MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Posted Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 4:08 pm

I am once again honored to serve as a committee member for the 2010 NAMI Indianapolis Walk-A-Thon event. On Saturday, June 5, NAMI Indianapolis, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is hosting the 2nd annual NAMI Indianapolis Walk-A-Thon. Proceeds from the Walk will help support the programs and services of NAMI Indianapolis. This 5K (3.1 mile) community Walk-A-Thon is designed as a non-competitive, family-friendly event and will be held inside the Castleton Square Mall from 8:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.

The inaugural 2009 event saw more than 300 hundred individuals come together to walk and raise awareness, dispel stigmas and raise valuable dollars for NAMI Indianapolis. We hope you will mark your calendars now and join us for the 2010 NAMI Walk-A-Thon event. For more information or to register, please visit www.namiindy.org. Thank you!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Posted Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 9:24 pm

I wanted to extend my congratulations to local climbers and friends, Ace and Dave, for reaching the summit of Mt. Aconcagua. I had the opportunity to meet and have breakfast with Ace last week and to hear all about their experiences in Argentina. I was happy to hear they had fairly good weather that allowed for a safe summit day. Welcome back home and Congrats!

GOOD LUCK

Posted Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 7:47 pm

I wanted to extend best wishes to two Indianapolis friends, Dave and Ace, who have currently reached base camp on Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina. They are both accomplished climbers: Dave has summitted several big peaks around the world, including Mt. Everest in 1997. Ace has reached the summit of Mt. McKinley (Denali) and Mt. Kilimanjaro, as well as several peaks in the western U.S. My wife and I have a great deal of respect for both of them and wish them and their team a safe and successful climb. God speed!

TURNING 40

Posted Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 10:14 am

Yesterday, January 10, I turned 40 years old. For some, another birthday or age is just another day. No big deal. For others, turning a certain age can be a time for much thought and “taking stock” of one’s life. I have certainly been one of those that “turning 40” has forced me to take some stock of my life. There have certainly been mistakes, failures and disappointments as I look back. There are things I wish I would have done differently. I guess these things are ultimately what make us all human. However, I also have many things for which to be thankful and to count my blessings, as well as a great group of friends and family. Those are the things I am focusing on as I move into my 40s and continue on with this journey we call life. The last several years have certainly been a growing period for me and a time to face various physical, emotional and spiritual challenges and changes.

As I know I have mentioned before, I also share the same birthday as my father. I wish he was still with us and that we would be sharing another “double birthday” celebration. I have been thinking about him a lot lately too. He would be 74 now.

My 40s have started off really well, as I had a wonderful time this weekend — my wife hosted a party in our home with several of our friends; and then we also had another party at my sister’s with several relatives and old family friends. And I want to give a special “Happy Birthday” to my friend Jim — we also share the same birth date! And he was kind enough to remind me over a beer that he too will be celebrating the big 40-0 … in nine years! Hey, if friends can’t make you feel old, who can?! Thank you to everyone for a great weekend!

2009 REFLECTIONS AND A NEW YEAR

Posted Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 9:34 pm

With the end of 2009 only a few days away, and as we look ahead to a new year, new beginnings and new challenges, I have a few updates and reflections to share as we come to the close of yet another year.

These past several months have certainly been a series of big changes, and I am thankful for all the opportunities I have had and for the people in my life who have shared these adventures with me. I’m also thankful for the many people whom I have met and who have shared with me their battles with depression, as well as their heartbreaks at the loss of a loved one to suicide. We share a common experience and understanding.

After my return back in January from a second attempted summit of Mt. Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the western hemisphere), for which I did not summit, I was disappointed, even a bit shattered. Although I had reached a new personal altitude high of 21,700 feet on summit day, my ruptured retina, loss of vision and deteriorating weather did nothing to lessen the disappointment of knowing that I had to turn around.

On the long trek down the mountain and back to civilization, I had much time to think. My emotions went from anger to, well, a complete feeling of depression. I felt that I — and many others — had sacrificed much over the last four years to support our mission, and the feelings of letting so many people down was a great weight on my mind. Although when I returned home many of the wonderful people who have supported my mission and goals once again reminded me that reaching the summit of a mountain is never a guarantee, it was, as always, difficult for me to accept.

