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It all started here. Over the last half-decade, the Adirondacks have been our home. They’ve made us both who we are, and what we want to become. Through hiking, backpacking, climbing and generally being outdoors, we’ve found our passions, developed our goals, and set a course for the rest of our lives. We’ve forged and solidified friendships and we know now, better than ever before, what it truly means to trust. We’ve tested ourselves both mentally and physically against the strongest of all forces: mother nature, and learned the arts of working with her. The outdoors have taught us self-reliance, determination, and hard work. And for all that, we’re finally getting our chance to give back.
Over the course of three weeks next summer, we will be following an epic 200+ mile route, bisecting the entirety of the Adirondack Park, south to north, blue line to blue line…
Our expedition will be used to gain support and raise awareness for a Colorado-based charity called Big City Mountaineers. BCM transforms the lives of under-resourced youth from cities like Denver and San Francisco through outdoor and wilderness mentoring programs, teaching them valuable life skills and broadening their horizons. We’ll be raising money for BCM thr0ugh their main fundraising program, Summit For Someone which will, after raising our pledged amount, allow us to head west later in the summer to climb Mount Rainier.
Climbing Rainier will complete the circle we’ve been working our way around for the past five years. Advancing to the next step in our outdoor careers, mountaineering, while allowing some of the kids that need it most to have the opportunity to experience all that we have, and to learn all that we’ve been able to.
Stay tuned here to follow our progress in fundraising and during the expedition. Please help us reach our goal and help us spread the outdoors by supporting Big City Mountaineers and helping to support our Traverse and our climb next summer. Any donation you can make will be greatly appreciated by us, BCM, and the thousands of at-risk youth that you will be introducing to the wilderness and giving one of the greatest gifts possible.
We’ll see you on the trail this summer!
Ryan Wichelns & Gabe Messercola Adirondack Traverse 2013










