I have always enjoyed reading or watching stories of remarkable individuals, the ordinary to the extraordinary, the impossible to the possible because it inspires me. Stories that bring us optimism, hope and courage. Sometimes, seeing is believing and when a spark is ignited within us, we learn and grow within ourselves that our ability to respond is limitless.
Junko Tabei was a petite woman only at 147cm tall, considered short to become a mountaineer. Way back then in Japan, climbing wasn’t something women did and she was constantly criticised for her choices. Yet, she was determined and conquered mountains all over the world including every continent’s highest peak.
She climbed her first mountain at the age of 10 and she was hooked. Against gender stereotypes, she went on to become the world’s first woman ever to climb Mount Everest and also survived an avalanche on her way up the summit. Amazingly, she was also the first woman to climb the tallest peaks on each continent – collectively known as the Seven Summits. By the age of 69, she climbed 160 mountains.
On her climbs, she became acutely aware of the environmental impact of mountaineers and she pursued a postgraduate study on it and actively campaigned for sustainable mountaineering.
Our ability to respond is limitless. #LimitlessResponseAbility