Reading time: 5 minutes
After six-year-old Oscar Burrow watched a tv program at his school in Lancaster, England about Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s climb up Mount Everest, he was determined to do the same. Hillary and Norgay may have been the first people to make it to the top—but Oscar wanted to be the youngest.
His father, Matt, didn’t want to dampen his son’s adventurous attitude, so he suggested an alternative plan: Mount Everest is 8,849 meters tall, so what if Oscar climbed the equivalent number of meters by climbing UK’s twelve highest peaks? And how about if he did it for a charity? Oscar was in. And because his friend’s sister had died of cancer, he understood the importance of hospice, and decided to raise money for Derian House Children’s Hospice, which provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 children and young people across the North West in England.
Oscar’s altitude map | Matt Burrow
Beginning on October 9, 2022, Oscar and his dad (and sometimes his mom, sister, granddad, and friends) climbed Ingleborough, Whernside, Old Man of Coniston, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Blencathra, Snowdon, Glyder Fawr, Scafell Pike, Cairngorm, and Stob Dearg. A couple of times they had to cut a climb short due to weather conditions and try again. But those delays didn’t stop Oscar from climbing his last mountain—Ben Nevis—on May 29, 2023—the seventieth anniversary of Hillary and Norgay’s Mount Everest summit.
But we’ll let Oscar tell the story:
Hi Oscar! We know that you saw a tv program at school about Sir Edmund Hillary and Tengay Norgay’s climb to the top of Mount Everest. What was it about the movie that caught your attention?
I liked that [Everest] was very high, steep, snowy, and dangerous—and that you can see lots from the top.
How did the idea to hike Mount Everest change into hiking the twelve largest peaks in the UK?
I told dad that I want to be the youngest person to climb Mount Everest and he said I had to do a lot of training to climb it, so we came up with the twelve mountains that we thought had parts of Mount Everest in them.
What do you mean by “parts of Mount Everest”?
Cairngorm and Skiddaw have snow, Ben Nevis, Scafell, and Snowdon are the biggest mountains in the UK, and Glyder Fawr and Helvellyn are hard and challenging.
Ah, okay! And why did you decide to raise money for Derian House?
I wanted to help the poorly [common UK term for ill] children and send them on holiday. I have now sent thirty families on week-long holidays. Now I am raising money to run the hydrotherapy swimming pool and pay for swimming lessons.
Which hike was your favorite? Which was the most challenging? Are there any really strange or cool stories from any of your hikes you can share with us?
My favorite mountain was Ben Nevis as I found a big stick at the top. It is the biggest mountain in the UK, and it had snow on the top so I could have a snowball fight with Ollie, my best friend. My biggest challenge was Cairngorm because of the really deep snow. We climbed it the day after a blizzard. One story is that on Snowdon we met Speedo Mick near the summit. And also on Helvellyn when gangan [nickname for grandad] and daddy had to hold me down as it was very windy [40-50 mph gusts].
Do you have any advice for other people who want to climb a mountain?
Be careful on the bad weather days as you might get lost or hurt, but no matter what, always follow your dreams.
Report by Zoe Muldoon | ITV News Granada Reports
We, at Choose Your Own Adventure, believe that adventure can mean so many different things. What does it mean to you?
Happiness, as I am following my dream.
We love hearing that! Finally, Oscar, can people still donate money to your cause? How do they go about doing that?
They can donate on my Just Giving fundraising page, or go to Instagram or Facebook.
Oscar’s fundraising has been just as successful as his summits. He initially wanted to raise £8,849, matching the meter height of Mount Everest. When he blew past that, he decided to try for £29,000, the height of Everest in feet. To date, he has raised over £30,000 and is still going strong.
Oscar (middle) and his family and friends on top of Ben Nevis | Matt Burrow
What’s next for Oscar? He wants to participate in the National Three Peaks Challenge. And after that? Obviously break the world record for the youngest person to ever climb the mighty Mount Everest. Jordan Romero currently holds the record. He was thirteen when he summited.
You’ve got six years to accomplish your goal, Oscar! We know you can do it!
At a recent Drag Story Hour event at Bridgeside Books in Waterbury, VT, a boy and his mother came up to drag storytellers Emoji Nightmare and Katniss Everqueer. The boy was shy but had a very important question to ask. He had a fairy garden at home and was convinced, after listening to Emoji and Katniss read stories, that they were the fairies who lived there. After letting his mother talk for a bit, the boy was brave enough to whisper into Katniss’s ear and ask, “Are you magic?”
The answer is “yes.”