After being home for a couple weeks and giving my eye the chance to heal, I continued to battle with the disappointment and depression that had settled in. I talked much with my wife, family and closest of friends about how I was feeling, not sure about what the future of my mission would be. When planning the Aconcagua trip back in 2008, we had deliberately not scheduled any other climbs for 2009. This allowed me a lot of time to take a step back from “all the action.” Since Expedition Hope began in spring 2005, I had literally been away from home (and my new bride) on a major expedition about every six months, and supporting the cause of the mission also necessitated reliving the suicide of my father and repeatedly “stirring up” emotions that had been buried for many years. However, I knew I wanted to pursue this mission, and it has been a tremendous personal growth experience for which I am also grateful.

Another major change this January was that I returned home as one of the millions of people across our country who had experienced a job layoff. That weighed on me as well. However, with the deliberate “down time” of our expedition schedule, this helped me see that I needed to pursue my own therapy and pursue another longtime goal in regards to a new profession. I have in the back of my mind often thought of being an EMT (emergency medical technician). I knew I wanted to help others, but wasn’t quite sure what to do or when to do it.

I used my unemployment and free travel schedule as an opportunity to take several prerequisite classes as well as to attend an EMT course at a local hospital. At the end of the summer, I successfully completed the course and state certification exam, and I have been working as a new and fulltime EMT the last few months. I have been thinking about expanding my training and attending Paramedic school in the near future, which will require some serious juggling of time and resources … another challenge, but one that is really speaking to my dreams as well.

In the midst of all this, my wife and I have also been raising a beautiful Labrador Retriever puppy. We have both separately and together wanted a dog for many years, and the right opportunity finally presented itself. We got our little “chocolate monster” at eight weeks of age; he is now just under ten months old, and nearly 90 lbs. already. Taking care of him is almost a full time job in itself! However, his unconditional love and abundance of energy and exuberance for life has been well worth it.

So … the past several months have been extremely busy! At the close of another year full of changes and challenges, I can look back and realize how much I have for which to be thankful. Since the beginning of Expedition Hope just under five years ago, I have simply had amazing opportunities to spread the message of depression awareness. I’ve been on expeditions on six continents on the globe! It has been a rare gift to be able to do this and to help play a small part in furthering awareness about depression destigmitization and education.

I know we have helped others who battle with the illness of depression from the many e-mails, letters, cards and from personal conversations with people in my community, from climb teammates who shared me their own or a family member’s battles with depression (you get plenty of time to talk in a small tent perched high on a mountain).

I have experienced cold that I can’t even begin to explain, been stuck in a small tent for days during bad snow storms, ate my share of foods that many wouldn’t normally consider putting in their mouths, felt the physical pain of a heavy pack at dizzying altitudes, and, at every step, carried the emotional weight of our mission to support depression awareness.

I have seen sights and been places and met people that many can’t even imagine or may likely never visit … Alaska, Russia, Australia, Argentina, Africa, Antarctica. I climbed on six of the Seven Summits and successfully reached the summit of three of them (Mt. Kilimanjaro/Africa, Mt. Elbrus/Europe and Mt. Kosciuszko/Australia). Yes, there was always the specific mountain, but there were many people along the way from the various cities and villages … often remote and very poor communities that live at the base of many of these mountains, that I will never forget. Although there were sometimes language barriers, you can simply not mistake wonderful generosity and spirit in people.

For the aforementioned experiences and for the opportunity to pursue a longtime desire and mission, I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude and thanks to Eli Lilly and Company. This summer, I had – as we periodically have had over the years – as series of discussions with our liaisons at the company. Although I was informed by Lilly that they would be unable to continue their financial support of our mission on future expeditions, those involved with the mission the last several years have expressed their personal and continued support and have encouraged me to continue with the mission of Expedition Hope. My gratitude to these individuals and to the company in whole will last a lifetime.

I do plan to continue with Expedition Hope’s mission. I feel like I owe it to my father and to the many who battle with depression. I never put a timeframe on completing all Seven Summits, and there certainly seems to be no “timeframe” for a declared “cure” for depression or for the number of people who battle with the illness. The following is a staggering and troubling statistic reported by BBC News: The World Health Organization predicts that depression will be the second leading cause of death by 2020! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/485176.stm

I am not a doctor, therapist or expert in any way, so I cannot medically speak on all the potential causes of depression or treatment options, but that prediction is simply alarming. Depression is not a character flaw or sign of weakness. It is an illness like any other. In the last few years, some well known athletes, actors, politicians and successful business people have publically shared their battles with depression, and I am grateful that people like them have chosen to help raise awareness about this illness.

