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Greg Mortenson's Journey
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Failed Summit
Greg Mortenson attempts his summit of K2, a mountain in the Middle East. His plan was to reach the top of the mountain and dedicate the climb to his sister Christa. However, things don't go as planned and one of the climbers started suffering from pulmonary edema. The attempt to save the climbers life cost Mortenson his summit. -
Falling Asleep is a Dangerous Thing
Mortenson continues up the mountain in an attempt to finish what he started. However, the effects of the high attitude are taking its toll. He becomes incoherent and wonders off the trail. Still able to have some logic left, Mortenson finds a place to sleep and tries to get as warm as possible, hoping in the morning he would be able to find his way down the mountain. -
Found
In the morning Mortenson starts to make the trek down the side of the hill. Only to be found by Mouzafer Ali, a porter who specializes in finding climbers. Mouzafer was going to take Mortenson down the mountain to safety, but lost him while hiking down. -
The Village of Korphe
Mortenson wondered into the village of Korphe at the waiting hands of the village elder Haji Ali. Haji Ali and his village welcomed Mortenson into their village and let him stay until he was able to be coherent. -
What do you mean no school?
Before Mortenson leaves to go back to America, he insists on Haji Ali taking him to the school. Mortenson is dismayed by what he sees. There is no school. The children write their lesson plans in the sand with sticks. And there is only one teacher who comes to the village once in a while to teach. Mortenson promises that he will come back with a school for the village. -
Who is Greg Mortenson?
Greg Mortenson is an American, but grew up in Tanzania with his parents and siblings. Mortenson played football in school and continued in college. Mortenson loved climbing which tranlated when he attempted to climb K2. Mortenson goes to college to learn about the brain to be able to find a cure for his sisters illness. Later he becomes a nurse. He is devistated when his sister Christa dies. -
Getting Money
Mortenson writes 580 letters to people who are rich and well known. However, he only receives one letter back with a check for 100 dollars. He also receives money from his mom's students after they raise pennies for Pakistan. Then someone gives Mortenson the name of Jean Hoerni for the amout of 12000 dollars. -
Buying the materials
Mortenson flies back to Pakistan to by the materials he needs to buid the shcool. He goes to Abdul who helps him settle prices for the materials he will need. After they buy all the stuff they need, Mortenson travels to Changazi who lets Mortenson leave the materials with him while he has to raise money for the bridge the village of Korphe wants. -
Build a bridge before Build a school
Mortenson goes to Haji Ali to tell him that he brought the school to Korphe. Haji Ali tells Mortenson before their can be a school there must be a bridge for the people to be able to cross to cut the time in half. Mortenson is upset at first then blames himself for not planning ahead. -
Building the Bridge
In early June, Mortenson returned to Korphe with the materials he paid for using Jean Hoerni money he gave Mortenson. Mortenson was welcomed into the village like no other time before. The women came out to welcome him back and allowed him to enter their homes. -
The Bridge is Complete
After a few short months the bridge is complete. The people of Korphe are over joyed by the fact they can go into another village and be back before the next day. At night on the roof of one of the houses, Mortenson notices lanterns crossing the bridge showing how happy the people are to have this bridge and Mortenson's help. -
Love at First Sight
Mortenson returns home. While attending a seminar held for Sir Edmund Hilary, Mortenson meets his future wife Tara Bishop. It was love at first sight and within six days they are married. Mortenson kept putting off his return to Pakistan to spend more time with his new bride. It became a running gag at the airport. Mortenson would go in and ask to postpone his flight and they did of course because they knew his story. -
A Lesson To Be Learned
While the school was being built, Mortenson became too inpatient and was yelling at the people to get the school finished. Haji Ali sees this and takes Mortenson up the side of the mountain to have a talk. He tells Mortenson that the mountains have been here for awhile and that you can not tell them what to do. He goes on to say that the village has waited a long time for a school, so they can wait a little longer. -
Sharing Tea
This is the first time Mortenson learns about the Balti tradition about drinking three cups of tea. Haji Ali says, " If you want to thrive in Baltistan, you must respect our ways. The first time you share tea, with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die." -
Not All People Love Greg Mortenson
After three weeks in Korphe, a group of people from Askole came to stop the school from being built. Haji Mehdi was the leader of the village. He came and told them Allah forbids the education of girls. Haji Ali responds saying the school will be finished no matter what. Haji Mehdi calls Mortenson an infidel, and wants Haji Ali to hand over twelve large rams. Haji Ali agrees. -
Not Everyone Loves Greg Mortenson Con't
Later when Mortenson asks Haji Ali was so willing to hand over the rams, Haji Ali replies, " I can't read anything. This is the greatest sadnes in my life. I'll do anything so the children of my village never have to know this feeling. I'll pay any price so they have the education they deserve." This is when Mortenson says Haji Ali is the wisest man he ever knew. -
Introducing Evil
In August, Mortenson hears of Osama Bin Laden coming to Afghanistan. He hated the Americans for the fact that he blames them for is exile. He orders his men to kill any American he sees. During this time Pakistan becomes a dangerous place for Mortenson to be traveling alone. -
