“….when it comes to being the first Pakistani woman and the first Ismaili woman to put the nation’s flag and the Ismaili Imamat red and green flag on top of the world, one cannot adequately express the feeling. It is indeed a BLESSING of a life time! We did bring the flag back, and with all love and respect, sent it to Sarcar Mawlana Hazar Imam.” — Samina Baig in exclusive interview with Simerg, see link below.
Please click on photos for enlargement
Mirza Ali and his sister Samina Baig hoist the Ismaili Imamat Flag after reaching the summit of North America’s highest mountain, Mt. McKinley, in Alaska, on June 28, 2014. Their goal is to reach all the “Seven Summits”, and with this latest conquest only one remains to be peaked. Photo: Mirza Ali/Samina Baig. Copyright.
In a recent exclusive Interview with Simerg, Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali Baig spoke about the challenges of mountaineering and their goal to scale the “Seven Summits”, that is to reach the top of the highest mountain in each continent over a period of several months. At the time of the interview, five of the seven mountains including Mt. Everest, the world’s highest, had been conquered since they began their quest in April 2013. Two remained to be climbed.
On June 28, 2014, at 7:20 pm, the brother and sister team made it to North America’s highest summit, Mt. McKinley (20,322ft/6,194m), also known by the native name Denali in the Koyukon and Athabaskan languages, meaning the “High One”. The weather condition was unpredictable and, incredibly, the gain from the base camp to the summit was higher than Mt. Everest!
Sunrise alpenglow on Mount McKinley, Alaska. Photo by: National Park Service /Tim Rains
The duration of the expedition was three weeks. Mirza Ali stated that it could have been done in 18 days, but they got struck at Camp IV at 17,200 ft for four days due to severe weather. It took them 15 hours for the return climb.
As with Mt. Everest and other mountains, Samina and Mirza hoisted the Ismaili Imamat Flag on the peak of Mt. McKinley.
MOUNT ELBRUS: NEXT AND LAST IN THE “SEVEN SUMMITS”
FOR SAMINA AND MIRZA ALI BAIG
While there are differing explanations on how the Caucasus Mountain Range is distributed between Europe and Asia, it is generally accepted that Mount Elbrus (18,510ft) is in Europe and is therefore the highest mountain in all of Europe. Samina and Mirza Ali Baig are now on their way to Russia for the climb. Photo: Wikipedia.
Simerg congratulates Samina and Mirza on their monumental feat and continuing success, and wishes them the very best as they depart the USA to conquer the last of the seven summits, Mount Elbrus (18,510ft/5,642m) in Russia, which is considered to be the highest mountain in Europe. They expect to reach their goal of “Seven Summits” by the end of this month or early next month, Inshallah.
Date posted: Saturday, July 19, 2014.
Date updated: Sunday, July 20, 2014 (Mt. Elbrus photo).
____________
Simerg - Insights from Around the World 