Daily Climb Progress

CLIMB PROGRESS MIDST THE ITINERARY JULY 5th-10th, 2008

All were incredibly excited as our team gathered in Seattle for the 2008 Mt. Rainier climb. The training regimens were about to be tested and pay off!

Saturday July 5th

Our guest veterans fly into Seattle Sea/Tac:

Ryan Job will arrive on SW #3809 from Phoenix, at 10:55 am

Chad Jukes will arrive on SW #1570 from Salt Lake City, at 12:20 pm

Joey Martinez arrives on SW #2632/952 from San Antonio, at 12:45 pm

THE WELCOME HAS BEEN DRAMATIC!

Sgt Kim of the Port of Seattle Police arranged for officers to help our Disabled Vets meet Camp Patriot's Officals. Officer JR Camarao escorted our Director, Micah Clark, to each plane so Camp Patriot could greet each combat injured Vet upon arrival. The pictures below show them gathering at the Camp Patriot Van, then Joey, Chad and Ryan "Ready to Roll." The picture they display is of our last "Vet Adventurer," Bradley Gruetzner, posed with the bear he got during his Jim Shockey hunt on Vancouver Island.

1:30 pm - Tour of Qwest Field with Seattle Seahawks

No dull moments as the excitement builds. Our Vets are joined by Jeff Kemp, former NFL Seahawks quarterback, and Keni Thomas, country music singer, for an incredible tour of the stadium organized and hosted by Mike Flood, VP of Community Relations for the Seahawks. Shown below are Chad Jukes, Ryan Job, Jeff Kemp, Joey Martinez, Keni Thomas and Mike Flood. Ryan Job enjoys throwing a pass to Jeff Kemp - a new role for each of them!

6:45 pm - pre-event welcome for our guest veterans

Beth Wolfe of "Wolfe Events NW" in Tacoma (wolfeeventsNW@aol.com) has arranged a special welcome for Ryan, Chad, & Joey aboard the historic Tall Ship "Eagle" currently visiting the Tacoma harbor. They will be joined by the climbing and support team members for the evening gathering.

The tall ships were great and impressive!  The Eagle is the Coast Guard sail vessel.

About 75 passes were given to the bow where the Camp Patriot function was held. Everyone wanted to meet the Vets, shake hands, get pictures etc. - met a lot of nice folks. Opportunity was given to speak and tell about Camp Patriot's mission, vision etc. and take some questions. Beth Wolfe provided great appetizers, pastries, sodas etc. enjoyed by all. After about two hours our vets were anxious to head for the mountain ;-)

Shown below are Pat Kenny, Camp Patriot Board Member, our 3 vets - Ryan, Chad & Joey - Micah Clark, Camp Patriot Founder, and Bill Clark, Board Member.

Sunday, July 6th

The team departs Tacoma for the town of Ashford, WA at the entrance to Mt Rainier National Park. Here the team will check, organize and pack all necessary individual and group gear. Discussion will be held on the next four days mountain schedule. The support team will spend the night camping in Ashford. Whittaker's Bunkhouse, Rainier Mountaineering Inc. will host the Guest Veterans with complimentary rooms for their night before the climb. Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI) has been very gracious and generous in allowing Camp Patriot to set up a Base Camp at their headquarters in Ashland.  Mr. Meyer, Mr. Whittaker and Jeff have been wonderful.  Also at the cafe, Sara Whittaker and her staff were generous and gracious as well. Thank you to all of you.

Monday, July 7th

7:00 am they depart for Paradise Visitors Center at the 5400' level on the south side of Mt Rainier. The team checks final loads and begins the 4.5 mile hike up Muir Snowfield to Camp Muir at 10,080'. They will establish camp and spend the night on Cowlitz Glacier.

After a grueling 9 hours of climbing the men reached Camp Muir about 7:30 pm. We're told they are healthy and happy to be there!

Tuesday, July 8th

Training day on Cowlitz Glacier and around Camp Muir. Basic climbing techniques and preparation for their midnight departure for the summit. 2nd "night" on Cowlitz Glacier at Camp Muir.

Wednesday, July 9th

Summit attempt via Disappointment Clever route. They will enjoy the view, then return for their third night at Camp Muir.

GOAL IS ACCOMPLISHED!!!

As of 8:00 am this morning, ALL THREE DISABLE VETERANS - RYAN JOB, CHAD JUKES AND JOEY MARTINEZ III - SUMMITED MT RAINIER!

Three combat injured Veterans, two blind, one missing his right leg - We are talking about superior performance! Less than 50% of all climbers make it to the summit of Mt Rainier. Due to the extraordinary makeup of these vets and the climbing team led by Curtis Fawley, Art Rausch, formerly with RMI and Ann and Ashley associated with International Mountaineering Guides (IMG) conquered another 8 hour grueling climb getting all climbers to the top (14,410 feet).

They spent about an hour at the summit, then started their descent about 9 am. They expect to arrive back in Camp Muir between 12 & 1 pm, for a total climb time of between 12 and 13 hours.

2:55 pm - ALL CLIMBERS HAVE RETURNED TO CAMP MUIR!

Thursday, July 10th

Post Events - Descent from Camp Muir to Paradise. Drive to Ashford for post climb BBQ and celebration held at the Rainier Mountaineering Inc. facility grounds. (BBQ will be cooked by Curt Fawley's wife Colleen and daughter Mara Beth - Curtis, of Far West Log Homes, is a head guide).

Friday, July 11th

Travel day, returning home from Ashford to Sea/Tac and beyond.

Chad departs on SW #2643 to SLC @ 12:35 pm

Ryan departs on SW #968 to PHX @ 12:55 pm

Joey departs on SW #118 to SAT @ 2:50 pm

If you can access the Seattle Times on line, Jack Broom did a wonderful article about our climbing vet team and Camp Patriot.  Our thanks and appreciation to Jack and Ken his camerman. Well done gentlemen.

Micah and Curtis were invited to do a live interview on 710 KIRO in Seattle. Ron and Don were amazing and spent over 30 minutes talking to Micah and Curtis about the climb and Camp Patriot.  If you are interested you may be able to find an archived version of the interview on KIRO's web site.

Thank you all for your help and generosity. God bless America and those that defend her.

Bill Clark