Mike Haugen has scaled Mount Everest and ascended the highest points in each of the 50 states, but his biggest dream is to teach others to follow theirs.
Haugen was brought to campus by the OSU Mountaineering Club and addressed students and climbing enthusiasts in a presentation Friday evening in Evans Lab.
Haugen, an Ohio State alumnus, developed his interest in climbing in Columbus and was president of the club as a student. After graduation he began splitting his time between Colorado, where he teaches eighth grade, and Washington, where he works as a professional mountain guide.
Haugen said that teaching and climbing have always been his two greatest passions.
PHOTO COURTESY COLEMAN CO.Mike Haugen, an Ohio State alumnus, takes a few moments to take in the view while climbing Asia’s Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain.His adventure began with a phone call from Coleman, a company that manufactures outdoor products. Coleman became interested in Haugen’s background as an educator and mountaineer and made him their national spokesman.
Coleman shared his enthusiasm for motivating children to be active outdoors. Haugen and Coleman began planning his 2007 Mount Everest climb, especially focusing on ways to involve his students and other children in the climb. Haugen and Coleman set up an Internet program that encouraged more than 10,000 children to log the number of hours they played outside and enabled them to follow Haugen throughout his trip.
Coleman funded his Everest climb, which costs $10,000 a person on average, Haugen said.
Casey Grom, one of Haugen’s closest friends, accompanied him on the climb. Throughout the trip, Haugen and Grom were able to work on design plans for future Coleman gear based on their experiences during the trip.
Haugen and Grom began their Everest climb slowly and spent weeks preparing their bodies for the pressure changes and the physical demands they were going to face during the climb, Haugen said.
A Mount Everest climb begins at base camp, where mountaineers prepare for their climb. After that, climbers pass through four camps along the mountain. The last stop of the climb is the summit.
Throughout their journey, Haugen and Grom were accompanied by Sherpas, local men and women who are experienced climbers and aid mountaineers in their journey. Haugen said the Sherpas are the “Michael Jordans of the mountains” and are extreme athletes.
One of the greatest challenges Haugen faced was the sun exposure on Mount Everest.
“A lot of people think you are just dealing with the cold,” Haugen said. “I actually had a worse time with the heat. The sun is a huge issue up there.”
On May 21, 2007, Haugen and Grom made it to the summit of Everest. Once at the top, the mountaineers took a short break to enjoy the view and the sunrise before beginning their descent back down the mountain.
“The top of Everest was special,” Haugen said. “You just can’t put words into it.”
After their Everest climb, Haugen and Grom began planning their next adventure through Coleman. In July 2008 they completed their quest to ascend the highest points in each of the 50 states. The trip, which began in Alaska and ended in Hawaii, took the climbers 45 days.
Haugen said the trip across the United States was “harder than Everest in some ways.”
“It was pretty brutal,” he said. “It was way worse than we thought it was going to be.”
With no major adventures in the near future, Haugen plans on spending time sharing his dream with students.
“My dream was to climb and to make a living through climbing,” Haugen said. “I always tell my students, ‘You don’t have to climb Mount Everest – take your dreams to the highest point and do want you want.’ “
Haugen’s presentation left a positive impression with many OSU Mountaineer Club students, who share his passion for climbing and adventure.
The OSU Mountaineering Club’s main purpose is to try to get people to try new things, said Chris Bazzoli, a junior in chemistry and president of the club.
“We are completely open,” said Natalie Sayre, a sophomore in biology and club treasurer. “If anyone has any idea about what they want to do, we will do it. It is a good way for students to get acquainted with the outdoors.”
Katherine Witzman can be reached at [email protected].
