On Top of the World!

Mission accomplished! I climbed my first 14er! I made it to the summit of Quandary Peak at 14,265 feet! And I’ve almost reached my fundraising goal, too. Originally, my goal was to raise $25,000 for KIPP Houston Public Schools, but when I reached that goal, thanks to the generosity of many of you, I mentally adjusted the goal to $35,000, and I’m only $2,000 away from reaching that new goal! Before I tell you about my Climb (for those of you who don’t care to read the lengthy description that follows), I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who sponsored me on my Climb for KIPP. Your support and generosity will make a true difference in the lives of the students that we serve and will help them tremendously as they climb the mountain to and through college. And for those of you who would still like to donate, it’s certainly not too late! Just go to www.kipphouston.org/climb, and you can help me raise $35,000 to support KIPP Houston Public Schools and the 9,000 students who will be starting school in a few short weeks. So how was the hike? It was TOUGH!! I totally underestimated the magnitude of what I was doing. I had thought to myself – it’s not like I’m climbing Mt. Everest or Denali or Kilimanjaro. And lots of people do 14ers, many of them much harder than Quandary. Some people attempt to climb all of the 14ers, and I was just doing one. But as the sign at the Quandary trailhead says, no 14er is easy.   And that sign was right! Outside of childbirth, this is definitely the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done! Quandary Peak is among the 15 highest mountains in Colorado and is only 230 feet shy of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental U.S. To reach the summit at 14,265 feet, we traversed a steady, relentless, steep ascent of 3.1 miles, with an elevation gain of over 3,300 feet. The second half of the climb, all through rocky and often unstable terrain, is even harder than the first, and you’re already tired by the time you get to the toughest parts. And all of this is done in very thin air. The trailhead is at an altitude of 10,000 feet to begin with, and the air just gets thinner and thinner as you ascend. As you’re climbing, the summit looks so far away, and the people walking along that final ridge look like tiny ants. You feel as if you’ll never get there! I certainly didn’t break any records for speed. It took me a grueling 3 hours and 25 minutes to ascend to the top, but it was totally worth it – not just because of the purpose of my climb, but also because I was rewarded with some incredible views, not to mention a sense of accomplishment that I’ve rarely felt in my life. You really do feel as if you’re on top of the world! (You kind of are!!) After a 15 minute stop to take some photos to document the achievement, to absorb the magnitude of the accomplishment, to celebrate, and to enjoy the magnificent scenery, it took another 2 hours and 45 minutes to get back down. (While the descent wasn’t as strenuous, it was much more treacherous and scary, and I took my sweet time.) Everything I’d read said to plan on eight hours round-trip, so in my mind, 6+ hours was a respectable time. And in the words of Miley Cyrus, “It ain’t about how fast I get there . . . it’s all about the climb.” There was a point when I questioned if I could make it to the top – indeed, whether I wanted to continue. But it was a fleeting thought. When I thought about why I was doing this climb in the first place – that I was doing it for a reason, that I was doing it for a cause that I truly and deeply believe in – I knew that I had to, and could, make it to the summit. This is when it became as much of a mental exercise as a physical one. This is where it took persistence and grit, desire, discipline, and determination – some of the character traits that KIPP teaches and instills in its students so that they can succeed on their own climb up the mountain to and through college. There were so many factors that could have prevented me from making it to the top of Quandary – thunderstorms that typically roll in each afternoon and could have forced us to turn back; altitude sickness that requires some to quit; an old foot injury that often causes me to stop before I want. But instead, the forces aligned to help me succeed in reaching the summit. We had perfect weather conditions – sunny and warm; the daily early afternoon storm never came; the wind was calm, so the upper portions of the mountain and the summit were not nearly as cold as usual. My foot held out amazingly well; it didn’t start really hurting until about halfway down the mountain, and even then, it wasn’t as bad as usual. While the thin air certainly made the climb much more difficult, other than a small headache, I wasn’t adversely affected by the altitude. And I had a new friend who’d hiked Quandary many times before to accompany me and guide me along the way. As KIPP’s students make their climb, there are so many challenges, so many potential obstacles and roadblocks that can keep them from college graduation. And that is why KIPP does what KIPP does. That’s why KIPP provides our students with a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum and strong academic skills. But it takes more than strong academic preparation for our students to make it to and through college. So KIPP also instills in our students the intellectual habits and character traits that will help them succeed, that will enable them to overcome the obstacles and challenges that they may face. And just as I had someone to help me along the way, the KIPP Through College program continues to support and guide our students when they leave KIPP, whether that happens after the 8th grade to attend another high school or after high school graduation to attend the college of their choice. Your support of Climb for KIPP helps our KIPPsters reach their summit – college graduation. I want to extend a huge thank you to Mike Conneighton, my guide for this Climb. Mike, a Breckenridge local who’s a close friend of KIPP’s CFO, happily agreed to take a day off from work to escort a total stranger up Quandary Peak. Thank you, Mike – for showing me the way, for being ever so patient and allowing me to go at my own pace and stop as often as I needed (when you could have done the Climb in half the time), for sharing your water with me when I’d depleted my supply, for taking countless photos to document my journey, for turning the other way when I had to use the “facilities” (even though there was very little to hide behind), and for cheering me on along the way. And thanks, Murf, for connecting me with your buddy Mike. I also want to thank Lorraine Wulfe, Walter Katz, Mike Feinberg, and Terry Nixon for helping me reach my fundraising goal by sharing this effort with others; Lupita Talley for designing the Climb for KIPP logo; Steve Brown for creating the webpage and for all his help with the website, Facebook, and my blog; Chris Gonzalez for all of her help with my communications about the Climb; United Graphics for the special purpose business cards; Ben Shenker Specialties for the great t-shirts; all my friends and colleagues for their moral support and well wishes; and especially Terry Nixon for accompanying me to Breckenridge, for allowing so much of our vacation to center around my Climb, and for believing in me and encouraging me every step of the way. As we say at KIPP, Team always beats Individual! And again, a tremendous thanks to every one of you who made a donation to support my Climb for KIPP, and more importantly, to support the KIPPsters on their own tough and steep climb up the mountain to and through college. THANK YOU for helping the KIPPsters and KIPP Houston reach new heights! With much appreciation . . . Keep climbing, Sondee Sondee Hatcher Director of Development KIPP Houston Public Schools 10711 KIPP Way | Houston, TX  77099 c: 832.723.6629 | www.kipphouston.org/climb  Donate to Climb for KIPP

