[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9958-9960]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 9958]]

  HONORING ERIK WEIHENMAYER'S ACHIEVEMENT OF BECOMING THE FIRST BLIND 
                     PERSON TO CLIMB MOUNT EVEREST

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 150) expressing the sense of 
Congress that


Erik Weihenmayer's achievement of becoming the first blind person to 
climb Mount Everest demonstrates the abilities and potential of all 
blind people and other individuals with disabilities.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 150

       Whereas misconceptions and negative stereotypes about 
     blindness and other disabilities significantly contribute to 
     the challenges that individuals with blindness or other 
     disabilities encounter;
       Whereas in order to help promote a positive public 
     perception of blindness, the National Federation of the Blind 
     sponsored the quest of Erik Weihenmayer to become the first 
     blind person to climb Mount Everest;
       Whereas on May 23, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer, as part of a 
     climbing team, successfully climbed to the summit of Mount 
     Everest, which, at a height of 29,035 feet above sea level, 
     is the highest summit in the world;
       Whereas Erik Weihenmayer has climbed to the summit of Ama 
     Dablam, Mount McKinley, El Capitan, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, 
     Vinson Massif, and Polar Circus, which is a 3,000 foot ice 
     waterfall in Alberta, Canada;
       Whereas despite his blindness, Erik Weihenmayer is a 
     speaker, writer, acrobatic skydiver and scuba diver, long-
     distance cyclist, marathon runner, skier, mountaineer, and 
     ice and rock climber;
       Whereas Erik Weihenmayer's many accomplishments have earned 
     him the Health and Fitness Association Award, the Glaucoma 
     Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award, Connecticut's Most 
     Courageous Athlete Award, ESPN's ARETE Award for courage in 
     sports, the Distinguished Arizonan Award, the Gene Autry 
     Award, induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, 
     and the honor of carrying the Olympic Torch through Phoenix, 
     Arizona; and
       Whereas Erik Weihenmayer's achievements demonstrate that 
     blind people and other individuals with disabilities can 
     accomplish extraordinary goals if they are provided with the 
     proper training and opportunities: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) Erik Weihenmayer's achievement of becoming the first 
     blind person to climb Mount Everest demonstrates the 
     abilities and potential of all blind people and other 
     individuals with disabilities; and
       (2) individuals with blindness or other disabilities can 
     overcome almost any obstacle if they are provided with the 
     appropriate resources.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).


