Hello everyone,

Dan Jenkins here. Ted has allowed me to access a post here under his name, so I would like to jot a few notes about my impressions of summit day of the Climb for Hope 2008 Cotopaxi expedition. Here goes.

It is late at night -- but to be fair -- it presents itself as a VERY early morning.

When we laid down for a final rest (hours before), the snows descended upon the massif that is Cotopaxi, blanketing the slopes with conviction and abundance. Now, the wee hours found the deep cobalt sky dotted with diamonds -- lifting our spirits closer to the summit with the prospect of favorable conditions.

Team members double (triple????) check all gear, strategically stashing necessities in available pockets. These are final details that help calm nerves and insure our dedication to precison.

Headlamps light the path out of the hut (refugio - refuge) casting adequate light to survey a reasonable radius of landscape of 10-30 feet. Any more might prove distracting to the task of putting 1 step forward - slowly, deliberately, then another step and establishing a balanced position. Finally planting our axes firmly, confidently into the slope. This simple process is repeated, rhythmically, for the duration of the ascent. The simplicity of the process can be extremely comforting amidst a potential abundance of thoughts, ideas and ruminations that one may experience during the climb. Focus. Simply - step, step, plant ax. Step, step, plant ax. Repeat.

As we move uphill, individuals experience personal challenges not unlike those facing cancer, doing so with grace, balance and integrity. While the struggle is individual, the team support is indeed integral to succeed and reach our common goal.

We all show up where we are supposed to be, when we are supposed to arrive. As we allow the spirit of those who beleive in our mission - who speak to our hearts, our souls, our bodies - as we invite them to reach out in front and gently push open the door.... it simply becomes. They are our access to go beyond ourselves. Our steps are now not our own, but dedicated to family, friends and loved ones.

On through the night we move, taking only the shortest of necessary breaks. Water, food, warmer clothes, and a few snapshots. Time to climb again. Get into rhythm again and feel the flow.

Lightening strikes can be viewed to the east as the Amazon Basin electrifies the disatant clouds in a spectacular show.

Dawn creeps slowly on the margin of the horizon and teases us with a false promise of warmth. At 6 am we will not be struck by the golden rays for over 3 1/2 hours as we are eclipsed on the western slopes. It´s beckoning radiation, however, indeed illuminates the landscape spectacularly.

On our steepest and most challenging portion of the climb we are reminded of the necessity to be vigilant in our systems until we are direcly upon the summit itself. We affix a secondary (and permanent) rope forn our and everyone who climbs the mountain´s safety. This will insure an extra level of precaution on a dangerous portion of our climb and we can now - tenuously - move as a team up to the crater rim.

Relief, joy, celebration, recognition, gratitude, inspiration, and pride envelop the team as we fittingly embrace as we climbed - together.

The dedications, memorialsw, flags, & thank-you´s are captured on still and video to phyusically manifest what had been imagined and thought by everyone throughout the ascent.

As we step off the summit we witnewss the active volcano Tungurahua blow a HUGE plume - nealy 50 miles away.

Our descent is calculated, focused and rapid. The softening snows could prove challenging and fatal if we delay inour task. The members work together admirably and in 2 short hours, we disembark the glacier and return to the hut.

Smiles (grins, actually) abound and the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction is palpable.

We will continue to reflect for hours about all the amazing moments that happened throughout the entire expedition, especially on summit day.

This is a group fo people who trained fiercely, were tenacious and productive fundraisers and dedicated and conscientious mountaineers who I am proud to have shared a rope with on our ascent of Cotopaxi.

Strive for excellence.

Spread your humility and humanity abundantly as you have for the past 10 days, and indeed your entire life.

Be well.