Erden Eruc finds time for wedding during global adventure trip


		Courtesy Erden Eruc
	Erden Eruc, left, Jeremy Cranford and Eddie Espinosa during a climb of Denali in Alaska. Eruc plans a round-the-world cycling, rowing and climbing trip.

It all worked out in Alaska last weekend for the two Seattleites. Eruc, a Turkish-born Muslim, married Board, a Catholic, in a Haida-Tsimshian ceremony on a beach in Homer.

"We wanted to turn our wedding into a new experience. It fit my trip that way: a combination of meeting new people, meeting new cultures, experiencing history and nature," said Eruc, who has spent the past three months bicycling from Seattle to Anchorage, then climbing Denali.

"It was wonderful," Eruc said. "And we got some time to ourselves away from the RVs."

In February, Eruc launched his "six summit project," a plan to bike, row and climb six peaks on six continents. The adventure is a personal dream and a tribute to Danish adventurer Goran Kropp, who died in September in a mountain climbing accident.

The comfy recreational-vehicle existence is not Eruc's style. He spent nights in his sleeping bag with campfire-heated water bottles.

But if nature was harsh, people were not. Along the road -- aside from some truck drivers who "passed by me and touched their temples, indicating I was crazy" -- people offered help, particularly when the wind kicked up and the snow slowed him down. Eruc has fond memories of a truck driver named Doug Thibault in particular, who "kept an eye out for me" as he drove up and down the Alaska-Canadian Highway.

Eruc, 41, who's on leave from REI in Seattle, said he was encouraged by drivers of 18-wheelers who blared their horns or stopped to offer him rides. One trucker drove past him, turned around, went back to town and returned with hot coffee and candy.

As word spread, Eruc met tribal elders and was asked to stay an extra day in Fort Nelson. One man in Prince George told Eruc of a journey made by his grandmother -- on foot -- and another insisted that his two children, aged 6 and 8, meet Eruc, who traced his plans in an atlas for them.

Eruc had trained hard for the trip, but there was no way to prepare his knees, which early became inflamed. He changed the position of his feet on the pedals, took anti-inflammatories and kept going.

"When I was faced with a challenge, my thought process was more, what can I do to fix this and not suffer this much next time?" Eruc said. "It was more of a problem-solving mind-set. It's such a long journey, if I got into a 'Why-am-I-doing-this?' mind-set, I couldn't finish it."

Finishing means hanging in there for several years. His plans include climbing five more mountains on five continents.

On May 29, Eruc successfully ascended Denali during a short weather break with fellow climbers Cory Groom of Seattle and Eddie Espinosa of Tacoma.

He said he frequently thought of Kropp, who died in September climbing the Sunshine Wall near Vantage. Eruc, who was belaying Kropp from below, watched as his hero fell 75 feet to his death after protection devices ripped out of the rock.

"On the summit, I was crying," said Eruc, who was thwarted by weather during a 1997 attempt. "It was a big relief. It opened up just for us."

After honeymooning in Alaska, Board will fly back to Seattle and Eruc will bike another 2,683 miles home. He plans to train this summer and fall for a sport he knows less about -- rowing -- before taking to a custom-designed ocean rowing boat and heading for South America next year.

Both Eruc and Board, owner of a Seattle management consulting firm that teaches leadership and motivation skills, know plans can change. Their target wedding date was June 7 at Wonder Lake, with Denali as the backdrop.

Board, who met Eruc several years ago in Chicago while both were working as consultants for a U.S. Postal Service project, is ready for an adventurous marriage.

"When I met Erden, I remember experiencing emotions like a 16-year-old," said Board, 43. "We were both athletes, both loved adventure.

"He told me of his plans to journey around the world, and it struck me: I've always felt two to three steps ahead of other men I'd been with, and now I thought, not only have I met my match, how can I keep up with him?"

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Erden Eruc hopes to row from Seattle to Chile, cycle to and climb Mount Aconcagua (22,840 feet) in Argentina, then row across the Pacific to New Guinea and climb Carstenz Pyramid (16,503 feet) in Indonesia. Then he wants to row to Thailand or India, cycle to Nepal and climb Mount Everest (29,035 feet) before rowing to the east coast of Africa and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet). The last leg: rowing the Suez Canal and the Red Sea en route to Turkey and climbing Mount Elbruz in Russia (18,513 feet) near the Turkish border.

To follow Eruc's travels, see the Web site at www.around-n-over.org

P-I reporter Debera Carlton Harrell can be reached at 206-448-8326 or deberaharrell@seattlepi.com

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