MORE THAN MOUNTAINS

The Speech

Edited transcription of Todd Huston’s speech

Editor Julie Dunbar Huston

Copyright 2018 Todd Huston LLC

Forward

The beauty from the mountaintop can be a very spiritual experience, and very symbolic of our life journey. We all have greatness within us – it’s how we are created. Eventually we live that greatness, and it’s the most brilliant light we could ever imagine. It beams through all darkness, not only in our lives, but the lives of those with whom we come into contact, and even those upon whom our thoughts rest. Getting to that point can seem like quite a hike up a strenuous mountainside, because throughout our journey we cram our packs full of some dark and unnecessary debris. This debris may take the form of negativity others have said about us that we can’t seem to shake off. It may take the form of abuse we have suffered. We may find we have taken on an unfavorable and unhealthy self-image. The debris may even come in the form of impatience, anger, or greed, which don’t seem terribly harmful; however, these are the most toxic because we feel justified in holding these thoughts toward ourselves or others. But none of this has anything to do with our true selves and the greatness and light we all are. In fact, it’s the opposite of our true identity and will only shroud our light in empty darkness. The more we unload our pack of this vile debris and toss it to the wind the easier becomes our ascent, until we finally let go of every false suggestion about who

we are, recognize our true, beautiful identity, and reach that incredible summit. Once we are there the view is one words fail to capture. Freedom. Joy. Innocence. Peace. Grandeur. All in infinite abundance. But the most amazing part of this spiritual summit is, once we are there, we realize we’ve always been there. We just needed to let go of the darkness to see it. Because this beautiful summit isn’t a destination – it is, and always has been, the very essence of our being. It is who we are now, who we always have been, and who we forever will be. No matter what.

May this, and other of Todd’s works, help you to stand on your summit and experience the amazing view.

Julie Dunbar Huston Editor

VIDEO INTRODUCTION

The world has its share of incredible mountain ranges, each with its share of high profile peaks. Many people dream of reaching such elevations, but only few are bold enough to do so. This is the story of one man who broke world records. The man who set a world record by climbing to the highest elevations in every American state in a little less than 67 days. This world-record holder has been featured in thousands of publications and televised programs across the world, achieving various global recognition as well as being awarded with several distinguished honors. Regarded as an inspirational speaker, his journey reflects both strength and ambition. However, it isn’t only his achievements that have become the main source of motivation; it is more about how he managed to overcome the obstacles that stood in his way. (Todd speaking) “I know some people may consider this somewhat remarkable, but it really all started when my life changed when I was 14 years old. It was a beautiful day, and I had no idea what was about ready to happen.”

1 “I’m sure everybody has had an experience where everything has just been going along great in life, and then all the sudden something happens.” “And my legs go sucked into the propellers. And that’s when my life changed forever.” “It’s been a long time since that accident when I was 14 years old. I’ve overcome a lot of challenges, and I’ve been able to reach the impossible. And that’s what I’m talking to you about today. I want to help you be able to reach your goals, overcome your obstacles, and achieve those dreams you have in life. That’s why I came to this event. Is to talk to you…” (looks into camera) “and you.” (looks at audience)

Be Inspired

Presenting Todd Huston

VIDEO ENDS

2 Part 1 – The Accident

Hello everyone!

You’ve heard I’m a mountain climber, but what’s different about my mountain climbing? I only have one leg. That's correct! Which leg is it? Right?... Left?... We've got two choices here guys. (audience laughter) It is my right leg. I will show you so you know I’m not making this story up. And here it is. (Todd removes his leg and holds it above his head) Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. “That poor guy! He only has one leg!” That's not true. I’ve got about 6 or 7 these in my closet at home. (audience laughter)

Let's talk about how this happened. When I was 14 years old I was waterskiing in eastern Oklahoma on a really hot summer day. While I was behind the boat getting ready to go again I noticed the boat coming back toward me. I yelled, “Hey! Stop the boat!” but nobody could hear me. My family and friends were on the boat listening to music, talking and laughing, and having fun.

3 As the boat continued backing up toward me I saw this big propeller spinning just beneath the surface of the water, coming directly at me. I tried to get out of the way but my legs got tangled in the ski ropes. I took one last breath and tried diving under the water, but before I knew it, Wham! I was hit, and both my legs got sucked into the propellers. I could feel the propellers crawling up my legs tossing me back and forth underneath the water like a rag doll. I was trying to keep my head above water so I could breathe.

Then all the sudden this chaos turned to a deadly silence. I opened my eyes and that dark green Oklahoma water had now turned to a bright red. Ever see the movie Jaws? Or Piranha in 3D? That's what it looked like.

At that moment I felt like I had a choice to either go home, whatever that meant, or stay and battle. Somewhere in my heart I made the decision to stay, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

The next thing I knew my dad reached down, grabbed me by the life jacket, and yanked me out of the water. That’s when I realized how badly I’d been injured.

4 I’m sure many of you have had experiences where everything is going along fine, and suddenly you, or someone you love, has something horrible or tragic happen. It might be a physical injury or illness; a break up of a relationship or a divorce; a bad medical report; or something else that seems to shatter your world. Whatever it is, you know at that moment your life will never be the same. That’s how it was for me, because when I looked down I saw that the back side of my right leg was completely missing. My entire left thigh was ripped down to the bone and chunks of muscle were hanging down. My knee had been sliced in half and my legs were cut in multiple places. My dad put me on the floor of the boat. Blood was squirting out of me like a oil well. My friends went running to the front of the boat screaming, some of them getting sick. My dad was putting towels on my legs to try to stop the bleeding.

This whole time I am screaming, “Why? Why me?”

Have you ever asked that question when you’ve gone through something incredibly difficult or some great challenge hits you? You think, “Why? Why is this happening to me?” Sometimes you get the answer right away. Sometimes it takes days, weeks, or maybe even years. In my case it was going to take almost 20 years before I would learn

5 the "why" behind this seemingly tragic accident and how it would become one of my life’s greatest blessings. I can’t tell you when you’ll get the answer to your “why” question, but I will tell you when you’ll know you have it, and that’s when the answer not only blesses you, but it also blesses others.

