Philip Henderson sounds exhausted.
鈥淚鈥檝e been busy,鈥� he says, his voice cracking over the phone. 鈥淏ut good busy.鈥�
Henderson, the 59-year-old team leader of Full Circle Everest, is driving back to his home in Cortez, Colorado, after speaking to members of the Rotary Club in nearby Durango. It鈥檚 late August, nearly three months since his team made international headlines by becoming the first all-Black expedition to reach the highest point on the planet. Since then, have received a flood of interview requests. He tries not to turn any of them down.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 an in-person request, can you pay for travel? If it鈥檚 an online presentation, I figure out which member鈥檚 story will resonate with the audience,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f they can鈥檛 pay for travel, I can sometimes use our nonprofit funds to pay for someone to get there.鈥�
For Henderson, such speaking trips are almost as important as the adventure. Full Circle Everest is his brainchild鈥攈e believed an expedition comprised solely of Black climbers could inspire other people of color to pursue their dreams. The world of high-alpine mountaineering is mostly white, with just a handful of Black climbers who have ever reached Everest鈥檚 summit.
鈥淭he expedition happened and it ended, but it鈥檚 not over,鈥� Henderson says. 鈥淣ow we have to talk to people and tell our story. We have something we owe those people who followed us the whole way.鈥�
When he is speaking to a Black audience, Henderson says that he stresses the significance of self motivation, and how the inspiration to pursue objectives outdoors must come from within.
鈥淭here are outdoor activities that people of color haven鈥檛 always done. Maybe their parents told them not to, or the industry says don鈥檛 do it,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut if there鈥檚 something inside you saying, I want to do that, then you should absolutely make it happen.鈥�
That attitude helped Henderson throughout his career in the outdoor industry; often he was the only Black person on the trail. He was an instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership School for more than 20 years and led climbing expeditions on multiple continents. In 2012, he ventured to Everest to try and reach the top. He got sick, and the illness kept him from his goal. That year, 11 climbers died on the mountain.
The experience taught him how deadly Everest can be. For the Full Circle Everest climb, Henderson remained in Base Camp to guide the expedition via radio, while climbers Manoah Ainuu, Eddie Taylor, Rosemary Saal, Demond Mullins, Evan Green, Thomas Moore, and James Kagambi pushed up the mountain alongside Sherpas and a film crew. Another climber, Fred Campbell, ascended partway up but turned back due to altitude sickness. Henderson says he couldn鈥檛 sleep as the team ventured higher.
鈥淎t one point we had seven people in the Death Zone,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne call came in that Manoah was on the summit. Then another, and another. It鈥檚 Everest, so you always know that shit can happen. At some point it was like, holy shit, everybody summited.鈥�
Henderson will keep telling his story until requests abate, but he also believes that Full Circle Everest will grow. He envisions expeditions to other mountains. And he wants to attract investment to projects that make the outdoors more welcoming to Black people.
鈥淚 ask people all the time, 鈥楬ow do we keep the momentum going?鈥欌€夆€� Henderson says. 鈥淢ore organizations are talking about Black Lives Matter and diversity and inclusivity. It鈥檚 up to them as well to continue to walk the talk. We鈥檙e only part of the movement.鈥