Wise Words from an American Adventurer

2025 Bike City Fondo

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.

See also  UPDATE: Send It South Festival Announces Full Schedule and Ticket Details

(Thanks to Arkansas Outside friend, Steve Erickson, for sharing the video with us.)

29c6a462ba6ce02b3b928506c327ddfc

Bike Bentonville

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *