High Points Project

Goal: Climb any State High Point in your state, neighborhood, or city. We want to get people to climb anything and everything and then send us your picture and story!  The person who climbs the highest point in their state will be highlighted on our website.

Pledge in honor a climbers goal! 

Why?  Cancer is a huge obstacle, a scary diagnosis.  People who fight cancer have to be tough, confront death, and fight for life! They have to make a conscious effort to live and push on through adversity. In that struggle they become stronger people and learn that their well-being is a product of meaning they create. Let’s support anyone and everyone we know who has had to battle cancer by showing them our strength to face difficult challenges in their honor.  Climb for those who have cancer!  In the USA we have the opportunity to fight cancer and current 5 year survivals are 70%- we have over 11 million cancer survivors in the USA. In developing countries, cancer care is not available and 5 year cure rates are roughly 20%, if not lower. There are few cancer survivors- cancer is indeed a death sentence in Africa. American radiation machines are updated about every ten years, with our old machines being junked.  Developing countries are ecstatic to get one of our machines- we just need to raise money to pass the machines on, so they can save lives that would otherwise be lost! 

How it works:
-Get challenged to climb a mountain or any high point in your state, city, neighborhood, or house (you can challenge yourself!)
-Get pledges that will support cancer patients globally and allow those in developing countries to have the opportunity to fight cancer
-Set a date and someone to honor with your climb
-Conquer your peak!
-Share your experience and summit pictures with us! Use these hash-tags:  @radiatinghope  #radiatinghope  #climbforcancer #statehighpoints
-Challenge three others to climb for cancer

Example: In July 2014 Brandon Fisher climbed the Grand Tetons with pink prayer flags in honor of all the breast cancer paitents he has treated over the years.   
Brandon is an Oncologist who gets strength from his patients. “I watch these patients take on their cancer, they fight for life, they show me each day that life is worth  for and that we need to take advantage of each moment we are alive, love our kids, spouses, and strive to create meaning in everything we do, these patients are my inspiration to push on, they are so strong."  He was challenged to climb  Grand Tetons in their honor, a very technical mountain in Wyoming, though it 30 feet shy of being the state highpoint, it's a challenging mountain to conquer. Brandon was able to climb the mountain in two days, reaching the summit at 13,770 feet.  Brandon shared his pictures on Radiating Hope’s Facebook page  Instagram. He was able to raise some funds  create awareness for cancer patients in developing countries. From this experience, Brandon challenged four climbers- three climbers to climb the highest point in Wyoming--Gannett Peak and one climber to climb the highest point in his town--Fort Worth, Texas.







The Grand Teton, Wyoming



The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The Grand Teton, located in Wyoming, is the highest mountain in the range, and the second highest mountain in Wyoming at 13,770 feet. The Grand Teton is a technical mountain requiring rock climbing/alpine climbing skills to reach the summit.  Early French Voyageurs used the name les trois tétons (the three breasts). In July 2014 Brandon Fisher climbed the grand teton with pink prayer flags in honor of all the breast cancer patients he has treated over the years. The flags were handmade in Nepal through a company called dharmashop.com. it is customary for Brandon to dedicate flags in his patients honor and even given them a string of flags. Brandon is an oncologist who gets strength from his patients.  “I watch these patients take on their cancer, they fight for life, they show me each day that life is worth fighting for and that we need to take advantage of each moment we are alive, love our kids, spouses, and strive to create meaning in everything we do, these patients are my inspiration to push on, they are so strong."




