Climb For Hope

2009-01-07T16:31:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year and thank you for your generous support of Climb For Hope. In just a couple of years Andrew Buerger's vision of using mountaineering expeditions to raise awareness and desperately needed funds for Breast Cancer research has become a reality. Your generosity and that of hundreds of others has helped CFH raise over a half a million dollars. Our nation's financial situation has resulted in an even tighter competition for grant dollars. Dr Leisha Emen's immuno-based therapy study has benefited greatly from your donations. You are ensuring her research continues to move forward.

Michelle Timmerman is currently down in Ecuador in an effort to summit the highest active volcano in the world, Mt. Cotopaxi. Michelle and I were initially hoping to go together, but we started our fundraising a little late and only one of us was able to go. I was fortunate to make it to the summit of Cotopaxi in 2007 and this opportunity definitely belonged to Michelle. So, I figured I'd give you a "Michelle Update"…

First, the team. Michelle is a part of a seven person team, including two professional guides from Earth Treks. She emailed me an update from Quito, so I figured I'd share a little about them in her own words:

"Ross is living the dream, having the time of his life and riding high! He has always dreamed of going on this expedition, it started over 15 years ago. He is a family man and misses them very much but he is so happy to have the opportunity to be here. He is a character and is always breaking out some crazy stories either about his family or friends. His sister in law passed away Jan. 12 of 08 from breast cancer and he was committed that day to trying to help in some way in the hopes of finding a cure for breast cancer. He signed up for CFH the very next day."

"Travis is a great guy with a big smile! He is so thrilled to be a part of the CFH team. He has been hiking/mountaineering for over 25 years and has been waiting for this opportunity to climb a high peak, let alone be able to contribute to raising money to help fight breast cancer. When he isn't climbing peaks in his back yard (like the Adirondacks) he is travelling the world. His latest international adventure took him to New Zealand. He shared with the team that he realizes that this journey to Cotopaxi is not about him but of the many women who are fighting for their life against the disease of breast cancer."

"Patrick is a hoot, I think he has a chance at stand-up comedy. But aside from the fact that he is super funny he is 100% committed to CFH. He is a beginner when it comes to hiking let alone mountaineering and he is fearless. He is has two summits under his belt (since he's been in Ecuador) and is looking strong. He shared with the team that he was in a place in his life where he was doing some soul searching when he found Climb for Hope. He said it was an easy decision for him to commit to the goal of fundraising. Hence, his journey began. He was amazed at the outpouring of support that he received and is very grateful for his family and friends for helping him reach his fundraising goal."

"Hari is a sincere, good guy. He has a great sense of humor and sweet disposition. Both him and Patrick are roommates and go to grad school together. He too is a beginner hiker and until this week has never summited a mountain, let alone two over 12,000 ft. He shared with the team that he did not know how breast cancer had touch his family and friends until he joined CFH. He was shocked at how close the disease hit home. He created a secure foundation of family and friends that helped to propel him to his fundraising goal and gladly admits he would not be in Ecuador without their love and support."

The guides:

Nelson, has guided mountaineering expeditions in Nepal, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Tanzania, Russia and throughout the U.S. He has summited Ama Dablam and Cho Oyu and has been on expeditions to Nanga Parbat. He also spent time working as an instructor for Colorado's Outward Bound Schools, a part time gig in the Grand Canyon as a backcountry ranger, and a river guide on the Snake River in Jackson, WY. Though he probably doesn't remember it, he was my instructor at a class at Earth Treks back in 2001.

Dan began his climbing career in 1978 and since then has ventured into the mountains of five continents with ascents in countries including Pakistan, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Russia, Tanzania, India and Nepal (and Denali in Alaska). I climbed with Dan on the first CFH expedition to Ecuador where he was nicknamed "Lt. Dan" for his intensity during our climb of Cotopaxi. As serious as Dan may be when the team ropes-up to one another, he is equally (if not more) warm and well humored off the mountain. It is a constant relief to know that Michelle and the team are in Dan and Nelsons capable hands.

Acclimatizing: The team arrived in Quito last Saturday. Actually, Michelle and Ross had to land in Panama City twice for mechanical repairs on their way to Quito from Houston, so they really arrived on Sunday. Since Quito is at 10,000 feet of elevation, the process of acclimatizing began with their arrival. Since then, the team has successfully summited two peaks: Pasochoa (Monday) and Pichincha (Tuesday).