Drag Story Hour | Emoji Nightmare
Emoji and Katniss run the Vermont chapter of Drag Story Hour, an international organization dedicated to offering diverse, accessible, and culturally-inclusive story programming for kids. To date, they have thirty-two chapters in twenty states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and Japan. Depending on the age of the kids they are reading to, their story hours consist of reading books, singing songs, making crafts (crown-making is a favorite!), and engaging in dialogue. They even host events for “kids” of all ages, including teens and senior citizens. Their mission is simple, but vital: to promote, nurture, and educate kids about being their authentic selves.
We were lucky enough to chat with Emoji Nightmare and get a deep sense of how meaningful Drag Story Hour is for kids:
Did books play an important role in your life growing up?
I love this question, because I don't believe I’ve ever been formally asked it before. I loved reading as a child and always had books around, but I never liked being assigned it, which was a challenge in school, and for me still today. I had to connect with what I was reading in order to feel like it was enjoyable or that it was something meaningful.
I grew up on a working dairy farm and would spend a lot of time just playing around the farm. When my dad, uncle, and grandfather were milking, they would have country radio on. I fell in love with music and musicians and would always seek out articles and journalism about the musicians I was hearing. Having that connection to the artist as I was reading what they had to say and the author’s perspective of their work and career deepened my obsession.
Drag Story Hour | Emoji Nightmare
How did you get involved with the national Drag Story Hour organization?
I co-founded the Vermont Chapter with Taylor Small, who at the time was performing as Nikki Champagne (Nikki took a step away from the art of drag when she was elected as state representative in 2020). We were performing a lot together, had started a few projects together, and were looking for our next thing. When we saw articles about Drag Story Hour happening across the country in larger cities, we questioned whether or not it could be done here, and at what scale. We reached out to the organization, which wasn’t really formalized yet at the time, but they gave us the keys we needed to create the chapter. In 2020, when Drag Story Hour was ready to finally become an official entity on a national scale, they needed to fill their board of directors, so they started with the folks running each chapter. I applied and have been with the board ever since.
It seems like the Drag Story Hour project is a seamless union between your artist self and your community self. You do so much amazing performing AND community organizing and projects. Is that accurate?
Absolutely. I take great pride in my identity as a rural, queer Vermonter. Having grown up here as a queer person I know what was available to me as a child—or rather what wasn't. Part of what I hope Drag Story Hour provides is a window or door into embracing all identities and backgrounds and a mirror for those who haven't seen themselves reflected yet.
When Taylor and I first started the chapter, it was deeply important that our first reading was in rural Vermont, so we started in Cambridge, my hometown. I’ve always had a deep connection to Cambridge and have dedicated my life to this place. I’ve been involved in so many community projects that are near and dear to me over the years—public art installations, land conservation efforts, music and arts festivals, history exhibits, and presentations.
Drag Story Hour | Emoji Nightmare
I read in an article that you said love, acceptance, and community are the foundational components of Story Hour. What does that look like in action?
We’ve heard from librarians that our events bring in children and families that have never accessed the library before. That, in itself, is creating community. Those folks felt drawn to our event and used their community resource for possibly the first time. That is strengthening our communities everywhere. Our events are filled with laughter, joy, smiles, and happiness. I have a really hard time believing that anyone leaves our events not feeling a sense of love, acceptance, and community. And it just comes naturally. It doesn’t feel forced at all. That’s why I always ask people who are curious or undecided about how they feel to just attend our events and see for themselves. Witness the joy firsthand. Speak with us after. As long as someone has an open mind, I am confident they would see these as positive, glistening moments of wonder.
Are there any particularly memorable Drag Story Hour moments you can share?
Many. I'll share just one. In Cambridge we had a middle school-aged boy from Underhill attend with his mom and little sister. After the reading, he came up to me and said that he was cast in his school’s play as a fairy godmother and wanted to get tips on how to play the role in a respectful way. I thought that was incredible on both his and his parent’s part, to seek out advice from a drag queen, and to have that sort of forethought and respect. I later attended the performance at his school and he was a total scene-stealer. He struck a great balance of sass and wit and diva attitude without falling on stereotypical tropes of femininity and womanhood.
Drag Story Hour in Chester, VT | Okemo Valley TV
We at Choose Your Own adventure like to look at the idea of adventure through a wide lens. How do you define it?
I love the word “adventure” and I use it often. I call most anything an adventure or a journey. For me, it’s something that has a starting point and ending point. The adventure is the time in between. Sometimes the starting and ending points are the same place, but so much happens in the interim. And other times you’re at a different ending place. So much can be learned from the adventure. You just have to have an open mind and an open heart and a willingness to embrace the journey.