My father yelled at my 12-year-old brother to drive the boat back to the dock. Once we arrived a nurse and doctor happened to be there. When they realized what was going on they immediately gave me first aid and called the ambulance. It was so hot, well over 100°, but as I was laying in the bottom of the boat I was shaking like I was in a blizzard because I was so cold. The paramedics loaded me into the ambulance and rushed me to a small-town hospital. The emergency room physician did what he could to stabilize me and ordered the paramedics to get me to a larger facility. As they were putting me back into the ambulance he was overheard telling one of his hospital staff, “I don't think this kid is going to make it.” They rushed me to a larger hospital. At this point it had been two hours since I’d been hit. It was too dangerous to give me any pain medication, but you know how they tell you that when you’ve been injured and hurt really badly your body kind of shuts down so you don't feel the pain?

6 Have you ever heard that before? It's a lie! I could feel the pain! (audience laughter)

Once I arrived at the larger hospital they put me in the emergency room, and that's where I died twice. I flat-lined once in the emergency room, and again on the operating room table. Obviously, they resuscitated me. (audience laughter)

The next day when I woke up I had tubes stuck in my arms, a hose blowing in my nose, and monitor patches on my chest. I slowly worked my arms down my body and felt that I still had both my legs. I thought, “Hey, everything is going to be okay.” But that wasn't the case, because they told my parents that if I survived I would probably never walk again.

7 I struggled in the hospital. I was in a lot of pain and in and out of surgeries every day. The back side of my right leg did not have any skin on it. It was completely raw with every muscle and nerve exposed. To help with the healing they put skin grafts on it, and to keep a constant blood supply flowing into the grafts they sutured my hand to the back of my leg. I had to lay like that, in a body cast, for many weeks. This was not fun. Eventually they cut me loose and I was released from the hospital.

8 At first I was in wheelchair, and then up on crutches. The boat propeller severed a major nerve in my right leg and paralyzed it below my knee so I had to wear a heavy metal brace, kind of like in the movie Forrest Gump. In fact, if you’re ever watching that movie look in the hospital scene where Forrest is playing ping pong. That's me sitting right behind Tom Hanks. At the time we had no idea how big the movie was going to be, just as we don’t always know what greatness is lying right before us in our lives.

9 Sometimes we find we are just going through the motions in life. We find ourselves thinking, “What’s the purpose of all of this? Does my life really have meaning? Am I going anywhere?” You don’t know the big things going on around you preparing the world for your greatness. No matter what your past is or where you think you are now, what’s important is that you go out there and try. You can’t sit around waiting for greatness to just come to you. What you have to do is show up. You can’t be in control of some things in your life, but you can be in control of that – that you show up. When you show up each and every moment, and do your best, you will find you are living that greatness you were meant to live.

10 When I went back home my life wasn’t the same as before the accident. I used to be a middle linebacker and made the most tackles for my football team. Now I couldn't even sit in the chairs at school. I’d lost so much weight that my spine stuck out making it extremely uncomfortable to sit on the hard wood seats. One thing I was able to do was continue participating in Scouts. I eventually earned my Eagle Scout, something I consider one of my greatest life achievements.

11 Some of my friends were great, but some people weren’t so nice. They made fun of me behind my back and stopped including me in their activities. I eventually realized the supportive people were the only ones I wanted as friends anyway. However, I was still nice to everyone and tried to have something to offer others, even to those who weren’t kind to me. I realized grudges and anger would only hurt myself.

12 PART 2 – Amputation, Addiction, and Divorce

One complication I dealt with was infections in my paralyzed leg. I’d step on a nail or piece of glass and wouldn’t know it until the end of the day. I’d pull my shoe off and it would be a bloody mess. This eventually got infected and turned into a huge hole, like an ulcer diabetics get. Then my ankle bone got infected and started chipping away and coming out of my foot. I fought this for years until finally, when I was 21, the doctors gave me a choice I like it when I have two good choices, like whether I should go to the mountains or the beach; or obvious good and bad choices, like whether to eat healthy or unhealthy food. However, sometimes in life we have two tough choices and we don’t want to choose either of them. That's what I was dealing with right then. It was, “Todd we can attempt to save your leg, but if we do the infection could spread into the rest of your body and become very dangerous, if not deadly; or, you can amputate your right leg below the knee and we think that will get rid of it.” It was either my life or my leg, and of course I chose to have my leg amputated. I was having the surgery done at Mass General in Boston because a family friend was an orthopedic surgeon there. The night before going into surgery I remember

13 looking out my hospital room window. It was a beautiful spring night. My room overlooked the Charles River and I could see M.I.T. and Harvard in the background. As I stared out the window I thought, “Wow. I have gone through a lot of challenges in my life,” just like many of you have gone through some tough challenges. Then I thought, “I’m going through a really tough challenge right now, and I’m probably going to continue to go through them,” just like some of you may be going through something difficult at this time. I thought, “Do I really want those things that hit me from the outside world to determine the happiness, joy, and peace I feel? Because if that’s where I think it comes from my life is going to be an unending roller coaster going up and down, up and down. Or is there something within us more powerful than all the craziness we get hit with out in the world?” At that moment I really believed there was a power within me that could handle any challenge the world threw at me, and it’s a power we all have within us. The next day I decided to put my theory to the test. The orderly took me into the operating room to have my leg amputated. I was wide awake. I didn't even have an aspirin in me. All they did was numb me below the waist, and while I was laying there talking to the doctor they fired up the saw and amputated my right leg below the knee.

14 That’s when I realized no matter what craziness we get hit with we have the power within us to overcome anything. I am not saying it will always be easy, but you can overcome any challenge by using that amazing strength within you. The challenges won’t change – you will still be faced with them – but you will look at them in a different way. You will see every challenge as an opportunity to become wiser and stronger and experience more peace, love, and goodness. That’s what I learned that day. I learned true strength comes from within me. It can never really come from anywhere else. Let that power within you make you stronger, wiser, more compassionate toward others, and give you a greater sense of peace. Let that power turn your challenges into opportunities.

