Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 29, 1995 TAG: 9508290013
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
On June 27, atop the icy summit of Mount McKinley in Alaska, Evans was standing next to the first blind person ever to make the trek, Eric Weihenmayer. A Roanoke native, Evans, 26, was part of a five-man team making the historic climb as a fund-raiser for the organization that Keller founded, the American Foundation for the Blind.
Keller's birthday was also Evans' 19th day on the highest peak in North America. The air, at 20,320 feet, was thin; Evans had lost 15 pounds; he was exhausted from the constant cold and that 15-hour summit day.
He would breathe easier when he was on solid ground again, and so would his parents, Bob and Peggy Evans of Roanoke County.
For the experienced mountaineer, watching Weihenmayer step onto the top was ``the most exhilarating moment of my life.''
``It was so inspiring to be 20 feet behind a blind guy on one of the highest mountains in the world,'' Evans said. ``We all hugged and cried for a few minutes, then stopped because it wasn't good for our breathing.''
Their surroundings demanded their vigilance.
A helicopter carrying Weihenmayer's family flew overhead. The group waved as his dad shot video footage that was later broadcast on ``The NBC Nightly News.'' Then, the men began their descent.
``The first thing I did when I got off the mountain was eat something other than freeze-dried food; then I showered,'' Evans chuckled in a telephone interview last week from his parents' home
There's a certain emotional letdown on reaching a peak, mountain or not, almost at the same moment of the high in attaining the goal. ``Once we reached the summit, we all just wanted to get down. Emotionally, everything erupted at the top. We had done what we set out to do.''
The summer was a particularly unforgiving one on Mount McKinley. One foreign climber died; several were injured in a number of mishaps. ``Almost all the accidents were with Europeans,'' Evans commented. ``Sometimes there's a lack of respect for the mountain. American climbers realize how impressive and intense Mount McKinley is because of its proximity to the Arctic Circle and the thinness of the air.''
Evans' mother was not so matter-of-fact. ``There were a lot of accidents on the mountain this summer,'' she said, happy to feel relieved, ``and I somehow managed to hear about every one of them.''
At 17,000 feet, an overnight snowfall dumped five feet of snow on the climbers, leaving them with no choice but to dig out, acclimate and rest.
An earthquake woke them in the middle of one night. Avalanches are the mountain's response.
``There was a period of time when we saw two or three avalanches every hour,'' Evans said. ``Sometimes we felt the wind,'' which can reach 250 miles an hour.
Knowing how to read the mountain is essential to survival.
``There were moments when we all had to be very, very careful and let Eric know if he fell, he would take us all with him. Our motto became `Falling is not an option.'''
Perhaps there is power in positive thinking.
There were times when Evans felt a need to tell Weihenmayer what he was experiencing. On the other hand, losing one sense enhances others; Weihenmayer heard and smelled things the rest of the group was oblivious to.
``He would point something out, like feeling the change in temperature when the sun dropped behind a ridge,'' Evans marveled, ``and he could feel the moisture in the air before a storm.''
The AFB did not meet its goal, monetarily, but feels its campaign to increase awareness of the often-untapped potential of the blind was successful, said Evans. Coverage of the event stretched from Anchorage to the ``Today'' show in New York, to CNN, Tom Brokaw, Sports Illustrated, climbing magazines and even the U.S. Senate. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole highlighted the climb and read the team members' names on the Senate floor.
``Hopefully, when someone recalls this story, they won't hesitate to hire a blind person or give them an opportunity,'' he said.
The AFB is planning to send the same team in 1997 to Aconcagua, at 22,835 feet. South America's highest peak is also Evans' next goal in his quest for ever-higher summits. Next summer, though, he plans to return to Denali, as Mount McKinley is called by Alaskan natives.
``I'll always be climbing mountains,'' Evans said. ``It's just what I do.''
During his visit here, Evans and his brother climbed together in the New River Gorge, as they have many times before. ``It was relaxing,'' Evans said. ``It was so nice to climb on rock with the sun on your back, so nice to get back from whence I came.''
by CNB