December 3, 2025 • 23 mins
When was the last time you did something that made you feel truly alive?
Patti Shales Lefkos was 68 when she set out alone for Nepal—and eventually trekked to Everest Base Camp at 79. Adventurer, writer, and humanitarian, Patti shows how purpose can grow with age when you follow curiosity one small step at a time.
From childhood summers on a remote island without electricity to leading outdoor programs for inner-city students, her life has been shaped by resilience and the wild. A post-retirement shift into journalism led to 200+ published features and, ultimately, to Nepal—where trekking turned into service and her nonprofit Nepal One Day at a Time rebuilt schools and futures after the 2015 earthquake.
In this conversation, Patti shares the real playbook for late-life adventure: how to acclimatize safely at altitude, choose ethical guides, buy travel insurance that actually protects you, and write “fear plans” that turn imagined disasters into manageable steps. We explore what travel reveals about shared humanity—and why courage at any age begins with one tiny yes.
If you're craving more meaning, movement, or momentum after 50, you’ll leave with practical ways to start today: a five-minute nature reset, a new trail to explore, or a choice that nudges you toward the life you’ve been postponing.
Subscribe for more conversations on aging with purpose and passion—and share this episode with someone who needs a reminder that it’s never too late to go farther than you imagined.
Resources
For a similar stories on fulfillment in later life check out after episode 151 and 154 of Aging with Purpose and Passion and The "Women in the Middle®" hosted by life coach Suzy Rosenstein and focuses on helping women in midlife, navigate life changes, set goals, and find happiness.
Patti Shales Lefkos – Journalist, Author, Adventure Traveler & Humanitarian
📧 pattilefkos@shaw.ca
🌐 https://pattishaleslefkos.com
Beverley Glazer – Transition Coach & Host
📧 Bev@reinventImpossible.com
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 Women Over 50 Rock: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/
🎁 BONUS: Take your first step to clarity, courage and momentum. Your free checklist: → From Stuck to Unstoppable – is here.
https://reinvent-impossible.aweb.page/from-stuck-to-unstoppable
Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at info@Reinventimpossible.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:07):
Welcome to Aging with Purpose and Passion, the
podcast designed to inspire yourgreatness and thrive through
life.
Get ready to conquer yourfears.
Here's your host,psychotherapist, coach, and
empowerment expert, BeverleyGlazer.
Beverley Glazer (00:34):
Why would a woman give up her comfort and
trek mountains at 79 years old?
Welcome to Aging with Purposeand Passion.
I'm Beverley Glazer, atransition coach and catalyst
for women who are ready to raisethe bar in their own lives.
And you can find me onreinventhepossible.com.
(00:54):
Patti Shields Lefkos is anadventurer, a writer, a
humanitarian, and a journalistwith over 200 articles published
in major outlets like the SanFrancisco Chronicle and the
Globe and Mail.
From a childhood love ofwilderness to solo trekking in
Nepal, Patty has turned herpassion into purpose.
(01:18):
And she and her husband have anonprofit organization, Nepal,
One Day at a time.
Today, at 79, Patty continuesto climb mountains, which only
proves that it's never too lateto do what you love and also to
make a difference in the world.
Welcome, Patty.
(01:40):
Thank you.
It's great to be here.
Patti, you grew up spendingsummers in a cabin without
electricity and no comforts,definitely no cell phones back
in the day.
What did you love about that?
Patti Shales Lefkos (01:59):
Uh I think it was the freedom and the
non-gender specific way of life.
I had a sister and a brother.
I was the baby, and then therewas the dog and mom.
Dad would come on weekends, andwe lived on an island.
And so we had to learn to swim.
We climbed trees, we builtforts, we paddled a canoe when
(02:23):
we got it.
Um, it was a very free life andvery outdoor life.
And we were even in a tent thefirst couple of summers.
Yeah.
Mom and dad on a mattress inone direction, and the three of
us on a mattress in the otherdirection.
But you know, it was a verysimple life.
It gave me the basis of anextremely close family, a
(02:44):
supportive family as well.
And we were surrounded byextended family grandparents and
great uncles and aunts.
So it gave us, I think it gaveus all a lot of strength and
grounding.
Beverley Glazer (02:58):
Yeah.
And were your family, waseverybody really outdoor people?
Did they always love the sportsand fishing and hunting and
doing all that stuff?
Patti Shales Lefkos (03:08):
Uh no hunting.
But but uh yeah, my dad was acanoe guide in Algonquin Park
during his university years.
Mom was a really lovely swimmerand a tennis player at when she
went to Western University.
And yeah, they did, theyenjoyed the outdoors and gave us
all those skills as well.
Beverley Glazer (03:31):
And why did you choose to travel to Vancouver
and study there?
Patti Shales Lefkos (03:36):
Well, after growing up as an outdoor kid,
two things actually happened.
In grade 10, I wrote, I read abook called Lost Horizon, the
story of James, James Hilton'sstory of finding Shangri-La.
