The Canadian mountain climber talks about her new book and life after summiting Mount Everest.
Sharon Wood made history in 1986, when she became the first North American woman to successfully climb Mount Everest. Since then, she’s become a speaker and author, and reignited her passion for mountain guiding. Here, Wood discusses life after reaching the summit, and her new book, Rising: Becoming the First North American Woman on Everest, in stores across the country on Oct. 1.
On the aftermath of climbing Everest
The physical recovery was really fun. I ate a lot and felt like a superwoman because I had acclimatized to about 7,000 metres above sea level. The not-so-fun part was the public attention. I never set out to become the first North American woman to climb Mount Everest. It seemed as though everyone had their story already written — that I was over-the-moon happy about reaching the top — when, in fact, I was grieving the loss of that dream. When I reached the top, it was over.
On being uncomfortable in the limelight
This story is from the September-October 2019 edition of Canadian Geographic.
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This story is from the September-October 2019 edition of Canadian Geographic.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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