Taking a short rest on the way down from a successful summit in 2009!

 

 

I am 29 years old and have only been climbing since March of 2009.  I quit smoking cigarettes on March 1st, 2009 after smoking for 14 years. Just days later, I signed up for the 2009 Climb for Clean Air.  I expected it  to be fun and challenging, and while it did not disappoint in being either of those things, it became so much more to me.

 

First, after living so many years being quite inactive, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed hiking and experiencing the outdoors.  More importantly though, I learned what it means to be part of a much larger cause, such as the American Lung Association.  My modest fundraising efforts combined with those of my climb partners raised over $100,000 for the American Lung Association.  Among the many great things the American Lung Association does with those funds are programs to help prevent youths from starting smoking like I did when I was 15 years old.  Knowing how tough it can be to quit, programs like that really resonate with me.

 

The 2009 Climb was such an amazing event, and I met so many wonderful people, that it wasn't long after our summit on July 26th that I knew I wanted to be a part of this again in 2010.