526 - Virginia Slim Minute

This is exactly right. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Good to see you all.

Somebody tell me that.

A shocking public murder.

This is one of the most dramatic events that really ever happened in New York City, politics. A screen get down, get down, those are shots. A tragedy that's now forgotten and a mystery that may have been political, that may have been about sex.

Listen to Worshack, murder and city hall on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you feel uncomfortable, what do you put on it? Biggie.

You put on biggie when you feel uncomfortable? So I want to get confident. This is DJ Hesterprint's music is therapy. A new podcast from me, a DJ and licensed therapist. 12 months, 12 areas of your life.

Money, love, career, confidence. This isn't just a podcast. It's unconventional therapy for your entire year. Listen to DJ Hesterprint's music is therapy. On the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Alec Baldwin.

“This season on my podcast, here's the thing.”

I talked to composer Mark Shaman. It's about the hang. It's the pleasure of hanging out with the people that you're with.

You know, Robin Eye was always a great hang.

And journalist Chris Whipple. Every White House staffer, they work in a bubble called the Westway. And it's exponentially more so in the Trump White House. Listen to the new season.

Up here's the thing on the I-Heart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, listeners. I'm Annison Fields, the host of The Girlfriend Spotlight. And I've got some great interviews coming your way.

I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season one, two, three, and four of The Girlfriends. And every single episode of The Girlfriend Spotlight, 100% ad-free.

And one week early, through the I-Heart True Crime Plus subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus, you'll get access to other chart-hopping True Crime shows you love, like betrayal, paper ghosts, pigtain massacre, the brother's Ortiz,

what happened in Nashville, hell and gone, the godmother and more. So don't wait, head to Apple Podcasts search for I-Heart True Crime Plus, and subscribe today. [MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, and welcome to my favorite murder.

That's Georgia Heart Start. That's Karen Kiligarra. This is a solo episode. And you know what that means? Make-up tips.

Make-up tips. Yes. I don't know how to happen. We're just like, let's start solo episodes with another one of our passions.

Oh, yeah.

“What's it called when you say you should try something?”

Recommendations. Thanks, you. That's right. Recommendations and beauty stuff. Beauty talk, yeah.

This is like fun stuff. Do you want to go for a second? Sure.

I can never find the correct color of foundation, sure.

Because my base color is red with green. You're also like, you seem like you should be pale, but you're tan. Yes, right. I get people, put pale makeup on me all the time, and then I work like the school.

Right. There's a little brown under there, and also a lot of red that reads as brown. Sure. The redness is a real problem.

Sounds fun. Anyhow, there's a TikTok girl who I adore named Tyler Mars, who she has Rosacea, so she's always giving these recommendations of like half a ton down the red. Oh, it's just like, I just look up if I need to get something.

Yeah.

“So anyhow, there's a foundation that I found on TikTok, of course.”

Of course. And it's the brand is the REM, and it is the best foundation I've worn today. Is it like, is it red correction foundation? Or it's just foundation that that just works that way. It's like, it's a foundation color that somehow addresses all of the things

that need to be covered with out making me look like either a vampire or like I looked in high school with my one color of cover girl. Oh my God, oh God. Just clowny clown, have you smelled that recently? The cover girl powder.

Oh my God. It'll bring you back. It would like immediate balling. And I just want to say, I have bought every other foundation. So it's like people are like, you've got to try it.

Our money, blah blah blah. And it's like sure, except for that for some reason on me, it turns out. It's so about what it works for. I use Charlotte Tilbury right now, but in three weeks, it might not work anymore for me.

It looked terrible. Yeah. So it's real high stakes. And also a lot of panic decision making. Yeah.

Like now we're on camera again. Now we're on camera again. Yeah. So I want to get it right. I mean, Ariem's yet me there, I think.

Mine is also like a face one, it's, I got, we got our makeup done recently.

I don't fucking know when the makeup artist is great.

So the thing that I bought this time around, there is a drag queen named Kim Chie. Kim Chie. Yeah. And who was on the find, who was the finalist on season eight of RuPaul's Drag Race. Kim Chie has a makeup line and Kim Chie's puff puff past setting powder.

I got in two colors like one for under eye and one for my skin. I am obsessed with it. Okay. Because you have been looking very like, perfectly blurred. Thank you.

