Sunrise Climb

From WMUR:
"Athletes of various abilities climb Mount Washington, raise money"

A group of athletes with a wide range of abilities made their way to the summit of Mount Washington to see the sunrise, as well as raise money for a North Country organization. The peak of Mount Washington stands at 6,288 feet, so each team is tasked with raising $6,288. One team brought in over $23,000. “Whatever their abilities are, we maximize those and away they go,” said Sandy Olney, executive director of Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country. Over a dozen differently-abled athletes walked, used handcycles or wheelchairs or were assisted in trail-riders for the nearly eight-mile trek up the Mount Washington Auto Road to the summit. “Once we broke above the tree line and could see the views, I was totally energized and was like, ‘All right, we're doing it!’” said Brenna Bean, of Whately, Massachusetts. “Just the opportunity to get up there on the Auto Road and participate with other people and the adaptive partners – it all comes together to make it a cool event,” said Erik Kondo, of Lexington, Massachusetts. The event is the largest fundraiser for Adaptive Sports Partners. “Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country provides year-round sport, recreation, wellness opportunities for really people of any ability,” Olney said. Martin Wallem of Epping has been battling ALS for 18 years. His wife, Cara, said the event is the highlight of the year for their family. “It means a lot to Martin because he was and still is an avid outdoorsman, and he just loves to be out here out on the mountain,” she said. “And he had the idea 10 years ago to start this event, and the people at ASPNC, they did it, they made it happen.” Martin Wallem is so much a part of the event, his silhouette is on the logo. “It not only benefits Martin and enables him to continue doing these outdoor activities, but it helps so many other people now,” Cara Wallem said. The event was rained out the past two years, so athletes and organizers were grateful for Sunday’s beautiful weather and are hoping they’ll be as lucky next year, when they celebrate their 10th anniversary.

^ This sounds like a great cause and a lot of fun. ^

https://www.wmur.com/article/athletes-of-various-abilities-climb-mount-washington-raise-money/22646913