Inside Prevention

A climber's perspective

Prior to Climb Against the Odds 2010, we posted some thoughts from our team members as they finished up their final days of training and faced their upcoming climb. Throughout the week of June 13, the Breast Cancer Fund staff worked to keep you updated on the day-to-day experience for these women and men, but to give you a personal perspective from one of our inspiring climbers, we asked Rebecca Shaloff of Washington, D.C., to share her thoughts about the Climb Against the Odds journey:

As I began to settle in after my return from Mt. Shasta – exhausted from my red-eye flight home and drained from an amazing and emotional Climb Against the Odds experience – it suddenly occurred to me. I needed to write an e-mail to my colleagues.
 
They were going to excitedly greet me the next Monday morning with the big question: "so how did it go?" And of course, I would immediately read into this: "did you make it to the top?"
 
All the climbers had processed as a group what it meant that we had to turn around at base camp, and how it felt to instead summit as a team at 9,400 feet. Most of all, we actually felt those frigid winds and the prospect of falling over while trying to pee (true confession: one of us actually did)!
 
But I got a little nervous when faced with responding to the key question. However, as I started to write that preemptive email, the answers came easily. 
 
First, I explained my theory on the severe weather. I told them how when the winds picked up, I suspected it was my mother's way of getting her baby off the mountain. My mom Eti, a breast cancer survivor who passed away in January 2009, didn't like it when I crossed the street, let alone trekked on a volcano. So I think that my mother conspired with Mother Nature to get us down to a lower altitude on Mt. Shasta.
 
And then I shared a collective theory on what it all means. One of our fellow climbers and an incredibly strong woman had to withdraw in the last minute due to a re-occurrence of cancer. We had dedicated the 2010 climb to her. Perhaps we were meant to realize that you can do everything right, whether it's train properly or live healthfully... but in the end, some things are out of our control. In other words, 'we plan, Shasta laughs.' This climb helped us, just a little, to put ourselves in her mountain boots.
 
Lastly, this experience was about more than the two days on the mountain; it was about one week where 24 climbers came together to heal and to honor, to reflect and to remember. For me, this journey actually began seven months ago when I first started to train and to fundraise so that the Breast Cancer Fund could continue its work and ensure there are fewer names to put on prayer flags. 
 
I want to thank my inspiring fellow climbers, the dedicated Breast Cancer Fund staff, my generous supporters, loving family and of course my curious colleagues from the very bottom of my heart and the (near) top of a mountain.

Thank you for following the journey of these 26 women and men in their mountain climb for breast cancer prevention. You can now view photos from Climb Against the Odds on the Breast Cancer Fund's Flickr page, and you can still make a donation to a climber in support of her/his efforts! 

Lobbyist "fear tactics" to fight BPA ban seem to be working (California Watch, 6/22/10)

The chemical and pharmaceutical lobbyists are at it again, and this time, the California bill that would ban the synthetic hormone bisphenol A, or BPA, from baby bottles and infant food containers hangs in the balance. Investigative journalist Christina Jewett explains in a story in today's California Watch (excerpted below) how lobbyists have been working overtime to kill the bill, which will likely be voted on by the state Assembly next week.

These lobbyists think they'll be successful at scaring legislators into believing babies will go hungry if the bill passes. Luckily, California WIC, one of the largest distributers of baby formula in the state, is calling their bluff, and so can you. Please share this article with your networks and help us send a message that industry shenanigans shouldn't get in the way of children's health.

As leaks go, this one was scandalous.

A year ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Washington Post wrote about the minutes of a strategy session among grocery and chemical industry lobbyists. They were brainstorming about how to defeat laws that would ban the chemical bisphenol A in Connecticut and California.

The group doubted it could convince a scientist to serve as its spokesperson, the minutes say, a nod to mounting evidence that the chemical may result in birth defects and disrupts hormones in children.

So they would resort to "fear tactics," emphasizing the harm a chemical ban might have on the poor and minorities. A pregnant mother would be the "Holy Grail" spokesperson, according to the summary of the gathering at the Cosmos Club, a tony Washington, D.C., social club.

The plan backfired in Connecticut.

The state’s attorney general read about the meeting and blasted the campaign for "confusion and concealment.' Connecticut lawmakers had just passed a bisphenol A ban for baby bottles and formula cans.

In California, though, the plan seems to have worked like a charm.

Chemical industry lobbyists bought a full-page newspaper ad depicting an empty shopping cart in a desert, suggesting the chemical ban might leave grocery shelves bare. And a trade group representing America’s leading baby formula makers have warned lawmakers that the ban might impact women who rely on a state program for baby formula, a claim that program’s leaders refute.