“Like, maybe you need to get your eyes checked.”

I mean, exactly. You just can't see. I've been puffed up passing to myself right before the show starts, I'm going to try that for sure. Yeah.

It's called puff puff past setting powder and, you know, it comes in such a like cute fun packaging that you're like, this isn't going to do anything. You know what I mean? Yeah. That's my brain.

If that's how it works. Yeah. But I, if the makeup artist hadn't like used it on me, I wouldn't have tried it. And now it's like, I used two different types of powder, which is like so not me. I'm so low man.

You're very advanced. Yeah. Living in the cultural world of drag queen dominance has benefited and like it's raised all boats. Yeah.

Because, yeah, I care about makeup, but do I have that kind of time to be like, bake it in with a triangle pad or whatever, it's like, okay, but maybe you're a drag queen. Like, you have to do that.

“You have to be like, you know, all the tricks and it has to stay on for like 12 hours”

through sweating, all the different things. Yes.

Well, as you always say, we must listen to drag queens more.

Please, always, listen to drag queens. Let them pass, uh, puff puff? No. I was going to say, past legislation. That's the one.

Let them pass legislation, please. That's right. 10, 10, shot, five, city wall building, a silver 40 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene. From eye-hard podcasts and best case studios.

This is Worshack. It's a theater at City Hall. How could this have happened at City Hall? Somebody tell me that. July, 2003, Councilman James E. Davis arrives at New York City Hall with a guest.

Both men are carrying concealed weapons. And in less than 30 minutes, both of them will be dead. Everybody in the chambers of dogs, a shocking public murder. Scream, get down, get down, those are shots, those are shots, get down. A charismatic politician, you know, he just bent the rules all the time.

I still have a weapon, and I could shoot you. And an outsider with a secret. He alleged he was effective, uh, flat down. That may have been not have been political, that may have been about sex. Listen to Worshack, murder at City Hall on the eye-hard radio app, apple podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. Ever feel like you're being chased by the marriage police? Welcome to Boys & Girls, the podcast by dating isn't dating. A ranged marriage is basically a reality show, except the contestants, our strangers, and your entire family is judging.

You're sitting coffee with one maybe, grabbing dinner with another, and praying your karmic can or Barbie appears before your shelf life runs out. Trust me, I've been through this ancient and unshakable tradition. I jumped in hoping to find love the right way, and instead I found chaos, cringe, and comedy. And now, I'm looking for healing.

Boys & Girls dives into every twist and turn of the arranged marriage carousel, the meat awkward, the neomisses, the heartbreak, and let's not forget all the jokes. Listen to Boys & Girls on the eye-hard radio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hi, it's Alec Baldwin, this season on my podcast, here's the thing I'm speaking with

more artists, policymakers, and performers that compose a Mark Shaman. Once you've established that you have the talent, it's about the hang. It's the pleasure of hanging out with the people that you're with. Robin Eye was always a great hang. We would sit in kibbits for hours and then eventually get around to the music.

“That's what I mostly think of when I think of him, the time together, laughing.”

Lawyer, Robbie Kaplan. The great gift of being a lawyer is the ability to actually change things in our society in a way that very few people can. You can really make a difference to causes, and I say to you, if you bring the right case at the right time and energy quality.

Yeah, when there's the perfect example. And journalists, Chris Whipple, every White House staffer, they work in a bubble called the West Wing, and it's exponentially more so in the Trump White House.

Up here's the thing on the iHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Remember when you'd walk into your local video rental place, and there were always those

“two employees behind the counter, arguing about movies?”

Well, that's us. I'm Millie de Cherico, and I'm Casey O'Brien, and now we're arguing about movies on our podcast. Dear movies, I love you, from the exactly right now work. Can I say something about the criterion closet?

Go ahead, dude. They're letting too many people in there. Okay, that's another film right behind got to. Sadly, that rental place doesn't exist anymore. It's probably a store that sells running shoes.

Or an ice cream shop with an extra pee in an E at the end. So consider us your Slack or movie clerks in podcast form. I would like to establish a timeline of the moment you figured out who Channing Tadam was. Every Tuesday, we dig into the movies we can't stop obsessing over from hinges to big screen favorites.

New episodes drop every week on the exactly right network. Listen to dear movies. I love you on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, what a perfect intro into my solo story for today. Oh, really?

