Nepal Trip ~ Day 19: Discoveries found in the Process and Reflection

Is it possible for eyebrows to hurt? Every inch of me is in pain. But I can see it! I can see the peak! I am getting closer. My saliva tastes like completion... I have used everything that I am and everything I didn't know I had. I can see how close I am. The…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 18: Meeting Fran Lebowitz and Reflection

Today I smoked a cigarette with Fran Lebowitz at the top of mount Makalu. What the hell is Fran Lebowitz doing in Nepal? From what I understand she would never leave NYC. She turned to me and said, "HEY! Where are you from?" I answered, "Brooklyn, New York, by way of Harlem." She continued in…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 17: Surviving the Storm and Reflection

The weather the past few days has been treacherous. We have had dangerous winds and frigid temperatures and my lips have been bleeding. But these ice storms are not the worst of it. Avalanches and steep falls are very real possibilities. Yet nothing will stop us. We are too close. Talika keeps us informed every…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 16: What I Want and Reflection

 I woke up today with my mother on my mind. I am thinking about everything she has been through. Replaying all that she has done for me, for us, for our family... for our ENTIRE family "immediate and blood related". The sacrifices, the pain, the hurt, the disappointments, the celebrations, the joy, the laughter, the…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 15: Root of Resentment and Reflection

"Maybe then we wouldn't have to resent someone's excellence ...... We could align ourselves with it." ALIGNING ourselves with excellence... This is my morning meditation. I have often wondered why people talk about those who have attained certain levels of success and blessings. Those who have more than others. And this measuring and comparing ourselves…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 14: “Traveler, there is no path”, check-in and Reflection

"Caminante, no se hace el camino, el camino se hace al andar... Traveler, there is no path, a path is made by walking." This quote was all he wrote on a piece of paper for me before I left for this journey over two weeks ago. There is a point where we think we know…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 13: Keep Climbing and Reflection

Good morning day! I keep hearing the womyn saying, chanting, reminding me, "Keep climbing! Keep climbing! Keep Climbing! Push Alicia! We are with you! You are not alone!" I have never been this high in all my life. I have been too exhausted to write, and we have finally arrived to South East Base Camp…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 12: We are Worthy and Reflection

Good morning day! As we climbed today two men came down the mountain incredibly nervous and told us that one of the mountaineers lost their grip from the rope, slipped, fell and slammed right into the side of the mountain where he sustained many injuries which left him unconscious. Members of his team radioed for…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 11: Embracing failure and Reflection

We can be so cruel to ourselves sometimes. "I am such a failure. I don't want to fail them. I am afraid of failing." Today I am taking inventory of myself and thinking about the many moments I have felt like a failure and about the ways I have failed others? Today I am not…

Nepal Trip ~ Day 10: Endless Possibilities and Reflection

Today was a slow day on the mountain. It rained the entire day and the mountain was extremely dangerous. There is really no way to prepare for the unexpected weather of the mountain. One moment the sun is shining bright and the next moment there could be an avalanche of rocks or an ice storm.…