Mt Denali (Mt McKinley)- 20.320 feet


The summit of Mt Denali stands at 20,320 feet.  Here is a day by day overview of our expedition. 
Day 1: Shortly after arriving in Talkeetna (a two hour drive from Anchorage Alaska), we were debriefed by the Denali park ranger, then jumped on an 8 man plane and flew to the Kahiltna glacier at 7,200 feet. The plane ride took a half hour and was absolutely breathtaking. Rather than spending a night at 7,200 we decided to climb through the night, 5.5 miles, to our first camp site at 7,800 feet. We arrived in camp around 3 pm, set up, made some food and took some much needed rest. We managed to beat a storm that, in the next 5 days to come, would leave almost 100 people stuck on the mountain waiting for an airplane off the mountain. 
Denali Day 2: Pushing up the mountain! The average number of days to reach the summit of Denali is 19. Our goal was to get to the 14,200 camp as quickly as possible and then wait for a window to get to the summit. Rather than dropping caches of gear up the mountain (which entails climbing 2,000 or so feet, dropping off a portion of your gear and then descending 2,000 ft or so to sleep, then climbing back up to your gear the next day), we just pushed from camp to camp with all of our gear. On day 2, we went from 7,800 feet to 9,800 feet. We pulled 50-60 pound sleds and carried 40-50 pound packs. Our pace was slow but constant. We arrived at the 9,800 camp right on schedule.
Day 3: 9,800 feet to 11,200 feet. Today we again moved up the mountain. It takes the majority of the day to breakdown camp, pack up, and move up to 11,200 feet--and then set up camp again. "Chores" were all the little things that went into breaking down and setting up a camp. On Denali you must build a fortress of snow blocks around your tent in order to decrease the notoriously horrible weather from beating on your tent- the last thing you want is to break a pole on Denali!  We had three tents for our group of 6. We did meet one guy whose tent blew away while we were on the mountain- scary...

Denali Day 4: Motorcycle Hill to Squirrel Hill and back again. Rather than pushing to the next camp (14,200 feet) we elected to stay another night at 11,200 and drop a cache two thousand feet up the mountain. Today we approached one of our first major obstacles: Motorcycle Hill. This steep section required us to cross several crevasses and really put our crampons to the test, as we had to dig them in securely against the steep mountain terrain. As we looked up at the mountain towards our goal for the day, we could see heavy winds and were hoping we could push through them. We managed to navigate the weather for a couple of hours, but, as we came around the steep and mildly exposed squirrel hill, the heavy winds finally beat us down and we returned to the 11,200 camp, leaving our cache of gear around 12,500 feet. We estimated the winds to be around 50 mph.

Day 5: Keeping the pace! 11,200 feet to 14,200 (high base camp). Today we pushed to the 14,200 foot camp, also known as high base camp. Here we waited for a good weather window before pushing to our last camp (17,200 feet) and then to the summit. Getting to 14,200 feet is no easy task. It requires again climbing Motorcycle and Squirrel Hill, but also going around Windy Corner with all of our gear. This portion not only lives up to its name, on parts of the climb our sleds slid into the crevasses and were constantly being pulled down the hill at a 90 degree angle from the direction we were heading. To put this in perspective- try climbing a hill with a backpack on while someone is pulling on your right side with about 70 pounds of pressure and try to walk straight on, then add some wind and drop the temperature to about 0. We rolled into the 14,200 foot camp exhausted. We also came to learn that this year was considered to be one of the stormiest years on Denali, with summit rates around 15% (they are usually around 50%). We met many people who were turning around and others who had been at the 14,200 foot camp for up to 3 weeks- ouch! We knew our chances were highly dependent on the weather, which was why we pushed to make such good time to the 14,200 foot camp. This would put us in perfect position if a good weather window opened. We made it to the 14,200 foot camp in 5 days (it usually takes groups around 10 days). Let's hear it for our team!!

Denali Day 6: Rest and Recovery. Today we spent the day at 14,200 feet camp (camp 3 on the map below). This was a perfect day to rest, even if we wanted to go higher up the mountain we could not. We learned from the ranger that this had been the worst year to summit Denali, with summit rates in the teens. Heavy storms and high winds had basically shut down the mountain above 14,200. We could hear the heavy wind raging above, it sounded like Niagra Falls. We stayed hopeful that we might be fortunate to get a weather window in the next week or two. Many groups at the 14,200 camp were turning around after three weeks of waiting for the weather window and never getting it. Today we fortified our camp, fixing some of the snow blocks, digging out our tents from time to time and also hung up a few prayer flags.
Denali Day 7: Today looked something like this. . . snow, wind, poor visibility. We spent the day in our tents. Occasionally the clouds would break, but this was short lived. We listened to books on our ipad, read books, painted, and melted glacier snow to get our water for about 4 hours a day. Mainly we just tried to keep warm. Denali is cold! The coldest temperatures we saw were -38 F with the wind chill.