The efforts center around Senate Bill 797, a law that died in the Assembly last year but is expected to come up for a vote next week. It would ban the chemical bisphenol A, known as "BPA," from baby bottles, sippy cups and the linings of liquid and powder baby formula containers.

The proposed ban comes in response to research showing the chemical can damage a baby’s developing brain, as well as the FDA's call for more research because it has “some concern” about the chemical. Supporters of the ban include the Breast Cancer Fund, SEIU, California Nurses Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility. (Read the complete article.)

Trailhead celebration

All the climbers are down from the mountain and enjoying hot showers back in the town of Mt. Shasta. Welcome back!

The team was treated to a fantastic pancake breakfast at Horse Camp, courtesy of local gear store Fifth Season and with help from an awesome crew of volunteers. That fueled them up for the hike back to the Bunny Flat trailhead, where loved ones greeted them with cheers, shouts, signs, hugs, smiles, bells and yet more food.

Here's a glimpse of this morning's scene at Bunny Flat:

Stories of their windy, frozen night at Hidden Valley are spilling out, alongside laughs about yesterday's glissading and snowball fights.

Tonight at the Community Celebration we'll herald them all, as individuals and as a team, for their amazing accomplishment and commitment to breast cancer prevention.

We always emphasize that Climb Against the Odds is about the journey and the cause, not the summit, and that's certainly true this year. Every step they've taken—whether signing up for the climb, fundraising, training, talking to supporters about why they're climbing, hiking to Hidden Valley, talking to the media or debriefing with friends and family about what it all meant—has supported the Breast Cancer Fund's work to expose and eliminate the environmental causes of the disease.

That makes them all heroes to us.

At Horse Camp and all is well

Two rope teams are now at Horse Camp, one is in sight glissading down, and the fourth is about 45 minutes away. All are well and in good spirits — we even got word of a snowball skirmish. The group is relieved to be out of the wind and warm again after a long, extraordinarily cold night at Hidden Valley.

We're hearing more weather details, including reports that temperatures at Hidden Valley early this morning dipped to -20 with wind chill factored in. Gusts of 75 to 80 miles an hour may be hitting the mountain around 12,000 feet today, with a high of just 20 degrees predicted. The risk of frostbite, coupled with the intense winds, reaffirms that this morning's decision to drop lower on the mountain was right on.

It's certainly not the first time the mountain has said no. At the McKinley Climb Against the Odds in 1998, the weather was so bad that no one on the team ventured past base camp. On our climb of Mt. Rainier in 2005, the team was broken into two summit days: day 1 saw perfect weather and many climbers reached the peak, but on day 2 a terrific storm dropped rain, snow and lightning, preventing almost all climbers from leaving camp. And on our 2007 Mt. Shasta climb, a massive thaw-related rock fall forced two-thirds of the team to turn back to base camp just before daybreak.

Tonight the team will likely enjoy a fire in the Sierra Club hut, a hot dinner and a good sleep. We can't wait to see them at the trailhead tomorrow morning!

The weather turns

At 6:30 this morning, we received word that Shasta Mountain Guides made the decision that the Climb Against the Odds team would not attempt the summit today because of harsh weather conditions on the mountain.

Throughout the night, the team experienced 40-mile-per-hour winds and temperatures in the teens at their 9,400-foot Hidden Valley base camp. Conditions are more severe — and expected to get worse throughout the day — higher on the mountain. For the safety of the climb team they are now returning to Horse Camp (8,000 feet), which has a small hut to escape the wind and low temperatures.

The first rope team departed the Hidden Valley camp at 10 a.m. and the remaining three teams will leave in 20-minute increments.

This year has seen remarkably harsh conditions on the mountain, and in the last week there have been several rescues after climbers were hit by falling ice, loosened from the peak by high winds. Because of the risks, our guides late yesterday decided that any attempt today would be on Shastina, Shasta's neighboring and slightly lower volcanic peak. This morning, however, the weather made attempts on either peak unwise for our team.

Anticipating that the conditions might prevent the group from summiting, long-time training leader Cathy Ann Taylor commented on Monday in an interview with the Marin Independent Journal, “The conditions this year are going to be much more harsh. But the most rewarding part is the journey, and then the mountain is just the icing on the cake.”

The team's technical training for the summit attempt will be put to good use today: they'll wear crampons and rope together to traverse the snow-covered trail from Hidden Valley to Horse Camp. In past years, this trail has been nearly all rock with little snowcover, but today it's so icy that the teams have been biding their time waiting for the sun to soften the ice and snow on the trail before departing. With heavy packs and snow, their progress down the trail is expected to be slow.
 
