Over 50 years ago, Jim Whittaker became the first American to summit Mount Everest. In his own words, he did not conquer Everest, “You never conquer a mountain. Mountains can’t be conquered; you conquer yourself.” You’ve probably read his most famous quote in a meme or on a t-shirt, “If you aren’t living on the edge, you are taking up too much space.” His biography is titled A Life on the Edge.
Most Fridays we post a photo of someone enjoying the edge in Arkansas. People wading across an almost frozen creek as they head out on a 50 kilometer trail run in mid-February or doing a “Superman” on their bike in the middle of an Alley Cat race, even someone chomping into a huge cupcake after a bike ride with friends. You can see many of our Friday posts on our Pinterest page.
Jim Whittaker is a guy who has lived the Friday feeling on a daily basis. In this short video, he narrates over footage of some of his accomplishments and travels all while reminding us to search out our own edges, to conquer ourselves.
A Life Well Lived | Jim Whittaker & 50 Years of Everest from eric becker on Vimeo.
So head out this weekend and have a good time. Send us photos of yourself and/or your friends summiting a local mountain, kicking up your heels on a run, doing a wheelie down the street or a paddle over a ledge. Go explore the Natural State and bring back the stories or a pictures and share them with us (joe@arkansasoutside.com). Your story may end up featured on Arkansas Outside.
(Thanks to Arkansas Outside friend, Steve Erickson, for sharing the video with us.)