And that always interested me.
I think it intrigued me.
And then uh for Ontario grade13, which happened in those
(03:57):
days, I was lucky enough to goto Nichatel, Switzerland.
And I went to Nichatel JuniorCollege for a year.
And I was on the third floor ofa house in my pension, and I
looked out across Lake Nichetelto the Alps, and again I fell in
love with the mountains.
So after six years teaching inToronto, I saw the light and
(04:19):
moved west.
Beverley Glazer (04:21):
Out west, young man or woman in this case.
Yes.
And you were out west.
You were teaching out west.
Is that what you did?
Patti Shales Lefkos (04:29):
Yes, I was a teacher and then a principal,
mostly in the east side ofVancouver in the inner city
schools where we welcomedrefugees from all over the
world.
It was um never boring.
And you always kind of knew youwere making a difference every
day with the children and theirfamilies.
But on the weekends, I well, Ijust happened to, well, I should
(04:52):
say, I wanted to take childreninto the outdoors.
And the principal I had at thetime said, Oh no, dear, you're a
lovely primary teacher, but Idon't think you should do that.
And so I went to CapolanoCollege and I got a wilderness
leadership certificate overseveral years.
And then I got a master's inenvironmental education.
(05:12):
So nobody could tell me that Icouldn't do that anymore.
But also by going to the CAPCollege program, I met the
Wilderness First Aid instructorwho was a fellow teacher and a
mountain guide.
And a couple of years later wegot married, and then we
started, continued doing ourtrack trips around North
America.
(05:33):
And were you able to establishwilderness programs in the
schools?
Definitely.
Yes.
All those kids.
It was it was a challenge.
In the um on the east side ofVancouver, of course, there's
not as much money, so you can'tjust ask parents for a week's,
you know, to take kids tooutdoor school for a week.
So we did a lot of fundraising,but uh we got the kids out and
(05:55):
they absolutely loved it.
What did it give to the kidsrather than just loving it?
Um, an understanding of theenvironment.
Uh, a lot of them that I'mstill in touch with have grown
up to be outdoor kids.
They ski and paddle, and someof their kids do a lot of
outdoor sports as well.
(06:16):
It also, we hope it wasenvironmental education as well.
So those kids will be the onesthat will help to take care of
the environment.
They'll be aware of the issuesof climate change and things
like that.
Beverley Glazer (06:31):
And so that was it was enriching, it was
creative.
Why did you decide to studyjournalism after all that?
Patti Shales Lefkos (06:40):
Oh, well, at 10 years old, my maternal
grandfather died, and he lefteach of his grandchildren $100,
which was a lot in those days.
That was 1956.
And uh mom and dad just said,don't squander it away.
Buy something to remembergrandpapa.
It's your choice.
(07:01):
And I bought a typewriter and Ideclared I would become a
writer.
And I did lots of you know,short stories and stuff.
It's quite funny.
I still have some of it, but Ikind of put that in the back
burner when I went intoteaching.
So the minute I retired, I wentto Langara College in Vancouver
for years, post uh postgradjournalism certificate.
(07:23):
And then I started my freelancemagazine writing.
Beverley Glazer (07:27):
Okay, and you got published like over 200
times.
Yeah, yes.
Was it all about thewilderness?
Patti Shales Lefkos (07:35):
No, no, often it was about, well, the
wilderness, yes, but also aboutprofiles of interesting people
that were making a difference.
I loved interviewing people.
It's really fun because whenyou interview somebody, you can
ask them whatever you want.
You wouldn't go up to them in acoffee shop and ask those
questions, but when you have anappointment for interview and
(07:56):
you're writing a magazinearticle and you have their
permission, you just find somany interesting, wonderful
people to talk to.
Beverley Glazer (08:03):
Yeah, you're talking to the right person.
That's why I love podcasting,and that's why I enjoy talking
to you.
So tell me, you and yourhusband attract all over the
world.
Places to most of us who wejust look at in magazines and we
dream of those places, but youwere actually there.
(08:25):
What did that teach you?
Patti Shales Lefkos (08:28):
You were everywhere.
Oh I think mostly that we'reall the same.
I remember having a button Iused to wear that had a globe on
it, and it said all one people.
And I really, really believethat.
We have different languages,different cultures, certainly
different levels of poverty ornot.
(08:49):
But you know, most people arejust wanting to get along with
their family, their friends, youknow, take care of their
children, and care about otherpeople and their land or where
they live.
So we're we're all verysimilar.
We have more similarities thandifferences for sure.
Beverley Glazer (09:07):
Yes, we sure do.
And you were one of thosepeople that trekked Everest and
got up to Everest base camp.
How old were you when you didthat?
Patti Shales Lefkos (09:18):
Uh 65.
That was our first, well, ourfirst trek, we went to Tibet and
did a three-day um walk arounda circumambulation of Mount
Kailash.
It's a sacred mountain inTibet.
And the high pass on that was18,600 feet.
