Keoki with Explorers Club President, Alan Nichols
On Sunday the festivities turned to the Explorers Club House on 70th St. The five story brownstone was filled with exploration banter from the morning’s Board elections to an afternoon of keynote speakers. The topics ranged from the Wounded Warriors ascent of Kilimanjaro to Arita Baaijens’ search for paradise in the mysterious kingdom of Shambhala hidden somewhere in the Altai Mountains of Asia. There was an incredible tech-driven digital photo presentation of Everest shot by David Breashears that shows what 4 billion pixels (477 photographs) can allow you to see. Then Les Guthman shared a preview of his newest project, a film on Saturn…Other worlds, so close in our vast universe unfolded onto the screen, stunned me with their brilliance and inspired profound thought.
Near the end of the day I got my chance to share the PUSH with the Explorers Club. My parents and my business partner, Lynn Gibson, sat in the front row to cheer me on. As I began to tell the tale of this incredible journey to the bottom of the world, I got out of my own way and the heart and soul of the moment filled the room.