{"id":40948,"date":"2022-04-27T21:33:32","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T03:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-leader-of-historic-everest-expedition-prepares-for-climb\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:58:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:58:05","slug":"cortez-leader-of-historic-everest-expedition-prepares-for-climb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-leader-of-historic-everest-expedition-prepares-for-climb\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez leader of historic Everest expedition prepares for climb"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The
The Full Circle Expedition will be the first all-Black team to attempt to summit Mount Everest. (Courtesy Full Circle)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Cortez mountaineer Philip Henderson stood alone in 2012 as the only Black person out of 700 climbers attempting Mount Everest. The troubling moment grew into a catalyst for change.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, he has traveled from the desert Southwest back to an Everest base camp in Nepal, and this time he is leading a historic expedition of Black climbers to the summit of the world\u2019s tallest mountain.<\/p>\n

The goal of the Full Circle Everest Expedition<\/a> is to encourage more people to learn and experience the joy of outdoor adventure sports including mountaineering, which lacks diversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge disparity in terms of Black people being represented in high-altitude mountaineering,\u201d said Henderson, 58, during a presentation at the Dolores Public Library in December. \u201cWe started talking about it, and that is how this expedition picked up steam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the roughly 6,000 people who have summited Mount Everest, fewer than 10 were Black people. A Black team had never summited Everest.<\/p>\n

\"Phil
Phil Henderson, a professional mountain climber from Cortez, is leading the first all-Black expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. (Courtesy Full Circle Expedition)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In 2013 Henderson was the second African American to summit the 20,310-foot Denali peak in Alaska. The first was in 1964.<\/p>\n

In April and May, the nine Full Circle Everest climbers plan to change history one crampon step and rope-length at a time on their journey to the top of the world at 29,028 feet.<\/p>\n

Team members include Henderson, Abby Dione of Fort Lauderdale, James \u201cKG\u201d Kagambi of Kenya, Manoah Ainuu of Bozeman, Fred Campbell of Seattle, Demond \u201cDom\u201d Mullins of New York, Rosemary Saal of Seattle, Eddie Taylor of Boulder, Thomas Moore of Denver and Adina Scott of Seattle.<\/p>\n

The expedition is being documented online by Flipgrid<\/a>, and anyone can sign up for free to follow along.<\/p>\n

\"Members
Members of the Full Circle Everest Expedition wave from base camp April 21 during a live video feed via Flipgrid. (Screenshot)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

On Thursday, the team, dressed in thick parkas with a cloud-shrouded Everest looming in the background, gave an update on Flipgrid<\/a> from base camp at 17,700 feet. It is available on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Climber Eddie Taylor, a science teacher at Centaurus High School in Boulder, said the team reached base camp April 18 after a 10-day trek up the Khumbu Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cool place and a cool opportunity just to be here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Henderson said the expedition has connected with their 25-person Sherpa team \u2013 Nepalese workers who help guide and set up fixed lines and camps for Everest expeditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey make sure we are safe on the mountain,\u201d Henderson said.<\/p>\n

The team hopes for a weather window in mid-May to make an attempt at the summit. They must reach four high-altitude camps before their push to the top.<\/p>\n

The team climbs up and down neighboring peaks to acclimate for the attempt on Everest, Henderson said.<\/p>\n

Using nearby peaks to acclimate reduces time spent in the unstable Khumbu Ice Fall, one of the most dangerous areas of the Everest climb.<\/p>\n

Sherpas are especially exposed to the ice fall because they must cross it many more times to carry gear to camps. Inexperienced climbers also contribute to the high fatality rate of Sherpas on Everest.<\/p>\n

\"Phillip
Phillip Henderson of Cortez talks about his historic Mount Everest expedition during a presentation at the Dolores Public Library. (Jim Mimiaga\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

All expeditions participate in a Puja, a Buddhist ritual that blesses all the climbing gear.<\/p>\n

Henderson said the idea of the expedition came from his mountaineering background and friendship with the Sherpa people over many visits to the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want Black and Brown people to share the Everest experience and be connected to the culture in Nepal,\u201d he said during the Flipgrid broadcast.<\/p>\n

Climber Abby Dione of Miami said Everest requires persistence, and you have to be \u201cprepared to be in the outer limits of your comfort zone. We have excellent teammates and an incredibly supportive Sherpa team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting everyone connected to nature is a passion for Henderson, a professional alpinist and outdoor educator. He worked for the National Outdoor Leadership School for 20 years and at the Khumbu Climbing School in Nepal with famous climber Conrad Anker.<\/p>\n

Henderson and his family moved to Cortez in 2016. He works at Osprey Packs.<\/p>\n

During his talk in Dolores, Henderson said that in his 30 years of climbing and outdoor education, he has seen far fewer people of color participate compared with the number of white people.<\/p>\n