The nurses took me back to my room where I ate a big Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza with my mom and dad. I chowed down and got on with the rest of my life.

First I had to learn to walk again, which the nurses helped me with immediately.

15 The prosthetist brought me a leg, but it was horrible. It may as well have been a tree limb with a rubber foot slapped onto the bottom of it. It was so painful that when I took my first step I screamed and fell on the floor. But I got back up and took another step, because what does that famous Chinese proverb say? The journey of a thousand miles begins with… what? That’s right! It begins with one step. I took those steps until eventually I learned to walk again.

It was very painful to walk so they gave me pain pills. At first, I only took them when I was in pain. Eventually, I began taking them because I knew I would be walking and it would be painful. Before I knew it, I found myself thinking, “What the heck! I’m just going to take pain pills,” and I became addicted to them. It’s easy to do and happens to a lot of people. This went on for a couple of years until one day I thought I’d overdosed. I shouted out to the person I was with, “Call an ambulance! I think I’m going down!” At that moment, I sat down and thought, “If I get out of this I will never take another pain pill in my life.” I must have meant it because instantly my head cleared up as if I hadn't had taken anything.

16 I have only taken two pain pills since that day. One time I had a wisdom tooth pulled and the other time I twisted my ankle while playing volleyball. It sounded like a fistful of twigs breaking. Trust me, when something like that happens to your good leg, and you don't have your other leg, it hurts! (audience laughter) In each of these cases I took one pain pill, the bottle expired, and I threw the rest away. I didn’t have any desire for the others. That was over 30 years ago. Also, since that time I haven't had a sip of alcohol, or even a sip of soda.

The idea behind this is not that you shouldn't take pain pill if you need it, or to never have a drink. The point is this. Once you decide to change something in your life it only takes one moment to make that decision. Maybe it’s to get rid of something you shouldn’t be doing, and you know what that is. Nobody needs to tell you. Or maybe it’s to make a positive change in your life, like taking better care of yourself, being a better parent or spouse, being more focused at work, or making a difference in your community. Whatever it is, you are only one choice away from making it happen, and it only takes one moment to make a decision. Then put your passion behind that decision and live it moment by moment by moment. Before you know it those moments

17 become days, weeks, months, and years. You will find you are no longer imprisoned by whatever was holding you back and doing far greater things than you ever thought possible. It’s like false summits in mountain climbing. When hiking up the mountain we see what we think is the top. However, when we get there we realize we can go higher. That’s how it is with life. Nobody knows the true height of human potential. When you let go of the things holding you back and start doing the things that will take you higher, who knows how high you will go. You have the power within you to do this – to be the greatness that lies within you. I feel for people who spend their lives looking for it in money, addictions, and unhealthy relationships. They are looking for greatness where it will never be found, when all along, it was resting quietly and patiently in their own heart and mind.

I went back to school and got my graduate degree in psychology. I became a psychotherapist in southern California, where lord knows they need all the psychotherapists they can get. (audience laughter)

18 I met a very charming girl from New Zealand with an amazing accent. We had to get married fairly quickly because of immigration issues. It took a couple of years but we finally got that cleared up. A few weeks later I left to run some errands. When I came home I found she had disappeared. I was a little slow, but figured out what that marriage was all about. (audience laughter) Also, we were living in Newport Beach and she wanted to move further north, so I had quit my job and put in a notice where we lived. So I lost my home, my job, my wife – and of course she was sweet enough to go by the bank on her way out of town – and my money all in one week. You might say it was kind of a rough week. (audience laughter)

However, I had learned by then that no matter what our challenge is there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if you can't see it. Seek and ye shall find. If you want to play the victim role and hang onto the hurt, unforgiveness, and pain, you can do that. But if you look for the good, forgiveness, love, and power, that’s what you will find. When we have a physical injury we usually know how long it will take to recover; maybe three days, or give it a week or two. However, we don’t know how long it will take to get through emotional challenges. Some people hold onto the unforgiveness,

19 resentment, anger, and pain for a lifetime. Some hold onto them so tightly I believe it literally pulls them into their grave. In mountain climbing we want to go light, we want to go fast, and we want to go high. Things like unforgiveness and anger are the heaviest loads we can carry. We need to get rid of those things and replace them with forgiveness and love, because love is the lightest load we can carry, and it’s what will get us to the great heights we were meant to reach.

While this was going on I had a friend who was a couple of generations older than me. She lived in the desert and was only about 4 feet tall. We called her Yoda. (audience laughter) She was in her eighties and was very wise. I really trusted her advice and so did some other people. For example, she used to get personal Christmas cards from the president of the , and a guy named Elvis would swing by to see her. Another guy went to see her because he had a business problem. He had two cartoon characters and he didn't know which one to make the main character. He had a mouse and a duck. She told him, “The mouse, of course!” That was Walt Disney, and you know the character as Mickey Mouse.

20 She said, “Todd, when things happen and you feel hurt, you can get mad, yell, and scream – don’t hurt yourself or anyone else – but you only get to do it for 60 seconds. After that, you’ve got to get on with your life.” I am not trying to be Pollyannaish about this. Trust me, I was really hurting and it took me longer than sixty seconds to get over it. However, I knew the direction I needed to go and did everything I could to move forward. The biggest obstacle we face when moving forward with our goals and dreams is not the other person, the economy, or whoever is in political office. It's us. We each have to take responsibility and get out of our own way. I had to let my ego go so I could be open to the greatness that is always around us and within us. I had to do my part so I could be ready for it.

