Art Adams: Unlikely Inspiration

by JAKE NORTON

November 2020
Sometimes, people surprise you, becoming beacons of inspiration when your first impression was they'd be the opposite. My friend, Art Adams, is one of those unexpected points of light.
Art Adams resting below Tawoche en route to Dingboche, Solu Khumbu, Nepal.
Art Adams resting below Tawoche en route to Dingboche, Solu Khumbu, Nepal.

There are people who come into your life at unexpected times, and end up being sources of inspiration in equally unexpected ways.⁣⁣

In the climbing world, we're accustomed to finding inspiration in the physical majesty of the badass of the moment, that climber who sends the hardest lines, endures the biggest epics, climbs the highest, hardest, fastest, finest.

While that's all well and good, I've always been more inspired by the folks who do what many of us see as pedestrian, but which for them is pushing the personal limits of the possible.

⁣⁣I first met Art Adams on one of my Kilimanjaro climbs in 2006. If I'm being honest, I gave him about a 0% chance of reaching the roof of Africa. But, 6 days later, still smiling and laughing and cracking jokes, Art proved me and others wrong.

Art Adams celebrating near the top of Kala Pattar with (left to right) Pumori, Lingtren, Changtse, Mount Everest, Nuptse, and Baruntse behind.
Art Adams celebrating near the top of Kala Pattar with (left to right) Pumori, Lingtren, Changtse, Mount Everest, Nuptse, and Baruntse behind.

We went on to many more adventures - Fuji in winter and Kinabalu in a downpour, Toubkal with 2 feet of fresh snow and Ararat in a blinding blizzard - and Art has always managed to make me laugh when most would cry, and to climb onward and upward with grace, aplomb, an admirable amount of self-deprecation, and a brilliant sense of humor.⁣⁣

Our last trip was to Kala Pattar and the Khumbu Valley 6 years ago, when these shots were taken. On this trip, as all the others, Art inspired me to keep going, keep smiling, and keep living and loving in the amazing world around us.

Thanks, Art.

Where to next?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscriber Supported. Creator Appreciated.

Your patronage makes everything here possible. 
Thank you.

Subscribe now, cancel anytime. No spam, ever.

No thanks, but I would like the free newsletter!

Sign up for free

You might also enjoy…

Embracing the Privilege of Defeat

It’s been almost 100 years - we’ll hit the centenary this Saturday, June 8, 2024 - since George Mallory and Andrew Irvine famously vanished in the mists less than 1,000 feet from the summit of Mount Everest. Their disappearance understandably sparked a century of debate - a debate which continues rigorously to this day - […]

Read More

Learn more about

Jake Norton

More from Jake Norton:

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram
Send this to a friend