The group will stay at Horse Camp on Wednesday night, where they’ll hold their prayer flag ceremony to reflect on the individuals who they’re honoring through their six-month Climb Against the Odds journey. Family, friends and other supporters will then greet them and celebrate their return at Bunny Flat trailhead on Thursday afternoon, followed by a community celebration that evening.

Clermont breast-cancer survivor to climb Mount Shasta (Orlando Sentinel, 6/15/10)

We just told you about Joey Beauregard, one of two climbers carrying talismans up Mt. Shasta today and tomorrow with the Breast Cancer Fund team. Today the Orlando Sentinel told more of Joey's powerful story:

"I feel that the conversation about cancer needs to change from talking about finding a cure to find the causes of cancer so that it can be prevented in the first place," she said.

Her climb up the fifth-highest mountain in California — the Cascade Range's second-highest peak — is a way for Beauregard to begin that conversation, she said. Beauregard, who has no family history of the disease and has no children, said she's interested in learning of the environmental links to cancer, a main focus of research for the Breast Cancer Fund.

She questions whether her cancer is connected to her home's close proximity to the former Tower Chemical site in Clermont, which was poisoned by toxic chemicals and pesticides in the 1980s and placed in the Superfund program for the nation's most-hazardous sites. (Read complete article.)

The talisman

The 2010 climb team carries on the treasured tradition of the talisman. Past climbers will remember the story of these necklaces, which were made by climber, artist and breast cancer survivor Margit Esser-Porter for one of the first Climb Against the Odds expeditions.

Each year two climbers are chosen to carry the talismans - crafted of jade and glass, symbols of our strength and fragility - up the mountain, often passing them along to teammates when the original bearer has been unable to continue up the mountain.

This morning the talismans headed up the mountain with Whitney Pond, a 16-year-old from California whose mom died of breast cancer five years ago, and Joey Beauregard, a 49-year-old breast cancer survivor who has spent much of the five years since her diagnosis seeking answers and change in her Florida community, polluted with DDT and other toxic pesticides from a neighboring Superfund site.

We wish Whitney, Joey and all the climbers and guides a safe journey!

A snowy start

The Climb Against the Odds 2010 team set out from the Mt. Shasta trailhead (Bunny Flat, 6,860 feet) at 10:30 this morning. The reports of snow at Bunny Flat are all true!

After last-minute boot re-lacings, pack re-packings and hugs from family and friends, they set out in teams of five to six climbers on an unprecedented (for the Breast Cancer Fund climb) snow-covered trail.

Word from the trail is that Horse Camp, the lowest camp site on the mountain, is under 10 to 12 feet of snow and the Sierra Club hut on the site is buried up to the first half of the roof. Wow!

And now we've heard that the first two teams are at about 9,000 feet, approaching the Hidden Valley base camp at 9,280 feet. Hidden Valley will be their home-away-from-home the next two nights as they make their summit attempt.

Watch them depart right here!

Team Northwest:

Team Bay Area:

Team Central:

We didn't get a clip of Team East Coast, unfortunately. But our Bay Area team offered a few words of wisdom and reassurance for those back home:

Welcome to Climb Against the Odds

On Sunday, June 13, the Breast Cancer Fund welcomed our 26 women and men from different stretches of the United States to their final destination, a snow-covered Mt. Shasta in Northern California. Their connection as a complete team and to the mountain began almost immediately. On Sunday evening, through a seed-planting ceremony, climbers, staff and supporters reflected on the reasons for making this journey, and the family and friends who they hope to honor through Climb Against the Odds.

This morning, with a cloudless view of the mountain as a backdrop, we took group photos before breaking into rope teams for the big gear-check with the guides. Now all the climbers not only know who they’ll be climbing with the next two days, they also know what to expect from the mountain, how to deal with blisters, what quantity of food to bring and how to pack efficiently.

After a day of necessary preparation, everyone seems at ease but anxious to get started. Tuesday brings the team’s departure from Bunny Flat Trailhead (6,900 feet) for the first part of their journey to the evening’s base camp at Hidden Valley.

For the first time in Climb Against the Odds history at Mt. Shasta, snow continued to fall on the mountain until a few weeks ago. Right now Bunny Flat trailhead, from which supporters and community members will see the team off tomorrow morning, is under an amazing six feet of snow. Rather than battling rocky trails to their 9,400-foot base camp, the team will make their three-hour trek in complete snow, with possible assistance from crampons and rope teams.