                             General Leave

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on House Concurrent Resolution 150.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Delaware?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Concurrent 
Resolution 150, a resolution in which we are honoring Erik Weihenmayer 
for his recent climb to the top of Mount Everest, and underscores the 
vast potential of individuals with disabilities.
  Mount Everest, towering 29,028 above sea level, is not only the 
highest mountain on Earth. The sudden storms, the freezing 
temperatures, and the brief window of opportunity afforded by the 
weather conditions make Everest a particularly hostile climbing 
environment.
  Although the mountain has been climbed many times since Sir Edmund 
Hillary first ascended the mountain in 1953, Erik is the first blind 
man to successfully climb and stand on the summit of Mount Everest.
  In addition to Mount Everest, Erik has accumulated quite an 
impressive list of achievements. He has climbed Mount McKinley, the 
highest point in North America, as well as many other challenging 
mountains. In fact, with the successful climb of Mount Everest, Erik 
has climbed the highest peaks on five continents.
  In the future, he hopes to build on these successes by conquering the 
highest mountains on all seven continents, a challenge that easily 
rivals Mount Everest.
  Besides mountaineering, this former schoolteacher turned motivational 
speaker is also a sky diver, skier, a long-distance biker, marathoner, 
a wrestler, a SCUBA diver, and an ice and rock climber.
  In all, Erik's story is about having the courage to reach for near 
impossible goals, and in so doing, he helps us to challenge social 
attitudes and misconceptions about individuals with disabilities. As 
Erik has said of his recent climb, ``The climb might shatter people's 
conceptions about blindness, which are often more limiting than the 
disability itself.''
  For all these reasons, I am pleased to draw our attention to Erik's 
accomplishments. He is an outstanding example of what individuals with 
disabilities can accomplish. I congratulate Erik Weihenmayer on his 
incredible climb, and urge my colleagues to join me by voting aye on 
this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 
150, which commends Erik Weihenmayer for climbing Mount Everest, and 
recognizes that visually impaired individuals and others with 
disabilities have great potential.
  Climbing Mount Everest is a feat in itself, given that only about 
1,000 people have been able to do so, and well over 100 have died 
trying. Yet the fact that Erik is the only blind person to ever climb 
Mount Everest makes the accomplishment all the more remarkable.
  I could spend the rest of my time talking about just this one 
accomplishment and how he did it. Yet, Erik's mountain climbing 
experience is not limited to Everest alone. His list of outdoor 
achievements reads like a wish list that many able-bodied mountaineers 
would like to have.
  He has never let his inability to see obstruct his passion for travel 
and for mountaineering. He has hiked the Inca Trail in Peru. He has 
trekked in Pakistan and Tajikistan, including a traverse of the Baltoro 
Glacier, from which rise ten of the world's 30 highest peaks.
  He has crossed the jungles of the Irian Jaya, near Carstan's pyramid, 
and the highest peak of Australia. In 1995 he climbed the 20,320 foot 
summit of Denali. In August of 1996, he made it to the top of El 
Capitan, the first blind person to do that. Erik has also climbed Mount 
McKinley, Aconcagua in Argentina, Vinson Massif in Antarctica, and the 
Polar Circus, a 3,000 foot ice waterfall in Alberta. Interestingly, 
even his wedding took place at 12,700 feet en route to the summit of 
Kilimanjaro.
  Erik represents the reality that all people, regardless of their 
physical disabilities, can achieve amazing accomplishments. To quote 
Erik Weihenmayer, ``My message is much greater than go out and climb a 
mountain. It is to have passion for whatever you do in life.'' Few 
people can match the passion that Erik has shown for life. Through his 
feats, he teaches us that individuals can overcome their personal 
challenges, large or small, in reaching their goals and succeeding in 
life.
  Erik has also wisely said, ``Someone told me that blind people need 
to realize their limitations. But I think it is much more exciting to 
realize my potential.'' This resolution recognizes Erik's potential and 
the potential of all of us humans, and it deserves the support of all 
of my colleagues today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo).
  Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  Mr. Speaker, we offer this concurrent resolution today to honor a 
brave and courageous mountain climber from Golden, Colorado.
  On Friday, May 25, Erik Weihenmayer reached the summit of Mount 
Everest, one of several Americans to top the peak last month. However, 
Erik's accomplishments demand

[[Page 9959]]

much more attention because he became the first blind person in the 
world to stand triumphant at 29,035 feet.
  When Erik was 13 years old, he lost his eyesight, and began rock 
climbing just 3 years later. Erik, a loving husband and father of a 1-
year-old daughter, scaled the mountain by following the directions of 
his climbing mates, Erik Alexander of Vail, Colorado, Luis Benitez of 
Boulder, and Jeff Evans of Denver, and listening to bells that were 
attached to the climbers ahead of him.
  Just think of that for a few seconds. I am not sure I could close my 
eyes and even with directions follow them from here to the podium and 
20 feet in front of me, yet Erik climbed the world's tallest mountain.
  Here is how Erik describes one section of the climb: ``It is just 
2,000 feet of jumbly ice where you are just weaving in and out of ice 
blocks. There are big crevasses, and you are either stepping over or 
jumping over them, and sometimes there are tiny little narrow bridges 
that you have to tiptoe across, or there are ladders that you are 
walking across.''
  On May 25, Erik became the hero of not only the blind community but 
all Americans. He showed all of us what we can accomplish; that we can 
accomplish our goals, regardless of the curve balls life throws us.
  Erik has also accomplished the important goal of pulling down 
barriers that are constructed in the minds of individuals regarding 
what persons with disabilities can accomplish in life. His success will 
cause all of us to stop and think about his monumental climb and the 
struggle of disabled Americans every day.
  There are thousands of Mount Everests. Some of them may be as small 
as taking a single step. Others may be as monumental as Erik's climb. 
Erik has brought all of them to our attention. Erik put it best when he 
recently said that his climb ``. . . does not just ask people to change 
their opinions about blind people. It sort of forces them to.''
  Erik is scheduled to arrive home in Colorado from Nepal today. He has 
said he is looking forward to hugging and smooching his daughter and 
wife. I would imagine that those were two of the great incentives he 
had to reach the top and get home safely.
  I believe this Congress should give Erik a fitting welcome home and 
pass House Concurrent Resolution 350, thanking him for inspiring all of 
us. We welcome Erik home and thank him.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), who continues to inspire us 
with all that he has accomplished, and I might add, the sponsor and 
author of this bill.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  Mr. Speaker, yesterday I teamed up with my colleague, the gentleman 
from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo), to introduce this resolution to honor 
Erik Weihenmayer. Before I explain just how amazing Erik is and what 
his achievement epitomizes for people with disabilities, I would first 
like to thank the leadership, and the chairman and ranking member of 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce. All of them have provided 
strong support for this legislation and helped bring it to the floor in 
an expeditious fashion, which ensures timely recognition of this great 
feat.
  I am an ardent fan of Erik Weihenmayer. Little does he know that I 
and millions of others with disabilities have followed his trek not 
since May 23, when he summited Mount Everest, but many months ago when 
I first learned of his expedition.
  Since 1926, when George Mallory was the first man to reach the top of 
Mount Everest, only about 1,000 people have successfully climbed it, 
and more than 150 have died trying. Not only has Erik conquered a 
mountain few people with 20/20 vision would ever fathom climbing, but 
he has also become an inspiring example of how to live life to its 
fullest.
  At the young age of 32, Erik has already climbed Mount McKinley, Mt. 
Kilimanjaro, and even the Polar Circus, a 3,000 foot ice waterfall.

