Doble offered the help he needed and in 2003 Vilane was standing on top of the world.

CNN: Walking to the South Pole

And I can't worry because I'm standing on top of the world.

NPR: Blues Song Is a Decades-Long Music Lesson

We would reach it together, young and old, drawn from around the world, all of us passing through the gates at the top, standing along the lip of this volcano, our backs to the once-molten crater.

WSJ: Tom Rob Smith Climbs Mount Fuji | Traveler's Tale

"I would never trade going to the Olympic Games and standing on top of the medal podium or being able to turn professional or travel all over the world, I would never trade any of it in, " he said.

CNN: Phelps dives into Olympic history