The following is an excerpt of a romance and marriage that was prematurely faced with a life and death crisis during a dangerous 2016 Mount Everest summit.
The following is adapted from "A Higher Calling: Pursuing Love, Faith, and Mount Everest for a Greater Purpose" I woke up this morning to a snowstorm at Base Camp. . . .
My husband might die.
I’m wide awake, lying on my back, staring at the ceiling in an unfamiliar room, while these four words loop in my head. I am staying with a friend and fellow military wife in Colorado. Earlier in the day, I tried to keep my composure. But now, in the quiet darkness, I can’t hold back my tears. The worry has set in strong, as this possibility feels very real. Much too real.
Harold might die.
My husband, my best friend and the love of my life, chose to leave me to climb a massive mountain halfway across the world . . . and he wasn’t even a climber when I met him three years ago!
We haven’t been married for a full year yet. I decided I couldn’t sit at home waiting for Harold. I wanted my own story and my own adventure. I needed a change of pace if I was going to keep my sanity. I didn’t want to stop living a full life and feel stuck in a period of waiting. My plan was to make the most of our time apart, so I embarked on my own trip, leaving Georgia and flying to Colorado, with plans to continue on to several other spots.
Harold had called me a few hours earlier from Mount Everest’s Advanced Base Camp. He’d sounded exhausted as he told me about the significant snowstorm headed his way, forcing his team to climb back down to a lower elevation. I know with bad weather conditions, a tired body, and many hours of descending in low visibility, the chances of something going wrong are significantly higher.
I was feeling okay until I received an email from Tommy, Harold’s best friend and their team’s camp manager. I open it again, noting the parts that stand out.
I do not know how extreme this snowstorm is up there but can imagine it has been significant. . . .
They are currently snowed in at ABC. . . .
The snow will delay any movement for several days. . . .
The trails are currently under snow and avalanches will be more prevalent with the fresh powder. . . .
Please pray that the weather clears up for our team and the others at higher camps and that everybody makes smart decisions, as I expect they will.
Tommy’s email says movement is delayed, yet I know they are pressing on. Is my husband making a bad decision—perhaps a fatal one?
I’m terrified. I don’t know when I’ll hear from him next, if at all.
I am trying to be strong. To enjoy my own adventures. But deep down, I’m afraid of being left alone. I fear if something does happen, I will blame Harold for making the choice to leave. Or maybe I’ll blame myself for letting him go.
These aren’t the typical worries of a twenty-four-year-old newlywed, but they are my reality until Harold is finally home and in my arms. Every day I’m realizing how precious and fragile life is and what truly matters. It’s not the material things, the success, the money, or our physical appearances.
It’s the people we love.
The little moments count.
Living with that truth in the forefront of your mind changes you. It’s changing me. I am starting to approach life with an attitude of thanksgiving, even in the midst of my trials. I realize my time with Harold is limited, and time is better spent being joyful and living in love than living in anger, frustration, or stress. I remind myself something I have told others: You are capable of more than you can imagine. And with God by your side, you will always come out stronger!
It would be easy to let fear take over, but I’m not going to allow fear to write my story. I won’t be controlled by my current circumstances. Tonight, I choose faith over fear. Just like I did this morning. Just like I will do again tomorrow and the next day and the next. Until Harold is back with me and we are facing our next adventure together.
To read more of Rachel and Harold’s story, find their book, "A Higher Calling: Pursuing Love, Faith, and Mount Everest for a Greater Purpose," wherever books are sold and at www.earls.org. Proceeds from "A Higher Calling" are being designated to local communities in the United States affected by COVID-19 and to support the families of Nepal affected by the Mount Everest closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Captain Harold Earls IV is an active duty Army officer currently serving as the Commander of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Harold is a graduate of West Point and is US Army Airborne Ranger qualified. Rachel Earls is a beloved vlogger, business owner and founder of Earls Family Foundation. She is host of the highly ranked "Earls Family Vlogs" on YouTube. Both Harold and Rachel live in Falls Church, VA, where together they raise their sons Leo and Wyatt.
