Gearing Up

Rewind a couple of weeks... it's the middle of final exams, and I get a call from my mom back home in Wisconsin. A pile of boxes had been delivered to our doorstep- had I been expecting anything? Not really. I was just as surprised to hear it as she was. I asked who they were from, and she said each box said "Black Diamond"on the side. She didn't know what it was, but I nearly dropped the phone. I thought she was kidding. "Open them, Mom!" I implored from 900 miles away. I think she grumbled something along the lines of "what, now?" and "why are these boxes in my living room?" She knows gear like I know structural sociology (i.e. not much...) and took what seemed like forever to find a pair of scissors and cut through the tape on the first box. According to her, the first item was a pick. As a gearhead-in-training, I politely asked for the definition of the item as written on the label. "Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe 65 in." She turned it over with the critical eye of an academic holding a weed whacker- or any other purely utilitarian object, for that matter- she had no idea why and to whom such an item would be useful. But I was speechless- I'd been researching ice axes and discussing the pros and cons of various models ever since the IMCS course last winter. But this was the real deal.

The next box held a BD Half Dome climbing helmet, a pair of Apex gaiters, and a Lockdown Leash. Half my gear list for Rainier had been checked off in one sentence! (Perhaps all that sleep deprivation from final exams had caught up with me!) My mom wasn't nearly as excited about all the gear until I explained each item's use, purpose, and worth during climbs. (Felt like I was translating Ancient Greek or interpreting hieroglyphics.) I thought that was the end of the conversation, but then she mentioned one more box was still unopened! (My birthday wasn't even for another six months, but I felt like having a party.)

My mom exclaimed that the last item was loosely packed in a smaller box- almost like a shoebox, but according to her they didn't look like shoes. They were pointy...possibly dangerous, and, oh yeah, the box said "crampons" on the side. Because they had had some previous wear, there was no identifying tag attached. After having a look myself, they appear to be of the BD Sabretooth Pro Step-In crampon variety. And in mighty fine shape, at that.

I had to wait almost two weeks more for my flight home, in order to see the gear in person. But I got online and contacted Johnny Moore at Insulindependence to tell him the news. He's been a tremendous force in helping me plan, organize, and carry out my campaign for iD these past few months!

Earlier in the year, he introduced me to a fellow member of iD who serves as a boardmember for the organization. Her name is Terra Hillyer, and she is one of the most inspirational women with diabetes that I've ever met. Terra is an incredible source of knowledge on exercising with diabetes, and I've been lucky enough to learn a thing or two in just the few months that I've known her. But in terms of the outdoor world, I've only just begun to follow in her footsteps! When we were introduced back in February, I wasn’t surprised to hear she had also been up Rainier. We talked about the climb, training, recommended gear, and mountaineering with diabetes. A few weeks after the conversation, Terra emailed me asking for my gear list, more info on the climb and my campaign for iD, some clothing/shoe sizes, and a mailing address. I didn’t hear from her for the next month or so, but when the collection of Black Diamond boxes appeared on my doorstep at home in early-May, I knew they were the result of Terra’s hard work and her wholehearted commitment to help Insulindependence succeed in its mission to inspire those with diabetes.

When I emailed Terra after hearing the gear report from home, she mentioned that Patagonia would also be joining my cause and helping with gear for the climb. I’ve grown up hearing respected names like Black Diamond and Patagonia in the outdoor world, but it’s absolutely unreal to realize that I’ll be using their gear on the mountain this summer!

Terra, her husband Chris, and the representatives at Black Diamond and Patagonia who took the time to hear my story have been instrumental in helping make Rainier possible by ensuring that I set off on the climb this summer—and my mountaineering career—with the right tools and knowledge to be successful. There will never be enough words to explain how much this means to me and the others at iD, but I just hope that I can use the skills I’ve learned in the mountains to help teach and inspire others with diabetes, just as Terra has done. I was equally thrilled to hear from John that she also found a way to provide every kid on this summer’s Testing Limits Colorado 14ers expedition with a new headlamp from Petzl. Way to go, Terra!

Discussions continue with John and Peter on different ways to connect the Rainier climb to my broader iD fundraising initiative and the new Testing Limits program.

More ideas and adventures are in the works, so stay tuned!