And I had never been ataltitude, but we went very
(09:40):
slowly and carefully, and we hadour own map.
We were with a group, and and Ijust thought this is so
fantastic.
So, and that was after ouractually our first overseas trip
was to go to England to walkthe coast to coast trail.
And I had never backpacked morethan two or three days at a
time.
So to go nine or ten days wasreally something.
(10:01):
I was quite afraid I wouldn'tbe able to do it.
But somehow I did, and then wewent to Tibet and we kind of
wanted to give back, maybevolunteer, but you can't do that
in Tibet with the oppression ofthe Chinese government.
So we decided we would tryNepal.
That was the othermountaineering area.
And we certainly were not keento go to Everest Base Camp.
(10:23):
At first, we wanted to go toAnapurna Circuit and Anapurna
Sanctuary and the base camp forAnapurna.
And then we said, well, ifwe're there, you know, probably
we should go to Upper Mustang.
It's a Buddhist area near theTibet border that would have
that Buddhist culture.
Then we thought, oh, well, ifwe're there, we might as well
(10:44):
stay and do ever space camp.
And so we did.
But it was very crowded afterthe other more quiet, more
spiritual areas.
And when did Nepal capture yourheart?
Oh, during that trip, I think.
And it wasn't just, it's the wealways say you go for the
(11:05):
mountains, but you go back forthe people.
So we had the same young guideand porter for that entire, we
were there for three months forthat, because we took breaks
between tracks.
And uh we just had such astrong connection to them.
We heard about their families,their villages, uh, you know,
what it was like growing upthere and what their dreams were
(11:28):
as well.
So we wanted to go back.
And so three years later, yes,three years later, we thought,
well, let's go back andvolunteer.
We're both teachers who couldreally help.
We go to their village and meettheir families and help in
their schools.
And then Barry ruptured hisAchilles attendant doing sprints
(11:51):
with our grandson.
So I was 67 and I thought, youknow, almost 68.
I thought, I a lot of myfriends were getting ill, and
you know, I thought, geez, maybeI'll be next.
I better go.
So with Barry's blessing, Iwent by myself.
So I spent two and a halfmonths solo with Raj, our guide.
(12:14):
This is I that was part of thedeal.
I will go if Raj can be myguide and stay with me because I
trusted him.
And that's what I did.
And well, so I volunteered inhis village in the school, and
then we went on a trek intothat, back into the area called
(12:34):
Upper Mustang with the Tibetculture.
We'd had such a short timethere, I wanted to stay longer,
so went up there.
But in the middle of that, Rajtook me to a village that was
quite remote at the end of along road, and I was the first
foreigner to visit that village.
And they said, Would you helpus build a school?
(12:57):
And I said, Do they think allWesterners are rich or what?
And but I came home, and a ayear to the day that I had
visited the huge earthquake hitNepal, and that village was near
the epicenter, and every homewas destroyed.
And so we that's when we formedour nonprofit and started
(13:19):
fundraising to build them aschool.
Beverley Glazer (13:24):
Most people, I have to ask you this question.
Most people, when we get acertain age, start thinking
about our health and travel andinsurance and all kinds of
problems that might happen whenwe're away.
Here you are trekking all overthe globe.
What about accidents?
What about insurance?
(13:44):
Have you given that thought?
Patti Shales Lefkos (13:46):
Oh, we definitely always have travel
insurance, and it has to beairlift evacuation included.
And you have to have a longdiscussion with the travel agent
saying we're not actuallyclimbing a mountain, we're
trekking at the base camp level.
But you could need airliftevacuation helicopter, and
that's always part of it.
And yes, it's expensive, butit's interesting because
(14:10):
compared to going to Europe ormany other places, once you get
to Nepal, it's much, much lessexpensive.
And I'm a little worriedbecause when I become 80, I
think the insurance rates aregoing up.
I don't, that's why I was wewere trying to go this year for
a uh one of our last big tracksand couldn't because of the
(14:32):
unrest, etc.
I was trying to get it inbefore 80, but we'll see.
Um, it's one of the expensesyou have to have.
Beverley Glazer (14:41):
Yes, it sure is.
It's all part of the trip andthe adventure.
But let me also ask you, didyou ever experience any problem?
Did you ever experience pulledmuscles or, you know, parts of
your body that just didn'tcomply?
Patti Shales Lefkos (14:55):
Oh, sure.
Um, last track, the big one wedid a couple of years ago, I uh
slipped on a rock in a shallowstream, and I didn't hurt
anything too badly.
I had a huge bruise on my shin.
But you know what?
Excuse me, it was a very hotday, and I got soaked in this
(15:16):
really cold stream.
And frankly, I was morecomfortable for the next two
hours because my clothes wereall wet and they kept cooling me
off.
But we did have one seriousproblem at the end of our first
track in 2011.
Coming down fromEverest Base Camp, Barry
experienced what we think wassome kind of angina attack, and
(15:39):
we had to be airlifted toKathmandu.
