By Bruce Barton

Lance Trumbull is organizing a climb of Mt. Everest that he hopes will garner international attention.

Life takes some of us in unusual, often inspired directions. Such is the case with Lance Trumbull, a 35-year-old man whose path has taken him from a childhood in Los Altos to a relentless quest to climb the highest peak in the world for the cause of peace and understanding.

Trumbull has poured his life savings into the Everest Peace Project. His vision is that climbers of different religious faiths - Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Taoist, Hindu, Confucian and even atheist - reach the summit of Mt. Everest together, meeting the challenge of survival despite their philosophical differences.

“The goal is that people of all races and beliefs can unite for peace and religious tolerance,” said the religious studies major from the University of California at Berkeley.

This, of course, was not Trumbull’s goal from the beginning. After graduating from Los Altos High School, Foothill College and UC Berkeley, Trumbull got married, settled down and got divorced. Such trying events leave some of us wondering, “What does it all mean?” But rather than returning to life as we know it, Trumbull headed to Nepal.

I wanted to do something different with my life,” Trumbull said. “I had always wanted to go to Nepal.”

While there, Trumbull had his first look at Everest. His reaction was, “Oh my God, this is truly amazing.”

He returned to the United States briefly. Hearing about his experience, a friend asked jokingly, “Why not move to Nepal?”

“Why not?” was Trumbull’s reply, in all seriousness.

The used book dealer sold everything he owned and bought a one-way ticket to Nepal. He left in May 2002.

“I’m going to experience life on a deeper level and open myself to a deeper reality,” Trumbull said.

He went traveling, to Tibet, China and Mongolia. Then, back in Nepal and running out of money, Trumbull was at a crossroads in his life’s direction. A chance meeting with a mountain climber took him on a trip where, at 15,000 feet in the Indian Himalayas, Trumbull had his burst of inspiration: “I’m going to organize a worldwide peace climb of Everest!”

He’s been working on his project feverishly ever since, creating a slick web site, www.climb4peace.org, to woo those interested and especially advertisers and other funders who latch on to Trumbull’s contagious enthusiasm. He’s also been giving lectures about his mission and organizing the project from his parents’ home in Sunnyvale.

He hopes his publicity stunt on a world stage will be “like throwing a pebble in a pond to create something positive.”

Trumbull’s project seems to be gathering steam. He has assembled the seven mountain climbers of varying religious faiths and the atheist. He has booked two of the best sherpas in the Himalayas as part of his team - sherpas are natives who are used to the harsh conditions and provide aid to such treks. Trumbull also has enlisted the help of Rob Chang, who organized the Mt. Everest cleanup expedition in 2000. Chang, an experienced climber and motivational speaker, has signed on to gather corporate sponsorships.

In all, Trumbull figures he needs $500,000 to fund the 60-day Everest expedition, planned for spring 2004. Any funding left over will be offered toward the building of a school in Nepal and area non-profit groups.

When and if he gets the funding, Trumbull sees his trek making history. He plans daily updates on a Web cam, live video feds from Mt. Everest and will have a professional documentary of the expedition. He also plans to write a book about the experience and hit the national talk show, news and lecture circuit with his call for world peace.

“I have the drive and determination to see it through to its fruition,” Trumbull said.

The problem is money and getting people to listen.

“Anyone who hears about it loves it,” he said. “The problem is meeting the right people. No one knows who Lance Trumbull is.”

Trumbull appears to reject the notion he is seeking some personal greatness out of this. “I’m just trying to do a good thing,” he said. “This is something that I have to be doing.”

For more on the Everest Peace Project, logon to: www.climb4peace.org.