Pasochoa is an extinct volcano only 20 miles from Quito and makes for a great acclimatization climb. On their way to the summit at 13,776 feet, the team walked through a herd of bulls and their last 600 feet of climbing was completely vertical where they used both hands and feet to make their way. You'll find some pictures here: http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151508/pasochoa.html.

Pichincha is a stratovolcano and the highest mountain in the range that immediately surrounds the city of Quito. While it may not be a "technical" climb, at 15,700 feet climbers must truly earn this summit. It is a full day. Michelle and Dan reported that all climbers looked strong and they summited and descended in a very short period of time. Though tired, the team felt strong upon their return to the hotel. This is great news and a sign that each individual on the team has trained and prepare well. Here's a great picture of Pichincha: http://www.flickr.com/photos/solaluminacaptura/88449822/.

The Things They'll Carry: The team will spend the remainder of today getting prepared for Cotopaxi. They'll review their gear lists, try on their double plastic boots and fit their crampons. The process of packing for a climb is one that involves "loops." Tonight, they'll be in their rooms, spreading out their gear on their beds and their floors. They'll pack their bag, then unpacking their bag, looking for anything they can leave behind to reduce the weight and pack it again. Maybe they'll forget if they packed something they needed for the hike to the hut and they'll unpack and pack again. When they're finally done packing, they'll try to get some sleep for their early start to Cotopaxi tomorrow morning.

I'll be sending another update to everyone on Friday (1/9/09) when the team has made it to base camp. Michelle has an Iridium satellite phone that was generously loaned by our friend Herb Wilkins. At that time, I'll be able to give you an update on the mountains conditions and another report on how the team is doing with their acclimatization. The last update will come Saturday or Sunday (10th or 11th), once everyone is down the mountain and safely back in Quito.

2008-10-13T10:55:00.004-04:00

CFH - Mt. Adams

Our latest expedition... our newest team of 12 returned from a successful summit of Mt. Adams in August. The climb was not as mild as anticipated; 100+ degree temperatures and 45-60 pound packs on all the adults, melting and re-freezing snow conditions on the glaciers, and the last-minute change from a guided to unguided climb all added challenges for our team. It was an incredibly fit team of people and everyone was remarkably strong and able on the mountain.

Some of our views were just as breathtaking as those I've encountered on the international climbs. After struggling up steep terrain to 9,000 feet, carrying our entire camp (and about 10 pounds too much apple pie homemade by our gear outfitter's wife in cumbersome giant tupperwares), we were rewarded with a spectacular site to make base camp for the next few nights: we were perched atop an isolated rock outcropping which required a 30-foot hand-over-foot climb to find several flat spots to pitch tents. From here, we had a view of our route up to the false summit north of us; fiery sunsets to the east over Mount St. Helens; Mt. Hood and an actual forest fire to our south, and a full moon rising over the ridge to our east each night. Each new pot of water we needed to boil or filter meant a scramble back down the rock wall to a glacial melt pool, and careful climbing back up with full, heavy buckets so as not to slosh our hard-earned supply right back out.

As we set out at sunrise for the summit, the familiar crunch of crampons in snow and ice was oddly heartwarming as I recalled moments on Cotopaxi for the first Climb for Hope. It was a mix of chunky snow fields and crumbling rock and scree sections on the ascent (with every step up, you lose about half that step in a downward slide), and again the sweltering sun and heat (over 100 again) was contradictory to the senses. Once at the false summit, we had about 800 feet to go and this is where the views and the terrain of the mountain itself filled me with wonder and reminded me of what I love so much about being on a mountain... these sights (over cornices, into glaciers and crevasses, down sheer rock walls) are hidden from below, and I always feel lucky to lay my eyes on them. Looking behind, to where we had come from and the vast expanse of earth beyond, captures the breath.

I slowed and hesitated on the steep last stretch to the summit... my brother was behind taking photographs, but I had an unexplainable intuition that we should all step to the top together and especially not without him in the midst of the pack. As we stood up there together, we were amazed... despite the strong gusting winds and the altitude, hundreds of butterflies swirled around us like a protective and joy-filled presence. As we moved across the summit fields, we kept walking into more swarms of the brightly colored butterflies and they were with us a good distance on our descent as well. I was honored to be standing on this summit with my brother, all of his kids, Dr. Emens and very dear friends.

We were back to camp for another glorious sunset, and the next morning made our final difficult descent to the trailhead by early afternoon. Thank you to all for the many ways you have been a part of this very special effort.

love,
Debbie

2008-07-28T21:22:00.002-04:00

PAULSON RETURNS

Breast cancer survivor hikes Mount Kilimanjaro

BY JARRAD HEDES
Times Staff Writer

Gettysburg Times
Published: Saturday, July 26, 2008 6:43 AM EDT

Full Article here...

