier, the Andes and more,
Stenderup set his sights on Everest.
Sitting over 29,000 feet above sea
level, Mt. Everest’s peak is the
highest on earth.
A dangerous and daunting journey in
the Himalayan mountains.
“People hear ‘Everest,’ and they’re
saying goodbye to you like they’re
never going to see you ever again,”
observed Stenderup.
On March 30th with a group of 15
including his best friend Geoff, they
were off to Nepal to head to Everest
base camp.
Stenderup’s father Kent, made the
trip to base camp as well to see his
son off.
And then came weeks of hiking
through a “maze of giant ice
hazards.”
Crossing ladders dangling over
hundred foot drops, sleeping in tents,
needing oxygen masks as their bodies
adjusted to the altitude.
“Throughout the course of the
night we would hear four or five
avalanches which sounded like a
train wreck,” said Stenderup.
But nothing could prepare him for
the final summit.
“We started climbing up and about
two hours in we came across a man.
He was suffering from hypothermia,
and we spent about 30 minutes trying
to help him and realized he was too
far gone. We came about 50 yards
later there was another gentleman
who was also suffering from
hypothermia...fluid in the lungs, and
we actually participated in a rescue of
him,” said Stenderup.
A sobering reality of the challenges of
Everest. But the end was in sight.
“After 40 days of climbing we spent
5 minutes at the summit,” recalled
Stenderup.
Worth it he says, without a doubt.
“I stood at a point where only 4400
people in the entire world in the past
65 years have stood,” he reflected.
A testament to a favorite motto he
lives by.
“It’s a quote by Helen Keller, life is
either a daring adventure or nothing
at all,” said Stenderup.
If you want to read more of
Stenderup’s incredible journey,
you can check out his blog at
johnstenderup.com.
Editor’s note – This story was
originally published by Danny
Freeman, 17 News, KGET, and
is being reprinted with permission.
Readers can also watch the video at
.
Grower-owner Kent Stenderup’s
son, John, proudly displays
Blue
Diamond’s
colors at the peak of
Earth’s highest mountain.