                              {time}  1130

  Erik is the consummate athlete. He is an acrobatic skydiver, SCUBA 
diver, long distance biker, marathon runner, skier, mountaineer, and an 
ice and rock climber. He has received countless awards from the Health 
and Fitness Association, from the Glaucoma Foundation, ESPN, and many 
more. He has even carried the Olympic torch.
  But Erik's successes reach far beyond physical challenges. As an 
inspirational speaker and writer, Erik has shared the lessons learned 
in turning obstacles into opportunities. He has pioneered, not just the 
people with disabilities, but for all of us struggling to overcome our 
own tribulations.
  What Erik shows us is that, despite obstacles and challenges that we 
all face in our lives, each of us can make our own dreams come true.
  But myself personally, I had dreamed of being a police officer my 
entire life, and that dream ended for me at the age of 16 when, as a 
police cadet, a police officer's gun accidently discharged in the 
police locker room and severed my spinal cord. But with the help and 
support of my family, my friends and my entire community, I was able to 
persevere and find a new dream. Today I join my colleagues as a Member 
of the United States Congress.
  Erik's spirit and determination symbolized my philosophy for living 
life to its fullest; that is, to dream it, to do it, and to dig a 
little deeper.
  It is so important for us to experience life and to have dreams, to 
know that there is something out there that we want to accomplish; and 
then, yes, we put that plan into action and just do it.
  Believing in ourselves, knowing that, despite the difficulties and 
the obstacles that we can overcome, we all can persevere, and that is 
when we need to dig a little deeper.
  When the obstacles present themselves and we think we have nothing 
else left to give, all of us must know that it is possible and we must 
dig deep within ourselves and then to push forward and to persevere. 
That is a lesson and a message that we all must share and that Erik has 
certainly demonstrated for all of us today.
  In his first inaugural address, FDR said happiness lies in the joy of 
achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. I cannot think of a 
person who embodies this spirit more than Erik Weihenmayer. Today we 
will pass a resolution to honor this perfect illustration of the 
accomplishments people with disabilities can make if they are provided 
with the proper resources, training and opportunity. But most important 
of all, this is a powerful example of the triumph of the human spirit.
  I thank my colleagues for embracing and encouraging this drive to 
achieve in valuing the need for all of us to experience this great joy.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I was inspired by the message of the gentleman from 
Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) in his own circumstances, having been 
disabled early in his life. Anybody who is not inspired by Erik's story 
has never even climbed a hill much less a Mount Everest or Mount 
McKinley or some of the other mountains.
  But the stories of both of these gentlemen and what they have 
achieved while they are a symbol of what those with disabilities are 
able to achieve in this world today, also I think are a symbol of 
something else that I have seen certainly in my lifetime; and that is 
the improvement of opportunities for those who are disabled in America.
  I am not talking about just the curb cuts and the access to buildings 
and other facilities and amenities, all of which are of vital 
significance, and I am proud to say that the Congress of the United 
States and Washington in general has played a major part in that, but 
just the awareness of and in our society of what people with 
disabilities can achieve.
  At the very highest levels of governance, at the very highest level 
of corporate governance in athletic pursuits such as we see here, 
Special Olympics and other circumstances, we have seen so many 
individuals who have lighted the way for everybody else in terms of 
what they could do. It is a huge inspiration, not only to others who 
might