I am only someone who has experienced a parent who suffered from depression and ultimately lost his battle with it. I am also someone who has personally experienced the challenges of depression, as well as seeing friends and their loved ones struggle with it. I am simply fortunate to have had family, teachers, coaches and other many wonderful people in my life who understood and took the time to care that has helped me over the years trying to understand my father’s pain and to encourage me to work on my own challenges.

The mission of Expedition Hope was my way of finally deciding to share an experience that many others have experienced and to give some positive encouragement. It will be an on-going battle and challenge, but one that is worth fighting. Do you have a family member, loved one, friend or co-worker who battles with depression or has lost a loved one to suicide? If so, then you may understand. If not, then I pray you never do.

As we enter a new year, as well as a new decade, there will certainly be new challenges we will all encounter. I do not know specifically what the future holds, but I know that I will continue in various ways with my mission through local mental health organizations, volunteering, and working with people who have expressed their support in our continued climb mission. The following quote from Lawrence Gonzales is one of my favorites, and it seems to fit well: “Everyone has a mountain to climb … Everyone has a wilderness inside.”

Again, many thanks and gratitude to Eli Lilly and Company for their support of our mission the last almost five years. I will always be grateful! To my wife, I will never be able to repay you for all your encouragement, assistance and love. To my mom and family, you have always been my inspiration and strength through everything. To my friends, thank you for your friendship and support.

Finally, thank you to all of you whom I have met who have shared your battles with depression, or also lost a loved one to suicide. It was your battles shared and common experiences that always kept me motivated and focused on our mission. You will also be the ones I draw one when preparing to continue our mission. Please continue to check back for future plans.

I wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy 2010!

EVENT UPDATE

Posted Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

It’s been a busy past several months, and it’s been hard to find the time to write! There’s much to say, and longer entries will be forthcoming. But for now, I wanted to share three event updates:

One: Last Sunday (October 4) wrapped up the four-week series of “The Seven Summits — An Indianapolis Mountaineering Festival” which was held at Holliday Park here in Indianapolis. Among a small group of climbing friends, we have collectively been on all Seven Summits. The purpose of this series was to help raise awareness and funds for our friend and fellow climber, Larry Howald, who lives with Parkinson’s Disease.

I was proud to be able to kick-off this event with a presentation on Australia and Antarctica. Dave Carter wrapped it up for us last week with a captivating recount of his awesome and terrifying experiences on Mt. Everest – the highest point on earth. Many thanks to Ace Yakey for spearheading this event for Larry and Parkinson’s Disease awareness. Also, many thanks to all of who attended the series and/or made a donation. Over the course of these past four weeks, more than 400 people attended, and we collected more than $ 4,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research! Thank you! For those interested in helping support Larry’s cause, please visit www.teamfox.org and type in event “Seven in Seven.”

Two: With Expedition Hope’s own mission of raising awareness about depression and mental health, I have also become involved in the local NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter – NAMI Indianapolis. On October 6, NAMI Indianapolis held its second annual “Music for the Mind” event, which featured dinner, a silent auction, awards ceremony and more. There were almost 200 in attendance at this event co-chaired by the Mayor of Indianapolis and his wife. I got to volunteer as the event photographer, and my wife and I enjoyed a pleasant evening helping to support this wonderful organization. Anyone interested in helping to support NAMI Indianapolis may do so at www.namiindy.org.

Three: Finally, yesterday, in conjunction with Depression Awareness Week, was National Depression Screening Day. However, just in case you missed it yesterday, it’s never too late to get a screening or to seek treatment! There are many agencies, such as NAMI, that can offer assistance. A few of these organizations may be found by clicking “Links” at the right. Depression is a treatable illness!

An Indianapolis Mountaineering Festival

Posted Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 pm

I am honored to be joining fellow Indianapolis climbers and friends in an upcoming program — “The 7 Summits! — a mountaineering festival in Indianapolis.” This is a series of presentations by local climbers who, collectively, have climbed on the highest peaks of the world’s seven continents. This will take place at Holliday Park Nature Center Auditorium in Indianapolis, from 2-4 pm, on four consecutive Sundays: Sept. 13, Sept. 20, Sept. 27, and Oct. 4, 2009.

Voluntary contributions encouraged, and all proceeds go to SEVEN IN SEVEN, a climber’s benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Seven In Seven was founded by our friend Larry Howald, who battles with Parkinson’s Disease. Last summer, I was fortunate to be in Colorado with Larry as he summited the last peak in his quest to climb all 54 of Colorado’s 14-ers (peaks over 14,000 feet). This summer, Larry also completed “Seven in Seven” – climbing seven Colorado 14-ers in seven days, in his continued mission to raise funds for Parkinson’s Research.