2008-07-22T11:06:00.013-04:00

Mt. Rainier Trip Report:

Unfortunately no cell phone service at all on or around the mountain, so we could not send any messages to the blog. Back home after a very memorable experience on Rainier. We had perfect weather, beautiful sunny days and clear nights with a big moon. After getting a bit of a late start friday, we set up a low camp at ~9k ft, on a rocky shelf with magnificent views of Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens. Everybody was feeling pretty good, save for some sore backs (me), hips and one very sore ankle that Eric K. was fighting through. He had sprained it recently and was just going to see how it felt day-to-day. I'm not sure if Eric's buddy Jeff even broke a sweat or was breathing heavy on the climb up.

Sat morning we broke camp and hoofed it another 1000 ft. up to Camp Muir at 10,080 ft, and took a rest break. This is the usual base camp area for many teams, as well as the base for the guided services like RMI. Eric K had done yeoman's work getting to this point on a weakened ankle, but it wasn't prudent to go any further on it. From here the slopes got steeper with loose rock and scree, and coming down it would have been impossible without strong ankles. So he made the wise decision to head back down, and Jeff, who sumitted Rainier once before, decided to accompany him to the bottom so they could spend some time in Seattle.

From here, Eric Tirnauer, Joe and I roped up, strapped on the crampons and went another 1k ft., across the Cowlitz Galcier, over the steep rock and scree of Cathedral Gap and up to Ingraham Flats to set up a high camp at ~11k ft. After the long stop at Muir, we were lucky to nab the last tent site without having to dig one out. At this point, it was all about preparing for the summit bid - melting snow for drinking water, eating, sorting our gear, packing up our packs for the summit, and finally laying down about 6:00 pm to get some rest.

The plan was to wake up at midnight and be climbing by 12:30 or so to stay ahead of all the RMI groups starting from Camp Muir. Ah, the best laid plans....Faintly I hear footsteps on the trail of climbers moving past our camp and jolt upright. Shit, it's 1:30! We couldn't hear the alarm, my wrist buried in my sleeping bag, and when I realized what time it was, I rousted Big E. At this point, there was a brief discussion amongst the 3 of us on whether we wanted to go for it or not, with two "for" climbing and one "against". As is normal, the very short night, and lack of sleep was creating some doubt and apprehension. The "against" was prodded to at least give it a try and see how the energy level felt after eating and drinking and getting moving. So it was up and out of the tent, dressed, harnesses on, boots, gaitors, crampons, helmet, headlamp, ice axe, and ready to go. The packs were barely noticeable with nothing but our down jackets, balaclava, over-mittens, and extra water...maybe 15-20 lbs compared to the 50+ we carried up to that point.

The climb to the summit was extremely challenging, both physically and mentally. Fortunately, we had near-perfect climbing conditions - not too cold, not too warm...clear skies, bright moon, no wind. The first objective was to gain the 'Disappointment Cleaver", aptly named for the many who turn back from there. Its' steep, mixed rock/scree and snow, make it very intimidating. We took our first, well-earned 5-minute break at the top of the Cleaver at ~12k ft., on a flat, rocky ledge, and were treated to a beautiful sunrise from this awesome vantage point. We were all feeling pretty good at this point, and decided to make the push for the summit. This was a long, 3 hour slog up numerous switchbacks with some pretty steep sections at times. By this time, the sun was up and it was clear, so we had great views , and could see the terrain in front of us easily. The "trail" up the glacier was usually about 1 -2 feet wide, with occasional obstacles, but for the most part it was straight-forward climbing, one foot in front of the other, rest-step, plant the ice axe, breath, repeat.

We made the crater rim right around 8:00 am, through a little notch in the snow bank they call the "gate". We sat down in the crater for a couple mins, took off our packs, and walked 10-15 mins across the crater and up to "Columbia Crest", the true summit at 14, 410 feet, the second highest in the lower 48. I felt all sorts of emotions - ecstatic, grateful, lucky, tired, relieved, and proud probably sum it up best. I thought it was very cool to have been able to do that with one of my best friends (who had never climbed before), and a really funny, great guy who had alot of experience and agreed to lead us on the mountain. Eric Tirnauer was not only a great climbing leader and motivator, he was also a lot of fun.