Finally, how can people get involved with the Vermont chapter of Drag Story Hour?
Drag Story Hour national is a 501(c)3 to which one could certainly donate funds. For us in Vermont, we love when folks offer to buy us a copy of a new book to read (we have a whole wish list!). We’ve coordinated with local booksellers before to arrange those sales. Another way to get involved is to request us at your local library. We only go where we are asked to go and where we know we have the support.
With that said, we occasionally get targeted by groups and people who feel we should not be doing what we do. When those cases arise, we ask for support in the form of your presence and willingness and bravery to stand up for your LGBTQ+ neighbors, especially if you identify as an ally. I like to remind folks that “ally” is not only a noun, but also a verb. Take action. Don’t just think about us during Pride Month. Don’t just attend the celebrations and parades. Show up in support when we are faced with hatred and vitriol. I wish I didn't have to ask for it, but it’s a harsh reality. See if we are going to be in your area and show up. Please feel free to contact us here. We are always appreciative and grateful.
For every web order placed in June, Chooseco will donate a book to the
Vermont Chapter of Drag Story Hour in celebration of Pride Month.
In 1889, Vincent Van Gogh was living in the Monastery of Saint-Paul de Mausolea asylum in Saint Rémy, France, where he was trying to rest and heal from a mental illness. It was there that he painted his famous Starry Night, inspired by the sky outside his window. At that time, The Milky Way was visible when he was there and now, due to light pollution, it is not. If Van Goh were alive today, would he still be inspired to create his masterpiece of the swirling night sky?
Light pollution is the phenomenon of the night sky becoming bright because of human-made light sources, such as street lamps. It interferes with the natural cycle of day to night (and back again), confuses creatures that depend on that cycle, and obstructs the observation of stars and planets. Since 2011, light pollution has been increasing 9.6% each year.
This can have devastating effects on wildlife. Skyglow—another way to describe the artificial brightening of the sky—can cause birds to die. For example, Manx Shearwaters, the long-winged seabirds that live primarily in the UK, need a cliff or slope to take off, so if light draws them to the wrong landing place, they can get stuck there, with no way to take flight again, and then they die from dehydration, starvation, or predators.
Manx Shearwater | Matt Witt
Ynys Enlli (pronounced Ennis Ensee) is an island in northwest Wales. It is one and a half miles long and a half mile wide and has only two full-time human residents to keep a nesting colony of 20,000 Manx Shearwaters company. It has also become the first Dark Sky Sanctuary in Europe. There are sixteen others in the world. International Dark Sky Sanctuaries (IDSS) are found in places with low light pollution. According to the International Dark Sky Association, they are “legally protected for scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage, and/or public enjoyment purposes.” A place can only be designated an IDSS after a rigorous, four-year process of monitoring and adjusting. Ynys Enlli was a natural candidate because it’s off the grid, has a 550-foot mountain that acts as a barrier to light from the mainland, and its closest light pollution culprit, Dublin, is seventy miles away.
The Strange Scourge of Light Pollution
The one sticking point was its 200-year-old lighthouse, which until 2014, emitted a bright white light responsible for killing thousands of birds each year (in the same way the Manx Shearwaters get trapped and die). But the light was changed from white to red, and it has made all the difference in the world. There are now almost zero fatalities.
Changing the color of emitted light is only one of many ways to reduce light pollution. The International Dark Sky Association has identified five lighting principles that can affect the quality of the night sky:
Usefulness: make sure light has a clear purpose
Targeting: direct light only where it is needed
Level: make sure light is only as bright as necessary
Control: get timers or be conscientious about when lights are used, like in the case of the lighthouse
Color: limit the use of shorter wavelength lights, which are blue-violet, and choose warmer lights instead
How much light pollution exists where you live? The Bortle Scale is a way of measuring the brightness of the night sky. It consists of nine levels, with the ninth (called Class 9) identifying places with the most extreme pollution. The scale is determined by literally what the naked eye can see—so a city sky is going to rate higher than the sky in the middle of the woods. Check out how your location rates on the Bortle Scale and discover Dark Sky locations across the world. See what it takes to make your home a Dark Sky Friendly Home and visit the international citizen-science campaign to raise awareness about light pollution and become a Dark Skies Ranger!
Ynys Enlli | Steve Porter
Painters like Vincent Van Gogh aren’t the only ones who rely on the preservation of access to the night sky. All humans, all creatures, and all flora do. Even Paris, the “City of Lights,” now requires office buildings and stores to turn off their lights between one and seven AM. (Except for the Eiffel Tower!)
So, the next time your parents tell you "Lights out!", you can say, "Happy to, I am helping light pollution!"