21 PART 3 – Summit America

Fortunately, I was able to get my job back and keep my apartment. I was living on a little island with a boat dock at the end of it. I went out there in the middle of the night one night and reached out with all my heart, “God, we are wide open for opportunity here. What should I do?” When I walked off that dock, I had no idea where my future was going. About three days later I got a FedEx letter in the mail from some documentary makers I didn’t know. It read, “Dear Mr. Huston. We know in your therapy practice you work with a lot of disabled people. We are looking for five disabled people to climb to the highest elevations of all 50 states. We are looking for a blind person, a person with Muscular Dystrophy, a leg amputee...” I thought, “Well, heck, it’s not like I’m doing a lot right now.” (audience laughter) I filled out the application and was accepted. I was thrilled! It was time to start training. I started running, but I hadn't run in 18 years so my legs didn’t have any coordination anymore. They were like noodles. But I kept taking those steps, one after another, and within three months I was up to running 12 miles.

22 Do we have any runners in the audience? Well, I’ll tell you something I found out about running. I hate it! (audience laughter) However, sometimes we have to do things that aren’t fun, or that we find uncomfortable, to reach our goals. Don’t let those things hold you back. Continue moving forward and don’t let anything get in the way of achieving your goals and dreams.

I had a year to get ready and I trained almost every day. Then, a month before we were supposed to leave for the expedition the organizers called and said, “Sorry, the expedition is cancelled. We couldn’t raise enough money for it.” Have you ever worked your tail off and done everything you are supposed to do, whether it's in business, a relationship, or whatever, just to have someone else drop the ball? That's what I was facing. All that work for nothing. When this happens we can sit around blaming others and feeling sorry for ourselves. Or, we can stand up and do something about it. As I was hanging up the phone, this little voice went off in me. It said, “Todd, do this climb on your own.”

23

You know that voice. That voice of intuition that’s constantly speaking to you to bring out the greatness you have within you. We all have it. Sometimes we listen to it and we are so glad we did. Other times we don’t listen to it and we find ourselves thinking, “Oh! I should have listened!”

I didn't know how I was going to do it. I had one month before I was supposed to leave. I got my job back, so I had to hold down my full-time job, continue training, and organize a climbing expedition. I had never organized or led anything like that in my life. Oh, and I needed to raise $50,000 to pay for the climb. You know how I did it? I sold T-shirts for $12. I probably should have done the math first, because do you know how many $12 T-shirts it takes to raise $50,000?

It only takes one, and this is how it happened.

People jogged around that little island where I lived. A friend of mine put up a T- shirt stand with a poster that read, “Todd Huston. Leg Amputee. Attempting to climb

24 the highest elevations of all 50 states to prove people can overcome their challenges. T-shirts. $12” This guy stopped and said, “I like that idea. Give me a call tomorrow at 1-800- ABC-DEFG.“ He happened to be the owner of a company called Hooked on Phonics. The next day my friend went to his office. He gave us a check for $50,000, and I don't think he even collected on one T-shirt.

We didn’t accept the limited belief that it was impossible to raise that amount of money in such a short period of time. We need to think and live outside the box. Many people live their entire lives inside a box. Sometimes they step outside the box, but then quickly return to it when they become afraid. The box is made of the fears, prejudices, and limited vision we have. Sometimes it’s made of others’ limited beliefs about us we have accepted. You are created without a box. You must be willing to think beyond your limited views of yourself and live in a no-box world. You are much greater than you could ever imagine. You are created with unlimited potential. However, first you must be willing to believe it about yourself.

25 Even if it is nothing more than a faint, fleeting thought, it is enough to send you soaring to new heights.

That’s what it did for me, because a month after deciding to do the climb on my own I took off on the expedition of a lifetime!

The name of the climb was the Summit America Expedition. The idea behind the climb was to climb to the highest elevations of all 50 states. This is something only 32 people in the world had ever accomplished. A leg amputee had never even tried. The world record was 101 days, set by Adrian Crane, an able-bodied, two-legged climber.

26 To accomplish this I had to drive to the highest points of , Arkansas, … no big deal! (audience laughter) I had to drive to each of the eastern and western states. I could only fly to two states. One was Alaska, and where do you think the other one was? Yes! Hawaii.

27 I needed a good truck so I called my dad and said, “Dad, you know that nice new truck you just bought? I need to borrow it for a month.” At first he refused, but finally gave in. When I gave it back to him it had over 24,000 more miles on it than before, which is more than if you drove around the world.

My prosthetic leg had a shock absorber on it so I could jump up and down on the rocks without hurting my real leg. I also had the sole of a boot sewn onto the bottom of it instead of wearing a big heavy boot. I did this so my leg would be as light as possible because it takes me more energy to walk than someone with two legs. Plus I didn’t need to worry about my toes getting cold. (audience laughter)

28 This was brand new technology. Now you see it all the time on people like Paralympic athletes. I got it the night before I was going on my climb. I called the manufacturer and said, “Hey guys. I’m going to be over 20,000 feet in subzero temperatures, living on glaciers weeks at a time, hundreds of miles from civilization. How well is this leg going to hold up?” They said, “Todd, when you get back, give us a call and let us know.” (audience laughter) Though this was new technology, and it was much better than my old prosthetic leg, my stump was very sore for much of the climb. It had blisters and was bleeding, bruised, and swollen. Since then I invented and patented a new artificial leg. In addition to the shock absorption it allows you to rotate your foot from side to side. I sold it to the largest prosthetic manufacturer and now it’s now being sold around the world. If you have a problem, create a solution. Don’t be afraid to take on something like that because it might not only help you but may also end up helping many others.

29 How would I prove I went to all these high points? At the top of many of them there is a USGS, or United States Geological Survey marker. I stood next to the marker and took a time and date stamped photo. Also, no one has the same serial number on their right foot as I do. (audience laughter) This happens to be , the highest mountain in Maine and the northern end of the .

30 Sometimes the trails were easy to see, but other times they weren’t. This is going across a snow bridge in . The guy in front slipped and fell. We told him to be really careful but he didn't listen to us. Fortunately, a rock caught him or he would have slid hundreds of feet and slammed into some rocks below. What do you think my climbing partner and I said when we saw him fall? “Thank God he didn't fall.” Right? Wrong. We pointed to each other and said, “You're going down to get him, not me.” (audience laughter)

Here's the highest point in . It’s actually in the middle of a street. (audience laughter) You laugh, but it was a very busy street!

