Reaching the summit
Professional mountain climber Don Bowie lives and breathes adventure
By Matt “It’s MillerTime” Miller
Don Bowie has scaled some of the world’s tallest and most dangerous mountains. At 39 years old, he has spent nearly half his life climbing and has seen his share of triumphs and tragedies on the mountainside. He will be speaking about his journey up K2, the world’s second tallest mountain, on Oct. 10 at The Orange Planet, 5650 Metro East Drive, in Pleasant Hill.
“The challenges in mountain climbing are like the challenges we face in everyday life,” Bowie said. “Things are going to go right, and things will go wrong — it just matters how you respond when faced with uncertainty. I want to share my mountain climbing experience, so we can then learn from each other.”
A Canadian by birth, Bowie lived in Des Moines for two years during the early 1990s. It was in 1993 when he began to take mountain climbing seriously, and today his adventures have taken him to places across the globe. There are 14 peaks in the world that are more than 26,000 feet high, Bowie has been on five of them.
“Don Bowie is a great guy with many inspirational stories,” said David Charleston, owner/founder of The Orange Planet, a company that works to promote healthy lifestyles in all people. “He has conquered life-threatening situations, and we’re happy he’s able to share his stories with us. We want people to leave refreshed and inspired.”
In July 2007, Bowie and a team reached the summit of K2 in Pakistan. K2 or “The Savage Planet” is known for its difficulty of ascent and has the second highest fatality rate, claiming the lives of one in every four climbers who reach the summit. Bowie says the mountain lived up to its reputation, as two of the 17 climbers died on his expedition.
“One of them fell right in front of me, and the other just disappeared,” Bowie said. “We think he fell or something. He was just gone, and I guess we’ll never know.”
Losing two fellow climbers was difficult, but Bowie also had a personal ordeal on the mountainside. He recalls after a few days down the mountain that the team’s equipment was stolen overnight, leaving some climbers without the necessary equipment to make it safely down. While descending, Bowie lost his balance, tore ligaments and broke his leg.
“Looking back, that was a very scary time. But at the time, I wasn’t afraid,” he said. “I knew my chances of survival were low, but my mind and body were calm. I just dealt with things minute by minute, and I survived.”
Bowie credits good physical and mental condition as reasons for his survival in some of the world’s most dangerous places.
“Some of it’s physical, and some of it’s genetic,” he said. “You can train as hard as you want, but at those altitudes the strength comes from your heart and mind. It’s an exercise in endurance because in high altitude climbing, you’ll feel worse than you ever did before.”
Even with risks around each corner and with each step, Bowie continues to trek on.
“I like the entire process of mountain climbing, especially the larger expeditions,” he said. “It requires a lot of teamwork and training. You have to have a strong faith and a lot of courage. Some of us are just born with adventure, and I have it in my blood. I try to push the limits of what is possible.” CV
caption: Don Bowie stands at 25,505 feet at the summit of an unknown mountain in Northern Pakistan. Photo courtesy of Don Bowie