Denali Day 8: Another day at 14,200. Still no weather window, more teams turned around. Here are some photographs taken by Luke of our 14,200 foot camp, lukeallenhumphrey.com. Check out the bird's eye view of the 14-camp-- spectacular! 
Denali Day 9: Yet another day at 14,200 feet- waiting and surviving. At this moment more groups turned around without making it to the top . . . We did get word of a possible decrease in the winds.
Denali Day 10- Today we got a message on the satellite phone that the winds have decreased and that they might continue to decrease for the next two days-- before the next big storm moved in. This might be our only chance, so we decided to move up to the last high camp at 17,200 feet (three thousand feet up the mountain). This was not an easy move. We took three days of food and hope for a weather window in the next two days. Getting to 17,200 feet requires that we scale a gigantic 2,000 foot wall- they simply call it the Headwall (see Luke's picture of Cecil on the headwall). Once on top of the Headwall, we cross a knife-edge ridge (west buttress ridge) with a two thousand foot drop on one side and a three thousand on the other (see pictures of climbers on ridge below). Once we got up the Headwall the winds began to pick up on the ridge again, making crossing the ridge almost impossible. Due to the long lines on the Headwall, where climbers were waiting to get on a single-file fixed rope line, our two rope teams got separated by about one hour. Our first rope team was allowed to get ahead of a guided group and were able to get on the fixed rope line ahead of the other group, which placed them on the ridge an hour ahead of the other. This wasn’t a safe place to wait, so the first rope team pushed on, making it to the 17,200 foot camp exhausted.  Luckily they were able to get their shelter setup before even heavier winds set in. Our second rope team of three got caught in the heavy winds and elected to set up an emergency shelter at 16,000 feet, where they spent the night. Fortunately we were able to communicate with radios and knew exactly what each team was doing. We fell asleep to the sound of the wind rattling our tents. . . You have to check out Luke's pictures from the Headwall and West Buttress ridge.


Day 11: More Denali bad weather, does it ever end?! Today the weather was so bad that we spent the day in our tent at 17,200 feet. Our tents didn't stop rattling all night long. Finally, around noon they began to settle down...just a little. Our second rope team of three was able to make the push through the winds to join us at the 17,200 camp, making us a team of 6 again! The weather report stated that the next day the clouds would part, the winds would die down, and we might have an opportunity to climb to the summit. Edmund Hillary said, "You don't conquer a mountain. If you are lucky enough, the mountain will give you the chance to stand on the top." We were now in the position for a summit attempt, just hoping for that brief window. . . hoping to get lucky. . .
DENALI DAY 12: THE SUMMIT- Rooftop of North America
Today the clouds parted and the winds died down. This was our weather window (pretty much the only weather window to summit Denali up to this point of 2014--and pretty much the only one since). Edmund Hillary said, "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." After 12 days of fighting intense storms, freezing cold weather, fatigue, high altitude, steep and icy cliffs and ridges, we made it! We were lucky enough to get to stand on the top of Mt Denali- through the adversity we felt more alive. Many climbers get emotional at the top, as a rush of overwhelming emotion hits them- life seems to make the most sense for some of us on top of mountains- it all comes together, and for that moment we become enlightened and become better people because of it. This is similar to any time we face and overcome adversity and challenges in life- at the end of a challenge--at the peak, it all comes together and makes sense and we progress. We were honored to fly the Radiating Hope prayer flags in honor of our cancer patients, and the mountains they climb each day of their treatment.
Denali Day 13: 17,200 to 14,200 ft. Today we begin our 16 mile, several thousand foot descent off Mt. Denali. Most accidents on mountains happen on the descent, so we carefully made our way down. We arrived at camp around 2 pm with plans to eat some food, melt some snow, and replenish our water supply and then take a nap until 10:00 pm. At 10 pm we woke up and packed one last time, and then at midnight, we started our journey to 7,200 feet, hoping to catch the morning plane ride off the glacier.
Day 14: Today we hiked from 10:30 pm, through the night, until 9:30 am, arriving at the air strip. We caught an afternoon plane and were off the glacier by 3:30 pm, back in Talkeetna. . . back to Anchorage, and back home. . . 
All these amazing pictures are by Luke Humphrey- check out his work and order prints at LukeAllenHumphrey.com

Kilimanjaro 2014


THE ROOFTOP OF AFRICA!! The summit of Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet above sea level and an inspiring mountain with each foot!  This March, we made it to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro again, for the third time- this time, we came with a large team and a motivation that can move mountains! After several days of wind, rain, snow and altitude sickness, our team made it.  Everyone was affected by the altitude to some degree, but all of the climbers pushed themselves to the limits, not all climbers made it, roughly 90% made it to the top, but all were affected in a positive way by the climb!   



