Big Bear Lake, CA — Last week we shared with you the highlights of the ceremony celebrating Team Jordan Romero, upon their return from a record-breaking climb to the peak of Mt. Everest; among proclamations honoring 13-year-old Jordan Romero was a message from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saying, “Your perseverance is the hallmark of a true champion.” But, as Jordan shared with countless Big Bear Middle School classmates and friends at the subsequent slideshow on June 9, featuring the climb he shared with dad Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren, “It was the best feeling anyone could ever imagine—I could care less about the record, but being up there as a family…” That, he recalls, was the best part of the entire, grueling expedition—with one special exception. As Jordan told the crowd during the Q&A following the slide show (which included video of intense winds, snow-covered tents above the clouds, and amazing vistas from the snow-capped peak at over 29,000’), “My favorite moment was coming back here [to Big Bear], just arriving to the dam after Arctic Circle—and the hardest part was leaving.” Jordan, Paul and Karen shared other moments from their trip but, as the youngest in the Team Jordan Romero trio relayed, “To tell you the truth, our story was a bit boring. It was real smooth. It was harder climbing down [Everest]. We were just tired, we were like zombies, and it’s harder on your body to go down hill.” Next on the world-class mountaineer’s agenda is this afternoon’s eighth grade promotion ceremony from BBMS and a trip to Brazil next week (for a race with Paul and Karen); but then, he plans to summit the tallest peaks within each of the 50 states (though he already did Alaska’s Mt. Denali at age 11) and the climb of the last of his Seven Summits of the world, Antarctica’s Mt. Vinson. (For more information on Team Jordan Romero and their Everest summit on May 22, click on the Related Links “Jordan Romero” tab below.)