Kidnapped
Mortenson is kidnapped for two weeks. Fearing for his life, Mortenson pleads with his captors to free him. But they had no intention of hurting him. When they let him go, one of the men told Mortenson, "For your schools! So, Inshallah, you'll build many more." -
A Child
On returning home, Mortenson's wife, Tara goes into labor. And at 7:12 p.m. Amira Eliana Mortenson was born. -
The death of a Great Man
Mortenson finally returns home with a completed picture of the Korphe school. He brings it to Jean Hoerni in the hospital. Hoerni came up with the idea to co-find the Central Asia Institue, so Mortenson can build other schools and help other villages in need. And during this time Jean Hoerni dies. -
Meeting The Elders
On an early April morning, Mortenson is awakened and told he must meet with some elders. Mortenson feared the worse. But while in mosque, they read aloud a creed on Mortenson's future. It said that he was welcome in the area. That all his works are noble and serve to help not hurt the people of Pakistan. It says that all clerics in Pakistan can not interfere with his work. They give Mortenson their blessings. -
A Whole Lot of Work Needs to be Done
Over the next years, Mortenson and the CAI continued to build schools and other needs for villages that have known. Mortenson, looking for donations, traveled the country to visit "donors", only to leave back for home with nothing. People didn't seem to care. But Mortenson persisted believing in what he was doing. -
The Birth of a Son
Mortenson's spirits were down, but that all changed with the birth of his son Khyber Bishop Mortenson. -
The Attack on U.S. Soil
On the day of the 9/11 attacks, Mortenson was in the middle east. It was not until early the next morning does Mortenson find out about the attacks. He calls his wife to make sure they are alright and they are. This is when Mortenson starts to see another side of Pakistan. There are news crews everywhere. The police detain him and question his motives for going to Pakistan. -
The Death of a Wise Man
Mortenson went back to the village of Korphe to see Haji Ali. Only to be greeted with the news of his death. Haji Ali's son Twaha took Mortenson to see his father's grave. Remembering a memory, Mortenson recalls the words Haji Ali told him to remember after he was gone. "Listen to the wind," is what he said. Mortenson knew he would miss Haji Ali very much and listened to his advise. -
A Changing View about Greg Mortenson
Upon arriving back in America, Mortenson starts to receive hate mail from people who accuse him of being a traitor. This starts to make Mortenson wonder if he should keep going. However, the next day Mortenson was to speak at an event with Into Thin Air author Jon Krakauer. -
Atleast Some People Understand
Jon Krakauer introduced Mortenson at the event. And instead of mentioning his book, he starts to praise Mortenson for all the work he has done. Krakauer states that what Mortenson is doing in that region of the world, is stopping them from saying "We hate Americans" to the Americans being some sort of salvation. -
Speaking Out
Mortenson was introduced to congresswoman Mary Bono. Mortenson started to speak to the congress. He answered their questions on why building schools was more important than making Pakistan more safe. In response Mortenson said, "I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough furture that they have a reason to choose life over death." -
Military Money
Mortenson was offered a heafy sum of money from the U.S. military to set up schools near terroist training facilities. Mortenson turned down the money knowing that if the people of Pakistan knew he had money from the military, they would never trust him again. -
The Magazine
In the spring of 2003, Mortenson was the talk of the country. A journalist from the magazine Parade followed Mortenson to Pakistan to watch him work. Then he came back and wrote amazing things about Mortenson and all the work he was doing over in the Middle East. When the articule came out, Mortenson was flooded by letters and donations from all sorts of people. Because of this money, Mortenson was able to make changes and raise the salary of many of his teachers. -
The Ned Gillette School
Mortenson jumps at the chance to build a school in honor of Ned Gillette, who was murdered by porters after he said no to their request for hire. However, Mortenson had to overcome obstacles. Agha Mubarek, the village leader, tried to stop the construction of the school. After taking his case to Shariat Court, Mortenson won the case and continued on building the school. -
Will the War Ever End?
Meeting with Brigadier General Bashir Baz proved to be insightful for Mortenson. While watching a CNN live feed from Baghdad Bashir stated, "Your President Bush has done a wonderful job of uniting one billion Muslims against America for the next two hundred years." This all being said after the video showed women carrying their dead children away from the blast. -
Jahan's Dream
Mortenson meets up with Twaha, his daughter Jahan and her friend Tahira. Jahan was completing her education at a private girls high school. She confided in Mortenson her plans after she finished school. She not only wanted to become a doctor, but she wanted to set up hospitals and look after all the women in the area to ensure they had the right medical care. -
Moving into Afghanistan
Mortenson leaves Pakistan to start building schools in Afghanistan. He promised people in Afghanistan he would soon come to their home and start building their schools. -
81 Schools Later
As of 2009, the Central Asia Institue has built eighty-one schools in Pakistan and surronding areas. Including fifteen new schools since Mortenson moved into Afghanistan. There has also been more schools added to the regions of Azad Kashmir in Pakistan after a 2005 earthquake.