No. But we actually terrible like it. But why not?

“Well, only in kind of in that it's about a woman.”

Okay. Okay. Much like Kim Chi and the rest of the Rebels are a great cast. Yeah. Shout out, caught you.

You covered the deaths on Mount Everest in our episode 174. One of my favorite stories to cover of all time. Yeah. It's good. Don't think about it.

We titled that episode "Ruff Wins and High Wadders." So we've talked about it before.

When you think of Mount Everest, and I know you think about it a lot, the first name that

usually pops into your head or anyone's head is Sir Edmund Hillary. Great. The first man, along with his Sherpa, tensing Norgate, who got to the top of Mount Everest in 1953. The first one's to do it, first two to do it.

Okay. And it was in 53. Today, I'm going to tell you about the boundary-breaking trailblazing first woman to climb Mount Everest. Oh.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of her achievement.”

But like many of the great historic women that we talk about on this show, you've probably never heard her name. Right, or Jenny Hall reported on her for CNN, writing "Her bravery helped her lead, record setting all women expeditions, and overcome the mountain of sexism in this male-dominated space."

Yet very few organizations, even in Japan, have thought to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest by a woman. Wow. Well, then fine. I'll do it.

It falls on Karen once again. Once again. I'll do it. I'll celebrate women on Everest. Today, I'm going to tell you about an athlete who refused to take no for an answer, who

defied strict cultural expectations, and who was so unstoppable, even an avalanche couldn't keep her down. So, yeah. This is the story of Japanese mountaineer, Junko Tabatee. I'm amazing.

I, like, yes. I want to hear that.

It never crossed my mind.

Right? Perfect. Okay. Sources from this story that Marin used are a 2017 outside magazine article by Brad Frenett entitled "A Final Interview with Junko Tabatee" and a 1996 sports illustrated article by Robert

Horn entitled "No Mountain Too High For Her," how Junko Tabatee defied Japanese views of women to become an expert climber, amazing. The rest of the sources are in our show notes. So, we begin in September of 1939 when Junko, at the time her last name was Ishi Bashi, is born in a small town in Japan's Fukushima prefecture.

A prefecture is basically a state. Got it. I love the word. I love the word. Is it?

Yeah. I do too. Oh, sorry, while we're here, just because that word, if you haven't watched Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix, it's an anime series and it is like an Oscar-winning film. Okay.

Okay. Is unbelievably made. Great. Fukushima prefecture is one of the country's largest prefectures. I keep saying that.

Stretch from the Pacific Coast inward to the mountains. We all have heard of it from the devastating 2011 earthquake and then tsunami and then nuclear disaster. Very horrible time. But this is a stunning part of Japan, complete with ski resorts, hot springs, cherry

blossoms, volcanic lakes, and beautiful places to hike. So it's no surprise that even as a little girl, Junko is captivated by the nature around her. When she's just 10 years old, her teacher takes her class on field trips to two nearby mountains, with around 6,000 feet in elevation, which aren't, you know, huge, but they're not small,

either for kids especially. And Junko isn't the type of kid anyone would say was adventurous. She's very tiny. As a child, she enters multiple bouts of pneumonia and even as an adult, she only ever

But Junko says that because of her stature, she's, quote, stamped as a weak child.

“But something clicks for her on these mountain field trips and her life is never the same”

after. She will later remember, quote, "I was so surprised by the rocky dry hills and a stream of hot water that came from a hot spring. I was shocked to feel a little chilly while we were at the top of the mountain because it was summer.

I realized that there were so many things in the world which I have never encountered

and that it is fun to see and learn directly through one's own experiences. I became determined to go wherever I could go." So this is just a child being like, "I love life." Yeah. I'm into this.

Although if I saw hot spring in a Japanese mountain, I think I would lose it. Yeah. For sure. I mean, you can see it in Palm Springs and it's still amazing. I am.

