Elevating Education

ELEVATING EDUCATION

A team of supporters explored the Northern Cascades and climbed Mount Baker while fundraising for City Kids Wilderness Project and our transformative outdoor youth leadership programming!

This amazing opportunity was offered through Alpine Ascents guiding service in Seattle, Washington. Each climber implemented their own fundraising campaign to support City Kids Wilderness Project. For more information about the Elevating Education trip and how it supported youth programming at City Kids, please contact our Development Director Vinette Brown, at vinette@citykidsdc.org.

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Mount Baker

June 21-25, 2018
Individual Fundraising Goal: $2,500

The quintessential Northwest glacier, Mt. Baker is the highest point of the North Cascades and is a heavily glaciated dormant volcano providing an incredible climbing experience for both the inexperienced and experienced mountaineer. Mt. Baker is unique with respect to its great mass of snow and ice and its easy accessibility. This combination creates a perfect alpine training ground for anyone interested!

Climbers carry their full kit of gear up to high camp, spend a full day training and summit via the beautiful Easton glacier. This three-day instructional course/summit climb teaches you some of the basics of glacier mountaineering, including self-arrest training, glacier and rope techniques while looking to summit Mt. Baker.

OUR MISSION

City Kids Wilderness Project is a non-profit organization founded on the belief that providing enriching life experiences for DC children can enhance their lives, the lives of their families and the greater community. City Kids currently operates school year and summer programs for 130 DC urban youth, enrolling new youth in the sixth grade and providing program support through middle school and high school. Our program is based around three core principles: long-term youth engagement, experiential education programming with a focus on overcoming challenges, and goal setting with a focus on future planning.

Registration & Fundraising

In order to register for the Elevating Education Climbing Team, each participant must submit a non-refundable payment of $895.00 to Alpine Ascents to secure their spot on the team. If interested, please contact Ryan Banning before making your deposit at Ryan@citykidsdc.org

What is included in the deposit?
Transportation to and from the mountain, all group climbing equipment: climbing ropes and technical hardware, meals (except lunch), and tents.

What is NOT included in the deposit?
Personal equipment and lunches. Each climber is responsible for all items on the gear list. Rentals are available through Alpine Ascents.

Each participant will be required to raise a minimum of $2,500 for City Kids Wilderness Project in order to accompany the climbing team. City Kids will provide each climber with an individual fundraising page that will help track your progress. We know that not everyone is a natural at fundraising, that’s why we are here to help you succeed! We have a list of fundraising tips and strategy, and are always available for a phone call to help you brainstorm ways in which you can reach your goal!

Itinerary

Day 1

Thursday, June 21, 2018

There will be a mandatory gear check at Alpine Ascents main office located at 109 W. Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98119. Exact time will be communicated to you through Alpine Ascents and their confirmation material.

Day 2

Friday, June 22, 2018

We depart at 7 a.m. from the Alpine Ascents office and drive to Schrieber’s Meadow on the south side of Mt. Baker. Most of the day is spent on the moderately strenuous approach as we start hiking from 3,400 feet in sub-alpine meadows. The hiking will continue through old-growth forest for the first two hours. We will exit the forest at 4,800 feet and continue up the trail through high alpine meadows along with seasonal snow covered regions. We will aim to arrive at Sandy Camp (6,100 ft.), perched high on the south side of Mount Baker, in the afternoon. A spectacular view from camp of the Easton glacier is enjoyed over a hot meal prepared by your guides.

Day 3

Saturday, June 23, 2018

After breakfast, we will begin our training. Alpine Ascent guides will cover all aspects of walking on snow, self-arrest, glissading, crampon and ice axe use, and proper rope techniques for climbing the mountain. After lunch, instruction will continue with learning knots, harness use, anchors and running belays all around Sandy Camp. The guides will provide an early dinner and will go over summit-day requirements. We will go to bed early and wake up around midnight to prepare for the summit climb.

Training: We will discuss safety aspects of our climb, rope management, knots, anchors, crampon technique, self-arrest and glacier travel. Afternoon topics might include local history, glaciology, mountain weather, along with map and compass use.

Day 4

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Summit day! We will start our climb around midnight, depending on weather and route conditions. Guides will serve a hot breakfast, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and top off water bottles before embarking on our climb. Our route will start with a climb to the top of the Easton moraine at 7,000 feet, where we’ll access the Easton glacier. From there, we will ascend the gently angled Easton Glacier until we reach the crater rim at 9,800 feet. A nice break will allow us to look deep into the steaming crater of Mt. Baker. We will then climb up the Roman Wall and crest the summit plateau at just over 10,500 feet. A short walk leads up to the summit of Mount Baker, at 10,781 feet. At a moderate pace, the summit climb should take five to seven hours from Sandy Camp. Clear weather offers an inspiring 360° view from this most magnificent North Cascades summit. After celebrating the summit and taking photos, we will descend carefully back to Sandy Camp. Here we will pack up our camp and descend to Schrieber’s Meadow. A summit celebration will take place at a restaurant as we return to Seattle.

Important Dates

* June 21st – 25th, 2018 – Days of travel for the entire adventure. Everyone must arrive by the afternoon of the 21st. You will be available to fly out by June 25th.

* March 15th, 2018 – Each climber should have raised $1,500 at this point. At this marker, City Kids will schedule a call to check in with each climber around their fundraising goal.

* May 15th, 2018 – 85% of the fundraising goal should be met at this point.

Gear & Training

Click here to read more about the gear necessary for Mount Baker. All gear is available to rent through Alpine Ascents. https://www.alpineascents.com/climbs/mount-baker/gear-list/

This 3-day climb of the Easton glacier route on Mt. Baker is a serious undertaking. Just because you exercise regularly (four to six times per week) does not mean you have the conditioning needed to climb Mt. Baker. Plenty of people who can run a marathon fail to summit Baker. Pure cardiovascular fitness is simply not enough. You need to be able to ascend 4-5,000 feet in successive days with substantial weight on your back. Expect to carry at least a 45-50 pound pack of tents, gear, and food (or more) to get in to base camp. The ascent to the summit, comparable elevation gain to the approach, involves carrying a pack weight of about half that of your approach pack.

Prioritize your training efforts in the following way, assuming that you are in good health and injury-free:
* Climbing conditioning – pack-loaded uphill hiking, walking, and stair climbing
* Strength training for the lower and upper body
* Cardiovascular training, including both aerobic and anaerobic workouts without pack weight
* Flexibility training

Most people will need to train specifically for Mt. Baker for at least four to six months. For more information on training specificity, visit Alpine Ascents website at: https://www.alpineascents.com/climbs/mount-baker/training/