#summit for someone

[w0kemeuprightaftertw0-blog]

Against the Dawn by Mark Griffith on Flickr.

[lostinthewhiteroom]

Against the Dawn by Mark Griffith on Flickr.

[wasa]

On the Verge of... on Flickr.

[hichikehoc]

"When you're sleep deprived, exhausted and scared out of your wits, but persevere, it's something you'll never forget. Summit for Someone climbs are a chance to change your perception of what you think you're capable of."

Fantastic article. :]

If you're thinking about doing SFS, sign up NOW. Early bird registration ends October 31st!

[hichikehoc]

Just in case you haven't seen this yet.

I've watched this video so many times already and it still gets me really pumped about Summit For Someone. I love the clips of the BCM teens!

[hichikehoc]

Safety on Mt. Rainier

I've had a few people express their concern about safety on my summit attempt of Mt. Rainier so I thought I would address it here.

It is certainly true that there are fatalities every year on Rainier (mostly caused by people refusing to heed bad weather warnings) and I know that what I am attempting to do is difficult. Mt. Rainier is a Class IV/V climb and that will involve crossing large snow fields and glacial ice. It will also require some technical skill; I will be using crampons, carry an ice-ax, and will be roped in with the rest of my SFS team, all while hiking at a high altitude. I know that all of this can sound kind of scary to people unfamiliar to mountaineering, so I want to assure you that I have considered the risks in deciding to do this climb and this is something that I have thought about for a long time before committing to do this program.

I wrote a response to one donor's concerns that I thought I would share here:

I really appreciate your concern. I have considered all of these factors before signing up for the program.

One of the benefits of doing Summit For Someone is that we will be provided a very experienced guide from Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (http://www.rmiguides.com/). In previous years, they have had guides who have summited Rainier multiple times and have even conquered Mt. Everest. I expect that we will receive the same treatment in August. Secondly, we are required to go through a safety orientation regarding how to use our gear (i.e. learn to self-rescue, etc) as well as a full day of Mountaineering School at Rainier base camp before we even set foot on the trail. Our physical fitness, mountaineering skills, and gear will be assessed before they allow us to climb and our guide has the right to disqualify us from climbing if we don't meet their standards. This is all listed under Day 1 & 2 of the itinerary for the climb (http://summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=3&climb=339&section=itin). Most importantly though, I think the #1 rule for mountaineering is knowing when to turn back. While I do hope to summit, I also know that that is not always possible due to weather conditions, etc. Being able to raise money for Big City Mountaineers and meet some incredible people from around the country will be prize enough for me if we are unable to summit. I would love to try, but safety will always be most important to me. Part of my thinking when I signed up for Summit For Someone was that if I really wanted to climb Mt. Rainier in my lifetime, this was probably the safest way to do it. On this climb, I will be provided with guides (who have picked the best season to climb), mountaineering training, a gear inspection, and have a highly motivated, physically fit team to climb with. We are all climbing for a cause bigger than ourselves and, if summiting becomes impossible, we will all recognize that we've already triumphed by our hard work to sponsor BCM wilderness trips. I hope that this assuages some of your fears, but definitely feel free to ask me more hard questions. It's definitely good for me to be thinking about these things as I continue with my preparation.

If anyone has any further questions or concerns about safety, please come talk to me. I really don't want anyone to worry! - 10/9/11

[hichikehoc]

Week Three: reaching 10% of my goal!

This past week has been an extremely busy (I haven't even posted about Old Rag yet!), but also productive time for me. I sent out a round of emails late last week and got enthusiastic responses back from several people. I owe a huge (HUGE) thanks to Zhuhong Tang & Hong Chen, the Qiu family, Yongbing Wan, and Jack Chu for helping me hit $400!

It feels really, really good to have such a supportive network of friends as I prepare to take on the challenge of a lifetime. I am so humbled by your kindness and generosity and I really can't thank you guys enough for your support, both financially and emotionally. I will definitely take all of your kind words and encouraging thoughts with me on my climb in August. :]

Hopefully, I can send out another round of emails next week, but it'll have to depend on my schedule. I'm also trying to set up a pub night fundraiser with one of the local restaurant/bars around town. I wrote up a letter and talked to one establishment, but they haven't gotten back to me. I'll probably have to hit up a few more places before someone bites, but we'll see how that goes. I also need to go talk to some local businesses about corporate sponsorship. And I still need to make business cards and plan my next hiking trip. So much to do! And no time to do it!

I think my goal is just going to be to try to do at least one thing for SFS each week, even if it's just emailing a few people. I really want to do one fundraiser and hit $1000 before Thanksgiving so I guess I should get moving on that...

Please donate! It really makes my day every time I get an email telling me that someone donated. :] - 10/8/11

[hichikehoc]

Week Two

My second week of fundraising ended without much progress sadly (mostly because I've been too busy writing a paper and grading student papers to be proactive about it), but the third week is off to a good start with a lovely donation by a good college friend of mine, Jon M! Thanks a bunch!

I have a list of fundraising things that need to be done so I really need to sit down and work on SFS this weekend. I have roughly 35 weeks until my fundraising deadline so I basically need to raise about $110/week to reach my pledge goal. AH!

To be honest, the fundraising part of Summit For Someone scares me a whole lot more than the climbing part. I've never done something like this before and I'm pretty convinced that I suck at asking people for anything, let alone money. It's also harder for me to open up about things that mean a lot to me so I've been having trouble telling people just how important it is for me to do this climb this year. But I made a New Year's resolution back in January to go after the things that made me happy and to have the guts to do the things that I've always wanted to do. This is my year to live boldly. So here I am... awkwardly bothering you guys for donations.

It's been really nice to hear how enthusiastic some of my friends are about what I'm doing though. Jon M was particularly excited to learn that the names of all of my donors will get a place on my hardhat. That's right, folks! Donate to my climb and I will bring you with me to Mt. Rainier (via my climbing helmet)! As a bonus, my top ten donors will get a special place on the front to show off how awesome they are. Fame and glory can be yours with just one donation!

As for training, my roommate and I are going to attempt Old Rag this weekend so I will report back on how that goes. 18 people have signed up to do SFS so far - several of them look like seasoned climbers, and one guy has already raised almost half his pledge! I feel a little behind on all fronts, but I've got some good ideas so hopefully things will start to pick up. Watch out - I plan to take October by storm! Also, I might be getting free Keens from a BCM sponsor. *happy dance*

-9/29/11