Its a pretty scary number.

For the past six months we’ve been throwing around the idea of doing this, planning a route, planning the logistics (word of the year, by the way), getting a website set up and making this idea a reality. And were just now getting to feel that number.

Maybe that was a stupid way to do it. But chances are, if we had started with that number, we never would have gotten this far. The weight of the six digits would have dragged us down until the thought of it eventually made us call it quits. Without having an idea of how we would do it, we wouldn’t have had the slightest idea that we could at all.

In doing it backwards (not knowing we were doing it like that, by the way), we knew what we were going to do when we got hit with the number.

But still. It hit us hard. Or it hit me hard, anyway. Gabe tends to be more gung-ho and although I did catch him let out a “holy crap,” I would be surprised if there was ever a doubt in his mind. On the other hand, I guess I tend to play it a little safer. I guess it’s the idea of attaching a credit card to our account in case we don’t hit our $8000 pledge or, after raising all that, not being able to climb Rainier because we didn’t find all of our $2000 additional to help us fly to Seattle (were broke college/high school students after all). I was scared, and I still am, to be completely honest. I probably will be for months.

But I really do think we can do it. We’ve given ourselves ample time, we’ve got all the tools and loads of motivation and enthusiasm. But above all, we’ve got the support of a lot of people (that’s you). We both have huge bases of family and friends helping us and the people of the Adirondacks are an incredible supportive community. With a cause as far reaching as this, I have a hard time believing there wont be lots more people looking to help.

But I’ll still be nervous. So consider this my personal plea. Help us achieve our goals and allow hundreds of kids to have the opportunity to get outside. Its the same opportunity we have had and we know many of you have has as well. Personally, its made me who I am and if it changes the life of just one kid, $10,000 would be chump change. Thank you so much for all your continued and future support!

RPW