Coming down we had to take it a little slow, as the snow was getting soft and slushy as the sun heated it up. We had 9 miles and 9000 vertical feet to descend. We made it to Ingraham Flats around 11:45 am, leaving the summit around 9. We packed up our camp, shouldered our heavy packs, roped up again, crossed over Cathedral Gap and down the scree slope, stopping next at Camp Muir for a brief rest before the long hike down the Muir Snowfield to the Paradise Visitor Center. On the snowfield we were able to glissade a number of times, getting up some good speed as we slid down the steeper sections on our butts, controlling our speed with our poles or ice axe. It never got old. Finally hit the parking lot ~6:00 pm, but Big E had been there since 5ish waiting for us, since he was able to descend alot faster than we. Funny how gravity works that way.

This was a truly special alpine adventure, and would highly recommend this climb to anyone who hasn't done it. Mt. Rainier is an extraordinary national park and absolutely beautiful glaciated volcano that provides the feel of a true mountaineering experience.

P.S. Good luck to the Climb For Hope 2.3 team on Mt. Adams, which we could clearly see the entire time. Also looks like a fantastic mountain. Climb on!

2008-07-01T16:17:00.002-04:00

For those of you out there following this blog, a small group of CFH members will be attempting to climb Mt. Rainier July 18-20. The team is: Eric Tirnauer, Eric Kronthal and Jon Guth from the CFH 1.0 Cotopaxi expedition in January 2007, along with Joe Millman and Jeff Fagnan. We will attempt Rainier via the Muir Snowfield - Dissappointment Cleaver route, and try to send some posts via email/cell phone to this blog from the mountain, depending on cell coverage.
Hopefully we will get a good weather window!
Cheers.

2008-06-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

Dispatch 3 from Andy Buerger on Mt. Kilimanjaro, CFH Trip 2:
(Via Jen Buerger)
Andy called at 5:14 am this morning happily reporting that everyone made it to the summit AND is safely down at camp for the night. He said it was an extremely long and exhausting day which ended with great emotional rewards for everyone.

SO amazing!
P & L,
JB

2008-06-23T10:08:00.002-04:00

Dispatch 2 from Andy Buerger on Mt. Kilimanjaro, CFH Trip 2:

Jen Buerger spoke w/ Andy again this morning - about 8:30am our time. They are having a light pasta dinner then heading off to bed early. Everyone continues to be strong and is expected to make the summit push starting around 11:30pm (their time) tonight. Spirits are high, but a few stomachs are being affected by altitude or bug. She'll be in touch again as soon as she hears anything more.

2008-06-21T21:26:00.003-04:00

Dispatch 1 from Andy Buerger on Mt. Kilimanjaro, CFH Trip 2:

Andy says it is extremely beautiful. The past days the weather has been warm and great to trek in. Today (day 4 of the actual climb) they are having a much needed rest day and getting prepared for the last 2 days of the climb. They camped at 12,800 ft. (I think). Everyone is strong and doing great. A few blisters -- to report. He says the group is tremendous and jelling.

That's all for now.

2008-06-09T11:28:00.001-04:00

CFH Group 1 on Mt. Kilimanjaro
Day 5
June 9, 2008

Habari! We have arrived safely at Karanga camp, 13,200 feet. The climb and the scenery have been spectacular. Day one had us ascend from 6000 ft. to 1000 feet. We spent most of the day in damp rainforest (think Gorillas in the Mist), arriving seven and a half hours later at Machame camp. Day two we headed above the tree line and into the billowy white clouds that blanketed the horizon for a hundred and eighty degrees around us, arriving at Shira camp at 12,800 feet. Day Three had us set out on the steady, stony route to 15000 feet to the stony lava tower, and then down the Umbwe route to the Barranco camp at 13000 feet, where we arrived after the nine hour day, and then rested through day four.

Every day we set out with the clouds sitting below us, and as the day warms, the pressure differential causes the clouds to rise and catch us in a cold mist as they pass us, waiting for us to climb above them again.

Today we scrambled and switched back over the craggy Barranco wall crossing streams, hand over hand climbing (sometimes at 80 degree angles), and then down and up again, traversing west on the southern side of the mountain to the Karanga camp site. Our camp site is now set in the sunny afternoon below the magnificent snow-covered mountain standing sentinel over the coming evening. Everyone is doing well and the pace has been steady. Tomorrow we’ll set out for the four hour hike to Barafu high camp (15000+ ft), rest all day, and then set out at midnight to trek the last 4000 snow –covered feet to the summit.

Love to all, and Asante Asana!

