K2 and The Promise To Build A School
As described in his first book, Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson stated that he travelled to northern Pakistan in 1993 in order to climb the world's second highest mountain, K2, as a memorial to honor his sister Christa's memory. After more than 70 days on the mountain located in the Karakoram range, Mortenson and three other climbers completed a 75-hour life-saving rescue of a fifth climber. The time and energy devoted to this rescue prevented Mortenson from attempting to reach the summit. After the rescue, he began his descent off the mountain and set out with local Balti porter Mouzafer Ali to the nearest city.
According to the account in Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson stated he took a wrong turn on the trail and ended up in the small village of Korphe. Physically exhausted, ill, and alone at the time of his arrival there, Mortenson was cared for by some of Korphe's residents while he recovered. As a gesture of gratitude to the community for their assistance to him, Mortenson said he would build a school for the village after he noticed local students attending school in an outdoor location and writing out their lessons in the dirt. Mortenson has since stated in a 2011 interview that the timing in the Korphe account in Three Cups of Tea is inaccurate and that the events actually took place over a longer period of time and during separate trips. Also in contrast to what is written in Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson is purported to have initially promised to build a school in Khane village, but was convinced to build a school in Korphe by the village leaders.
Read more about this topic: Greg Mortenson
Famous quotes containing the words promise, build and/or school:
“I anticipate with pleasing expectations that retreat in which I promise myself to realize, without alloy, the sweet enjoyment of partaking, in the midst of my fellow citizens, the benign influence of good laws under a free government, the ever favorite object of my heart, and the happy reward, as I trust, of our mutual cares, labors, and dangers.”
—George Washington (1732–1799)
“The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Today, only a fool would offer herself as the singular role model for the Good Mother. Most of us know not to tempt the fates. The moment I felt sure I had everything under control would invariably be the moment right before the principal called to report that one of my sons had just driven somebody’s motorcycle through the high school gymnasium.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)