City - Yosemite State - CALIFORNIA Country - United States
About
Please read this about...it will make the picture truly meaningful.
Kelly Perkins and her husband Craig have gained international recognition for their remarkable courage and landmark accomplishments. With Craig’s support, Kelly has expanded the possibilities of what a heart transplant recipient can do, climbing mountains that few thought possible.
Born in 1961 and raised in Lake Tahoe, California, Kelly enjoyed growing up in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. While attending college in San Francisco, Kelly met Craig who shared her love for the outdoors. During their early courtship years, the two spent a great deal of time getting to know each other while backpacking in the mountains.
After getting married in 1987, their commitment to each other and desire to visit and hike in other parts of the world grew stronger. In 1992, Kelly and Craig were exercising their passion for travel and the outdoors by hiking the majestic trails of the Swiss Alps, in the shadow of the Matterhorn, in celebration of their 5-year wedding anniversary. Upon returning from this overseas trip, Kelly recall's the feeling of living a "fairytale life."
Just one month after returning from Europe, Kelly started noticing some unusual symptoms, including a racing heartbeat. In September 1992 Kelly was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy after and EKG captured her resting heart rate at 190 beats per minute. She apparently caught a virus that infected her heart.
For 3 and a half tumultuous years, Craig and Kelly lived in and out of hospitals until her body eventually succumbed to the ill effects of a failing heart. On November 20, 1995, Kelly received a heart transplant at UCLA.
Renewed with life, Kelly went on to shock the medical world by becoming the first ever heart transplant recipient to reach the peak some of the world’s most famous mountains, including one of the “Seven Summits,” Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. In 2003, Craig and Kelly returned to the Swiss Alps to cast their own shadow on the trails below, this time while standing on the top of the Matterhorn. Their remarkable comeback story is a testament to courage, commitment and the relentless desire to live.
This picture is a pano of about 16 Stitched shots that pans 180 Degrees on the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. After taking the shots I went to join the heart. Kelly Summited about 5 minutes later. I hope you're all inspired like I was! :) Here is a link to her site and her amazing story.
Breathtaking shot, awesome stitching. Incredible to see visually the picture you had painted with words when you told me about your climb. So glad I didn't know about the challenges until after you were safely back on the ground. This shot must be well worth the 20 mile hike to, climb, and hike back. Thanks from all of us that will never get to experience - in person - views such as this.
I rarely comment on your images due to the fact that you are my brother. BUT WOW, what an awesome about. That kind of determinnation with ones life really make one look at life with a VERY different perspective.
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