Molly Nordstrom

The Climb for the Community team spent all of yesterday on the lower slopes of Mount Rainier training in “mountaineering day school.” This morning climbers started their two-day trek to the summit.

Here’s a report from Molly Nordstrom, United Way of King County’s board chair and the only woman on the Climb:

Today we are hiking to Camp Muir. We will climb from 5,400 feet to 10,060 feet. The trek is nearly 4.5 miles and will take about 6 hours. It’s expected to be snowing along the way, and visibility is down. But the wind will be light, and we’ll likely punch through the clouds at about 9,000 feet. We’ll attempt our summit on Wednesday. It won’t be easy, but I’m confident it will be worth it. It’s beautiful, and I have great climbing company in people like Seahawks Coach Jim Mora, NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell, United Way CEO Jon Fine, and Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke. And we couldn’t have better guides than mountaineering greats Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker, who not only have many Rainier climbs between them, but several summits of Mount Everest.

Please give the Climbers a boost on the trail by giving $5, and asking 5 friends to do the same. With your help, the Climb will raise money to help food banks, meal delivery services, and programs that help people at risk of losing their home to foreclosure or eviction.

Or make a gift at a higher level, and you’ll get a chance at great giveaways including a First Ascent coat from Eddie Bauer, signed Seahawks gear, or Seahawks game tickets.

Thank you for your support!