Kurt Patterson trains for Summit for Someone
When it comes to giving to a worthy cause, most of us will kick in a few bucks or a few hours of our time. Not Kurt Patterson. See, Kurt Patterson is going a bit above and beyond. Like, WAY above. 11,000 feet above.
Patterson, who has NEVER climbed a mountain before in his life, says he’ll get to the top of Mount Hood in one day . . . that is IF his friends, family and co-workers will pony up $3,400 for the local chapter of the Boys and Girls Club (kidding aside, Patterson assures us he’ll make the climb regardless of whether he comes in over or under his goal).
It’s called the Summit for Someone program. Climbers all over the country volunteer for massive climbs and get sponsors to kick in for a local charity in exchange.
“To be honest, I’m not too concerned about the climb itself,” jokes Patterson in an exclusive interview with GNPDX. “They have this training program you’re supposed to start about eight weeks before the climb. I’m not sure how I’m going to get excited about crawling out of a warm bed at 3 AM to go climb a mountain.”
Interestingly enough, Patterson hasn’t worked with the charity before.
“I have some relatives who are involved,” he explains. “They really take the role of being a big brother or big sister to those kids. They call during the week to check in, answer any questions about homework and stuff. Then, they hang out with them on the weekends, doing activities they both really enjoy.”
Patterson won’t be going for the climb until June and is still accepting backers. To donate or learn more about the program, click here. In the mean time, Kurt Patterson, we salute you!
[...] -Kurt Patterson, Mount Hood 2 Above and beyond … WAY above [...]
Pingback by SFS climbers in the news « Summit For Someone blog — April 21, 2009 @ 2:23 pm
Hi, interesting post. I have been thinking about this topic,so thanks for posting. I’ll certainly be coming back to your posts.
Comment by How I Lost Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days — May 3, 2009 @ 9:54 pm
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Comment by PeterMontee — July 3, 2009 @ 2:50 am