Verona Native Climbs Everest, Pursues the Seven Summits

From the time Pamela Pappas started mountain climbing five years ago, she was hooked.

Pappas, a Verona native and 1988 Riverview High School grad, always has been an avid hiker. When she joined a group of Tampa climbers—she currently lives in Tampa—at Mexican peak Pico de Orizaba, it fueled her love for the sport.

"I knew nothing about Alpine climbing and I didn't summit," she said. "But, after that, I was addicted. It's a sport that combines adrenaline, skill, athleticism, the outdoors and traveling. I love it. I love the mountains."

Pappas, 40, said she participates in about three big climbs each year all around the world.

"I am pursuing the seven summits, which involves climbing the highest peak on each continent," she said. "I only have one left, a small mountain in Australia called Kosciusko, which I plan to climb in the spring."

This spring, Pappas climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the planet with a peak of 29,029 feet above sea level. She was one of three people—and the only female—from her 13-member group to summit.

"I estimate that I am the 132nd female to summit Everest," Pappas said.

The ascent and descent took 50 days—the hikers began their travels from the city Kathmandu in Nepal.

"Everest is on every Alpine climber's list of must-do mountains, primarily because it is the highest on the planet and can offer you some extreme conditions," Pappas said. "For me, mountain climbing tests my resolve and challenges my body. You are constantly forced to dig deep and are always surprised what reserves your  body has and what you are able to endure. You become stronger with every climb, mentally and physically."

Though it's extreme and challenging, climbing brings out a person's survival instincts, Pappas said.

"You are on the edge every day, making decisions that can preserve or end your life," she said. "It is an extreme sport in that the consequences of your mistakes can be serious injury or death. Every day is unpredictable and you have to be strong and smart to survive. Mother nature doesn't let you get away with very much."

Those are the thing that might deter people from mountain climbing, Pappas said, but those are the things that draw her to the sport.

"I dealt with extreme cold, oxygen deprivation, nausea, exhaustion, death of climbers, fear, discomfort and a lot of other challenges," she said. "Every climbing day, I gear up, get out of my tent and start to climb. I don't think about stopping or turning around unless there is a real danger— like a serious injury, bad weather or a fall.

"I concentrate on the process of climbing, and I actually enjoy the rhythm of kicking in steps, clipping into ropes and swinging my ice axe. It's fun for me."

It took a lot of training and preparation for Pappas to get ready for the climb. Training included weighted stair climbing—an hour and a half on a stair climber or stair well with a 50-pound barbell or 70-pound backpack while wearing climbing boots—and limited breathing exercises—jumping rope while breathing through a straw.

Pappas was training three hours each day and taking a day off from her job as a nuclear pharmacist to train. The day off was dedicated to 10 hours of training—running, biking and hiking with the weighted pack—to ensure she had enough energy on long climbing days.

If the extreme conditions and training aren't attractive to someone, it doesn't mean they can't be a mountain climber. Pappas suggests that anyone interested in pursuing the sport take a basic mountaineering course in Washington state or Alaska.

"You don't have to climb Everest to be a mountain climber," she said. "There are mountains for every skill level. Humans are designed to hike and climb in the outdoors. You don't need a special skill, just fitness and a strong desire to do it."

Once she finishes with the seven summits, Pappas said she'd like to train in Peru and Bolivia. She also would like to climb other mountains around the world with steep and tricky terrain.

"There are quite a few awesome technical ascents that are not the highest mountains in the world, but are very challenging in a different way," Pappas said. "Imagine sleeping in a bivy sack (waterproof shelter) that is ice screwed into the side of a vertical icefall. Fantastic!"