But of course, being a little girl with an interest in the outdoors comes with its challenges. It's post-World War II Japan, so many people are struggling financially. The country as a whole is just trying to get his bearings after a horrible war. And of course, with hiking by the time you invest in a pair of good boots and transportation to the trail, it could be considered expensive by some people and frivolous to spend money

to basically just hike around a mountain and really tough economic times. But more than that, Junko is a girl and at the time Japan has very rigid social conventions for men and women and hiking, climbing and adventuring is squarely something men do. As Robert Horn reports for sports illustrated, quote, "Despite Japan's tradition of explorers and ventures, many of those who dared to strike out on their own paths, especially women,

risked the fate for seeing in the Japanese atage, quote, "The nail that sticks up will be hammered down." Yeah. Oh my god, what a time. Yeah.

And adventures, dreams were often not considered appropriate for a young Japanese woman. So that's end quote.

So after those formative grade school field trips, Junko never looks back because she doesn't

care. She is not for some reason and I would love to know it was it just her personality and did she have like a badass mom, but like these incredibly strict kind of rules and expectations just don't face her. By the time she's in high school, she plans hiking trips whenever she can.

It's almost a meditative practice for her. She says quote, "It wasn't like a competition. If you go slow, you can make it to the top."

“Or if you must, you can quit at the middle.”

But Japan was very poor at the time. I couldn't think about climbing mountains or any kind of leisure. We had to worry about what we would eat. So Junko eventually enrolls in an all-limits college in Tokyo where she studies English literature and plans on becoming a teacher.

Unlike her fondness for outdoor activities, this is considered a respectable path for young women.

All the while Junko is dreaming about climbing though, she manages to find a like-minded

female friend at school and they train together during the week. On the weekends, they head out to the mountains and by the time Junko graduates in 1962, she's become an experienced mountaineer. So as any other climber with her skill level would do, Junko goes right ahead and joins several alpine clubs.

The thing is, these are understood to be for men. At the time, nothing like an alpine club exists for female climbers. And the reaction to Junko's membership is mixed. A few of the men respect her skill and her sense of adventure, but others outright refuse to climb with her.

Jesus. And many think that she's only hanging around to find a husband. Okay. Can you go? Why else would you go?

Yeah. It's not gorgeous. No. Japanese mountains. You're like hiking, but you don't think women like hiking.

Okay. Yeah. That's fine. But Junko stays focused and by her mid 20s, she summited every one of Japan's most prominent peaks.

Wow. This includes Mount Fuji, which is about 12,400 feet above sea level. And she's funding these climbs by working as an editor for an academic journal and giving piano and English lessons. She does it all.

I mean, just tiny. Yeah. She spends most of her downtime either climbing or training with the hopes of summoning larger and larger peaks. And then in 1965, Junko meets a man named Masanobu Tabate.

He's a seasoned Japanese mountaineer and his own rights. So she falls in love with another mountaineer. That's romantic. I got to find someone who likes your stuff. Supports your hobby.

Yeah. They fall in love and they're married the next year when Junko is 27 years old. But her parents don't approve of this marriage because Masanobu doesn't have a college degree. But Junko marries them anyway.

She doesn't give a shit about anything.

“She's like, oh, is that your opinion about my life?”

I'll see you later. Enjoy it. And the two have a daughter together who they name Noriko. And later, they have a son named Shinya.

When she's in her early 30s, Junko says that she, quote, began to dream about going to

“the Himalayas with a team of only women.”

To make that happen, she does something that's never been done before.

In Japan, in 1969, she forms the country's very first women's climbing organization. Its name translated into English is sometimes reported as Lady's climbing club, and sometimes reported as women's mountaineering, depending on how people feel about it. And the group slogan is, quote, "Let's go on an overseas expedition by ourselves." France, actually. Yes, let's. Around 15 women joined Junko's group, each united by a dream

to climb the world's tallest mountains, but finding time to train is not easy. Like Junko, these women have jobs or families, or both. And Japan's standard vacation time is just two weeks a year, which many people don't feel empowered to fully take because of Japan's intense work culture. So you have it, but you kind of are supposed to go on it.

This is complicating in and of itself because these expeditions require time off for training and for travel. And on top of that, devoting time to a masculine hobby like mountaineering is stigmatized in the 1970s. The women face judgment for not wanting to devote their entire beings to their husbands

and their children to which Junko has said, quote, "I am a housewife.

“I just climb mountains because I love it." And if people want to call me that crazy mountain”

woman, that's okay. Cool. Love her. Eventually, Junko and her group plan an expedition to Annapurna 3 in Nepal, which is nearly 25,000 feet in elevation.