[[Page 9960]]

indeed have some disabilities, but I think to all of us with the 
recognition that the great abilities that are there generally make up 
for and overcome the disability that may have been the root problem to 
begin with. I think for that we can all be thankful.
  We often talk about all the negativism out there, how things are 
worse in the world today. In my judgment, this is one area where things 
are much better. Erik is truly a hero and should truly be recognized 
and honored as such, and that is what we do in this resolution. For all 
these reasons, I believe this resolution is one that is deserving of 
the support of each of us here in the Congress of the United States.
  Hopefully sometime we will have an opportunity, after he returns and 
hugs his wife and child, to be able to meet Erik and to be able to 
congratulate him personally for all that he has achieved.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to thank the gentleman from Rhode Island 
(Mr. Langevin) for his inspiring remarks about another inspiring 
individual. I think there is a lesson for everyone here, especially 
those who do not intend to scale the highest peaks in the world, the 
highest physical mountains in the world, but scale, surmount other 
difficulties that they face.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo) if he wishes to say anything 
further. He made an elegant statement already.
  Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure listening to the gentleman 
discuss the accomplishments of Mr. Weihenmayer. Although I have not had 
the opportunity to meet him in person, I am certainly looking forward 
to that. Our office has sent him a letter congratulating him. I hope he 
is receiving it even as we speak here today, because I know he is 
scheduled to be returning as I mentioned early today.
  The fact is that there are a number of people that achieve the 
recognition that is set forward in the resolution of this nature. We do 
this routinely in the House. But I must admit to you that I think this 
particular resolution and this particular individual is something other 
than routine, I should say, that the accomplishments go far, farther 
than those of many, many of the people that we have identified in the 
past year. So it is especially fitting today that we are able to 
provide him with this kind of tribute.
  We always wonder here what it is that we can do to inspire others. 
What we can possibly do on this floor to encourage other people to take 
on the tasks taken on by individuals like Mr. Weihenmayer. I am not 
sure if it is anything that we can do here, because all of it has to 
come from something internally. All of it has to come from something 
that builds in an individual over which we probably have very little 
control.
  But to whatever degree we can add our support for those people who 
are out there throughout our land and throughout the world, for that 
matter, who have this sort of burning inside of them something, an 
ember starting to smoulder, to do something with their lives of major 
accomplishment, even if they are disabled, we say Godspeed to you all. 
Mr. Weihenmayer is a great example for everyone.
  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join my colleagues today in 
extending my congratulations to Erik Weihenmayer on his remarkable 
achievement. On May 23, Erik reached the top of Mount Everest, which is 
a triumph for any athlete. The fact that Erik is blind makes the 
achievement all the more impressive. As the first blind person to ever 
reach the summit of Mount Everest, Erik symbolizes the athleticism of 
all mountain climbers, as well as the determination and ability of 
people with disabilities.
  Those with disabilities can accomplish extraordinary goals if they 
are provided with the proper resources, training and opportunities. 
Erik took advantage of these opportunities and now joins the small rank 
of individuals who have conquered Mount Everest.
  At the age of 32, Erik has climbed not only the highest mountain in 
the world, but also Mount McKinley, El Capitan, Kilimanjaro, Vinson 
Massif in Antartica, and Polar Circus in Alberta.
  Today's resolution pays tribute to Erik and, in turn, all people with 
disabilities. I congratulate Erik on his achievement and his 
determination to succeed. His accomplishment proves that we are all 
capable of achieving great things when we set our hearts and minds to 
accomplishing a goal.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
150.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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