Joel

2008-06-05T20:50:00.000-04:00

5:30 am Wed 6/4

Habari! All's well in AFRICA! I snuck into the hotel office to send you a quick email. Yesterday we caught a glimpse of Kilimanjero across the plains as the clouds parted - it is HUMUNGOUS (sp?) No mountain in the world stands more out of the ground and it is an awesome sight to behold. We set off at 7 am to begin the journey. Chris and Austin have us prepped and Carol, Annie, Liz, Mike, Owen, Beth are all chomp'n at the bit - I think we have more cameras than porters ... Mike has offered to tatoo or pierce any of us anywhere...making sure he hikes ahead of me...An honor to be with 3 cancer survivors on this journey - their experiences have already movd us and will no doubt inspire the path ahad.. Internet and phone might be spotty but we'll try to get back in touch soon. Kwaheri for now and asante sana for all of your support!

Joel

2008-01-13T19:24:00.000-05:00

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.

2008-01-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

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2008-01-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

Our Guide, Dan´s Arm, Laura, Ted, Nick and Todd nearing the summit this am.

2008-01-11T16:48:00.000-05:00

Hi all, ted here. just a quick note to all so you get the great news that we all summited at about 9am this morning. we had a late start do to alot of traffic on the moutain. it took us about 8.5 hours between the traffic and all the fresh snow we came in contact with to reach the summit.
A very starry night and warm, perfect for climbing. We are all back in Quito now grabbing showers, relaxing, etc., before we go out tonight to celebrate. It was by far the hardest thing I have every done in my life and I think i can speak for the whole team by saying just how much each and everyone of you help us make it today. I know that there was not ever a time on the climb that we were not thinkiing of you all and how much you mean to us.
Our guides Chris and Dan, from Earth Treks were great. they took the best care of us and taught us alot. Andy, we want to thank you for being here with us in spirit, it was an honor to do this fof Climb For Hope.
Look for pictures tonight.

Best,
Team Pittsburgh

PS- NO we areNOT near the erupting volcano for all those concerned. Although we did see it erupting in the far distance while we were on the summmit of Cotopaxi.

2008-01-08T22:15:00.000-05:00

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2008-01-08T18:05:00.000-05:00

Hey all-
It's Wednesday afternoon, the day before we head for our biggest climb to the top of Cotopaxi and our last chance to check in with an update before we go.
Yesterday we started early with a drive up the flanks of Rucu Pichinchu, and a dawn trek that would lead us to the summit, which rises 4680m above the surrounding peaks. I stink at conversion stuff, but it's more than 15,000 feet, which makes it the highest peak yet for Nick, Ted and Todd. We set out from the trailhead at 6:10 and were off the mountain by 1:30. Not bad for a bunch of flatlanders (except for Dan who's from Colorado and Chris who seems to have spent most of his adult life in thin air). The hike took us to the crater rim where clouds swept over amazing lava formations and wind whipped across the barren landscape. We took plenty of photos and quite a bit of video of the excursion and can't wait to show it off to everyone. We're having all kinds of problems loading our pictures for you to see and we apologize. We have some great ones of the places and people and climbs. It was a terrific summit for all of us and the toughest test of our training to date. It felt great to climb so high and know that we were climbing for so many people and such a great cause. We each took a moment along the way to video a message to those we're here climbing for and it was a very emotional moment when we all took a moment to think of them and the struggles they face on a daily basis.
Today we spent the morning packing for our big climb. We were fitted for boots and crampons, went through a packing seminar and then headed for our rooms to sort the gear we brought with us and get organized. Dan and Chris helped to make sure we took the right stuff and only the things we needed for the hike to the hut in the morning (we will stay at 15,400 for the next two nights) and then the big summit day which will take us up the glacier to the summit of Ecuador's second highest peak and one of the world's highest active volcanos at 19,400ft. It's an incredible undertaking and one that is starting to come into focus for each of us as the days count down to D day. We can't wait to get started and stand on top. But the most important moment of all will be when we come back down and arrive back in Quito safe and sound.
Again, sorry for the lack of photos. We're frustrated but have tried our best.
To all of you who have followed our trek, thank you for your support and encouragement. And for all of you who we're doing this for, know that you are in our thoughts and prayers every step of the way. That's what this climb is all about.