\"A
A Mount Everest base camp on April 21. (Courtesy YoutTube via Flipgrid)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The disparity reflects a lack of opportunity for many people to learn outdoor skills such as rock and ice climbing, river running, skiing and mountaineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cHumans have been driven away from the natural environment, some of us more than others,\u201d Henderson said. \u201cThe outdoors belongs to everyone, and we should all have that opportunity. I want to open up that door for people to have the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has seen prejudice himself.<\/p>\n

While in camp for a 2012 Everest expedition as a team leader, a stranger looked at him and said, \u201cWhat are you doing here!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Henderson teaches ice climbing clinics at the Ouray Ice Park, and members of the team train there as well.<\/p>\n

He also trains for his alpine expeditions in the San Juan Mountains, including backcountry skiing on Lizard Head Pass with his dog and friends.<\/p>\n

The Full Circle Everest Expedition name is inspired from the first American expedition to reach the summit of Everest in 1963, the same year Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his historic \u201cI Have A Dream\u201d speech, which helped to define the Civil Rights movement.<\/p>\n

Full Circle Everest has corporate sponsors, and a GoFundMe account raised $182,627 for the expedition.<\/p>\n

\"A
A Mount Everest camp. (Courtesy Philip Henderson)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
A climber\u2019s journey<\/div>\n

During his presentation in Dolores, Henderson shared his story of getting hooked on outdoor sports and how it turned into a career.<\/p>\n

After his dreams of a playing football dashed by an injury, at age 27 he enrolled in the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming and became an outdoor guide.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you wanted to work year-round, you had to diversify your skills, so I learned whitewater rafting, kayaking, climbing and backcountry skiing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In 2000, he guided a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya, then guided climbers on Denali in Alaska in 2005.<\/p>\n

He met famous professional climber Conrad Anker, who invited him to teach at his Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal, which was developed to improve Sherpas\u2019 climbing skills.<\/p>\n

In 2012, he was a team leader of the North Face\/National Geographic Everest Education Expedition. He shared some of the details.<\/p>\n

Most of your time is spent at base camp and climbing to the higher camps to acclimate, he said. Hilaree Nelson, a professional mountaineer from Telluride, was on the climb, and summited Everest and 27,940-foot Lhotse peak on the same day.<\/p>\n

The Everest environment is extreme, Henderson said, with high winds, frigid temperatures, thin oxygen and intense climbing in dangerous conditions. Deadly avalanches and ice falls are always possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is the luck of the draw at times. Things happen,\u201d Henderson said.<\/p>\n

Sherpas carry much of the gear, and some camps have cooks. Denali is harder than Everest in some ways because you have to carry all your gear, Henderson said.<\/p>\n

\"Climbers
Climbers on Mount Everest in 2012. (Courtesy Philip Henderson)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He said climbers spend weeks on the mountain acclimating and moving up and down to different camps before going for the summit. Base camp is comfortable with many amenities, including a medical tent.<\/p>\n

Henderson did not summit in 2012 because he became ill with bronchitis at Camp 2, elevation 21,000 feet.<\/p>\n

Crowds intensify when there is just a three- to four-day window to reach the summit, when up to 700 climbers try all at once and create a gridlock made famous by media coverage. Other years, the window can be 10 days, and crowds are dispersed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not always that crowded,\u201d Henderson said.<\/p>\n

When acclimating, climbers go up to the first camp, then back to base camp for five or six days. Then they move on to the higher camp, sleep and retreat to a lower camp and so on until they are positioned for a summit bid at Camp 4 at 26,000 feet.<\/p>\n

Glaciers on Everest are receding because of climate change, and it is exposing more debris from past expeditions, even bodies of climbers who perished on the mountain.<\/p>\n

International climbing is as much about the people as it is the mountain, Henderson said.<\/p>\n

Immersing yourself in the culture is more rewarding than participating only in the climb, he said.<\/p>\n

\"Cortez
Cortez climber Philip Henderson has traveled to Nepal frequently and has become friends with the locals. (Courtesy Philip Henderson)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In his 10 visits to Nepal, he has connected with the Sherpa community. Having a daughter did not interfere with his climbing life; he took her along.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve watched their family grow, and they remember me and my daughter,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to have more of a relationship with folks.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the Khumbu Climbing Center, Henderson arranged an internship in which Nepalese Sherpas came to the U.S. to learn about American climbing culture and English. When they return to Nepal, they are better guides.<\/p>\n

As an outdoor educator, Henderson\u2019s mission is to encourage, inspire and mentor people on the power of nature and the importance of getting outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m saying is we can all teach each other, and the time we spend together outdoors is the time we can make a difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

jmimiaga@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Henderson will lead first all-Black team to attempt the summit in May <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[2748,21,28,29,445],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-40948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-climbing","tag-cortez","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter","tag-newsletter-lead"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40948"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84806,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40948\/revisions\/84806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40948"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=40948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}