nurse Scales Everest, Finding Healing in the Highest Reaches
Kathmandu, Nepal – Rowena, a UK-based nurse, has successfully summited Mount Everest, achieving a lifelong ambition born from a desire to overcome personal heartache and rediscover purpose after a relationship breakdown. the 41-year-old reached the 8,848m (29,028ft) peak on May 18th, accompanied by her Sherpa guide, Migmar.
Rowena’s journey to the world’s highest point began with a simple, life-altering conversation. Following a tough split, a friend’s encouragement – “Do it. Life’s too short.” – sparked a transformative decision. ”From that moment, there was no turning back,” she recounts.
Initially feeling “wildly unprepared,” Rowena began an intensive eight-week training regime before travelling to Tanzania in January of last year to climb Mount kilimanjaro, a 5,895m (19,341ft) dormant volcano. Despite initial struggles with altitude sickness - “pounding headaches, no appetite and a grumpy streak a mile wide” - she successfully reached the summit in seven days, describing the sunrise over Africa as a deeply moving experience that brought her to tears.
Rowena’s career has been dedicated to nursing. She began training at 17, working in A&E for three years, followed by seven years in district nursing while completing a specialist degree to become a sister managing a team. She later undertook advanced clinical practitioner training, also in A&E, and worked throughout the covid pandemic. Though, despite professional success, she found herself feeling “empty.”
Kilimanjaro ignited a passion for mountaineering. She afterward completed an ultra-marathon in the Brecon Beacons in 21 hours and 50 minutes, and conquered Mount Elbrus in Russia (5,642m / 18,510ft), Europe’s highest peak, and Aconcagua in Argentina (almost 7,000m), the highest peak outside the Himalayas.
Driven by a newfound sense of purpose, Rowena decided to climb for a cause, raising funds for the RCN Foundation, which provides grants to nurses and nursing students in financial hardship, through a JustGiving page.
After arriving in Nepal in April, she spent a month acclimatising before beginning the final ascent on May 15th. Recalling the summit, Rowena described an “infinite” view and a moment of shared triumph with Migmar, “the highest people on the planet.”
Rowena’s ambition doesn’t end with Everest. She is already planning her next challenge: Denali in Alaska, the highest peak in North America at 6,190m (20,310ft), scheduled for May of next year. She acknowledges its difficulty – “They say it’s harder than Everest” - but remains undeterred.
“In the mountains, as in life, you don’t look too far ahead,” Rowena reflects. “You put one foot in front of the other.You keep going. And you trust that,eventually,you’ll stand somewhere you never dreamed possible.”