This is Junko's first time traveling outside of Japan, and she leads the climb.

The group travels up a new route to Annapurna 3 summit, and they successfully reach the top on May 19th, 1970, Caronkel Garus eight days old. Oh my God. It's her first week in the world, she's loving it, she's loving this energy. So they on May 19th, and 1970 become the first women ever to climb Annapurna 3.

Wow. And now their slogan is, "Let's be the first women to climb Annapurna 3 by ourselves." That's not true. It's there on the summit of Annapurna 3 that Junko experiences another sort of spiritual awakening.

Robert Horn reports and sports illustrated, quote, "The Ascent Profoundly changed her. There would be no more sleeping in the late hours to prove that she was her company's most loyal worker. No more fears about speaking her mind. No more concerns about what people said behind her back."

Wow. It's also, in this moment, that Junko really starts to consider climbing Mount Everest, because she did that. Yeah. You might as well do this one.

She brings the idea to her climbing club, and they begin to mobilize with that goal in mind. But Junko says, quote, "Most of the men in the Alpine community were against our plan, saying that it would be impossible to go to Everest on a woman's only expedition." Why?

They're just so negative. I mean, God. Can we get a little positivity? How could Or just shut up? Yeah.

Or just shut up. If you can't zip it. So Junko and her crew set out to prove them wrong. They don't need us saying this. No.

They're already doing it. It's, it already happened. But getting to Everest is not easy.

Of course, the women first need permission from Nepal's government.

So they apply in 1971, but then they're told that there's no space for their expedition, and there won't be until 1975.

“So that would be upsetting you have to wait four years to the average person, but they're”

not discouraged. They just figure it will give them more time to train. And Junko uses this long-waiting period to help the group nail down sponsorships. But of course, finding financial support is tricky. As Junko puts it, quote, "Most companies' reaction that was for women, it's impossible

to climb Mount Everest." No vision. Yeah. You're that, why don't you, the company that goes, but if they do it totally, they'll be great.

And even if they don't, they'll still get fucking, like, eyes on the rise. We just have come, we truly have come a long way, baby. In marketing? Yes. And then we both smoke because now it's for Junko to land at a minute.

Yeah. Plus in the early 70s, Japan experiences a year's long, oil-related economic crisis, there's just less sponsorship money to go right. Fortunately, the group locks down two sponsorships, one from a major Japanese newspaper, and one from a TV station.

But the budget's relatively small. The mail groups often raise hundreds of thousands of dollars when they do their climbs. And they raise it in Japan and elsewhere. Junko's group only manages to raise about $70,000. So to pick up the slack, each member has to come up with an additional approximately $5,000

And it's 1.5 million yen that they have to come up with.

“And it's worth, do you want to guess, in today's money?”

You said they have to come up with $5,000 in the 70s, which in today's money would be $28,000. $30,000. Oh. So close.

So finally, 1975 rolls around, it's time for the women to head to Nepal. Years later, outside magazine reporter Brad Frenett will ask Junko if she ever felt hesitation as the climb data approached.

She says, quote, "No, I never thought of giving up once.

We had worked so hard to obtain the climbing permit." Yeah. She got the paperwork. No. She's not going anywhere.

10-10 shots five City Hall building, a silver 40 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene. From eye-hard podcasts and best case studios, this is Worshack, murder at City Hall. Could this have happened in City Hall? Somebody tell me that.

July 2003, Councilman James E. Davis arrives at New York City Hall with a guest. This man, her caring, concealed weapons. And in less than 30 minutes, both of them will be dead. And everybody in the chambers of dogs, a shocking public murder. A scream, get down, get down those are shots, those are shots, get down.

The charismatic politician, you know, he just bent the rules all the time. I still have a weapon, and I could shoot you. The outsider was a secret. He alleged he was effective flat down. That may have not been political, that may have been about sex.

Listen the Worshack, murder at City Hall on the eye-hard radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you could get your podcasts.

“Ever feel like you're being chased by the marriage police?”

Welcome to Boys and Girls. The podcast by dating isn't dating. Her ranged marriage is basically a reality show, except the contestants are strangers and your entire family is judging. You're sipping coffee with one maybe, grabbing dinner with another, and praying your

carmy can or Barbie appears before your shelf life runs out. Trust me, I've been through this ancient and unshakable tradition. I jumped in hoping to find love the right way, and instead I found chaos, cringe, and comedy. And now, I'm looking for healing. Boys and girls dives into every twist and turn of the arranged marriage carousel.