We hope you can join us for some or all of this series. Thank you!

2-4 pm, Sun. Sept. 13, 2009
Joe Lawson
MT. KOSCIUSZKO
Australia’s highest peak – 7,310’
MT. VINSON MASSIF
Antarctica’s highest peak – 16,067’

2-4 pm, Sun. Sept. 20, 2009
Andy Buroker & Larry Howald
MT. ELBRUS
Europe’s highest peak – 18,510’
MT. KILIMANJARO
Africa’s highest peak – 19,340’

2-4 pm, Sun. Sept. 27, 2009
Ace Yakey & Bob Meyer
MT. McKINLEY (DENALI)
North America’s highest peak – 20,320’
MT. ACONCAGUA
South America’s highest peak – 22,841’

2-4 pm, Sun. Oct. 4, 2009
Dave Carter
MT. EVEREST
Asia & the World’s highest peak – 29,035’

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

Posted Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 9:42 pm

On August 8th, after a long year of training and preparation, my friend Bryan reached his goal of standing on the summit of Longs Peak (14,255 ft) in Colorado. Along with Bryan on this climb and on the summit were his good friend Cameron, me, and my friend Tom H.

Bryan and I first met a little over a year ago through a mutual friend and fellow climber here in Indianapolis. Bryan was looking for someone to share some mountain climbing adventures with his church boy scout troop, and I was able to help out and share some of my experiences with them. After that first meeting, my wife and I got to know Bryan more. He and I learned that we shared several things in common, including a love for the great outdoors. We had also both lost our fathers (mine to suicide, his to heart disease).

Not long after our friendship began, Bryan called me one day and said he wanted to become more physically active. He then said he wanted to set a goal of climbing his first mountain. He was going to do this to honor his father – similar to what I have been doing through Expedition Hope. The day he called and shared with me his goal, Bryan weighed over 320 lbs. I was in awe of his determination and I could hear it in his voice. He has three young children and at that time was only 41 years old. He wanted to be more healthy for his children and for himself.

After he shared this dream out loud, Bryan had my wife and I over for dinner to meet the rest of his family. I recall his oldest daughter saying to me, “Don’t let anything happen to my daddy on the mountain.” OK, that added a little extra stress! But we were both determined to make this dream a success.

Bryan wanted to get to work right away and asked if I would help him with a training plan and also do some training with him. We started off with doing some hiking together and gradually increased to wearing a 40 lb weight vest. Bryan also adjusted his diet and, before long, you could see the weight practically melting off of him. He also began training at a local gym and increased the intensity of his workouts. I could clearly see he was doing everything possible to accomplish his goal.

After a long year of preparation and training, and losing more than 80 lbs, the day to finally depart for Colorado and climb Longs Peak was upon us. Bryan and I flew out on the same flight, arrived in Denver and rented a car to make the drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a beautiful drive and filled with post-card views at every turn. Before long, the full expanse of Longs Peak came into view, and Bryan saw for the first time what was ahead of him. Longs Peak is not a technical climb, but it does have a great deal of exposure, long drop offs and, of course, unpredictable weather. Longs Peak is no “give me” summit.

To prepare from going from sea level to altitude, we first did a few warm-up climbs inside Rocky Mountain National Park. The first peak we climbed was Flattop Mountain. We met and spoke with several climbers on Flattop who were also preparing for Longs. All shared the same anxiety and concerns for the exposure that Bryan would be experiencing. Flattop is a beautiful climb with great views of Longs Peak in the distance. Bryan did a great job on Flattop Mountain, and we both stood on the summit together and shared the day’s accomplishment and spectacular scenery.

The next day, we climbed Twin Sisters, which is another nice warm up for Longs Peak. Again, Bryan did an awesome job, stayed strong, and we both reached the summit for another great view of Longs Peak. The next day, a Thursday, we took as a rest day. Bryan drove back to Denver to pick up Cameron, and I stayed in Estes Park to finish some climb details and logistics. When Bryan and Cam returned to Estes Park, it was time to start packing packs and get focused on the reason why we were all there: Longs Peak!

The next morning, we woke up early and drove to the Longs Peak trailhead. Our plan was to hike to the Boulder Field and make camp for the evening. My friend Tom, a Denver native with whom I climbed in both Russia and Argentina, and his son Ben, were going to meet us in the Boulder Field, so we would be a party of five. On Saturday morning, August 8th, we would go for the summit. This date was important to Bryan, since it was the date of his father’s death.

