Every year, across the globe, hearts thrum with a restless ambition—men and women compelled by a dream that soars above the clouds: to stand atop the summit of Mount Everest. Towering at 29,032 feet, Everest is more than a mountain. It is a metaphor—a sacred monument to human perseverance, an altar of awe where earth kisses the edge of heaven.
For many adventurers, including Bear Grylls, the pursuit of Everest is not merely a physical conquest but a lifelong calling. Grylls, best known as a British adventurer, television host, survivalist, and former British Special Forces serviceman, is recognized globally for shows like “Man vs. Wild” and “Running Wild.” Yet before his fame, he was a boy with a dream and a tenacity that would one day carry him to the roof of the world.
Years before his Everest climb, Bear survived a catastrophic parachuting accident in Africa that left his back shattered. Doctors questioned if he would walk properly again, let alone scale the highest mountain on earth. But just 18 months after his injury, he stood atop Everest—becoming one of the youngest climbers from Britain to do so at the time. His journey nearly ended in tragedy, but it forged in him the grit that would later define his life and inspire millions with one enduring message: never give up.
He once wrote, “The mountain doesn’t give you permission to conquer it. You earn every step.” There is no elevator to the summit. No shortcuts. Every inch is paid for in sweat and surrender.
Each year, roughly 800 permits are issued to climbers attempting Everest. And though more than 600 reached the top in 2023, many turned back, and some never returned. The dangers are real—frostbite, high-altitude sickness, icefalls, and storms that seem to descend from nowhere. The “death zone,” above 26,000 feet, is so oxygen-starved that the human body begins to shut down even while standing still.
And yet—they climb. Why?
Because Everest stirs something ancient in the soul. A yearning to rise. A hunger to behold something that cannot be bought, only earned. It’s not the flags planted that mark the victory, but the transformation that occurs in the climb. The summit is not just a place on a map; it’s a place in the heart where fear meets faith, and faith stands taller.
Guided by the Wise: The Unsung Heroes of the Climb
Every year, the statistics surrounding Everest are both astonishing and sobering. And yet, amid such peril, hundreds still reach the summit. Why? The answer is simple: they are not climbing alone.
Hidden behind nearly every triumph is the quiet strength of a sherpa. These native guides of the Himalayas are more than logistical assistants—they are lifelines. Navigating icefalls, managing oxygen supplies, reading the ever-shifting moods of the mountain—they are guardians of the path and bearers of the burden. Among them is Kami Rita Sherpa, who has summited Everest a record-breaking 31 times. His feat is not only a marvel of human endurance but a testament to the power of lived wisdom and sacrificial leadership.
The sherpa knows the way because he’s walked it countless times before.
In many ways, this is the heartbeat of StoneBridge. Our mentors, teachers, and staff are not bystanders to the student journey—they are the sherpas. They carry more than curriculum; they carry hope. They guide with experience, uplift with presence, and lead with the kind of wisdom that only comes from walking closely with the One who made the mountain. Students may not always realize it at first, but the summit is rarely reached without someone who believes they can get there—and who is willing to walk beside them all the way up. Everest may seem impossible to the untrained climber. But with a guide, the impossible begins to take shape.
The same is true here. We climb together.
Forged for the Climb: This Year’s Theme
Every remarkable ascent begins long before the first step is taken. It begins in the mind, in the heart, and in the soul—where desire meets direction and vision begins to burn. At StoneBridge, we, too, are preparing for a climb. Not one of rock and ice, but of faith and formation. Our theme for the 2025–2026 school year is a bold and timely one: Summit: Forged for the Climb.
It is more than a phrase—it is a call. A call to rise above complacency, to embrace the upward journey of Christian character, and to remember that none of us ascends alone. Like Everest, the path before us is steep, demanding, and marked with unseen trials. But also like Everest, it is breathtaking in its reward.
This year’s theme is grounded in 2 Peter 1:3–11, where the Apostle Peter outlines a trail of virtues—faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. These are not just ideals; they are provisions. They are the spiritual gear packed by a loving Father who knows exactly what we need for the journey ahead. And as we grow in these, Peter says we will be “neither ineffective nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This vision is not reserved for students alone. It belongs to all of us. Whether you are a parent guiding your child through the valleys of adolescence, a teacher equipping minds and shepherding hearts, a grandparent planting seeds of legacy, an alumnus still walking the path of purpose, or a donor investing in the next generation’s summit, you are part of the climb.
This vision is not reserved for students alone. It belongs to all of us. Whether you are a parent guiding your child through the valleys of adolescence, a teacher equipping minds and shepherding hearts, a grandparent planting seeds of legacy, an alumnus still walking the path of purpose, or a donor investing in the next generation’s summit, you are part of the climb. The mountain belongs to the community, and as we stand at the trailhead of a new academic year, we look upward with resolve. We will climb with character. We will lead with courage. We will love with Christ. Because when the Body of Christ climbs together, the summit becomes a sanctuary.
The Climb Ahead: Our Hope for You
No true summit is reached without struggle. No climber arrives untested. And no soul becomes strong without the heat of forging. This is not an easy climb, nor is it meant to be. We live in a world that prizes shortcuts and celebrates the summit but forgets the sweat it takes to get there.
However, at StoneBridge, we take a different approach—a higher path. We believe the climb matters—not just because of where it leads, but because of who we become along the way.
Our prayer for each student this year is not comfort, but courage; not ease, but endurance—that as they lace up their spiritual boots and begin the ascent, they would be forged—in mind, in body, in spirit—into the likeness of Christ. We pray
... that every parent would feel the presence of God’s wisdom guiding their home,
… that every family would sense they are not climbing alone,
… that teachers would know the weight they carry is sacred,
… that every alumnus would remember that their climb continues,
… and that our entire community—grandparents, staff, and friends—would be united in a common direction: upward.
Bear Grylls reminds us that, “The journey matters more than the destination. It’s the journey that changes us.” The Apostle Peter reminds us that if we possess these virtues in increasing measure, we will receive a “rich welcome” into the eternal Kingdom.
And so we climb—not because it’s easy, but because it’s worth it. This year, we ascend as one—forged by truth, strengthened by grace, fixed on the summit, where Christ Himself awaits.
Featured Image: Alessandro Erbetta, Unsplash.
SOURCES:
- Bear Grylls, You vs. the World: The Bear Grylls Guide to Never Giving Up (New York: National Geographic Kids, 2023), 112.
- Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), 2 Peter 1:3–11.
- Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), Psalm 18:33.
- “Kami Rita Sherpa Climbs Everest for 30th Time, Extending His Own World Record,” BBC News, May 22, 2024.
- “More Than 600 Climbers Reached Everest Summit in 2023,” The Himalayan Database, accessed July 2025.
- “Everest 2023 Season Review: Records Broken Amid Risk,” National Geographic, June 15, 2023.