And at midnight that night hehad a stamp put in one of his
arteries.
And frankly, I think we gotmuch faster service in Kathmandu
than we would have had inCanada.
And it turns out the doctor wegot was um an Indian man who was
(16:02):
living in the hospital inKathmandu to train the Nepali
cardiologists.
So we got an award-winningdoctor just lucked out that
night.
And Barry came home and wascareful and he's fine.
He's still skiing like a crazyperson.
Beverley Glazer (16:16):
So no, no, you're ready to go.
Um what would you tell someonewho wants more fulfillment in
their life, Patti, but they'rereally afraid to just take that
first step, you know?
It's new.
What would you tell them?
Patti Shales Lefkos (16:35):
Pretty afraid by when I went to uh
Nepal by myself because Ithought I went over all those
things.
What'll happen if I get reallysick and you know, Barry's not
with me or whatever, whatever.
And what I did actually waswrite down all the worst
scenarios.
And then I wrote down how wouldI deal with it?
And you know, I didn't evenhave a bank card, for goodness
(16:57):
sake.
I had to get a bank card andlearn how to get money out.
I mean, it was ridiculousbecause I just didn't bother
here.
And uh, you know, if I gotreally sick, well, what would I
do?
Well, Raj would phone thecompany and help me, you know.
I mean, what would I do if Igot lost?
Well, everybody's so kind.
And I never was without, I wasalways in Raj's sight, or he was
(17:21):
in mine, although we didn'talways walk right beside each
other.
So I just and oh, and then Ithought, because when you get
into Kathmandu at night, you wegenerally go through Hong Kong,
and you go you get into uhKathmandu about 10 o'clock at
night, and that airport, theparking lot, is jammed with taxi
(17:42):
drivers, trekking companypeople, they all want your
business.
I thought, what the heck am Igonna do if I can't find Raj?
I thought, well, I'm not gonnawalk out of the airport, am I?
I'm gonna wait until I can findhim or or phone the company or
phone him, or you know.
Right.
Beverley Glazer (17:58):
So so uh the message really is you think of
the worst that can happen, andyou have a backup plan.
Yep, yep.
And so it doesn't prevent you.
You just think of the best thatcan happen, and then think of
the worst.
And chances are it may nothappen for the best, but it
usually doesn't happen for theworst.
Don't put your mindset inthere.
Patti Shales Lefkos (18:19):
Well, and you know, with that's we did
take small steps.
We didn't start start by goingto Nepal for three months.
We went to England first.
That was easier.
Then we kind of got crazy andwent to Tibet.
But you know, but it wasinteresting because when we flew
when we went to Tibet, we flewto Beijing and then to Lhasa,
(18:40):
the capital of Tibet.
When we went into BeijingAirport, it was like being in
Vancouver Airport.
Everybody was speaking Mandarinand Cantonese.
I felt so at home, it waslovely.
Beverley Glazer (18:49):
So it goes with thinking the best and go with
go with your heart and have abackup plan.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Patty Levkosa is an adventurer,an author, a humanitarian, and
a journalist with over 200published articles in major
(19:09):
outlets like the San FranciscoChronicle and the Globe and
Mail.
From a childhood love ofwilderness to solo trekking in
Nepal, Patty has turned herpassion into purpose.
And at 79, she continues toclimb.
And through a nonprofitorganization, she also makes a
(19:30):
difference.
Here are a few takeaways fromthis episode.
Nature builds clarity, itgrounds you, and it can give you
purpose.
Age isn't a barrier toadventure, mindset is.
And courage grows when youembrace what scares you.
If you've been relating toPatty's story, please try this.
(19:52):
Choose one tiny littleadventure, walk a new path,
explore a new neighborhood, trysomething just a little bit
different.
Say yes to one thing thatyou've been postponing and
reconnect with nature.
Sometimes just five minutesoutside can shift your entire
nervous system.
(20:12):
For similar episodes onfulfillment in later years,
please check out episode 151 and154 of Aging with Purpose and
Passion.
And the Woman in the Middlepodcast, hosted by life coach
Susie Rosenstein, helps women inthe middle and in midlife and
beyond to navigate changes, setgoals, and find happiness.
(20:37):
That link is in the show notesright below this episode.
And so, Patty, where can peoplefind you?
Please share your links.
Patti Shales Lefkos (20:48):
Well, I have a website,
Patti Shales Lefkos.
I have two pages on Facebook.
One is under my name, PattiShales Lefcos, the other is
Nepal One Day at a Time for theNonprofit.
And then on Amazon, you canfind two of my books.
The first is about the soloadventure, Nepal One Day at a
(21:09):
Time.
The second is about thechildhood on the island in
Ontario, and that's calledGrounded by Granite.
And also I have a new book thatshould come out next year, and
it's called Nepal, it's nevertoo late.
And that's about an800-kilometer trek that my
husband and I did two years agoacross the Great Himalaya Trail.