So. . . why do our climbers want to make it to the top of Kilimanjaro? For three very important reasons our climbers pushed on, despite the weather and the altitude. 

First, our team of climbers were carrying with them over 500 prayer flags dedicated in honor of amazing people affected by cancer in the USA. These flags represent strength, hope, and well-being -what an honor to carry the flags.

Second, our climbers were becoming advocates to advance cancer care in Africa, some of our climbers, in fact, several raised more than $10,000 dollars each!! This money will be used to advance cancer care in Africa! Right now in Africa, CANCER is a leading cause of death killing more people than HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined.  This is largely due to the lack of appropriate equipment. In the USA we have one radiation machine for every 100,000 people, in Africa there is, on average, one radiation machine per 6 million people and in Tanzania, they have one radiation machine per 12 million people. With these numbers, no wonder cancer is considered a death sentence and these people end up shunned by the popluation. It is time to change that! 
This brings us to the third reason we wanted to make it to the top of Kilimanjaro. At the summit we will have the ribbon cutting for the first ever cancer center in this region of Tanzania. This will be the highest ribbon cutting ever and after the climb we will put on a cancer conference with the help of 30 of the most renowned cancer providers in the USA.  We will build a cancer center in Tanzania at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro at the Kilimanjaro Catholic Medical Center!! 

Radiating Hope has a vision to transform the way cancer is treated in underserved areas of the world. "We're building a cancer center in East Africa because we believe that dignity and hope aren't western commodities reserved for the global elite; they are human rights that should be made available to all." - inspirational words from Dr. Larry Daugherty, M.D. 

Greater Horn Oncology Symposium


Radiating Hope has a vision to transform the way cancer is treated in underserved areas of the world. "We're building a cancer center in East Africa because we believe that dignity and hope aren't western commodities reserved for the global elite; they are human rights that should be made available to all." - inspirational words from Dr. Larry Daugherty, M.D.   


Our dedicated prayer flags arrived at the top of Kilimanjaro on a perfect windy day- the threads unraveled from the flags representing hope, strength and well-being in honor of cancer patients. We are excited that the pledges in honor of these great people also allowed the opportunity to 'pass along a cure' to those who might never have had cancer treatments otherwise. Radiating Hope was able to raise several thousands of dollars for the proposed cancer center in Moshi, Tanzania through the fundraising climb and dedicated prayer flags!! 

At the summit of Kilimanjaro we had a ribbon cutting for the cancer center which marked the commencement of the Greater Horn Oncology Symposium (GHOS), presented by RadiatingHope.  The Symposium was held on March 24-25 in Moshi, Tanzania in partnership with the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC).  The GHOS is a multidisciplinary oncology symposium dedicated to increasing awareness of cancer care in the Greater Horn of Africa. It is a forum for the exchange of ideas to advance cancer care in this region. By bringing together physicians and oncology industry members from abroad, as well as local physicians and politicians, we hope to encourage collaboration on developing local cancer care. Funds raised during this symposium support the establishment of a cancer center with radiation treatment capability at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) which would serve Moshi and its environs. All presenters, attendees, and volunteers are helping to advance cancer care in the Greater Horn of Africa! We sincerely thank all of the presenters who have funded their trips to make this symposium a reality! -Mira M. Shah, MD


Our symposium exceeded our expectations. We were able to hear from some of the luminaries in the Radiation Oncology field, as well as learn from the local medical and governmental leaders on the future of cancer treatment in Tanzania. We are now planning our next symposium, a 3-day event for 2015 to coincide with our next fundraising climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Payne's Pathway. . .



