Ladies and Gentleman Namaste and good morning,

I am Anish Luitel, a scout leader and volunteer/Gold award achiever of The Duke of Edinburgh international award from Nepal.  Growing up in Nepal the Himalayan mountains surrounded me but climbing those mountains was not something that those that live in my town do. I learned about famous mountain climbers that had summited Mt. Everest and I was inspired by their stories.

My first attempt to climb Mt. Everest was in 2015 and after reaching camp 2, I was stopped by the Earthquake and lost two of my team mates.  In 2016 I returned to Mt. Everest and on May 21st I successfully summited at the age of 22. I was the first Scout from Nepal to summit and the first person from my District to have summited. I took with me the Northern Star Council Boy Scouts of America flag with me to the top of Everest.

In 2018 I was sent a flag of the World Scout Jamboree which will take place this July in West Virginia.  Climbing from the China side this time, I successfully summited with the flag on May 14th as a solo climber.

My dream now is to climb the 7 summit challenge, these are the 7 highest points in each continent. I also want to raise awareness of the importance of Leave No Trace and keeping the mountains clean.

I observed on all three of my climbs of Mt. Everest the amount of trash and waste that was accumulating. Those who had worked the mountains for years told me of the glaciers melting and their concern of how the environment was changing. I will promote and use sustainable products and follow Leave No Trace principles. I wish to help educate the youth and especially Scouts around the world on the importance of protecting our environment. I also want to set a new goal for the upcoming generation and exemplify that nothing is impossible if you desire and set an ambition.

My experience as a Scout has really motivated me to do something for the voiceless and to promote sustainability. As a scout I learned leave no trace and the impact that non-sustainable products and development have on the world.

Climbing the seven highest peaks on each continent would allow me the opportunity to highlight sustainability goals on each continent. I would begin with Kilimanjaro and ending once again on the world highest peak Mt. Everest. The seven summits in the order that I will climb, and summit are:

• Kilimanjaro. (5,895 m) (Africa)
• Kosciuszko. (2,228 m) (Australia)
• Denali. (6,194 m) (North America)
• Mont Blanc. (4,810 m) (Europe)
• Aconcagua. (6,961 m) (South America)
• Mt. Vinson (4,892 m) (Antarctica)
• Everest. (8,848 m)

Thanking you!! Much Love….

Anish Luitel