As we used to say in the Logtown Alpine Club:
Upgois Sahibe

Ted, Nick, Laura, Todd, Dan and Chris
Love to all

2008-01-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, we're four days into our adventure and way behind on keeping up with our blog. It's probably my fault, but we'll blame Nick just because. Lets see if I can't give a little overview of what life has been like since we stepped through security at Pittsburgh International and began our trip to Ecuador.
We spent all day Thursday in the air traveling from Pittsburgh to Houston, Houston to Panama City and then, finally, off to Quito where we met up with our guide Dan and our driver Hugo (don't say the "H"(. On day one we headed off for Otavalo where we would begin our aclimitization with small hikes - the first of which was around a crater lake - followed by a day at the market and a second hike to a waterfall and then off to meet a master weaver and designer. It's been a great experience filled with wonderful people, interesting places and lots of avocados - Ted loves 'em. To help in the aclimitization, Dan has us using a small heart rate monitor thingy to see how we're doing as we climb our way higher and higher on each hike. Basically, it boils down to this - Ted rocks and is kicking butt proving that training really does payoff, Laura is doing excellent and making her way with a slow and steady pace that works and will take her as far as she wants to go, I'm doing great and feeling no ill effects from the higher elevations, Nick is afraid his heart is going to explode. Yep. Nervous Nick. But in the end, he's getting everywhere everyone is getting and loving every minute of it. Today was our hardest day so far with a summit of Fuya Fuya - we put in a good pace up a very steep landscape that took us above 13,000 feet. The highest Ted and Nick had ever climbed and they did great. We all did. We celebrated on the summit with cheese, breads and avocados. It was a great way to celebrate a great climb. Afterwards, we headed to Quito where we'll spend the next few days continuing our climbing and training. Tomorrow we tackle Pichincha with Dan and our lead guide Chris Warner who joined us today after summiting Cotopaxi just yesterday. The 15,000+ peak tomorrow will be another first for Ted, Nick and myself. Each day we're getting stronger and more comfortable with the altitude and our ability to do this. It's been great. We all appreciate all the blogging and well - wishes we've been getting from everyone. It means so much to know people are thinking of us. I certainly can't sign off without letting Arianna and Natasha know how much their dad misses them and thinks of them constantly. They've been his strength and inspiration to do this and come home safe to share his stories. Nick sends the best to his dad and Glacier. Laura sends her best to her family who we heard such great stories of today as we climbed. And I want to be sure Lara knows how much I miss her and can't wait to come home and share my photos and journal of this incredible journey. Thanks to all of you for your support and love. We couldn't do it without you.

That's all for now as we're off to bed to rest up for tomorrow. We'll write again soon.
Ted, Nick, Laura and Todd

2008-01-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

New Climb For Hope YouTube Video...

2008-01-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning at 7 am, Ted, Todd, Laura and Nick will begin their 10-day trip to Ecuador and their attempt to summit Cotopaxi. It's the adventure of a lifetime and an incredible opportunity to do something that's never been done before - end the threat of breast cancer for women around the world. We can't wait to get started and will keep you updated as best we can every step of the way as we gear up for our summit push. Stay tuned. The adventure is just beginning.

2007-11-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

Climb for Hope was organized to raise and channel funds towards targeted and promising research in the fight against breast cancer. Our mission is to find a viable treatment for breast cancer by 2009.

These funds will be directed to a promising vaccine being developed for late-stage breast cancer. To raise the money — and awareness about the innovative research it supports — members will attempt to summit one of the world’s highest active volcanos, Cotopaxi in Ecuador, in January 2008 and a second team will travel to Tanzania in June 2008 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa.

In January 2007, 17 of 21 climbers in our expedition team summited Mt. Cotopaxi, the world’s largest active volcano, raising $150,000 that was directed towards a vaccine being developed at Johns Hopkins University. Not only does the vaccine address some of the most aggressive and lethal forms of Breast Cancer, but the research is expected to derive advances for many forms of cancer as well. Our work sped up the work being done by Dr. Leisha Emens by 6 months, potentially saving thousands of lives.We are most grateful for the personal commitment the expedition climbers who worked hard to not only train, but to exceed their individual fundraising goals in support of the organization’s goal to find a vaccine by 2009.

In 2008, CFH will summit 2 moutains:

Cotopaxi Expedition, January 3-12, 2008
Kilimanjaro Expedition, June 15-29, 200

Climb for Hope is partners with EarthTreks Climbing which provided professional, personalized health and skill training. Chris Warner, one of America’s premier climbers and veteran of Mt. Everest and K2 led our trip. www.climbforhope.com

Press:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07311/831606-114.stm
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_535858.html
http://www.climbing.com/news/press/climbforhope2007/

2007-01-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

Lots of Photographs uploaded!
All of our photos can be viewed at: http://climbforhope.shutterfly.com
Login with password = climbforhope

2007-01-22T20:14:00.000-05:00

Two Videos from the Summit of Cotopaxi...

