As if climbing to the peak of Mount Everest isn’t enough, Pauline Sanderson of the UK decided to get there taking the long way — the longest way possible, in fact — by starting not from the base of the world’s tallest peak, but from the lowest point on Earth’s surface: the Dead Sea. Her story is chronicled in her new book, The World’s Longest Climb, which, according to writer/broadcaster Cameron McNeish, is “not just another expedition book. It’s a travelogue, a love story and an adventure drama all rolled into one, a tale in which forged friendships laid the foundations for success.”
Sanderson, at 41, started the journey in the Middle East with her Everestmax team, and they biked roughly 5,000 miles across Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Tibet. Along they way, they rode through beautiful, awe-inspiring landscapes, but also encountered opposition: anti-Western bureaucracy, political unrest and gun-toting locals, sharp-toothed monkeys, sicknesses, and unfavorable weather. Add to that the hardships it took when they eventually trekked and climbed to the peak of Everest. In the end, with a total elevation gain of over 30,400 ft. from their starting point at the Dead Sea, Sanderson and team set the record for World’s Longest Climb — plus another British record when she and her soulmate became the First British Married Couple To Summit Everest.
Sounds like it’s Eat, Pray Love meets Into Thin Air? You be the judge. Her book is available at most book retailers.
