A fire burns within the soul of Mark Inglis who wears many hats indeed. He is a mountaineer, winemaker, motivational speaker, cyclist, scientist, philanthropist, paralympic medalist, author and last but not least, the very first double amputee to ever scale Mount Everest!

Mark lost his legs 29 years ago when he was caught in an ice cave during a blizzard on New Zealand’s highest mountain, Mt. Cook. The storm was the longest in New Zealand’s history, lasting almost 14 days. It took him only two months to return to mountain climbing and he did so without bitterness in his heart, considering the tragedy that took his legs to be a portal leading to a whole new existence.

For Mark, the word disability is a mental condition, as we are bounded by the limits set by our own thinking. It has nothing to do with physical challenges and refers to a lack of both resources and motivation to succeed. While we all know that wishing doesn’t make it so, and that there are some things physical limitations do prevent us from doing, hard work, positive thinking and an unwillingness to give up can make all the difference between success and failure.

The trick is to find out what you can do and not concentrate on what you can’t. For Mark, after almost three decades, it’s a matter of learning how to improve his walk and how to use his stumps better. As far as surviving on a mountain during a blizzard goes, he does have a few words of advice. For one thing, no one should ever climb alone or without any prior experience. For another, remember to retain body heat, conserve energy and avoid the wind if possible.

Being positive is the name of the game and Mark Inglis, mountain climber extraordinaire, sure knows how to play.

Photo Source:

http://www.interesting stories.net

Mountain climber and Yale University graduate, Chris Baker, is the founder of One Seed Expeditions, which transforms the concept of travel into a vehicle that gives back to the region being visited. It all began after a visit to Nepal and his connection with Kiva.org, a non- profit organization whose mission is to create a lending alliance to alleviate the yoke of poverty.

With the help of the Internet, and a worldwide network of financial institutions, Kiva lends money to help create business opportunities. For Chris, this manifested itself by learning how he, aided by a Nepalese financial institution, could create trips that simultaneously assist the population of that region.

In 2010, Baker’s love of mountain climbing induced him to select a business that would combine his passion for Nepal and climbing. He had help and joined forced with friends, Bishnu Thapa, and Tek Bahadur Dong. Their unique mix of mountain guiding, ethnographic fieldwork, and non-profit skills comprised the perfect start-up team.

A labor of love, it took three years of planning and preparation to bring One Seed Expeditions to the light. The goal is to change the way travel impacts communities by helping one local entrepreneur to launch or expand his or her business.

Currently, three areas of Nepal are available for exploration via One Seed. No matter what your preference, hiking is an exhilarating experience with breathtaking landscape. These picturesque treks take visitors to ancient villages, old monasteries and even to places where you can sample Yak butter tea.

But the true meaning of the hike lies in the people you meet along the way, whose lives have been profoundly affected by your donation.

With One Seed you travel and see the world and invest in its people at the same time.

Check out this video with Bill Clinton describing Kiva.org and all the wonderful things it does for local communities of the world.

Photo Source:

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjXeEvdTHWPE83LGr6sUC6H8UQ_8pqhxAqqgTziiReZVB0Xz0f