...and one from right after the climb.

2007-01-14T16:08:00.000-05:00

Great success! 15 CFH climbers summited Cotopaxi early on friday morning, Jan 12. We traveled back to Quito friday afternoon, and everyone is now safely back in the States. More to come soon, including photos from the climb and summit. Thanks again to ALL our supporters and to those that followed along on the blog!

Debbie Marcinkowski celebrates her summiting!

Laura Willumsen and Kathi Levine on the Summit!

Kevin, Julie, Travis, and Joel on the Summit.

Some cool ice features on the way up...

Eric K. and Dan Jenkins, one of our guides.

2007-01-09T20:51:00.000-05:00

We now have some videos posted! We've embedded a few, and have links to some others below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StJZeKAaOzM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp9Q1ol46Kc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1As-McUtE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGmKqnQeMas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGQ9lCldNAQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBD4np4K82I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHO2j_pIe-Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E75E6l4wHfg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pnIrtV6g_Y

2007-01-08T16:37:00.000-05:00

Climb For Hope, Sunday and Monday´s Climbs (1/7 - 1/8)

Sunday -Mt. Fuya Fuya, elevation approx. 14,000 feet, vertical climb of about 1500 feet.

Monday - Mt. Pichincha, elevation approx. 15,500 feet, vertical climb of about 2300 feet. All 5 climbing teams sumiited today!

...And this morning, on the drive to the base of our climb we saw our next stop....Cotopaxi!
We leave Wed morning to head up to the base camp for our Friday ascent.

2007-01-05T19:05:00.000-05:00

Climb for Hope - Day 1: Lake Cuicocha near Otavalo, 3 hour preliminary hike, approx. 1000 feet of elevation gain. Beautiful day, azure blue water in the lake which is an old caldera from an ancient volcano. Everyone feeling good, adjusting their equipment, and team is bonding well.

On the Equator on the way to Otavalo.

Small group spent New Year's in the Jungle....before the CFH began.

2007-01-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

The time has come..... CFH leaves for Quito, Ecuador tomorrow. And on Jan. 12, starting around midnight, team Climb For Hope will attempt to climb the 3600 vertical feet from the refuge you see above to the summit of volcano Mt. Cotopaxi at 19,347 ft.

Wish us luck!

Hasta luego...

(Click photo for larger view)

2006-12-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

Climb For Hope featured on WJZ-TV Channel 13 in Baltimore

Yesterday afternoon, Dec 28, WJZ-TV's Ron Matz interviewed Andy Buerger and Chris Warner and aired a nice piece about the Climb For Hope. You can watch it here:
http://wjz.com/health/local_story_362134423.html

He then did a follow-up live segment from Earth Treks Climbing Gym in Timonium this morning, Dec 29, and aired it around 7:30 am. We had about 6 CFH team members present.

2006-12-21T09:56:00.000-05:00

Dear CFH Supporters,

Our CFH team has now raised almost $130,000 for breast cancer research, thanks to people like yourselves! While we certainly will continue fundraising until the day we leave, which is in about 2 weeks, on January 4, our attention now turns to making final preparations for the expediton -- organizing and packing our gear, completing our physical training, and preparing mentally for traveling to the developing world and going mountain climbing.

Again, I want to personally thank each of you for your support. Andrew Buerger, CFH Founder/organizer also thanks you, for helping to find a vaccine that may help thousands of women.

In addition to sending some group emails from the Internet cafes, I will be posting messages from Ecuador to this blog, so check in here between Jan 4 -13 to track our progress.

Thanks again everyone!

2006-12-12T09:57:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Dec 9-10, about ten or so members of our CFH team went for a long training hike in West Virginia and stayed at Eric Kronthal's (see cone-head above) new vacation home.

2006-12-04T16:49:00.000-05:00

CFH had a very successful and fun benefit at the Earth Treks climbing gym in Timonium. 25-30 guests showed up, as did most of the CFH team. A number of guests participated in climbing the walls, some for the first time, and some as young as 7 years old. Everyone did very well and seemed to have a great time. After some tasty wine and cheese, provided by Joel Shalowitz of Cork's Restaurant in Federal Hill, Chris Warner, our lead guide and Founder of Earth Treks, delivered a riveting slide presentation on his harrowing experience on Mt. Shivling (above) and the Gangotri Glacier in India.