The meat awkward, the neomisses, the heartbreak, and let's not forget all the jokes. Listen to Boys and Girls on the eye-hard radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hi, it's Alec Baldwin, this season on my podcast, here's the thing I'm speaking with

more artists, policymakers, and performers that compose a Mark Shaman. Once you've established that you have the talent, it's about the hang. It's the pleasure of hanging out with the people that you're with. You know, Robin Eye was always a great hang. We would sit in kibits for hours, and then eventually get around to the music.

“That's what I mostly think of when I think of him, the time together, laughing.”

Lawyer, Robbie Kaplan. The great gift of being a lawyer is the ability to actually change things in our society in a way that very few people can. I mean, you can really make a difference to causes, and I say to you, if you bring the right case at the right time in an arranged equality.

Yeah, when there's the perfect example. And journalists, Chris Whipple, every White House staffer, they work in a bubble called the West Wing, and it's exponentially more so in the Trump White House.

Listen to the new season of here's the thing on the eye-hard radio app, or wherever you

get your podcasts. Remember when you'd walk into your local video rental place, and there were always those two employees behind the counter arguing about movies? Well, that's us. I'm milling a chairco, and I'm Casey O'Brien, and now we're arguing about movies on our

podcast, Dear Movies I Love You, from the exactly right now work. Can I say something about the criterion closet? Go ahead, dude. They're letting too many people in there. Okay, that's another film right by God, too.

Sadly, that rental place doesn't exist anymore, it's probably a store that sells running shoes. An ice cream shop with an extra pee and an eat at the end. So consider us your Slack or movie clerks in podcast form. I would like to establish a timeline of the moment you figured out who Channing Tatum

was. Every Tuesday, we dig into the movies we can't stop obsessing over, from hidden gems to big screen favorites. New episodes drop every week on the exactly right network. Listen to Dear Movies I Love You on the I-Heart Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts.

The women set out.

“Junko is 35 at the time, and she serves as co-leader for the 15 woman expedition.”

Wow.

They're accompanied by six experienced Sherpa Guides, and together they embark on the most

difficult, grueling climb of their lives. Any ever's climb is punishing, and Junko's is no exception, but by May 3rd 1975, her group has steadily made it more than 20,000 feet, and they have about 9,000 feet to go. Now around this point, they encounter terrible weather, which is a reality climber's face, of course, as they go up Everest, especially the closer they get to the top.

So these gals set up camp. They try to get some rest before continuing on, but it's not a lovely, you call expo. It's freezing cold. They're in tents that are being whipped around by these terrible winds. Yeah.

Later, when they're sleeping, not long after midnight on May 4th, Junko was awakened by an extremely loud low rumble, and she instantly knows what it is. It's an avalanche barreling down the mountain. I saw a video recently of an avalanche, and I was like, no, no, no. No, no.

It's terrifying. It's horrible.

“So before she can even react, Junko is swept up by a wall of snow in ice.”

She is tangled in her tent with some other climbers, so they are tumbling down the mountain

getting knocked all over the place and against each other, and it's really violent and chaotic, of course. And then once it ends, they're buried in the snow, still in the tent, while wrapped up. When it all comes to a stop, Junko is an extreme pain. She worries she's going to die.

She then has a vision of her daughter, Noriko, playing outside their home back in Tokyo, and then she blacks out. Jesus. The next thing she remembers is the Sherpa Guides pulling her out of the snow by her ankles, which actually would probably be pretty easy because she's little.

Somehow miraculously everyone survives the avalanche, which Junko credits to the experience and quick thinking of their sherpas. Thank God. I mean, like 15 women, just, but they're not totally unscathed. Junko is battered and bruised, and her body is extremely sore.

She has to rest for two days before she's even able to lift herself up, while let alone keep climbing. No, that would be the end of it. Yes. For me.

Like, thanks so much. But thanks so much for there was an avalanche on me. But she's like, we got the permit, yeah, we're not leaving. She did say, as soon as I knew everyone was alive, I was determined to continue. The women continue working towards Everest's peak with Junko still at the helm.