In one week we will proudly carry the prayer flag of many great and amazing people on a journey to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This journey will have many obstacles and difficulties. Often, cancer patients describe their cancer journey as if they were climbing a gigantic mountain, listen to Pamela's journey, she is an inspiration to us!! In her own words: 
 "October 19th, 2012 started off like any other day. That evening, after I finished nursing my 13 month old daughter, I noticed a small lump on my left breast. Of course it was a Friday, so I waited all weekend to call a doctor. On Monday morning I made some calls hoping to get the lump checked out as soon as possible. My doctor, noting that I was nursing, suggested that the “lump” may just be a clogged milk duct. I was advised to wait to see if it resolved itself in 2 weeks, and if not, to come back. Looking back now, I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have had an amazing support network of nursing mama’s whom I reached out to for information and advice regarding their  experiences with clogged ducts. The first thing they all said was that it was extremely painful… Hmmm …that’s not what I had. Thankfully, I didn’t wait two weeks before demanding that I be seen again --- particularly because I had found another “lump” in the same breast. This is how my cancer journey began, although I didn’t know it at that moment. I didn’t know what the lumps were, but I knew that whatever they were, they didn’t belong in my body…and they had to go.
Fast forward to November 15, 2012: The day my life REALLY changed. By this time, I had already undergone a mammogram (my first), an ultrasound, and a needle biopsy. I met with a general surgeon, Dr. Megan Grunander, who I had been randomly assigned to go over my biopsy results with me. She was amazing as she delivered the most devastating news of my life, “You have breast cancer”.  I am pretty sure my husband and I sat with our mouths open on the floor for at least 5 minutes as a wave of nausea passed through me. How did this happen? I was 32, I have no family history of breast cancer, and this doesn’t happen to people like me, right? My husband had googled (something I don’t recommend) the statistical likelihood of me having breast cancer: 1%! --- so much for statistical luck. Dr. Grunander began to talk about “the plan” which is where things got very real:
·        Mastectomy (decision point, one or two?)
·       chemotherapy (meet with oncologist)
·       radiation (maybe depending on scans/test, turned out to be a YES)
·       reconstruction (meet with plastic surgeon)
·       fertility treatments to harvest eggs so that we could expand our family someday (start fertility process with specialist immediately)
… and so we were off to a running start, in a race we certainly didn’t sign up for.
I had my double mastectomy on December 17th, 2012. My cancer was Stage IIB - it was in one lymph node and was ER/PR positive (or hormone receptive which is a good thing). I began 16 doses of chemotherapy January 14, 2013 - what a way to start the New Year. I had 4 doses of the “Red Devil” (it really is red and a devil) and Cytoxan every other week, with the last dose landing on my 33rd birthday. I followed that with 12 doses of Taxol and sitting with ice packs to avoid the side effects that plague hands and feet. As luck would have it, I sat next to a lovely young woman about my age at my first treatment and we would become great friends. We often refer to each other as the silver linings of treatment (aside from not having cancer anymore) as we were able to sit together and share this experience (as miserable as it was) for the next 6 months. 
I began my tomotherapy radiation with Dr. Fisher on June 26, 2013 and continued treatment almost daily through the first part of August 2013.  I had 2 reconstruction surgeries in December 2013 and January 2014, had physical therapy to deal with lymphedema throughout chemo. Note, I still struggle a bit with range of motion issues.  As of today, I am cancer free. Still, I take a hormone blocking medication which, along with my scars, serves as a daily reminder of the battle I have waged for my health - continue to fight - but I am here! I am alive and thriving.
Cancer has changed me. I’ve found I am stronger than I ever thought I would have to be. I have perspective that most 34 year olds don’t have about what really is important in life: my family and friends. While my job is important, I am an Assistant Professor at Weber State University, it is not the only thing that brings me joy. I have learned that making time for those who are most important is most important. I want to work to live, not live to work (like I had before this experience). I want my daughter to look at me, when we someday talk about this in more depth, and realize how strong her mama is and what an impact she had on making sure I was strong and alive for her. I hope that she won’t ever have to have the same fight with cancer that I have had. I hope that is not her journey, but if it is, I hope that she will have as much fight as I have had.
I am so fortunate that I have an amazing support system who has stood by me throughout this entire experience and continues to support me in this ever changing journey. I am proud to be a mom, a wife, a survivor and hopefully an inspiration to those who face their own cancer journeys. My husband has been amazing. He has been both mom and dad over the last year or so when I wasn’t able to get up and help: He’s cooked, he’s cleaned, and he’s been present in our day to day life in ways I had hoped I could be.  My daughter, who was 14 months when I was diagnosed, is almost 2 ½ now. Truthfully, having her in my life made it easier to get up and battle as hard as I could to fight cancer and win. My support network started “Team Pam: Because Cancer Effects More Than Those Diagnosed”, participating in fundraisers, walks, t-shirt design and distribution, providing cleaning, food, and lots of love daily. I couldn’t have done this without them. I have been fortunate to have an amazing medical team who have helped to make sure that I not only survive but thrive through this experience. I have learned that it is important to roll with the punches (and in a cancer journey there are often many) and keep a positive attitude.  One of my favorite sayings throughout this journey was shared with me by a dear friend of mine. Every day we are given just enough, just enough strength, just enough love, JUST ENOUGH! So when things get tough, I always remember I have JUST ENOUGH, EVERY DAY!"