 

How Am I Training for My Climb?

I’ve had many people ask, “So, how do you train for something like this?”  Those who know me well are aware that I already workout every day, so that part is easy for me.  But I have changed my workout routine to prepare for my Climb.  I’m spending a lot of time on the treadmill at a steep incline.  (And I hate the treadmill!  It’s the one piece of cardio equipment that I typically don’t use.  If I’m going to walk, I’d much prefer to do it outside, but since I want to do some incline training and there aren’t many mountains or even hills around here, I’m forcing myself to use the dreaded treadmill.)  I’m also spending time on the stair “monster” – that machine with the steps that revolve around and around so that you’re climbing an endless set of stairs.  It still kicks my butt every time, but I’m building up on it.

 My training is similar to the KIPPsters’ preparation for college.  KIPP works to provide them with the academic skills and intellectual habits that they need to succeed in college and the competitive world beyond.  But equally as important, KIPP works to instill in our students the character traits and skills that are vitally important to succeeding in college – traits like grit, zest, optimism, gratitude, self-control, and social intelligence.  As they climb the mountain to and through college, some things will be unpredictable and out of their control, but if they have these character traits and skills, they will be able to deal with whatever comes their way.

And it’s the same with my Climb.  I’m training for the steep inclines, but there’s not much that I can do to train for the altitude.  Other than doing lots of cardio, the altitude and my reaction to it are out of my control.  I’ll do what I can to prepare for the altitude – drinking lots of water, giving myself time to acclimate, etc.  But beyond that, it will require grit, optimism, and determination to overcome the challenges I may encounter on my way to the top of the mountain.  If my grit, determination, and persistence are anywhere near as strong as the KIPPsters’ who are my inspiration and my role models, I’ve no doubt I’ll reach the top.

Inspiration for My Climb

Friday, June 1, 2012.  Once again today, as so often happens at KIPP, I was reminded not only why I want to climb a 14er for KIPP but why I love what I do and why I feel so lucky to be a part of KIPP.  Today was the last official day of the school year, and as I attended the end of year assembly at our Southwest campus, I witnessed 1,700 students from Pre-K through 12^th grade all gathered together to celebrate their accomplishments this year.  I heard stories of incredible students and incredible teachers.  I was awed by the amazing talent of the students who performed.  And most importantly, I was incredibly moved and inspired as I witnessed the students’ enthusiasm, not just for the 129 seniors who will be graduating tomorrow night, but also for the fact that each of them had moved one year closer toward their goal of attending and ultimately graduating from college.  As always happens, I was moved to tears numerous times, not just by what I observed but also from the joy of being a part of it.  It is truly my privilege to climb a mountain for the remarkable students who so moved me today.

Why Climb for KIPP?

So how did this Climb for KIPP come about?  What made me want to do this in the first place?

I don’t really care for the term “bucket list,” but my “to do list” includes some sort of physical challenge.  Due to a lingering foot injury, a marathon is out of the question.  That’s okay; I’ve never really loved running anyway.  But I do love hiking, and because I’ve often heard about 14ers, I decided that I’d like to climb one.  And given that I work at KIPP and constantly hear about and think about our students “climbing the mountain to and through college,” I decided to dedicate my personal climb to the KIPPsters and at the same time, use my climb to raise much needed money for KIPP Houston. 

But what about my foot?  Aren’t I worried that it will be a problem when I’m climbing Quandary Peak?  Well, yes, I am concerned, but it’s merely one challenge that I’ll need to overcome, just as the KIPPsters overcome numerous challenges on their climb up the mountain to and through college.  As we like to say at KIPP, there are no excuses.

Stay tuned over the next couple of months as I prepare for the climb of my life!