At times, her injuries are so bad she has to crawl on her hands and knees. So fun. She's no excuse. Like, I don't, you get out to Griffith Park tomorrow. Oh, I'm talking about doing my laundry.

I'm not even talking about hiking. Just do it on your hands and knees. I can't. I have no choice on her hands. My laundry.

When this, yeah. I know.

“And I think there's some people born with this, like, brain chemistry that's like up-up.”

Yeah, yeah. God bless them. So she has to crawl on her hands and knees, but she just keeps going. And then 12 days later, the team reaches the final camp of their climb, which is just below Everest's peak.

By this point, they are running low on oxygen. Originally, they'd plan to send two women up to the summit. Now they only have enough oxygen to send one row. These women clearly love one another on this mountaineering team. No one wants to take the glory for themselves, but after they discuss it, the team decides

Junko should be the one to make the final push to the top. They're like, get on your hands and knees and you crawl up there. So now Junko realizes that to get to Everest's summit, she has to climb this skinny ridge of ice. We may have talked about it on your story, I can't remember.

It is just wide enough for a human body, a ridge of ice. There are 15,000 foot drops on either side of that drop. It's called the knife edge ridge and it leads up to the Hilary step, which is like the final spot before you go your on the peak. So it's named after Edmund Hilary.

She's going to Hilary step, but that must be just like a moment for those climbers. Right. And then also for her, where it's like, I don't know if they are aware of it, but she's the first one. So it's like a true moment, one wrong move here, though, would absolutely result in a fatal

fall. It's all or nothing. Yeah. I didn't understand that. I didn't tell I read this story.

Junko, who's accompanied by a celebrated Sherpa Guide name, Aunt Sharing, now must crawl sideways while sort of hugging the ridge to make it to the Hilary step.

She later says, quote, I'd never felt that tense in my entire life.

I'd read all the accounts of previous expeditions, I got so angry at the previous climbers who hadn't warned me about that knife edge traverse in their expedition records isn't that so like men. My heart just dropped thinking of doing that, like crawling, hugging. Yeah.

And she didn't know it was there. No one said, hey, also real quick. Yeah. No. No.

But just afternoon on May 16, 1975, Junko Tabe reaches the summit of Mount Everest and becomes the first woman ever and the 36th person in history to do it. She's made it to the highest point on earth. Wow.

“So 35 dudes, yeah, didn't tell the secret, sucks.”

Later when asked if she shouted or cried when she reached the summit, Junko simply says, quote, I didn't shout anything, I just thought, oh, I don't have to climb any more. Yeah. We love her. I gotta save your energy.

Yeah. Word of Junko's historic summit spreads quickly and becomes a celebratory moment around the world. The king of Nepal even reaches out and awards medals of honor to Junko and the rest of the women in her climbing team.

Wow. Back in Japan, any naysayers, the women may encounter are overshadowed by a wall of glowing media coverage. They're profiled in newspapers, covered in countless news reports, they become the subject of a TV mini series and their memorialized in textbooks.

Junko, of course, draws a particular amount of interest from the public and not just because of her historic summit, she's also celebrated for her humble leadership and her devotion to her teammates.

And for how she never once gave up despite her injuries from being in that avalanche.

“Junko doesn't exactly love being in the spotlight, though, and she knows she could capitalize”

off of all this media interest, and that would certainly help pay for future climbs. She chooses to decline all corporate sponsorships, and she does this because, quote, "If I accept a sponsorship, then climbing the mountain is not my own experience, it's like working for the company." Wow.

Yeah. Yeah. Instead, Junko supports herself by continuing to teach music and English, but also working as a hiking guide, writing books, and giving speeches. In those speeches, she encourages others to chase their dreams, even if it means defying

social norms. Junko tells crowds to quote, "be the nail that sticks out." Yeah. Be the nail that sticks out. That's what you said to me.

Well, that I'm going to use it against you. Fuck yeah. Yeah. Turn it around. Junko spends the rest of her life doing exactly what she loves, which, of course, is climbing.

In 1992, at 53 years old, she completes another historic first. Junko becomes the very first woman to complete this seven summits, which are the highest mountains on each continent. Wow. These include Denali, Kilimanjaro, and Mount Vincent in Antarctica.

