Canadian mountain climber Jill Wheatley was recently in Pakistan enjoying 3 months of sightseeing, trekking, and conquering.
With just 30% of visibility, Wheatley and her group took on the challenge to 14 peaks, which are above 8000m (Vision 8000), and break the stigma associated with traumatic brain injury, vision loss, and eating disorders.
Moreover, she is the first Canadian female mountaineer to summit Dhaulagiri and Kanchenjunga; 1 of only 2 to summit 4 * 8000 in Nepal. Both K2 and Nanga Parbat were on her list for Pakistan.
Mountains allow me to make sense of the chaos that surfaces among crowds and questions, stares, cities. from tales of getting lost to finding myself at Manaslu. And then climbing up to the serene summit of Manaslu. The challenge of climbing 8000+ peaks is not tough as the traumatic challenge I went through. Challenging the mountains of my mind – Jill Wheatley
Wheatley summited Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, and Makalu this past spring, this particular order means she is getting through the hard ones first. Usually, the climbers who start with Nanga Parbat have to hurry to finish K2 and Broad Peak before unstable weather hits Karakoram in August.
Apart from the usual risks and hardships, climbers added the unpredictable Karakoram weather, no rescue helicopters, or such resources to their list of challenges.
“I am so grateful I made it last year! This season, the peak may be too crowded,” Wheatley said.
Leaving the city behind ….next stop #K2https://t.co/e0iOC54tIX#Pakistan #14peaks #broadpeak #nangaparbat #skardu @GB_Jannatt #Balistan pic.twitter.com/IktXUMHEmB
— Jill Wheatley (@mtnsofmymind) June 20, 2022
Jill Wheatley is not only a mountaineer but also a mountain runner, ice climber, and ski mountaineer. Her golden words of ‘challenging the mountains of my mind are so inspirational. Women like her have the power of ignition to enlighten generations.
She took it to Twitter to share her journey, with her last tweet in Pakistan being:
Nanga Parbat ~ thanks for the reminders of the way life doesn’t always go the way we anticipate. I walk away embracing the serendipity to be found in the chapter; the entire team is safe & I will return for an extended stay in #Pakistan where I feel so welcome.
Nanga Parbat ~ thanks for the reminders of the way life doesn’t always go the way we anticipate. I walk away embracing the serendipity to be found in the chapter; the entire team is safe & I will return for an extended stay in #Pakistan where I feel so welcome.#visuallyimpaired pic.twitter.com/7IcCo4MvaD
— Jill Wheatley (@mtnsofmymind) September 2, 2022
We wish Jill Wheatley massive success in all her summits and hope she returns to Pakistan soon.
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