31

We saw lots of animals. Anyone recognize this one? Some people think it’s a cow, but it is a moose.

This happens to be a friendly snake, but I figured if he would have bit me in the leg he would have been in for a bigger surprise than me! (audience laughter)

32 I saw a rattlesnake while hiking in Oklahoma on a very narrow path. I was walking peacefully along the trail when I suddenly heard that rattling sound that gets your attention in a hurry. I knew it was somewhere close but I didn't know exactly where. I looked around and finally saw him. He was directly behind me on the path! I have no idea how I’d stepped over him. I slowly stepped back, took my pack off, reached into it, turned around, and shot him... with my camera. (audience laughter)

This happens to be baby bear, which means who's nearby? That’s right – momma bear. And is it ever wise to get in between any baby and its momma? NO! We got out of there in a hurry. (audience laughter)

33

Here’s some wild horses in . I could walk up to feed them, but had wild mustangs that reared up and threatened to charge me on in Nevada.

There’s one animal you never want to come across when you’re hiking. I was in the of South Dakota and came around the corner, and there it was sitting right on the edge of the trail. I made no eye contact and I slowly… very slowly… backed away. Fortunately, I was able to get away safely. Any ideas what it could have been? Larger than a mountain lion…longer than a bear… no, it wasn’t a buffalo… It was… the North American… Rock Lizard.

34

Yes, it’s a painted rock. Fortunately they move very slow. (audience laughter)

I continued climbing the plains states. As I was hiking to the top of , Oklahoma’s , I was thinking, “You know Todd, you’ve been climbing all of these mountains – you are just a mountain climbing stud! That’s all there is to it!” And then when I got to the top there was a group of third and fourth graders there waiting for me. (audience laughter)

35 We talked about what it was like to have a disability. I asked them what they thought it would be like if they couldn’t hear or see, or had to be in a wheelchair. They gave me the same answer I get everywhere when I ask this question. Whether I ask kids in Australia, Europe, or throughout the United States, they always say they would want to be treated with respect and be seen as the great, wonderful, and beautiful people they truly are. They say they’d want to love and be loved and recognized for what they have to offer this world. Nothing less. I know when people go through challenges, no matter what those challenges are, they make the person stronger, wiser, and better. So when I see someone going through a challenge I don't see weakness. I see strength. I see opportunity. I see the people who are one day going change this world for the better.

36

From there I went to in extreme western Texas near El Paso. This is where it was 118°. Incredibly hot climbing. When I was on the temperature could be minus 50°, so I had to deal with over 150° temperature range during this expedition.

Has anyone ever been to that part of the country? There’s a lot of beautiful open range there, right? I have a picture of it for those who’ve never seen it. (audience laughter)

37

This is Mt. Sunflower, the highest “mountain” in . You see here the large sunflower made from railroad spikes.

There are historical events that have happened at many of these high points. Kansas is one of them, but few people remember what the event is. Do any of you remember the historical event that happened in extreme southwestern Kansas? I’ll even give you a hint. It happened in the year 1897. No, It wasn’t the connection of the railroad... No, it wasn’t a famous battle between Native Americans and the cavalry. Here’s the plaque that tells you about it.

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(audience laughter)

That was the eastern and plains states. The western states have much higher mountains, many well over 14,000 feet. There are dangers to watch out for such as snow and rock avalanches and lightning storms. The lightning doesn't have to hit you to be dangerous. If it hits next to you it can travel through the ground and zap you. Also, the higher you go the less oxygen there is, so you have to be careful you don’t get altitude sickness, or pulmonary or cerebral edema. You have to be very careful on the western mountains.

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This is King's Peak. Does anyone know what state King’s Peak is in? I’ll give you a hint. When you get to the top of many high points there is a plastic or metal tube. Inside is a spiral notebook called a register. You open it up and write your information in it, such as your name, the date, where you are from, and maybe an inspirational quote. This proves you were at that high point. King's Peak not only had a register, but it also had the Book of Mormon. That’s right! It’s in Utah.

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Here’s a lake on the approach to , the highest point in Montana, where I had a grizzly bear ahead of me somewhere in the forest.

This is where I stepped off the trail for about an hour. I wanted to give up. I thought, “Why am I doing this? This is crazy. Nobody knows I am up here and nobody cares. I could get eaten by a bear or hit by an avalanche or fall – there are a jillion ways to die up here, and nobody is ever going to notice.” Then I remembered. I had a passion. I had a goal. I had a dream. There was a reason I began doing this expedition.

41 Just like you. You’ve had goals and dreams and a passion to start something; a vision you’ve wanted to fulfill. You’ve wanted to make a difference in the world. But somewhere along the way the world gets rough and you get distracted; or you feel beat up because things don’t go the way you wanted. You want to step off that trail and look for an easier path. But that's not why we're here. We are here to bring out that greatness that's within us and help others bring it out in themselves. We are never going to do that if we just keep taking the easy path. I remembered this, so I stepped back on the trail and began climbing again.

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A little later I got up to Froze-to-Death Plateau and I heard somebody yell, “Hey, are you Todd? That one-legged guy who’s climbing all the mountains?” I’m in shorts thinking, “How many of us are there” (audience laughter) He walked over to me and said, “If you’re successful climbing all these high points give me a call.” Long story short, when I got done with the climb I gave him a call. He knew a book publisher who published my book More Than Mountains. Because that book was published I ended up on national and international TV; everywhere from Sports Illustrated to the Sydney Opera House to CBS Year in Sports doing a story on me ten minutes before they aired the Super Bowl. Tens of millions of people saw it. Now

43 the screenplay has been written so hopefully one day you’ll be seeing the story I’m telling you in the theaters.

What if I would’ve stayed off that trail? What if I turned around and let fear decide my life?

