HEAR TOM GIVE DAILY UPDATES VIA SATELLITE PHONE AS HE CLIMBS MOUNT RAINIER FOR ALZHEIMER'S....UPDATES START SEPT. 24TH !!

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The Pursuit of Something Higher

What makes our mark in life when our time on this planet comes to an end? Is it the money in our checking accounts that we cannot take with us? Is it the accomplishments we have achieved such as climbing mountains, or successful careers? Or is it the unique human capacity to be a change-agent in another’s life…the ability for our sacrifice to literally change the course and outcome of a fellow human being? It is an unalterable fact that what we do in this life echoes in all of eternity. Expedition Hope is about this. It is less about climbing one of our nation’s largest peaks than it is about creating an opportunity to make some progress in changing the lives of others…even those we’ve never met. I have seen firsthand how the pain of Alzheimer’s infects families…the devastating sense of loss in seeing someone you love slowly vanish before your eyes…the stature of their character slowly drift away. In my grandfather’s(see below) death was born a motivation to use my skills as a climber and this year’s expedition of Mt. Rainier to help raise the awareness of Alzheimer’s in my own corner of the world. Join me in the excitement of climbing a 14,000 foot peak. Climb with me through the daily updates on this site as you re-live the events on the mountain. Stand with me on the summit and feel the victory wash over you….but most importantly, join me in making a tangible difference through a financial donation to the Alzheimer’s Association. Make the summit of this mountain a victory over this debilitating disease. Hope is waiting on the summit….I’ll see you there.

Tom Senn

The Climber....Tom Senn

Born and raised in the Midwest, I have been a professionally trained climber for the past 7 years. My outdoor experience is diverse from dog sledding the Boundary Waters near Canada to a climbing resume that extends across the nation. I have been a resident of Iowa for the past 13 years and the father of two children, Jessica (age 20) and Drew (age 15). When not hanging off rock cliffs, I work as a lending professional within the mortgage industry. I dedicate my visionary climbing efforts toward being a catalyst for raising the quality of life for those around me. Recently, my grandfather died of Alzheimer’s and, as a result, I have seen firsthand the pain this debilitating disease brings to families. This year, my climb of Mt. Rainier has a higher purpose … to help bring hope to those families still struggling with their own mountain as they fight to gain victory over Alzheimer’s and someday find a cure.

The Mountain

Shadowing the surrounding landscape at a hefty 14,410 feet, Rainier claims the majestic status as the largest peak in the Cascade Range. In fact, with 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states with 35 square miles of snow and glaciers. The climbing on Mount Rainier is difficult. It requires altitude acclimatization and several days to reach the summit depending on weather conditions. Reaching the summit requires a vertical elevation gain of more than 9,000 feet over a distance of eight plus miles. Climbing teams require experience in glacier travel, anchoring, self-rescue, and route finding. Mountaineering teams run the risk of injury each year due to rock and ice fall, avalanches, falls, and hypothermia associated with severe weather. Because the weather on Rainier can turn quickly, severe winter-like storms on the mountain are not uncommon even during the summer.
It is this mountaineering beauty that will be the focus of this expedition. The route for the summit bid will follow the Muir route located on the southwest flank of the mountain. It is named after the famous mountaineer who summated the peak in 1888. The team will climb to approximately 10,000 feet to Camp Muir serving as an advanced base camp. From there, the route continues with a rising traverse across the Cowlitz Glacier, and ascends the steepening switchbacks of Cathedral Gap. This allows the team to gain the Ingraham Glacier; one of the mountain’s largest and longest glaciers. Climbing then extends onto the steep ridge known as Disappointment Cleaver at approximately 12,000 feet, the namesake and physical crux of the route. The remaining slopes and hours are whittled away as the climbing team zig zags through the many crevasses of the upper mountain slowly making the team’s way up to the summit. Of course, getting to the summit is only half the job. As the wise mountaineer, Ed Viesturs, once said,” Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory.”

My Grandfather...Unforgettable

My Grandpa Joe Stevens (or "Digger Joe" as friends had called him) seen here with his "Posse", my aunts and uncle,...my mom is standing just to his right...He was an amazingly educated and savvy businessman. During his life he had reaching many summits of his own in the business field. One as a research chemist during WWII, another as a mortuary professor and eventually as a successful entrepeneur owning and operating Stevens Mortuary (and relocating it) on the West side of Indianapolis, Indiana. He always came across to me as a guy with class! Almost always in a suit and tie or an overcoat and fedora, by the looks of him you could easily envision him hanging with Sinatra as part of the Rat Pack. He had a great sense of humor and often used his caddy wit to his advantage, too. I remember cutting the grass at the mortuary during junior high and he'd try to get me to spend the night as a "night watchman" at the mortuary (in a small apartment across from the embalming room no less). It was a monthly offer...He'd constantly up the ante as to how much he'd pay me to do it just to see if I'd take the bait (he would've been great on Fear Factor!) ...As for me, no way, man!...too creepy for me! I chickened out.....Evidently climbing mountains and defying gravity was more my taste. This climb's for you, grandpa!