(21:33):
And if anyone's interested indonating, we did build a school
and three homes, and we've putone girl through university and
another to come.
Um, they can go to my websiteand look for the page about the
society, the nonprofit society.
Beverley Glazer (21:51):
Wonderful.
And all these links are in theshow notes, and they're on my
site too.
That's reinventimpossible.com.
And so, my friends, what's nextfor you?
Are you just going through themotions or are you living a life
that you truly love?
Get my free guide to rebootyour confidence, and that's also
(22:11):
in the show notes.
You can connect with me,Beverly Glazer, on all social
media platforms and in mypositive group of women on
Facebook.
That's Women Over50 Rock.
And thank you for listening.
Have you enjoyed thisconversation?
Please subscribe and help usspread the word by telling a
(22:31):
friend and just putting down areview.
And remember, you only have onelife.
So live it with purpose andpassion.
Announcer (22:48):
Thank you for joining us.
You can connect with Bev on herwebsite,
reinventimpossible.com.
And while you're there, joinour newsletter.
Subscribe so you don't miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep agingwith purpose and passion.
And celebrate life.
Welcome to Aging with Purpose and Passion, the
podcast designed to inspire yourgreatness and thrive through
life.
Get ready to conquer yourfears.
Here's your host,psychotherapist, coach, and
empowerment expert, BeverleyGlazer.
Beverley Glazer (00:34):
Why would a woman give up her comfort and
trek mountains at 79 years old?
Welcome to Aging with Purposeand Passion.
I'm Beverley Glazer, atransition coach and catalyst
for women who are ready to raisethe bar in their own lives.
And you can find me onreinventhepossible.com.
(00:54):
Patti Shields Lefkos is anadventurer, a writer, a
humanitarian, and a journalistwith over 200 articles published
in major outlets like the SanFrancisco Chronicle and the
Globe and Mail.
From a childhood love ofwilderness to solo trekking in
Nepal, Patty has turned herpassion into purpose.
(01:18):
And she and her husband have anonprofit organization, Nepal,
One Day at a time.
Today, at 79, Patty continuesto climb mountains, which only
proves that it's never too lateto do what you love and also to
make a difference in the world.
Welcome, Patty.
(01:40):
Thank you.
It's great to be here.
Patti, you grew up spendingsummers in a cabin without
electricity and no comforts,definitely no cell phones back
in the day.
What did you love about that?
Patti Shales Lefkos (01:59):
Uh I think it was the freedom and the
non-gender specific way of life.
I had a sister and a brother.
I was the baby, and then therewas the dog and mom.
Dad would come on weekends, andwe lived on an island.
And so we had to learn to swim.
We climbed trees, we builtforts, we paddled a canoe when
(02:23):
we got it.
Um, it was a very free life andvery outdoor life.
And we were even in a tent thefirst couple of summers.
Yeah.
Mom and dad on a mattress inone direction, and the three of
us on a mattress in the otherdirection.
But you know, it was a verysimple life.
It gave me the basis of anextremely close family, a
(02:44):
supportive family as well.
And we were surrounded byextended family grandparents and
great uncles and aunts.
So it gave us, I think it gaveus all a lot of strength and
grounding.
Beverley Glazer (02:58):
Yeah.
And were your family, waseverybody really outdoor people?
Did they always love the sportsand fishing and hunting and
doing all that stuff?
Patti Shales Lefkos (03:08):
Uh no hunting.
But but uh yeah, my dad was acanoe guide in Algonquin Park
during his university years.
Mom was a really lovely swimmerand a tennis player at when she
went to Western University.
And yeah, they did, theyenjoyed the outdoors and gave us
all those skills as well.
Beverley Glazer (03:31):
And why did you choose to travel to Vancouver
and study there?
Patti Shales Lefkos (03:36):
Well, after growing up as an outdoor kid,
two things actually happened.
In grade 10, I wrote, I read abook called Lost Horizon, the
story of James, James Hilton'sstory of finding Shangri-La.
And that always interested me.
I think it intrigued me.
And then uh for Ontario grade13, which happened in those
(03:57):
days, I was lucky enough to goto Nichatel, Switzerland.
And I went to Nichatel JuniorCollege for a year.
And I was on the third floor ofa house in my pension, and I
looked out across Lake Nichetelto the Alps, and again I fell in
love with the mountains.
So after six years teaching inToronto, I saw the light and
(04:19):
moved west.
Beverley Glazer (04:21):
Out west, young man or woman in this case.
Yes.
And you were out west.
You were teaching out west.
Is that what you did?
Patti Shales Lefkos (04:29):
Yes, I was a teacher and then a principal,
mostly in the east side ofVancouver in the inner city
schools where we welcomedrefugees from all over the
world.
It was um never boring.
And you always kind of knew youwere making a difference every
day with the children and theirfamilies.
But on the weekends, I well, Ijust happened to, well, I should
(04:52):
say, I wanted to take childreninto the outdoors.
And the principal I had at thetime said, Oh no, dear, you're a
lovely primary teacher, but Idon't think you should do that.
