Sunday morning, April 24th, 2016, University of Alabama alum Kent Stewart left for his final attempt to climb to the top of the world – the summit of Mount Everest.
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Every good Bammer has seen the ESPN 2010 “Roll Tide” commercial, where fans around the nation use the phrase as a greeting, a farwell, and punctuation in every day conversation.
Provided all goes well, we’ll soon be hearing “ROLL TIDE!” from the summit of the tallest peak on Earth – Mount Everest.
University of Alabama alum Kent Stewart left today, Sunday April 24, 2016, for Nepal to attempt the treacherous climb for the third time. Stewart’s first attempt was cut short due to illness. His second attempt ended when a deadly earthquake shook Nepal and triggered an avalanche on Everest. Kent stopped his own climb and helped those that were injured on the mountain return to base camps.
According to Stewart, this will be his third and final attempt to conquer the wintry beast. Of course, we know that Bammers are stubborn and rarely give up on anything, so if the third time isn’t the charm, I’d expect to see him try again.
Kent and his wife Julie began their climbing journey in 2006 when they decided to climb Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. They had such a transforming experience that they set their minds on summiting the tallest mountain on each of the 7 continents – a feat known to climbers as The Seven Summits.
So what makes Kent’s expeditions so unique?
The 1978 U of A (and 1981 UA School of Law) graduate takes Crimson Tide swag with him wherever he goes, leaving pieces of Bama at all of his climbing locations. Stewart hands out script A logo hats to his guides, leads his fellow climbers in rousing “ROLL TIDE” chants, and even carries an Alabama flag in his pack so that he can have his picture taken with it at the top of each mountain.
Kent’s Seven Summits story is fascinating, and one that you can follow too. He regularly maintains pages on Instagram (@KentStewart) and Facebook (Kent Stewart – Seven Summits), and occasionally updates a blog when he feels like it.
You can read about the preparations Kent has made in order to begin his climb at Base Camp 1 this year, see pictures of his training and even follow him as he ascends the looming mountain. His photos are breathtaking, and his descriptions of the experiences are intriguing (and terrifying to someone like me, who has a debilitating fear of heights).
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Only the mighty Everest stands in Kent Stewart’s way of accomplishing his Seven Summits goal – and shouting “Roll Tide!” from the tallest peaks on each and every continent around the globe.
That, my friends, deserves one hell of an RTR.