What do the desert and the frozen vastness of Alaska’s winter have in common? From extreme heat to extreme cold, both environments come with their own challenges, and yet both feel like home to me. I live in Southern Utah, in a small high-desert town perched right between Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon - and for the last several winters, I have chosen to pursue adventure in Alaska.
In the heart of the Pacific Northwest stands the 10,786-foot summit of Komo Kulshan, or Mount Baker. This awe-inspiring peak is a challenge for even the most seasoned mountaineers. However daunting, this mountain became a classroom for Ava, one of our inaugural youth participants with the Summit Scholarship Foundation. As Ava climbed, an unforgettable journey unfolded alongside peers and fellow women mountaineers.
What comes to mind when you hear the words “22 reconstructive surgeries”, “permanently disabled” and “chronic pain”? Chances are, it’s not a rock-climbing, ocean-surfing, split-boarding search-and-rescue volunteer and Mt Rainier backcountry ski patroller. Chances are, even if you manage to combine all those mental images — your mind probably wouldn’t shape them into a 44-year-old Asian woman. That’s exactly the reason that Clara Soh was voted one of this year’s Summit Scholarship recipients to embark on AWE’s Ishinca & Tocllaraju expedition in Peru, made possible with financial support from Nite Ize.
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