And so I went to CapolanoCollege and I got a wilderness
leadership certificate overseveral years.
And then I got a master's inenvironmental education.
(05:12):
So nobody could tell me that Icouldn't do that anymore.
But also by going to the CAPCollege program, I met the
Wilderness First Aid instructorwho was a fellow teacher and a
mountain guide.
And a couple of years later wegot married, and then we
started, continued doing ourtrack trips around North
America.
(05:33):
And were you able to establishwilderness programs in the
schools?
Definitely.
Yes.
All those kids.
It was it was a challenge.
In the um on the east side ofVancouver, of course, there's
not as much money, so you can'tjust ask parents for a week's,
you know, to take kids tooutdoor school for a week.
So we did a lot of fundraising,but uh we got the kids out and
(05:55):
they absolutely loved it.
What did it give to the kidsrather than just loving it?
Um, an understanding of theenvironment.
Uh, a lot of them that I'mstill in touch with have grown
up to be outdoor kids.
They ski and paddle, and someof their kids do a lot of
outdoor sports as well.
(06:16):
It also, we hope it wasenvironmental education as well.
So those kids will be the onesthat will help to take care of
the environment.
They'll be aware of the issuesof climate change and things
like that.
Beverley Glazer (06:31):
And so that was it was enriching, it was
creative.
Why did you decide to studyjournalism after all that?
Patti Shales Lefkos (06:40):
Oh, well, at 10 years old, my maternal
grandfather died, and he lefteach of his grandchildren $100,
which was a lot in those days.
That was 1956.
And uh mom and dad just said,don't squander it away.
Buy something to remembergrandpapa.
It's your choice.
(07:01):
And I bought a typewriter and Ideclared I would become a
writer.
And I did lots of you know,short stories and stuff.
It's quite funny.
I still have some of it, but Ikind of put that in the back
burner when I went intoteaching.
So the minute I retired, I wentto Langara College in Vancouver
for years, post uh postgradjournalism certificate.
(07:23):
And then I started my freelancemagazine writing.
Beverley Glazer (07:27):
Okay, and you got published like over 200
times.
Yeah, yes.
Was it all about thewilderness?
Patti Shales Lefkos (07:35):
No, no, often it was about, well, the
wilderness, yes, but also aboutprofiles of interesting people
that were making a difference.
I loved interviewing people.
It's really fun because whenyou interview somebody, you can
ask them whatever you want.
You wouldn't go up to them in acoffee shop and ask those
questions, but when you have anappointment for interview and
(07:56):
you're writing a magazinearticle and you have their
permission, you just find somany interesting, wonderful
people to talk to.
Beverley Glazer (08:03):
Yeah, you're talking to the right person.
That's why I love podcasting,and that's why I enjoy talking
to you.
So tell me, you and yourhusband attract all over the
world.
Places to most of us who wejust look at in magazines and we
dream of those places, but youwere actually there.
(08:25):
What did that teach you?
Patti Shales Lefkos (08:28):
You were everywhere.
Oh I think mostly that we'reall the same.
I remember having a button Iused to wear that had a globe on
it, and it said all one people.
And I really, really believethat.
We have different languages,different cultures, certainly
different levels of poverty ornot.
(08:49):
But you know, most people arejust wanting to get along with
their family, their friends, youknow, take care of their
children, and care about otherpeople and their land or where
they live.
So we're we're all verysimilar.
We have more similarities thandifferences for sure.
Beverley Glazer (09:07):
Yes, we sure do.
And you were one of thosepeople that trekked Everest and
got up to Everest base camp.
How old were you when you didthat?
Patti Shales Lefkos (09:18):
Uh 65.
That was our first, well, ourfirst trek, we went to Tibet and
did a three-day um walk arounda circumambulation of Mount
Kailash.
It's a sacred mountain inTibet.
And the high pass on that was18,600 feet.
And I had never been ataltitude, but we went very
(09:40):
slowly and carefully, and we hadour own map.
We were with a group, and and Ijust thought this is so
fantastic.
So, and that was after ouractually our first overseas trip
was to go to England to walkthe coast to coast trail.
And I had never backpacked morethan two or three days at a
time.
So to go nine or ten days wasreally something.
(10:01):
I was quite afraid I wouldn'tbe able to do it.
But somehow I did, and then wewent to Tibet and we kind of
wanted to give back, maybevolunteer, but you can't do that
in Tibet with the oppression ofthe Chinese government.
So we decided we would tryNepal.
That was the othermountaineering area.
And we certainly were not keento go to Everest Base Camp.
(10:23):
At first, we wanted to go toAnapurna Circuit and Anapurna
Sanctuary and the base camp forAnapurna.
And then we said, well, ifwe're there, you know, probably
we should go to Upper Mustang.
It's a Buddhist area near theTibet border that would have
that Buddhist culture.
Then we thought, oh, well, ifwe're there, we might as well
(10:44):
stay and do ever space camp.
