HELGA ANDRESS
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

I re-read the stories of your Achievers, Bette Franke, Clyde Dial & Judy Meagher, and as much as I admire them for their courage & determination, it is hard for me to picture myself belonging to this distinguished group.
You may recall that I had Selective Denervation Surgery at Dr. Arce's in 1991. I am sure he would consider my case a perfect success. Since then I have had no more jerking of the head or any kind of pain. All I am left with is a tremor which has become somewhat more severe through the years, but is sometimes more & sometimes less controlled with Botox injections every three months. As I said, it does not keep me from doing what I enjoy.

Now, I think I need to explain: In the Colorado Rockies there are 54 peaks above 14000 feet. They are the ones we call Fourteeners. The highest one is Mt. Elbert with 14433 ft. Some of them are alpinistic endeavors which are not for me. BUT DURING THE 72ND AND 73RD YEAR OF MY LIFE, I MANAGED TO CLIMB 7 OF THOSE FOURTEENERS. Mostly it is sweat & endurance. Some trails are more rocky & tougher than others. The problem starts around 12000 ft, when the air gets thin & thinner. Progress becomes slower & you 'huff & puff' a lot. Living every day at above 10000 ft in Leadville certainly helps.

With me on those climbs were at least one, sometimes two ladies the same age as mine. The others were in their 60s. We all love the mountains, our pristine surroundings, physical exercise & a worthwhile challenge!

I am proud, of course, of what I have accomplished, but you will understand that it is not so easy to feel special or like a great achiever around here. That holds true also for the roughly 30 people that we ski downhill, cross country, snowshoe & socialize with. They are between 60 & 90 years old. What more can I say? They are all amazing human beings and we consider ourselves lucky to have found this group here & so late in our lives!

Well, that sums it up! I am very happy that you are awed, but I hope you understand why I feel the way I feel.

We do hope to see you & a few old and also new friends in Las Vegas! Keep taking care of all the great ST'ers! We love all you are doing!

To the pictures:

# 1 On top of Mt. Lincoln -14286 ft. on Aug. 31,07, my fifth Fourteener (hence the 5 fingers).

# 2 Arriving on the top of Mt. Elbert – 14433 ft., Colorado’s highest, on Sept. 13, 07

# 3 Skiing at SKI COOPER, 10 mi outside of Leadville on Jan. 10, 08.

#4 Helga & Harry at SKI COOPER after our 52nd
wedding anniversary on Dec. 28, 07.

Great job Helga...and well deserved!!!
Who’s next?