Friday night brought some high winds, and the tents were getting blown around pretty good. The night was less than restful, since I kept recalling Bryan’s daughters request to me from a year earlier, and what I knew was still ahead of us. The morning came quickly, and we all woke and started to prepare for the climb up to the Keyhole. The Keyhole is a notch in the mountain, and it also acts like a wind tunnel. After consulting with Tom, we decided to wait for the crowd of climbers at the Keyhole to thin out a bit, as well as wait for the winds to hopefully subside. We continued to see a long line of climbers descending from the Keyhole, and it seemed like Bryan talked to each one as they passed our camp. They were all turning around after reporting very high and dangerous winds at the Keyhole. We estimated at least 80 climbers we talked to that determined it was too dangerous and were going down. This really wasn’t helping Bryan’s confidence.

However, we decided to listen to our own instincts, and we started to make the long and steep climb up to the Keyhole, where you must climb through the Keyhole to access the rest of the route. This is where the climbing and exposure really begins. After reaching the Keyhole, Tom went and “poked his head” through the Keyhole to get a better look, while I stayed with Ben, Bryan and Cam. Once Tom gave the go ahead, we had Bryan climb the rest of the way and make his way through the Keyhole. He looked around and saw the Ledges, Narrows and everything he has read about for the past year. Quite honestly, we all thought that Bryan was going to decide to turn around. But after a brief moment of looking around, he turned to the rest of us and said, “Let’s Roll.” Well, game on! I was very proud of Bryan for facing his fears and decided to go for it.

What was just around the corner was the Ledges, which are very exposed, high and do not have much room to make any errors with bad footing. Again, Bryan demonstrated his courage and did a great job. However, after making it past the Ledges, we still had the Narrows, the Trough, and finally the homestretch to climb and negotiate. The route does not become any easier, and the exposure and potential drop offs became greater.
After reaching the vertical rock to the summit, I knew that Bryan was going to do it. After a year of training and commitment, he was now only a few more feet from standing on the summit.

At approximately 12:20 pm Colorado time on August, 8th, the date of Bryan’s fathers death, he stood on the summit of Longs Peak! It was such a great joy and honor to be with him on the summit and to hear him call his children and let them know that he was “on top.” Also, we had beautiful weather and blue skies on the top. It couldn’t have been any more perfect for Bryan, as well as for Cameron, Tom and me.

Bryan’s perseverance was inspiring and also an example of overcoming obstacles to reach a goal – just like with Expedition Hope. I am truly in awe of Bryan’s determination to change his life and to face challenges to reach his goal. He worked hard, was discouraged at times, but never gave up and achieved a dream. I am honored to have been able to share some of that with him. Great job, Bryan!!!

“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary

GOIN’ WEST

Posted Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Soon I will be heading to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado with a few friends to climb Longs Peak (14,255 ft). The purpose for this trip is to support my good friend Bryan, who made a commitment last year to lose weight and to get more active for himself and for his three children. His personal goal was to have a challenge and adventure to celebrate his road back to a healthy lifestyle. He chose to climb his first mountain. Like my mountain climbing with Expedition Hope to honor my father’s memory, Bryan is also doing this to remember his father, who passed away from a heart attack a few years ago at an early age. Last summer, Bryan, at age 41, weighed over 300 lbs. To date, he has lost more than 80 lbs and is doing great in his commitment to get fit. We plan to go for the summit on August 8th, the anniversary of Bryan’s father’s death. I’m looking forward to climbing with Bryan on his first 14-er attempt, and I’m honored to share this experience with him.

FATHER’S DAY

Posted Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 9:49 pm

This Sunday is Father’s Day and, as always, it brings to mind many memories and reflections for me. As I have written about many times before, there are numerous life events that I and my siblings wish that we could have shared with our dad. My father’s day message this year is simple: To encourage all fathers and men who battle with depression to seek treatment (help is available!), and to know that they do not need to battle this illness in silence.

And for those who live, love and/or care for a husband, father, friend, co-worker, etc., who battles with the illness, there is a saying my wife has shared with me, that I wanted to share as well. We even have these words posted on our refrigerator: “To the world you may only be one person … but to one person you maybe the world.” Don’t underestimate the positive impact you can have on a loved one’s life by simply taking the time to care and show your support!

Happy Father’s day to my dad, my father-in-law, my brothers and all of my closest friends who are fathers. Enjoy the day!