And so we did.
But it was very crowded afterthe other more quiet, more
spiritual areas.
And when did Nepal capture yourheart?
Oh, during that trip, I think.
And it wasn't just, it's the wealways say you go for the
(11:05):
mountains, but you go back forthe people.
So we had the same young guideand porter for that entire, we
were there for three months forthat, because we took breaks
between tracks.
And uh we just had such astrong connection to them.
We heard about their families,their villages, uh, you know,
what it was like growing upthere and what their dreams were
(11:28):
as well.
So we wanted to go back.
And so three years later, yes,three years later, we thought,
well, let's go back andvolunteer.
We're both teachers who couldreally help.
We go to their village and meettheir families and help in
their schools.
And then Barry ruptured hisAchilles attendant doing sprints
(11:51):
with our grandson.
So I was 67 and I thought, youknow, almost 68.
I thought, I a lot of myfriends were getting ill, and
you know, I thought, geez, maybeI'll be next.
I better go.
So with Barry's blessing, Iwent by myself.
So I spent two and a halfmonths solo with Raj, our guide.
(12:14):
This is I that was part of thedeal.
I will go if Raj can be myguide and stay with me because I
trusted him.
And that's what I did.
And well, so I volunteered inhis village in the school, and
then we went on a trek intothat, back into the area called
(12:34):
Upper Mustang with the Tibetculture.
We'd had such a short timethere, I wanted to stay longer,
so went up there.
But in the middle of that, Rajtook me to a village that was
quite remote at the end of along road, and I was the first
foreigner to visit that village.
And they said, Would you helpus build a school?
(12:57):
And I said, Do they think allWesterners are rich or what?
And but I came home, and a ayear to the day that I had
visited the huge earthquake hitNepal, and that village was near
the epicenter, and every homewas destroyed.
And so we that's when we formedour nonprofit and started
(13:19):
fundraising to build them aschool.
Beverley Glazer (13:24):
Most people, I have to ask you this question.
Most people, when we get acertain age, start thinking
about our health and travel andinsurance and all kinds of
problems that might happen whenwe're away.
Here you are trekking all overthe globe.
What about accidents?
What about insurance?
(13:44):
Have you given that thought?
Patti Shales Lefkos (13:46):
Oh, we definitely always have travel
insurance, and it has to beairlift evacuation included.
And you have to have a longdiscussion with the travel agent
saying we're not actuallyclimbing a mountain, we're
trekking at the base camp level.
But you could need airliftevacuation helicopter, and
that's always part of it.
And yes, it's expensive, butit's interesting because
(14:10):
compared to going to Europe ormany other places, once you get
to Nepal, it's much, much lessexpensive.
And I'm a little worriedbecause when I become 80, I
think the insurance rates aregoing up.
I don't, that's why I was wewere trying to go this year for
a uh one of our last big tracksand couldn't because of the
(14:32):
unrest, etc.
I was trying to get it inbefore 80, but we'll see.
Um, it's one of the expensesyou have to have.
Beverley Glazer (14:41):
Yes, it sure is.
It's all part of the trip andthe adventure.
But let me also ask you, didyou ever experience any problem?
Did you ever experience pulledmuscles or, you know, parts of
your body that just didn'tcomply?
Patti Shales Lefkos (14:55):
Oh, sure.
Um, last track, the big one wedid a couple of years ago, I uh
slipped on a rock in a shallowstream, and I didn't hurt
anything too badly.
I had a huge bruise on my shin.
But you know what?
Excuse me, it was a very hotday, and I got soaked in this
(15:16):
really cold stream.
And frankly, I was morecomfortable for the next two
hours because my clothes wereall wet and they kept cooling me
off.
But we did have one seriousproblem at the end of our first
track in 2011.
Coming down fromEverest Base Camp, Barry
experienced what we think wassome kind of angina attack, and
(15:39):
we had to be airlifted toKathmandu.
And at midnight that night hehad a stamp put in one of his
arteries.
And frankly, I think we gotmuch faster service in Kathmandu
than we would have had inCanada.
And it turns out the doctor wegot was um an Indian man who was
(16:02):
living in the hospital inKathmandu to train the Nepali
cardiologists.
So we got an award-winningdoctor just lucked out that
night.
And Barry came home and wascareful and he's fine.
He's still skiing like a crazyperson.
Beverley Glazer (16:16):
So no, no, you're ready to go.
Um what would you tell someonewho wants more fulfillment in
their life, Patti, but they'rereally afraid to just take that
first step, you know?
It's new.
What would you tell them?
Patti Shales Lefkos (16:35):
Pretty afraid by when I went to uh
Nepal by myself because Ithought I went over all those
things.
What'll happen if I get reallysick and you know, Barry's not
with me or whatever, whatever.
And what I did actually waswrite down all the worst
scenarios.
And then I wrote down how wouldI deal with it?
And you know, I didn't evenhave a bank card, for goodness
(16:57):
sake.
