Haley Ercanbrack of Scottsdale says she's just an ordinary person. She owns a hairdressing business in Scottsdale and leads a pretty "standard" life.
Except for the part where she trains two to three hours a day as well as climbing Camelback Mountain almost every day with up to 40 pounds on her back.
That's all because Ercanbrack's been preparing to take on the challenge of a lifetime. She left for Nepal on April 1 to fulfill her dream of reaching the summit of Mt. Everest, the highest point on the planet.
Ercanbrack was raised in Utah on her family's fruit farm. She and her father have bonded over extreme mountaineering since she was a child, and now he will join her on this 14-man expedition on Everest.
"It is a really cool thing," Ercanbrack said. "My father and I have climbed several mountains together. And it's a really cool opportunity for a father-daughter team to be able to do it together and be able to share in this experience."
Thousands of dollars in gear and certifications, years of training for some of the world's most extreme conditions, and an unwavering respect for Mother Nature are all part of Ercanbrack's journey to the summit. She says, though the sacrifice is beyond measure, the risks and the rewards will all be worth the experience.
"I actually have not been sleeping well the past couple weeks to be honest," Ercanbrack said. "There is a lot at stake and I have sacrificed a lot in my personal relationships, in my business, financially, to make this happen."
Everest is only part of the story. This expert climber plans to join the ranks of world-record holders.
Five weeks ago, Ercanbrack traveled to Argentina to climb the Aconcagua Peak, the highest in South America. She checked that box and now plans to check off Everest from the list of the world's Seven Summits. Not only that; she hopes to climb the highest peak on each continent in a year's time, which would be a women's world record.
As for the part where she's risking her life for sport?
"I am scared in a little way," she said. "There's parts of the climb that do scare me, that I know that are very dangerous and that are high risk, to possibly not coming back. But I have to say that I've had a wonderful life. I have traveled the world. I've been very fortunate to do what I've done the last 32 years of my life and I'm at peace with myself and where I'm at and if the party's over for me, then the party's over and I'm okay with that."
Ercanbrack says she wants to inspire more women to take risks and venture into the world of extreme mountaineering.
You can follow her on her journey and track her progress up the mountain on Facebook at facebook.com/pages/Haley-Climbs.
Haley's Packing List: Here's what you need to climb Mt. Everest:
