Earthquake didn’t stop Bart Williams from pursuing his dream
The first time Bart Williams made his attempt at the summit of the world’s highest peak, he and his group were forced to turn back after an earthquake rocked Nepal.
A year later, he returned to the base of Mt. Everest with his sights set on the top.
“There was that feeling in the air, let’s get it done, let’s make this year be a successful year,” Williams said.
On his return trip to Nepal, he could not forget the images of the aftermath of the earthquake in 2015.
“It was always in the back of my mind, and anytime somebody would rattle the tent just to get snow off of it or whatever it made me jump a bit,” Williams said.
The second attempt was a success. After a grueling and at times dangerous hike, his group reached the summit just before dawn on May 22.
The shadow of Everest loomed onto a surrounding peak as Williams and his group gazed around at the view they had come short of last year.
“The summit was everything I dreamed it would be,” Williams said. “I had a satellite phone and I called the family, said “I’m on the top of the world, I love you!”
It was a drastically different phone call than the one he made last year when he informed his family that there had been an earthquake and they were being evacuated off the mountain in helicopters.
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