What is this?
About the "bold cranes"
Note from the author
Full Circle Rise
Go Full Circle – up we rise!
Our hearts are lit, our spirit flies.
Courage keep us, boots don't stop
Go Full Circle, to the top!
Chomolungma, dressed in snow
Teach us kindly as we go.
On your flanks we put our boots
Hear the drumbeat of our roots.
Connecting here with trails we tread
What came before and lies ahead.
Onward, where the bold crane flies
To the top, Full Circle rise!
Onward, where the bold crane flies
To the top, Full Circle rise!
To the top, Full Circle rise!
What is this?
This is a song to celebrate the 2022 Mount Everest expedition that is underway right now by the Full Circle Everest Expedition. It's an unsolicited contribution to the expedition, not officially connected in any way.
With no time to negotiate permission, I took a chance and used images from the expedition's website (the above link) and from these Instagram pages that are being updated often while the expedition is at Everest Base Camp:
Instagram: Full Circle Everest
Instagram: Phil Henderson (expedition leader)
About the "bold cranes"
These are demoiselle cranes (also called Mongolian common cranes), the second highest-flying birds on Earth. Their altitude-adapted physiology enables them to fly over the Himalayas on their migration between Mongolia and India, above the reach of predatory eagles. The Full Circle team may see them, since their spring migration back to Mongolia takes place in April and May.
The video clips are from a BBC documentary segment about them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_skh3a-h_uA
Here's more about these cranes and the other high-altitude birds of the Himalayas:
https://roaring.earth/high-flying-birds/
Note from the author
I became aware of the Full Circle project when I saw a TV interview with a member of the team, which included a call for donations to help fund the expedition. Instead of money, I proposed something else: I offered to make a flag for the team.
With the flag done and on its way, and now with a growing personal interest in the expedition, I couldn't stop thinking about something else I could contribute. As a songwriter, it's hard to resist something that could be celebrated with a song. So, that was that – and it happened.
What you see here is a rough and quick production using minimal equipment, in the interest of getting it to the team before they leave Base Camp for the big UP.
I will update the video as new pictures come in. (I can see already that I need to update the collection of team members.) Any ideas for additional verses or other improvements are welcome!
Go Full Circle!
– Suzanne Niles
suzanne.niles@gmail.com
Hopefully I can clear up the permission situation later!
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