Follow Pam on her blog: Payne's Pathway

The Rooftop of Africa, MT KILIMANJARO


Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death in Tanzania, where 45 million people live and have almost no access to life saving radiation treatment-there is only two radiation machine in the entire country. What a contrast from what we see here in the USA with one machine for every 70,000 people.
RadiatingHope's mission is to update and provide radiation equipment to developing countries. Our Kili trip is focused on getting radiation equipment in Moshi, Tanzania, a town at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro. Ever since our first visit to Tanzania in 2010 we have been committed to help Tanzania. We met radiologist, Dr. Diefenthal, from Minnesota, who has dedicated 20 years for his life to advancing care in Moshi, at the Kilimanjaro Catholic Medical Center. RadiatingHope will be putting on a cancer conference at this center, called the Greater Horn Oncology Symposium (GHOS). The conference will feature world renown and influential radiation doctors from the U.S., speaking on the role of life saving radiation treatment. Additionally, we have 30 cancer caregivers, survivors, and volunteers who will climb Mt Kilimanjaro as a symbolic show of support to those battling cancer. Cancer patients often compare their cancer journey to climbing a mountain, treacherous and full of obstacles. We will climb Kilimanjaro as a sign of our dedication to push through difficult situations as we advance cancer care and overcome the burden of cancer, by providing appropriate care and therapy to those in Tanzania. We will have a momentous ground breaking of the first ever cancer center in this part of Tanzania, and only the second functional center in the country. This ribbon cutting will take place at the top of Mt Kilimanjaro and will be the highest ever cancer center ground breaking!!
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, reaches more than 19,000 feet above sea level and is one of the grand seven summits. The power of the journey, more than the grandness of the mountain or beauty of the rain forest, or grandeur of the glacier, will be sharing memories of the triumphs of life, the challenges overcome, and the difficulties which remain. Our team will carry all the prayer flags that have been dedicated over the past four years. Sharing our prayer flag stories will bring meaning to the climb,  as those who have gone before, whether surviving cancer or falling to disease, despite the treatment, will allow us to 'pass along a cure' to those in Tanzanaia who have never had the opportunity to get treatment.
Each thread that unravesl from the flags will not only represent strength, hope and well being to those people who they have been dedicated, but also pass along hope to those in Africa. Follow each day of the trip on our facebook page.  As always, thanks for your support in helping us help ease the pain of cancer worldwide!


Brandon Fisher, President
RadiatingHope

Fisher Towers

Where are your flags now . . . We are currently preparing to take the Prayer Flags to Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa, this March 2014 and then off to Mt Denali, USA, in May 2014. In preparation to get your flags to the highest peaks around the world, we continue to train so that we will be up for any obstacles that we encounter on our expeditions. Some of our training includes climbing rocks, and there is no place better for climbing to amazing summits than the sandstone towers of southern Utah. This month we took your flags to the airy summits of the Fisher Towers. 

Prayer Flags at the Fisher Tower's, near Moab Utah


A view of the daunting Fisher Towers, hundreds of feet up is the corkscrew summit, our goal for the day. 

Just crossing the 500 foot high sidewalk in the sky

At the summit of the famous corkscrew on the top of the Fisher Towers.

In a setting of unrivaled natural beauty, there is nothing as aesthetic as a slender sliver of chocolate sandstone and nothing as exhilarating as standing atop it. The summit does not come easy, few tower routes are easier than 5.10 (difficulty rating for climber, 5.10's are hard), but what better place to take your flags. We let a few threads blow into the wind on this trip. While mountaineers have to slog up thousand-foot snowfields, glaciers, while pushing through wind, snow and ice storms to get that glory, desert climbers jam, and pull their way up a couple of hundred feet of rock. Not a bad trade off! We wish you all the best as you tackle your daily obstacles and reach your various summits, know we are thinking of you all!!