Everest 2003: Charlie Wittmack

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Follow Along: Dispatch One: From the Inside Out, A personal account of the Big E... Mount Everest.  It's hard to believe. This first dispatch is a difficult one to write because by its form, "the first dispatch" assumes that this is the beginning.  I am certain that most of you are here because of your love of the mountain and not your love for me.  I will therefore omit the story that brought me here as much as possible and concentrate on our mutual interest, the Big E. Check here for the full dispatch.

Charlie Wittmack is a young, up and coming climber who will be enjoying his rookie year on Mount Everest this spring.  Wittmack, age 25, has led over a dozen expeditions to Canada, Alaska, South America, Mexico, Europe and Africa.  Highlights from his climbing career include expeditions to Denali, Aconcagua, Orizaba, Iztacihuattel, the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Kenya, and countless other 14,000 ft peaks around the world, many of these on multiple expeditions.  He is an experienced rock climber, having climbed extensively in the United States, including spending several months on the big walls of Yosemite Valley.

During the winters, Wittmack can usually be found on ice from the North Shore to Ouray.  He is an avid cyclist, competing in the Mid-Atlantic off-road cycling circuit.  Wittmack also enjoys bicycle touring, and has ridden and worked on the legendary RAGBRAI tour nearly ten times and participated in a 5400-mile cross-country ride.

Wittmack is the Director of The Adventure Institute, an educational non-profit organization providing adventure based educational and motivational programs to students in grades 2-12.