Find your trail and stay on it! Don't give up your dream. Don't give up your passion or your goals. You don't know the things coming together out there to help make them a reality, but you must stay on that path for it to happen. There’s a path for each of us and we are destined to walk it. We can’t stay off it forever because it’s ours to walk. Keep your passion and fire alive because the world depends on you to do it. If you don’t, the world will miss out on whatever that special gift is you were meant to give it. Don’t delay your story for even one more moment, because it will bless you and everyone else more than you can imagine, and it’s the most glorious story ever written. You’re the only one who knows what it looks like. It’s been written in your heart, and you’re the only one who can live it. But I never said it was going to be easy.

44 From Froze-to-Death Plateau we went hiking up the ridge to Granite Peak. To give you an idea of how big the rocks are – can you can spot the two climbers?

That's me. And that's my climbing partner. (see arrows on picture) We had to go up wall after wall like this to get to the top.

In life, as in mountain climbing, it’s important to focus on what's going on right at that moment. If I worry about past mistakes it takes my focus off the present moment. If I worry about the future, fear can take over. Of course, it’s good to have goals and a destination in mind, but fear clouds decisions that determine your safety, which can make a dangerous situation worse.

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Here I am a couple of thousand feet up. No ropes. Bad hair day.

This is at about 13,000 feet on in Idaho. Again, no rope.

46 I don’t use ropes because, like I said before, it takes me a lot more energy to walk than it takes someone with two legs. Ropes are heavy and I want to move as fast as possible. There were times I had thousands of feet below me and no rope. Sound scary?

I’ve learned something about fear. You may not agree with me when I tell you this, but hear me out.

Fear does not exist. Fear is not real.

Let me explain. If I’m standing on the edge of a cliff looking thousands of feet down, I’m thinking, “Wow! This is amazing!” While the person next to me could literally be peeing in their pants. The danger is the same for both of us. If my rope breaks I go splat just like anyone else. However, one of us is staying clear-headed and able to make good decisions while the other is full of fear and has clouded judgment.

47 If I take everyone in this room and line you up on a cliff looking thousands of feet down, you will each have a different experience of fear. That’s because fear is created in your head. If fear were real it would be more like danger, it would be the same for all of us.

Therefore, recognize fear for what it is. It’s an illusion. It’s a shadow that gets in the way of our ability to see situations clearly. We know from psychological studies that when we make decisions from a place of fear we don’t make the best decisions, so move fear out of the way so you can see the obstacles and dangers. Then you will be able to minimize or eliminate them. You will also find you are able to see your goals more clearly so you can make better decisions for yourself and others.

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Here’s , the highest point in . I hiked twenty miles through a beautiful valley to Island Lake. The hike was like heaven on Earth. Crystal clear blue lakes, colorful wildflowers, and cascading waterfalls coming down pinnacle peaks.

I had to walk up and over a narrow pass covered with snow. A couple of weeks before I got there the avalanche danger was high so the park rangers told a guy not to go through it. He didn't listen. They found his glove and ski pole, but not him. As I was climbing the snow was up to my waist. I was waiting for this dead guy to pop up and say, “Hi.” Fortunately, we never met and I was able to go up and over to get to the summit.

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That’s me in the front in the red toward the top of Gannet Peak.

There are several ways to go down a mountain. You can hike down. You can take a rope and rappel down. You can ski down. But other times we take a couple of steps and slide down on our rear ends, and that's called glissading. What I do is take the edge of my ax and use it to steer down the mountain. When I am ready to stop I take the sharp edge, dig it into the side of the mountain, lay on top of it, and stop. Hopefully.

50 Look at my climbing ax. Does it look like I ever fell? Yes. I have fallen many, many times. But the mark of a true winner is not whether or not you fall, it’s that you get back up. And it's not that you get back up one time, three times, or 297 times, it’s that you get back up every single time. Because that one time you decide not to get up, that's the time you hurt yourself. There are times things happened to me and I didn’t want to just hop right back up. I’m not talking about being in denial. What I’m saying is it’s important to do everything you can to get back up as quickly as possible. And if it’s someone else who has fallen, and you’re the one still standing, use the power of love in your heart to help them up. It’s like in mountain climbing. We all have our individual goals to get to the summit, but it takes working together for us to get there. In life, we are all connected. What we find when we help each other is we not only reach our own goals, but others reach their goals too. We find we are all reaching incredible heights. Imagine for a moment where the world would be right now if we all had this approach.

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From there we went to Mt. Elbert, the top of .

Here’s Mt. Rainier, the highest mountain in the state of Washington. It is like a mini Denali in Alaska so it’s where many people go to train for Denali. It has snow and rock climbing, but it also has glaciers and crevasses.

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Glaciers are rivers of ice and snow flowing down a mountain. They form at the top and start cracking as they get lower on the mountain. The big cracks are called crevasses. Sometimes they are obvious, but other times they are covered with snow so you don't see them. No big deal if you step in one and it's only a foot deep, but some are a mile deep. If you fall into one of these you’ll disappear forever. That’s why we have ice axes, ropes, and crampons – spikes we attach to our boots. These are all tools we need for glacier travel and crevasse rescue. You do not want to go on Denali without knowing these skills.

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Mt. Whitney at 14,505 feet. Not only the highest mountain in California, but also in the lower 48 states.

When I got to the top I found the highest rock I could find, laid my sleeping bag down, and slept higher than anyone else in the United States that night. I took this picture in the morning. The gold color on the mountain is called alpenglow, which is an effect created by the sun during sunrise and sunset.

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The last mountain is Denali, which means The Great One.

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It's not only the highest mountain in Alaska and the United States, but also in the entire North American continent. The lower mountains you see in front are the size of Colorado’s mountains.

It is extremely dangerous, not only because of its altitude, but because it has some of the worst weather of any mountain in the world.

56 I had a really good team. (from left to right) I had Whit. He was as strong as an ox, maybe two or three. He could carry really heavy loads. Mike, who was a Sergeant in the army and taught climbing to military personnel. Next is Adrian Crane. He was the current world record holder for climbing the highest elevations of all 50 states in 101 days. Last is me.

