Talk about a feat for the feet! Can you imagine climbing over 160,000 vertical feet and walking 350 miles in a little over two months? Let alone when those feet and miles are put to the test on all of Colorado’s 14,000’ peaks.
Over a year in the making, this incredibly ambitious mountain adventure was conceived by climbers Joe Rogers and Nick Spivey, a couple of college roommates from Alaska who want to bring special meaning to their climb. They found their inspiration in the story of “The Lost Boys of Sudan.”
Describing themselves as “not pro climbers, just a couple of regular guys who like getting outdoors and having some fun,” Nick and Joe are on a mission to raise awareness for the pressing need for education in Southern Sudan. They are climbing in support of Project Education Sudan, a nonprofit organization founded as a partnership between Sudanese and Americans with the goal of building, staffing, training and supplying primary and secondary education in Southern Sudan. The program supports some 3,000 students in four schools. PES hopes to raise $100000 toward this effort.
They found a major donor in Denver's Larabar, who contributed $15000 to the cause and is the primary sponsor.
The Lost Boys story is that of the 20,000 young boys who were displaced from their homes during the course of the long Sudanese Civil War. For years, these children traveled as many as 1,000 miles through three countries in their search for safety. They fought off hunger and dehydration with bullets and death all around them. In 2001, the U.S. government in concert with The United Nations began a program that allowed 3,800 Lost Boys to resettle in the United States.
Nick and Joe will kick off their adventure on Pikes Peak July 2 and end with a celebration at the base of Grays and Torreys Peaks on September 9. If you’d like to learn more, contribute, or even climb with them, visit: http://www.climbforsudan.org/our_story.html .
Here’s wishing these two guys a safe and successful trip, and, oh yeah: having some fun along the way!
Check out more trails in your area: Examiner.com's Trail Guide
Like this article? Please consider subscribing to this Examiner by hitting the “subscribe” button at the top of the page. It’s free, and future articles by this Examiner will be delivered to your email inbox. Or share with your Facebook friends.
Comments