A short transcript excerpt from a YouTube interview (host: James Laughlin) in which the guest describes the moment of completing a world-record feat. The speaker recounts slowing their steps to savor the final moments, taking the deepest breath, closing their eyes, and experiencing a dissolution of self and surroundings — "just this moment of awe."
How did it feel when you actually had summited, got back down, got back home, and realized you were the first in the world ever to do this?
Okay, so let's bring it to the spot where, like, you. You know, you have, like. I have, like, five more steps, and this thing's done. So you almost start going slower because you just want to take it in, right? So, like, you're taking these steps slower. You're looking at everything you're doing ever. And then when you get to the top, you take in, like, the deepest breath you can take in. So you're just like, bring it all into my body, and you close your eyes, and everything disappears. There's no sun. Sun. There's no sky. There's no mountain. There's no you. There's nothing. There's just this moment of awe.
