Living without limits

Living in the comfort of 24-hour hot and cold water, high-speed Internet access and plush, air-conditioned offices, it is easy to conjure up what we perceive to be limits on human ability, toughness, endurance and determination. Those who are able to break out of this mould often achieve great things. One such man was the Swedish adventurer/climber, Göran Kropp, whose ascent of Everest without the aid of bottled oxygen made him one of only two men to have achieved the incredible feat (the other is Reinhold Messner).

Quoting this entry from the Wikipedia, "... Kropp left Jönköping on October 16, 1995, on a specially-designed bicycle with 108 kg (240 lb) of gear. He traveled 8,000 miles on the bicycle and arrived at Everest Base Camp in April 1996. In a big powwow, all of the Everest expeditions currently on the mountain agreed that Kropp would attempt to summit first. On May 3, Kropp blazed a trail through thigh-deep snow and reached 300 feet of the summit. However, Kropp decided to turn around, believing that he would be too tired to descend safely if he went up further. Three weeks later, on May 23, Kropp again tackled the mountain, this time successfully summitting. He then triumphantly cycled home."

People like Kropp have shown that humans are capable of feats many would consider unimaginable. All we have to do is break the shackles that hold us back.