Denali (Mt. Mckinley) - Alaska, USA 20,322 feet / 6194 meters
Expedition Date: May 24, 2015 - June 13, 2015
Summit Attempt: Summit Window June 10-13 2015: Unsuccessful due to weather conditions
THE CHALLENGES
The problems that we face as a first-world country parallel many that those in other regions of the world have. Although we have a great extent of resources at hand for the common citizen, we still have families fighting to maintain a survivable lifestyle. Whereas these challenges do exist there is a problem that famililies of all socioeconomic backgrounds face.
It seems everwhere we turn there are stories of domestic violence or abuse on the news. These recent and very publlic events have shed some light on an issue that has been around for quite some time. 1 in 3 women that you know have been physically or sexually assaulted or abused. It's a hard reality for survivors, families and society to face. There are many avenues to prevent assault and abuse but the mission of The Looking Out Foundations – Fight the Fear Campaign resonates with me personally.
THE CHARITY
Fight the Fear Campaign (FtFC) is a community oriented violence-prevention initiative. FtFC provides training in basic self defense skills including awareness, de-escalation, boundary setting, assertive communication, and fighting techniques—as well as access to resources for survivors of violence or abuse. Funded by Brandi Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation, the goal of FtFC is to make self defense available to as many people as possible.
The Mission: To make self defense training easily accessible because the skills and confidence that it builds are a proven deterrent to violence.
The Method: Our classes are run by experienced self defense instructors who provide the most up to date and useful training, tailoring each workshop to serve the specific, focused needs of different populations.
The Campaign: We are currently providing frequent and diverse free workshops geared toward specific and various populations throughout our community.
denali dispatch: june 2015
After 21 days spent climbing, pulling, eating, and sleeping on Denali we were forced to abandon our summit attempt due to dangerous weather conditions. It was a great challenge and I know I will be back. Although the climb ended without standing on the summit Team Denali successfully raised $6860 for Fight the Fear Campaign! That was the real goal and undoubtedly a huge success! Thank you team Denali! What is it like to be on Denali? Watch the video and feel the grandeur of this mountain!
Denali, Mt. Mckinley as it is more commonly known, is the highest mountain in North America. Standing at 20,237 feet, it looms over the wild Alaskan tundra. Denali was first ascended in 1913 and mountaineers have been climbing it ever since. The challenges of Denali are well known to serious mountaineers. The vertical relief of Denali is 6,000 feet greater than that of Mt. Everest. Battering winds and temperatures as low as -75 F make sure just 60% of the roughly 1200 climbers who attempt Denali every year make it to the summit. This climb is special to me and is exactly what mountaineering is about!