Submitted photos Tim Stout, left, and Brian Mader, recently returned from a trip to Mt. Everest in Nepal. The 1989 Stillwater Area High School graduates climbed Kala Patthar, to 18,000 feet above sea level, to get one of the best views of Mt. Everest.

Stillwater Area High school graduate Tim Stout has advice for travelers to Nepal and the towns surrounding Mt. Everest: think twice before buying a jacket from the local merchants.

Thinking he had just scored the deal of the century on a down jacket, Stout soon learned it was stuffed with chicken feathers.

Stout, 37, is filled with travel stories, as he has been busy globetrotting with Brian Mader, of Marine on St. Croix, his best friend since the two were in ninth grade.

Stout and Mader, both 1989 Stillwater graduates, say their experiences growing up in the St. Croix Valley helped foster their desire to see the world. What started with canoe trips down the St. Croix River, camping in the Valley and cliff jumping in Taylor Falls has blossomed into adventures across the globe.

"We have explored all of the St. Croix Valley," Mader, 37, said.

Apparently, that wasn't enough.

Ever since the two were college roommates at the University of Minnesota, Stout and Mader have gone on at least one major trip and two or three regional trips each year.

Their trips have taken them as far as Africa, the Amazon and Alaska. A trip to Europe was planed in less than a week, and only over e-mail.

In appears nothing has been able to stop the two adventure junkies from getting their fix. Stout has a rare vascular condition that can cause seizures, but he said he won't let it become a limitation.

"I am going to live life the fullest," Stout said.

The latest quest

The friends' most recent adventure was to Nepal - a hike up Kala Patthar, a mountain 23,494 feet above sea level, which gives people one of the best views of Mt. Everest. (They climbed to around 18,000 feet above sea level.) So instead of opening presents on Christmas, Stout and Mader were sipping tea and eating yak.

Having run marathons in the past, Stout, a former captain of the Stillwater High School tennis team, said he thought he was good shape before his trip up Kala Patthar, but he was still unprepared for the thin air.

"It was like running on a treadmill sucking through a straw," Stout said. "It was the hardest thing I have ever done."

It took the pair, along with a guide and another friend, around three hours to hike less than half a mile. Climbing in the area can be deadly. Mader witnessed one man getting airlifted from the area because of complications.

"That was around a $15,000 to 25,000 flight," Mader said. "A lot of people don't make it."

After reaching the summit of Kala Patthar, the two exchanged high-fives before taking pictures and video. After the celebration and taking in the view of the top of world, they began their trek back to the bottom.

What's next?

Stout - who now lives in Washington D.C and works as an aide for former Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge - said they won't waste any time planning their next adventure.

Antarctica, Greenland and the ancient ruins of Peru are some of the places they have discussed.

"There are some many fascinating places in the world to see," Stout said.

While they have ambitious travel plans, the next couple of years may be interrupted by family obligations. Mader, who recently became engaged, is busy planning a wedding, while Stout and his wife are expecting their second child.

Mader, who works at 3M in the environmental health and safety department, said starting a family may slow down their trips for a awhile.

In the meantime, the two are coming off the high of their recent trip. At work, colleagues ask Stout what fun being cold for weeks and eating yak meat might be.

"It's hard to explain, it's just a sense of adventure," he said.

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Steve Morris can be reached at 651-796-1108.