What about your mom? Like, how inspiring would that be? You keep coming home with a bag of laundry, and you're like, "Hello, is any, no, no, no, I'd be an inspired inspiration-wise," where it's like, "Oh, my mom's 50 something." I should probably do something like her.

Yeah. Exactly. Over the years, Junko becomes more and more interested in the environmental toll of modern climbing, especially on Everest. And by the 1990s, there's a shift towards high budget commercial expeditions, which are often

taken by wealthy climbers who outsource much of the heavy lifting to guides and sherpas. Right. It's like luxury hiking. Yes.

Junko's very critical of luxury hiking, calling them, quote, "intensive care unit climbers."

Wow. That's because of all the critical support they have along the way. But what troubles her the most is all of the damage caused by the increased foot traffic and trash left behind on Everest, which is a problem that's only gotten worse over the years.

Oh, sorry. I thought I wasn't a quote that whole time, but it was just intense intensive care unit climbers was just her little quote. Oh, that's a barbed. Yeah.

But it's true. It's like you're creating, you're not trained, you're not serious about it. Right. Truly. And then when you get up there, they have to helicopter you out.

Yeah.

“That's what happened when I went skiing for the first time.”

So to do what she can to protect her beloved mountains, Junko not only studies the impacts of trash on mountain landscapes, but she also starts organizing clean-up trips, both in Japan and abroad.

Her husband and children often join her on these trips, and along the way, she never stops

uplifting other women. By 2005, Junko is participated in 44 all female clients. Holy shit. But really, she's interested in cultivating young mountaineers. So she starts leading yearly expeditions to Mount Fuji with Japanese high schoolers, and

she climbs with them every year, even after she's diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2012.

Wow. So even as Junko battles cancer, she continues taking trips to Mount Fuji. But in 2016, for the first time, she has to stop halfway up the climb. And she passes away a few months later in October at the age of 77. Wow.

So she basically started climbing mountains as a child that I've never stopped.

That's so inspiring. I know. Today, Junko to Baye is remembered for her endless courage, relentless environmental advocacy, and dedication to uplifting fellow adventures, especially women. And of course, the many climbs she completed.

Throughout her amazing life, she summited at least 70 mountains across the globe. And in doing so, she proved wrong those who doubted her and helped change the pervasive image of what a mountaineer looks like. Shortly before Junko's death in 2017, she was asked what she would say to her younger self if she had the opportunity.

She responded with advice that we could all stand here. Junko said, quote, "Do not give up. Keep on your quest." Wow. And that's the story of trailblazing Japanese mountaineer, Junko to Bayee.

Holy shit. Man, maybe I'll start hiking again.

You can just do flat hikes.

Yeah. To start. Yeah. Is that still a hiker? That's just walking.

“I mean, I think you can use whatever word you want, right?”

They can't prove it wasn't a hike. That's right. There's a slight incline. Yeah. It's still counts.

Also the thing I really like in the message of this, Junko's message, but then like the way she lived her life, I was, of course, watching this TikTok this morning where they're like, how do we dismantle the patriarchy, how would women do that? And it's just this idea of like, you don't stay quiet, you don't fall prey to these cultural restrictions or norms of women are like this or women are supposed to do this.

You make your own money, you make your own business. You don't give up even when things are hard or even when people say shit about you. It's like you just keep going and you just keep doing the thing you want to do and let them talk. Right.

Like you don't have to debate them. Not all you have to argue with them online, you don't have to like engage, just keep doing what you're doing. Because doing it is the example for the next generation. That we have to show women, young women, what's possible and then they can do it, then

everyone's just doing it for each other. Podcasting. That's our, that's what we're showing. Podcasting is the same as Mount Nearing. This is stolen Valor, showing young ladies, yeah, and I'm proud of it.

Yeah, I am too. Oh, that's a solo story. Great job. That was definitely one for the books. I don't think you.

Thank you guys so much for listening. Do you not give up? Nope. Keep on your quest. Yeah.

Stay sexy. And don't get murdered. Good bye. Elvis, do you want to clicky? Ahhh.

This has been an exactly right production. Our senior producer is Molly Smith and our associate producer is Tessa Hughes. Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo. This episode was mixed by Liana Squalachi. Our researchers are Mary McLachin and Ali Elkin.

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