Hello, explorers! My name is Richard Weise, and I am so happy to welcome you to this virtual exchange journey to Mount Everest. I began exploring the world around me at a very young age, and through adventures big and small, I have always tried to experience as many of the world’s incredible places as possible. I climbed my first mountain—Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania—when I was just 11 years old.
In the years since then, I have only become more curious about the world. This intense curiosity about the world, known as the explorer’s mindset, has even shaped my career. I have hosted a number of exploration-related television shows, including “Born to Explore,” and I served as president of The Explorers Club for many years. Throughout all this, I have been lucky to travel all over the world in pursuit of knowledge and adventure. One of those places, though, is truly larger than life, and it sticks in my memory: Mount Everest.
As an Explorer in Residence for the American Museum of Natural History, I participated in a medical research expedition to Mount Everest. From my home in the United States, I flew to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.