Climbers share their thoughts before the 2010 Mt. Shasta expedition

On Sunday, June 13, 26 individuals from across the country will meet together in Northern California to begin final preparations for an expedition of a lifetime. They have each put in countless hours of fundraising and six months of rigorous training – whether hiking the modest hills in Central Florida to climbing the peaks of Montana – in order to scale the 14,179-foot Mt. Shasta. But for many, Climb Against the Odds is not only a physical journey – it’s also been a mental and emotional experience in honoring the courage it takes to face breast cancer and their loved ones touched by the disease.

Here are some thoughts from our climbers as they reflect on their experiences and what lies ahead. Join us here during the week of June 13 for regular updates on their progress!

Rebecca Shaloff, 28, Washington, D.C.

After months of preparation and anticipation, I look forward to putting one foot in front of the other. With each step, I'll think about all my loved ones and supporters who helped me get to this point. With each mile marker, I'll consider those in my life who faced their cancer diagnosis with fierceness. And when I reach my personal summit, I'll hold my head up high and remember my Mom and all those who have already made their ascent.

Karen Pautz, 41, Mt. Shasta, Calif.

I think with so much going on in my life the biggest message is "the climb is a journey not a race". Remembering to stay focused on my goals, both in fundraising and climbing, and recruiting others to help with the journey has been a key for me. There is no way I could go through this journey alone! Thanks to my friends, family, colleagues and cheerleaders, I am less than $2000 away from reaching my goal of raising $14,179 and in better shape physically than I have ever been to take on the challenge of the climb.

Hendy Dayton, 50, San Francisco, breast cancer survivor

I am feeling stronger by the day and can't wait to see my training team and meet the rest of the climbers.  As a survivor, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do this.  Every adventure, every day is a gift.

Ragna Thorne-Thomsen, 39, Missoula, Mont.

I have gone from really excited, to apprehensive, to pensive and back to really excited. I am overwhelmed with the support from my family, my friends and the community, all the encouragement along the way. The fundraising has given me more insight into how many people have been affected by breast cancer, and cancer in general, and how much people will give to try to overcome it. The training restored my fitness and spirit. I began hiking in the snow, then mud and ice, then wildflowers. I hope a bitterroot that is just a bud will bloom before I depart for Mount Shasta. 

The unfolding of spring seems a metaphor for the preparation, the climb and for this cause. Each week and month has built upon the last with fundraising, with fitness, with the bills in the legislature beginning to ask the big questions about chemicals.

I think of all the team members living their lives and putting forth that extra two to three hours a day for fundraising or training or writing thank you letters (wondering where will they find all the energy). I think of people living with cancer and fighting cancer (wondering where will they find all the energy). I think when I am taking step after step up the steep, incredible mountain, where will I find the energy. I think I will find it in the wonder of renewal, the power of survival, the beauty of a whole team coming together to work toward one goal (the goal of a less toxic tomorrow and today).  I am really so excited to be with this team on what looks and sounds to be an incredible mountain, embarking on a great adventure and journey. We bring with us an array of strengths and beauty, like all the wild flowers create the mountain meadow, combined we are the CAO team of 2010.

Whitney Pond, 16, Danville, Calif.

My favorite part of the Climb Against the Odds experience has been seeing how supportive my community is.

Joey Beauregard, 49, Clermont, Fla.

I am looking forward with delighted anticipation to the time when I get to meet my fellow climbers and the sparkling Mt. Shasta!  It will be great to see those gnarly easterners again as well!

Cathy Ann Taylor, 46, Sausalito, Calif.

When we are heading to climb a mountain we want to remember the mountains are living forces, sources of power and symbols of the sacred. I fell in love with mountains at an early age and I think when I saw my first snow-capped mountain, that mountain had such tremendous power and it moved me in a way I can't describe, something deep within me and that gave me the urge to climb to its summit. Mountains are pure and magical and that's what keeps me going.  Mountains and mountaineering embody values that many people and cultures hold sacred the world over.

I truly believe that there is no better way to equate the daunting challenge of fighting breast cancer or any cancer to that of the hardships involved in climbing a mountain.  We have worked together as a team for the last five months, and I look forward to sharing the incredible experiences we will have up on Sacred Mount Shasta together. She is a true force of Nature and we will respect her!  Shasta will conquer us!

Sara Thorpe, 52, and Elly Fike, 14, Kentfield, Calif.

Having completed snow training school and thrown ourselves head first down the mountain and successfully arrested our descent using our ice axes - we are up for the challenge!
 
Fig newtons are the secret. (Elly) And MoJo bars. (Sara)