The CFH teak would like to thank everyone that attended the event for helping to support the cause. As a side note, our team also went through gear checks with Chris and learned a ton of useful information about the right gear to have. And finally, Andy Buerger, our CFH founder, announced that we have hit the $100k mark! See all the photos below....

Warner and his gear check spiel.

Greg and Alex Strott, our youngest team member at 13!

JG belaying...

CFH hiking trip in Vermont!

2006-11-28T16:23:00.000-05:00

Satellite Image of Mt. Cotopaxi
(Courtesy of Google and Mr. Eric Kronthal who generated it)

Only a little over a month to go until our team gathers in Quito to begin the expedition. Our fundraising is going incredibly well thanks to all of our donors and sponsors...we've raised about $90,000 of the $100k goal and will no doubt reach the mark by the time we leave.

Don't forget, this Sunday evening at Earth Treks...see the post below about the event.

2006-11-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

Climb For Hope Benefit Night
Sunday, December 3, 2006 6:00 PM
Earth Treks Climbing Center, Timonium
1930 Greenspring Dr
Timonium , MD

http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1382766

Additional information
Brief Description:
You won't want to miss this event! Join us at Earth Treks, one of the country's biggest climbing gyms for some climbing followed by getting together over a little wine and cheese to see owner and international mountain guide Chris Warner's amazing slides from Everest.
Fees:
$40 in advance / $50 at the door
Online Registration Closes:
December 1, 2006 3:00 PM Eastern Time

2006-11-10T11:24:00.000-05:00

Most of the CFH team... (Thanks Ashley...)

2006-10-19T11:03:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Ashley Anderson & Julie LaFee, two of our team members, who made their hometown newspaper in Fenton, MI. Great story ladies!
http://www.tctimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17328300&BRD=2524&PAG=461&dept_id=517571&rfi=6

And in case you missed the story in this week's Jewish Times -- thanks Eric for scaring all the Jewish moms!
http://www.jewishtimes.com/scripts/edition.pl?now=10/18/2006&SubSectionID=30&ID=6000

2006-10-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

Earth Treks Climbing Center/Corks Restaurent - Wine & Cheese Fundraiser

EarthTreks and Corks Restaurant have generously teamed up to help us raise money for the Climb For Hope. Sunday Dec 3 at 5:30pm, at the Earth Treks Climbing Center in Timonium. There will be a small cover charge, which will include the opportunity to climb the walls while being belayed by one of the Climb For Hope team members. When we put the harnesses away, we'll break out the wine & cheese. Meet all the team members and learn more about the Climb For Hope. Then, Chris Warner, Founder of Earth Treks and Climb For Hope's Lead Guide, will show slides of his Everest Trip which should be really cool!

Directions to the Timonium gym:
http://www.earthtreksclimbing.com/indoor.html#directions-timonium

2006-10-06T14:44:00.000-04:00

Mt. Cotopaxi (0.7S 78.4W) is a stratovolcano with a summit elevation of 19,388 feet (5,911 m). It has erupted 50 times since 1738. The 1877 eruption melted snow and ice on the summit, which produced mudflows that traveled 60 miles (100 km) from the volcano. The most recent eruption of Cotopaxi ended in 1904. Reports of an eruption in 1942 have not been confirmed. The most recent activity was an increase in steam emissions, melting snow, and small earthquakes from 1975-1976.

I think our team can be fairly confident that it's not going to erupt while we're climbing it.

2006-10-06T12:13:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my Climb For Hope Blog.

I'm hoping to use this forum to communicate with my sponsors, friends, family, and teamates about my participation in the Climb For Hope.

Please stop by periodically to check in on the fundraising, training, preparation, Dr. Emen's breast cancer research, and ultimately the expedition and climb in Ecuador.

Currently, I am approx. 90% of the way towards my fundraising goal of $5,000, and feeling pretty good about that with still 3 months to go. I think I'm in decent shape physically right now, after having been mountain - biking once/week all summer, and throwing in some road riding as well. But I'm just now starting to step up the conditioning, and hope to generally follow the 12-week mountaineering training program provided by our guides at Earth Treks.

Soon, we're supposed to be getting a tour of Dr. Emen's research laboratory, and get an update on how here clinical trials are progressing. I'm looking forward to hearing more about that.

Also starting to put together the gear I'll need for the expedition, which is quite an extensive list.

Until next time...

Climb For Hope

PAULSON RETURNS

Breast cancer survivor hikes Mount Kilimanjaro

BY JARRAD HEDESTimes Staff Writer

BY JARRAD HEDES
Times Staff Writer