The Light - An Alumni Publication Winter 2014/2015 | Page 14

CONQUERING EVEREST
This summer, Towne will summit Mt. Everest to
raise money for YFU.
“My biggest fear is of heights. Period,” Towne
said. “A friend of mine, while I was an exchange
student at the University of Nairobi — a choice
that was motivated 100% from my YFU exchange
year — asked if I wanted to climb Mt. Kenya, the
second tallest mountain
in Africa.” Towne thought
about the physical
challenge and considered
the opportunity to confront
his fear of heights and
responded, “that sounds
like a great idea!” At that
moment, his addiction to climbing began.
Towne’s interest in endurance sports started in
Germany. He said, “Before Germany, I thought I
would become a professional musician. While there,
I started jogging recreationally. And then in college,
I walked onto the rowing team.”
Rowing proved to be very challenging from
an endurance perspective, and Towne considered
quitting many times. Through perseverance, “I
learned to trust myself – that when faced with a
tough challenge, I wouldn’t give up in the face of
pain or difficulty. I grew to relish opportunities to
prove that to myself over and over again.”
Now an accomplished mountaineer, having
climbed the tallest mountain on five of the seven
continents, Asia’s Mount Everest is his next

challenge. When asked about the dangers of
climbing the world’s tallest peaks, Towne said,
“every mountain poses certain risks. On Mount
Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America,
our expedition actually had to step over a body on
the trail. Five people died during the two weeks
I was on that mountain. On Mt. McKinley, two
people died during
my second climb.
When you are on
these mountains,
everyone is
cognizant of death.”
He continued, “I am
a very conservative
mountain climber. I strongly believe the mountain
will always be there, so when it comes to decisions
that involve weather or conditions, a lot of climbers
get themselves into trouble by pushing themselves
when conditions suggest they shouldn’t. I don’t make
decisions like that.”
Towne took on his first mountain, Mount Kenya,
because “it provided an opportunity to accomplish
an endurance feat that involved conquering my fear
of heights.” Now he continues to climb “because
I love the way it takes me to remote parts of the
globe. Mountaineering, like YFU, makes the world
feel smaller.”

“MOUNTAINEERING,
LIKE YFU, MAKES THE
WORLD FEEL SMALLER.”

— Story complied by John Favazzo from a
December 2014 interview with Towne

This is not the first time Towne has mountaineered in the name of YFU. In 2011 he raised more than
$5,500 through his expedition up Mt. Aconcagua. This time he hopes fellow alumni, volunteers, and friends
will join him in this 29,029 ft. Everest journey by donating to YFU. As Andrew crosses crevasses and builds
bridges for YFU, you too can go the distance by sponsoring his adventure. Funds raised will help YFU
promote intercultural understanding, enable scholarships, and ensure teenagers the learning opportunity of
a lifetime. Since the trip expenses are paid, 100% of all donations are tax deductible.

Can you donate a penny per meter ($88.48)?
DONATE Or how about a penny per foot ($290.29)?
Opposite: Andrew Towne holds up a YFU flag atop Carstensz Pyramid,
the tallest mountain on the continent of Oceania; July 2011.
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