The Quest For Everest: 11 Year Old Puts Sights on World’s Highest Peak

They just keep getting younger.  ExplorersWeb ran an article awhile back about a 14 year old who had wrote an email to their site exclaiming that he wanted to try his hand at the world’s tallest peaks–all 14 of them.

Now, an Irish schoolgirl–Age 11–is wanting to attempt Mt. Everest.  This is coming from The Mayo News in Ireland:

LAURA Beston’s ambition is to be on top of the world. She aims to be the youngest Irish girl ever to conquer Mount Everest. Only two Irish women have ever climbed the world’s tallest mountain peak and reached the summit.

Laura Beston certainly has big ambitions, and why not?  She has been climbing mountains since age four and recently became one of only a very few people to reach the highest point in each of Ireland’s 32 counties.  She has also climbed the highest peaks in Scotland, Wales, England and Spain. Not bad for eleven.

The article mentioned above also says that Laura would be the youngest Irish female to ever attempt Mt. Everest–I have a gut feeling that she may just be the youngest to attempt it from anywhere else in the world as well.

Makes you wonder what we were all thinking at eleven.  I know I was having fun seeing how far I could jump my BMX and playing with my G.I. Joe’s–not sure where my ambition was at that time–Oh, that’s right.  I had my sights set on Pro Wrestling (glad I grew out of that one;)

For those of you wondering what parent in there right mind would allow an eleven year old to climb mountains–They climb with her and actually encourage her to live her dreams.  Safety is first and they always carry a GPS, compass, and other satelite navigational aides to help if something would happen.

It is interesting to think that for Laura, this could actually become a reality in the very near future.  She is climbing and training.  She has put in some time on some pretty big peaks and is gradually building up quite the climbing resume–even at eleven.  All things that should be considered seems to be finding their rightful place.  I will definately be watching out for her when and if she ever has that chance to make her dream a reality–