I feel a lot of pressure to write something profound to end my 7 month goal to raise funds for the American Lung Association and to summit Rainier. So much so, that I've been stalling writing anything for the last 24 hours ... so here goes:
First, I have to thank everyone who stepped up and contributed to my fundraising efforts. As I said before, I was much more nervous about raising the funds to participate in this event than I was about climbing the mountain. I was really surprised how generous people were. In addition, this part of my goal really made this climb memorable. I learned a lot about friends and business associates that I didn't know before. There were a number of people who shared with me personal stories about loved ones who had struggled with cancers, asthmas, and other ailments. I didn't anticipate this ... and it really made the event more personally meaningful.
Hopefully, it was also a way for you to get to know me better. It has been a lot of fun getting calls this last week asking about the climb, the fundraising, and my preparations. There was some personal growth for me as well ... it is always good to put yourself out there, so that others get to know you better. I'm not terribly good at this, and this was a great way for me to stretch in this way.
If I haven't told you, the event raised about a quarter-million dollars for the American Lung Association. That is pretty amazing. However, when I got to the climb ... and met the others who were involved, I wasn't nearly as surprised about that dollar figure. That was the other benefit of climbing for a charity; it attracted some really great, fun, and VERY talented people.
Here is my climb team, Team #3 w/ Lou Whittaker
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