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KILIMANJARO, ELBRUS,
ACONCAGUA, MT VINSON, MT
MCKINLEY, CARSTENSZ
PYRAMID, MT EVEREST.
SEVEN SUMMITS, SEVEN
CONTINENTS,AND ONE AMAZING
MOUNTAINEER.
I'M KAY LECLAIRE.
I WAS BORN IN MOSCOW,
IDAHO, MARCH 8TH, 1949.
CURRENTLY I'M THE OLDEST
WOMAN IN THE WORLD TO HAVE
CLIMBED THE SEVEN SUMMITS.
I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED HIKING
AND EXERCISE.
I THINK EXERCISE GIVES ME
A HIGH.
IN 2009 AT THE AGE OF 61,
THIS MOUNTAINEERING MARVEL
FROM SPOKANE ACHIEVED
HER LOFTY AMBITION
TO SUMMIT THE HIGHEST
PEAK ON EACH OF THE SEVEN
CONTINENTS
INCREDIBLY, HER ASCENT TO
THE TOP BEGAN
JUST TEN YEARS
AGO. I BEGAN CLIMBING AT AGE
51.
I SAW AN ARTICLE IN
SEATTLE MAGAZINE AND ONE
OF THE FUN THINGS TO DO
WAS TO CLIMB MT. RAINIER.
I THOUGHT THIS SOUNDS LIKE
A WONDERFUL THING TO DO SO
I ASKED MY SON WHO WAS 15
AT THE TIME IF HE'D LIKE
TO JOIN ME.
WE WERE BOTH ABLE TO
SUMMIT AND IT WAS ONE OF
THE MOST EXHILARATING
EXPERIENCES I'D EVER HAD I
MEAN WHAT A VIEW.
SO, THAT'S WHEN I DECIDED
I NEEDED TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT CLIMBING.
LECLAIRE LEARNED HER
CLIMBING SKILLS AT THE
SPOKANE MOUNTAINEERS
MOUNTAIN SCHOOL.
THERE SHE WAS TAUGHT THE
TECHNIQUES SHE WOULD USE
ON CLIMBING EXPEDITIONS
AROUND THE GLOBE.
BUT LESSONS FROM HER
CHILDHOOD WOULD ALSO PROVE
INVALUABLE ON THE SLOPES
OF THE SEVEN SUMMITS.
BOTH MY PARENTS CAME FROM
FARM FAMILIES SO I GOT TO
SPEND A LOT OF TIME
OUTDOORS.
WE WERE EXPECTED TO WORK
REALLY HARD.
IN FACT, I KIND OF LIKEN
CLIMBING TO MY CHILDHOOD
BECAUSE THERE WERE PERIODS
WHERE YOU GET SOME REST
AND THEN WHEN IT WAS TIME
TO DO THE HARVEST YOU'D
PUT IN LONG HOURS.
SO, VERY MUCH LIKE
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING.
WE WERE TAUGHT NOT TO BE
QUITTERS.
I MEAN IF YOU HAD WORK TO
DO OR A GOAL YOU KEPT AT
IT UNTIL YOU GOT IT DONE.
SO, IT WAS GETTER DONE FOR
ME.
AT OVER TWENTY NINE
THOUSAND FEET, MT EVEREST
IS THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN
THE WORLD.
IT WOULD PROVE TO BE
LECLAIRE'S MOST MENACING FOE.
ONCE I MADE THE DECISION
TO CLIMB EVEREST I
REALIZED IT WAS GOING TO
BE THE LONGEST AND MOST
DIFFICULT CLIMB.
IT'S SO HIGH, I MEAN IT'S
OVER 5 MILES HIGH AND I
KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A
LOT OF WORK JUST
ACCLIMATIZING AND GETTING
IN SHAPE.
I THINK I TAKE RISKS
BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY I'M
PUT TOGETHER I JUST LIKE
TAKING SOME RISKS.
I LIKE NEW CHALLENGES.
CLIMBING EVEREST WOULD
PROVE TO BE A MONUMENTAL
CHALLENGE FOR LECLAIRE.
THREE YEARS AND THREE
FAILED ATTEMPTS WOULD TEST
HER TOUGHNESS, HER SPIRIT,
AND HER LIFE.
SOME PEOPLE IF THEY
ACTUALLY SUMMIT THE FIRST
TIME, I THINK THEY'RE
EXTREMELY LUCKY.
I MEAN, SOME PEOPLE TRY
AND JUST NEVER MANAGE TO
SUMMIT OR BECOME SEVERELY
INJURED OR DIE IN THE
PROCESS.
WITH DOGGED DETERMINATION
AND A SPIRIT TO SUCCEED,
LECLAIRE WOULD RETURN A
FOURTH TIME TO EVEREST IN
MAY OF 2009.
HER PERSERVERANCE WOULD
PAY OFF.
IN 2009, EVERYTHING
CLICKED.
MY HEALTH WAS FAIRLY GOOD,
BUT MY TEAMMATES WERE
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS SO ON
DAYS WHEN ONE OF US WASN'T
FEELING WELL THE OTHER
WOULD HELP MAYBE JUST
CARRYING A WATER BOTTLE
FOR THEM WOULD MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE AND WE WERE ALL
VERY SUPPORTIVE BECAUSE
IT'S A MENTAL GAME AS
WELL.
SO, YOU HAVE TO KEEP
THINKING TO YOURSELF I CAN
DO THIS AND IF YOU'VE GOT
TEAMMATES THAT ARE GOING,
YES, YOU CAN DO THIS,
YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP GOING.
THAT HELPS IMMENSELY.
IT WAS A VERY LONG DAY.
IT WAS ALMOST ROBOTIC.
YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST
CONCENTRATING ON PUTTING
ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE
OTHER, BUT I WAS SO
FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE
THAT I WASN'T GOING TO
FALL AND THEN SUDDENLY
THROUGH THE MIST I COULD
SEE A LITTLE MOUND WITH
SOME PRAYER FLAGS ON THE
BOTTOM AND I COULDN'T
BELIEVE IT, YOU KNOW, I
MADE IT TO THE SUMMIT.
I JUST, I WAS SO
OVERWHELMED THAT I JUST
FELL DOWN ON MY KNEES AND
I WAS JUST ECSTATIC.
EVEREST WOULD COMPLETE HER
MOUNTAINEERING CHALLENGE,
BUT KAY LECLAIRE CONTINUES
TO CLIMB WHILE LIVING A
LIFESTYLE THAT PROMOTES
THE BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL
FITNESS.
SHE NOW SHARES HER
INSPIRING STORY AS A
MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER WITH
INSIGHTS ON COMMITMENT,
ENDURANCE, TEAMWORK AND
HOPE.
TEN YEARS AGO SEVEN
SUMMITS STOOD BEFORE HER
AND TODAY SHE STANDS
ALONE.
WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT IN
LIFE TO ME IS STAYING
HEALTHY, MY FAMILY AND
FRIENDS, MAINTAINING A
POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND
ALWAYS TRYING A NEW CHALLENGE.
I PROBABLY WON'T EVER DO A
HUGE EXPEDITION CLIMB
AGAIN, BUT I CERTAINLY
WANT TO KEEP CLIMBING.
I THINK IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO
STAY PHYSICALLY FIT.
I MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE TO
CLIMB EVEREST; YOU CAN GET
OUT THERE AND TAKE A WALK.
YOU KNOW MY MESSAGE WOULD
BE GET OUT THERE
AND STAY ACTIVE.
IT'S CERTAINLY CHANGED MY
LIFE.