The Daily - June 11,2022 - 28

FEATURE
Clockwise: Evan Green
and Fred Campbell
receive the blessing of
the Sherpa community.
High on the world's
tallest peak. Eddie
Taylor and Demond
" Dom " Mullins at the
entrance to Sagarmatha
National Park.
" I think for us at VF, we want
to play a really key role in making
the outdoors more accessible for
everyone. And part of that is looking
at the baggage of this industry and
supporting those whose voices haven't
historically been elevated. And I
think this is an incredible platform
to do that, " Guthrie says. " This time
has been rich with conversations
with each one of the members of this
team around what the future holds
and how we can leverage this moment
of inspiration and aspiration,
but also continue to look for ways to
make this more accessible. "
But even an organization as big as
VF can't do this work alone. Guthrie
says that in order to support diversity
initiatives on an industry-wide
scale, coalitions of support must be
created to find those opportunities
where otherwise-competing companies
can work together to amplify
the work of one another in service of
something greater than just selling
products. The Full Circle Everest
expedition is one such initiative that
aims to not only improve representation
among people of color in the
28
outdoor industry but also create the
means through which they might
elevate their careers in the future.
" We have several professional
athletes on the team, and I think
that this is going to raise their
profile in a big way, " says Everest
summiter Demond " Dom " Mullins.
" We have other professionals on
the team who are also connected to
the outdoor industry in some way,
whether they are mountain guides,
/ OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2022
instructors of some type, working
for NOLS (National Outdoor
Leadership School), or even a gym
owner. This is going to raise their
profile and allow people to see Black
people represented in the sport. "
AFTER ALMOST EIGHT WEEKS ON
the Full Circle Everest Expedition,
the team members are eager to get
back to their lives with a renewed
sense of purpose. Eddie Taylor,
for example, a high school science
teacher and track coach, looks forward
to seeing his students graduate.
Rosemary Saal, a mountain
guide and outdoor educator, said
she plans to spend some time on
a warm beach somewhere. Maybe
Mexico. And Thomas Moore, a
Denver-based entrepreneur, plans
to continue training toward his next
big climbing goal. He aims to be
the first Black American climber to
reach the Seven Summits. " I am still
on track. If Carstensz (Indonesia's
Punack Jaya) opens up, I'll go for
it in October, " Moore says. " I'm not
sure what the Russian war does for
visas over the next year for Elbrus,
but I have five of the seven, and I
want the last two. "
As for Philip Henderson, he'll go
back to work at Osprey Packs in
Cortez, Colorado, where he hopes
to settle in for some well-deserved
down time. " It's hard not to be
excited when you make history, "
Henderson says. " But for now, I'm
just going back home to rest, relax,
and be with my family. "
James Edward Mills is the author
of The Adventure Gap and
founder of The Joy Trip Project.
He traveled with the Full Circle
Everest Expediton to Base Camp
this spring. joytripproject.com
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JAMES EDWARD MILLS, PEMBA SHERPA, JAMES EDWARD MILLS
http://www.joytripproject.com
The Daily - June 11,2022

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