We loaded up the airplane and flew through One Shot Pass. I didn’t have the guts to ask them why they called it that. Then we landed on the Kahiltna International Airport, which is actually just a very wide, long glacier.

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This is a map of the West Buttress Route, which is the most popular route up Denali. You land on 7,200 and make camps up the mountain where you see the squares and triangles. The only exception is 16,200. You do not want to camp at 16,200.

58 As a I said, the weather is bad on Denali so we had to build snow walls around our tents to keep the wind from blowing them away. We boiled snow to make water and stored it in water bottles. Water is important for cooking freeze-dried food, and of course drinking. You must stay hydrated at high altitudes.

To stay warm you wear goose down jackets, booties, and gloves. I slept in a minus 40° goose down sleeping bag. It's so cold at night that the water vapor from your breath goes to the top of the inside of your tent, freezes, and snows back down on you. So it’s snowing inside your tent.

59 Climbers have come up with an interesting way to stay warm at night. Right before we go to bed we aren’t too excited about walking outside in the minus 20° weather to use the restroom. What we do is we have a water bottle with a big "X" on it. This is what we use to take care of business. Afterward – this is very important – we screw the lid on really, really tight. The water inside the bottle is body temperature, so we take it and throw it to the bottom of the inside of our sleeping bags and sleep nice and toasty all night long.

This is a snow cave where I could eat and sleep. The sun is so intense I had to wear two sets of goggles so I wouldn’t get snow blindness. The sun’s rays also bounce off the glacier and burn the inside of your nostrils and the roof of your mouth. One of the ways you stay warm is to drink hot chocolate – with a sunburned mouth. It’s not very comfortable.

60 Here I am about 14,000 feet up. You can see the clouds below me. I am carrying a 65- pound backpack while dragging a 35-pound sled. I had to watch for the monster crevasses below me…

and the avalanches that could come down from above.

61 This is base camp at 14,200, where we rested for a couple of days before beginning our ascent to the higher, and potentially more dangerous, parts of the mountain.

I’ve been a lot of amazing places in this world, including the King of Bahrain inviting me to his palace recently, but no matter where I’ve been I’ve never seen a bathroom with this beautiful of a view.

62 In Alaska the sun doesn't set this time of year so it was easy to climb during all hours of the day. This was taken at 3:15 in the morning. In the lower 48 states where it did get dark there were times I would go to sleep at 9:00 at night, wake up at midnight, climb all night long, climb all day long, and into the next night. Some days I would climb 5 states in a single day.

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From 14,200 we climbed up 2,000 feet of snow, rock, and ice.

At 16,200 there’s a razor edge with a 2,000 foot drop on either side. You have to walk along a narrow ledge where there’s barely enough room to put your feet. You then climb another 1,000 feet to high camp at 17,200, which is a big open area to set your tents on and prepare to push for the summit. We arrived at 16,200 and started the ascent to 17,200.

64 All the sudden that little voice went off inside me again. It’s that voice we can all hear at any time. It said, “Camp at 16,200. Camp at 16,200.” I told the guys we needed to go back and make camp at 16,200. They were not happy with me, insisting, “Nobody camps at 16,200.” They were correct, but I persisted, “I’m leading this expedition and I’ve got a feeling it’s where we need to be.” They turned around but were really upset with me.

We used our shovels to carve a place on the side of the mountain where we could put our tents. You can see the handle of the shovel along the bottom of this picture.

65 My climbing partners didn’t talk to me for about another ten hours. Then it happened. A huge storm came off the Bering Sea. It was a monster blizzard. At times I could barely see my hand in front of my face because of the whiteout conditions. The climbers at 17,200 were getting shredded. Even though they’d spent a great deal of time and money to do this climb, some traveling from all over the world, they now had to abandon their summit attempt. Whenever there was a little break in the weather they packed up all their gear and began their long descent to the bottom to maybe come back another year. However, since we were a little lower on the mountain and at a slightly different angle the storm wasn't nearly so bad for us. We stayed as warm as possible while waiting out the blizzard. As those climbers from 17,200 came down I felt sorry for them, so when they came by our tents I helped them by removing all the heavy gourmet food from their backpacks. (audience laughter) We ate like kings for three days and were ready to go to high camp at 17,200 when the weather cleared.

66 Since I listened to that little voice we did not have to abandon our summit attempt. Sometimes you are in a position of leadership and you have to make an unpopular decision. This isn’t always easy, but you must keep standing up for what you know in your heart is right. However, this does not mean you disregard the ideas of those around you. Sometimes others see perspectives you hadn’t considered. Great leaders will listen to others’ ideas, then go within their heart to listen for the best solution. You have the strength within you to do this. Only by doing this, and staying the course, will your potential and greatness be realized.

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From 17,200 you go up the Autobahn, where more climbers meet their demise than any other part of the mountain. Climbers slip and pull their climbing partners down with them, especially on the descent when their legs are tired. Then you go up Denali Pass, across the Football Field, up Pig Hill, and across the Summit Ridge to the summit. A few days before we went up two climbers got turned around because of the weather. They said they were on Denali Pass and found a glove. The problem is the hand was still in it.

68 I was pretty scared. I had two body bags dragged in front of me. One was a frozen climber. They found him hanging upside down on his rope frozen to death. The other was found frozen to death with his radio next to his head, like he was trying to call someone. This mountain could get anyone, no matter how good you thought you were.

Here’s Mike above the Autobahn. We are roped up and he has his climbing ax deep into the side of the mountain so if I fall we don’t go tumbling down.

69 This is the Football Field, Pig Hill, and the Summit Ridge My legs were in a lot of pain at this point. Every time I took a step it felt like someone was jamming my climbing ax into my right knee, and my heart had been racing at over 150 beats per minute for what seemed like days. But I just kept taking one step after another. I had to take three breaths just to take one step. I would breathe three times, take a step while resting my climbing ax on the side of the mountain, then take three more breaths and another step, and rest again. There were climbers with two good legs turning around and heading back down the mountain, saying, “It's too difficult.” But I kept going, step after step, until eventually I hit the top of at 20,310 feet on a very rare, beautiful, clear day. Very few climbers make it to the top of this mountain. Typically, the success rate is around 30% to 50%. Of course, most of them have two legs.

