Rowena Rowberry, 34, decided to conquer four of the world’s highest mountains – including Mount Everest – to deal with a painful break-up. Her confidence vanished when the relationship with a person she thought she would be with for ever ended suddenly in 2023. And, having worked in the emergency department of Queen’s Hospital Burton, in Staffordshire, throughout the Covid pandemic, she felt mentally drained and physically unfit – and was barely able to hike up a hill.
She recalls: “By the autumn of 2023 I thought my life was in a good place. I had a career I loved, a partner I thought I’d be with
for ever and the satisfaction of having weathered the toughest years of my profession. Then, suddenly, it all unravelled. My relationship ended and, with it, my confidence. I felt like I’d been hit for six.”
She adds: “I am not a sporty person. I’d done the odd 5k ParkRun, gone to the gym here and there but that was it. Still, the gym became my refuge. Exercise brought me some peace. One evening after work I was trudging away on the stair-climber, trying to quiet the sadness, when a thought came out of nowhere: ‘I’m going to climb Kilimanjaro.’
“It was ridiculous. I had no mountaineering experience but I’d seen it on TV and thought that with training, maybe it’s
doable. More than that, I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone – to do something so far removed from my everyday life that it would shake me out of wallowing. I told my sisters, expecting them to laugh or tell me to be sensible. Instead, they both said: ‘Do it. Life’s too short.’
“From that moment, there was no turning back.” After eight weeks of training, Rowena boarded a plane to Tanzania in January last year, feeling wildly unprepared. Mount Kilimanjaro – a dormant volcano – is the highest mountain in Africa and the fourth most prominent peak in the world, standing at 5,895m (19,341ft) above sea level.
Rowena says: “We started the climb and I quickly learned how humbling altitude can be. I had two rough days – pounding headaches, no appetite and a grumpy streak a mile wide – but then I found my rhythm. Our group of five all made it to the summit in seven days. It was a beautiful day, the sunrise spilling over Africa. I cried – trying to
soak it all in. I didn’t message anyone until I was back down, partly in disbelief.”
Rowena had started her nursing training aged 17 – working in A&E for three years then spending seven years in district nursing while doing a specialist degree to become a sister managing a team. Then she completed advanced clinical practitioner training, also in A&E, as well as working throughout Covid. After that she realised she felt empty.
She says: “Some of the people I’d met on Kilimanjaro suggested I try other mountains and the idea lodged in my mind.” She also started running further, and completed an ultra-marathon in the Brecon Beacons in 21 hours and 50 minutes. This gave her the confidence to try Mount Elbrus, a 5,642m (18,510ft) behemoth in southern Russia – which is Europe’s highest peak.
Then in January this year she conquered South America’s highest – Aconcagua in Argentina. She says: “At just under 7,000m, it’s the highest peak outside the Himalayas. Over 12 days, I worked my way up, feeling strong, with no altitude sickness. I came home buzzing and determined. If I could summit Aconcagua, I thought, I could realistically attempt Everest.” But Everest is expensive, at around £45,000, and needs months of planning. However, Rowena knew her fitness was at its peak.
She says: “For the first time I decided to climb for a cause. I set up a JustGiving page for the RCN Foundation, which provides grants to nurses and nursing students in financial hardship.” In April Rowena flew to Nepal and hiked to Everest Base Camp at 5,364m (17,598ft) above sea level.
There, she spent a month acclimatising before starting the final push to the 8,848m (29,028ft) summit on May 15. Three days later, she stood on the top of the world with her Sherpa guide, named Migmar. She recalls: “The view was infinite – a sweep of white peaks fading into the horizon – and for five glorious minutes, it was just Migmar and me, the highest people on the planet.”
Rowena’s next trip is in May next year to Denali in Alaska, which is the highest peak in North America at 6,190m (20,310ft).
“They say it’s harder than Everest. You haul all your gear and the altitude feels worse. But I’m ready. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this…In the mountains, as in life, you don’t look too far ahead. You put one foot in front of the other. You keep going. And you trust that, eventually, you’ll stand somewhere you never dreamed possible.”