I had to get a bank card andlearn how to get money out.
I mean, it was ridiculousbecause I just didn't bother
here.
And uh, you know, if I gotreally sick, well, what would I
do?
Well, Raj would phone thecompany and help me, you know.
I mean, what would I do if Igot lost?
Well, everybody's so kind.
And I never was without, I wasalways in Raj's sight, or he was
(17:21):
in mine, although we didn'talways walk right beside each
other.
So I just and oh, and then Ithought, because when you get
into Kathmandu at night, you wegenerally go through Hong Kong,
and you go you get into uhKathmandu about 10 o'clock at
night, and that airport, theparking lot, is jammed with taxi
(17:42):
drivers, trekking companypeople, they all want your
business.
I thought, what the heck am Igonna do if I can't find Raj?
I thought, well, I'm not gonnawalk out of the airport, am I?
I'm gonna wait until I can findhim or or phone the company or
phone him, or you know.
Right.
Beverley Glazer (17:58):
So so uh the message really is you think of
the worst that can happen, andyou have a backup plan.
Yep, yep.
And so it doesn't prevent you.
You just think of the best thatcan happen, and then think of
the worst.
And chances are it may nothappen for the best, but it
usually doesn't happen for theworst.
Don't put your mindset inthere.
Patti Shales Lefkos (18:19):
Well, and you know, with that's we did
take small steps.
We didn't start start by goingto Nepal for three months.
We went to England first.
That was easier.
Then we kind of got crazy andwent to Tibet.
But you know, but it wasinteresting because when we flew
when we went to Tibet, we flewto Beijing and then to Lhasa,
(18:40):
the capital of Tibet.
When we went into BeijingAirport, it was like being in
Vancouver Airport.
Everybody was speaking Mandarinand Cantonese.
I felt so at home, it waslovely.
Beverley Glazer (18:49):
So it goes with thinking the best and go with
go with your heart and have abackup plan.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Patty Levkosa is an adventurer,an author, a humanitarian, and
a journalist with over 200published articles in major
(19:09):
outlets like the San FranciscoChronicle and the Globe and
Mail.
From a childhood love ofwilderness to solo trekking in
Nepal, Patty has turned herpassion into purpose.
And at 79, she continues toclimb.
And through a nonprofitorganization, she also makes a
(19:30):
difference.
Here are a few takeaways fromthis episode.
Nature builds clarity, itgrounds you, and it can give you
purpose.
Age isn't a barrier toadventure, mindset is.
And courage grows when youembrace what scares you.
If you've been relating toPatty's story, please try this.
(19:52):
Choose one tiny littleadventure, walk a new path,
explore a new neighborhood, trysomething just a little bit
different.
Say yes to one thing thatyou've been postponing and
reconnect with nature.
Sometimes just five minutesoutside can shift your entire
nervous system.
(20:12):
For similar episodes onfulfillment in later years,
please check out episode 151 and154 of Aging with Purpose and
Passion.
And the Woman in the Middlepodcast, hosted by life coach
Susie Rosenstein, helps women inthe middle and in midlife and
beyond to navigate changes, setgoals, and find happiness.
(20:37):
That link is in the show notesright below this episode.
And so, Patty, where can peoplefind you?
Please share your links.
Patti Shales Lefkos (20:48):
Well, I have a website,
Patti Shales Lefkos.
I have two pages on Facebook.
One is under my name, PattiShales Lefcos, the other is
Nepal One Day at a Time for theNonprofit.
And then on Amazon, you canfind two of my books.
The first is about the soloadventure, Nepal One Day at a
(21:09):
Time.
The second is about thechildhood on the island in
Ontario, and that's calledGrounded by Granite.
And also I have a new book thatshould come out next year, and
it's called Nepal, it's nevertoo late.
And that's about an800-kilometer trek that my
husband and I did two years agoacross the Great Himalaya Trail.
(21:33):
And if anyone's interested indonating, we did build a school
and three homes, and we've putone girl through university and
another to come.
Um, they can go to my websiteand look for the page about the
society, the nonprofit society.
Beverley Glazer (21:51):
Wonderful.
And all these links are in theshow notes, and they're on my
site too.
That's reinventimpossible.com.
And so, my friends, what's nextfor you?
Are you just going through themotions or are you living a life
that you truly love?
Get my free guide to rebootyour confidence, and that's also
(22:11):
in the show notes.
You can connect with me,Beverly Glazer, on all social
media platforms and in mypositive group of women on
Facebook.
That's Women Over50 Rock.
And thank you for listening.
Have you enjoyed thisconversation?
Please subscribe and help usspread the word by telling a
(22:31):
friend and just putting down areview.
And remember, you only have onelife.
So live it with purpose andpassion.
Announcer (22:48):
Thank you for joining us.
You can connect with Bev on herwebsite,
reinventimpossible.com.
And while you're there, joinour newsletter.
Subscribe so you don't miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep agingwith purpose and passion.
And celebrate life.
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