70 If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to stand on top of the tallest mountain in North America on a clear day, here’s your picture. I could see for many, many miles in every direction. I felt like I was standing on the top of the world!

71 The goal of this expedition was to climb to the highest elevations of each state to inspire people that they can overcome their challenges. I did become the first disabled person to climb to the highest elevations of all 50 states. Also, the world record was 101 days set by Adrian Crane, the British mountain climber. Instead, I accomplished it in 66 days, 22 hours, and 47 minutes thereby shattering the able-bodied world record by over 35 days and becoming the first and only disabled person to break an able-bodied world record in a sport.

We all have our challenges in life. Some are physical, some are emotional, some are mental, and some are spiritual. Some are ones we set for ourselves, like taking better care of ourselves, being closer to our family, or achieving goals in our careers. Or maybe we want to do helpful things in our community, or figure out solutions that make our world a better place. But sometimes we have challenges we didn’t ask for that hit us unexpectedly, like an accident, injury, illness, or break up of a relationship. Maybe somebody is dealing with an addiction, or something that seems worse.

72 But you see, it doesn’t matter what the challenge is because they are all there for the same purpose, and that is to bring out the greatness that already lies within you. I believe the greatest power we have is pure, unconditional love. If we can live that love, we will not only change our lives, but we will also change the world. Because love is the only thing that will change the world. We have a choice each moment. A choice to choose love, or not to choose love. If we can just try to have every thought be our most loving thought, every word be our most loving word, and every action be our most loving action, then whatever our challenge is, love will rise above it. Not only will it take us to the great heights we were meant to reach, but it will also take others to the great heights they were meant to reach.

So, with that, I want to say God bless, and I will see you at the top.

Thank you.

73 Rank State Peak Elevation 1 Alaska Mount McKinley 20,310 2 California 14,505 3 Colorado 14,433 4 Washington 14,411 5 Wyoming Gannett Peak 13,804 6 Hawaii 13,796 7 Utah 13,528 8 13,161 9 Nevada Boundary Peak 13,140 10 Montana Granite Peak 12,799 11 Idaho Borah Peak 12,662 12 Arizona 12,633 13 Oregon 11,239 14 Texas Guadalupe Peak 8,749 15 South Dakota Harney Peak 7,242 16 6,684 17 Tennessee 6,643 18 Mt. Washington 6,288 19 Virginia 5,729 20 5,426 21 New York 5,344 22 Maine Katahdin 5,268 23 Oklahoma Black Mesa 4,973 24 West Virginia Spruce Knob 4,861 25 4,784

74 Rank State Peak Elevation 26 Vermont 4,393 27 Kentucky 4,139 28 Kansas 4,039 29 South Carolina Sassafras Mtn. 3,554 30 3,506 31 3,487 32 Maryland Backbone Mtn. 3,360 33 Mount Davis 3,213 34 Arkansas Magazine Mtn. 2,753 35 2,405 36 2,372 37 Eagle Mountain 2,301 38 1,978 39 1,951 40 New Jersey High Point 1,803 41 Missouri Taum Sauk Mtn. 1,772 42 1,670 43 1,549 44 1,257 45 1,235 46 812 47 Mississippi Woodall Mtn. 806 48 Louisiana 535 49 Delaware 442 50 Florida 345

75 Worksheet: Taking Steps to Overcome

1. List challenges you’ve had in your life. These can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual challenges. Answer the following questions: a. What did you learn from each challenge? b. What would you tell others going through the same challenge? c. How can you use your challenges to create opportunities and blessings for yourself and others?

2. List your internal strengths and answer the questions below: a. How do you use these strengths now? b. How could you use them better to help yourself and others?

3. Write down something you need to stop doing that is hurting you, or to start doing that will help you. Will you take one moment to make the decision to stop doing whatever is hurting you, or to start doing what will help you, and live that decision with passion moment by moment?

76 4. Write down a fear you’ve had most of your life. If you feel anxiety about something, write that down too. Write down how you would live differently if you knew you no longer had anything to fear or be anxious about.

5. Write down something you need to let go of that is holding you back. Examples are people and situations you feel anger or resentment toward. Next, write down the name of a person you need to forgive, even if that person is yourself. List ways your life will improve when you let these negative emotions go.

6. Write down your passion. Have you ever stepped off the path? List steps you can take to get back on your path and start living your passion today.

Now go and live your life with passion, power, and love!

77 Be inspired for a lifetime! Todd inspires audiences to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals and dreams. To put it simply, Todd has the WOW factor. Over 20 years of international speaking as proven that the connection he makes with his audiences gives them the courage to make positive changes in their personal and professional lives. Todd often gets stopped by people who heard him over a decade ago and mention how his presentation changed their life. Needing a speaker with a powerful and lasting message? Book Todd!

Millions have been inspired by Todd’s story, as featured in * Sports Illustrated * CBS Year in Sports * Forbes * Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power * Chicken Soup for the Soul – A Second * Numerous interviews on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Helping TBN * Featured on the popular shows Extra and * Wall Street Journal Inside Edition

78 Todd’s perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges has won him many awards, including: * Ten Outstanding Young Americans Award * Henry Iba Award – Outstanding Citizen Athlete * Class Act Award * American Red Cross Everyday Hero Award * Inducted into the Energizer Hall of Fame

Join the thousands who have heard Todd give his “More than Mountains” speech, with its inspirational message and engaging multi-media presentation of his Summit America Expedition, for your business, association, school, civic, and religious organization. He works closely with event organizers to understand the challenges their audience members are facing so he can tailor his message specifically to meet their current needs: motivation, leadership, communication, safety, peak performance, teamwork, and more.

To book Todd for your next event, contact him at [email protected] (918)978-8633 www.toddhuston.com

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