The 1^st Annual

2 Summits
2 Teams
2 Countries
1 Day of Unforgettable Triumph!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

-- Margaret Mead,
American Anthropologist & Author

Inspired by avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, Tom Fredericks, Chairman of the Board of The ECL Group of Companies in Calgary, Alberta, the 1st Annual Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™ was held simultaneously in Canada and the United States on July 1, 2006, Canada’s birthday.

Alan Hobson with Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™ Co-Founder, Tom Fredericks

“Whether we climbed Chief [Mountain] or Crypt, the degree of difficulty we experienced was reflective of the difficulty that cancer patients live through each day. On the faces of many of our participants I saw determination, fear, hope, relief, joy and satisfaction – everything a cancer patient lives through. This is what the hike is all about.”   -- Tom Fredericks, Co-Founder & Participant, Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™

A Truly Inspirational Event

Two teams of eight hikers simultaneously trekked and scrambled up two different mountains in two different countries on the same day. Some hiked on behalf of loved ones challenged by cancer, or in memory of those who had been in the past. Others took part just to support a pioneering medical research effort - the development of the ground breaking Climb Back from Cancer Protocol™ of mild individualized cardiovascular activity that might well become the gold standard for climbing back from the chronic fatigue that plagues survivors after treatment. Whatever their reason, each participant donated at least $1,000 or raised the equivalent or more in pledges. Together, this small but committed group made history as members of the 1st Annual Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™.

The Chief Mountain and Crypt Lake teams are re-united at the end of a spectacular day's trekking in the mountains of southern Alberta and northern Montana. A rousing barbeque to remember followed.

	1. Bruce Johnson ( Crypt Lake ) 2. Mark Sloan ( Crypt Lake ) 3. Lesley Laycraft ( Chief Mountain ) 4. Paul Sloan ( Chief Mountain ) 5. Sylvie Doyon ( Crypt Lake ) 6. Pierre Doyon ( Chief Mountain ) 7. Lu Doyon ( Chief Mountain ) 8. Charlotte Fredericks ( Crypt Lake ) 9. Tom Fredericks ( Crypt Lake ) 10. Judy Wong ( Crypt Lake )	11. Marnie Fredericks (Crypt Lake) 12. Tom Blenkhorn (Crypt Lake) 13. Debbie Blenkhorn (Crypt Lake) 14. Kim Olesen (Chief Mountain) 15. Derrick Olesen (Chief Mountain) 16. Walt Stevenson (Chief Mountain) 17. Pat Herzog (Chief Mountain) 18. Alan Hobson (Chief Mountain) 19. Hali Wong (Chief Mountain) 20. Alex Wong (Crypt Lake)

A Cause for Real Celebration

All proceeds (that’s right, every dollar) from The Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™ supports the ground-breaking Survivor Fatigue Study, which is developing The Climb Back from Cancer Protocol™ of mild, individualized physical activity. Researchers believe that this protocol, based on Mt. Everest Climber, Summiteer and Cancer Survivor, Alan Hobson’s experience in climbing back from cancer, could become the gold standard in helping North America's 11 million cancer survivors climb back from their greatest challenge – chronic fatigue after treatment. A total of almost $20,000 was raised during the event, with thousands of corporately-matched dollars to follow. Alan’s long-term vision is to certify Climb Back from Cancer Coaches to deliver The Climb Back from Cancer Protocol™ through virtual Climb Back from Cancer Centers established in fitness, recreation and cancer centers across North America. In the process, millions of lives will be positively affected.

One of the Keys to Overcoming Chronic Fatigue? Alan on the bike at the University of Calgary during the early days of the Survivor Fatigue Study that led to The Climb Back from Cancer Protocol™. L – R: Alan’s personal training coach, Cal Zaryski (wearing white baseball hat behind equipment); Olympic exercise physiologist, Dr. David Smith (seated with clipboard); and research associates Jodi Hawley and Maura Hooper.

		“Without the fatigue program behind me, I would be unlikely to be alive. I would have given up hope of recovery after three agonizing years of weakness, lack of sleep, muscle atrophy and depression. Now I am eager to seek the mountains and revel in their strength and beauty. Thank you my friends for helping me return to the days when every night is like a childhood Christmas Eve.”   -- Patrick Herzog, Survivor Fatigue Study & Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™ Participant

The Crypt Lake Trek

The 11-member Crypt Lake team is whisked to the trailhead by boat along Upper Waterton Lake on July 1. The sleek and swift 16-person power launch was supplied by Crypt Co-Leader Bruce Johnson and captained by his friend, Lloyd. 7,825-foot (2,385m) Vimy Peak towers in the background.

Assisted by two local volunteers, Mark Sloan and Bruce Johnson, one team took on the famous Crypt Lake hike in the province of Alberta’s Waterton Lakes National Park. An award-winning hike renowned internationally as one of the most spectacular hikes in all of Canada, the hike features:

• a short, refreshing boat ride across windswept Upper Waterton Lake
• a beautiful hike through forest and past three cascading waterfalls that peel dramatically over the edge of sheer rock cliffs
• a brief scramble through a 30-metre (100-foot) long rock tunnel
• a short breathtaking traverse along the top of a cliff
• a restful finish at the edge of aqua-green Crypt Lake, which sits serenely at the base of a high glacial cirque (glacier-created rock bowl), the fitting and refreshing culmination of a magnificent adventure
• 8 hours round trip

Judy Wong on the Crypt Hike		“For some, there was a bit of an adrenaline rush as we climbed a ladder to the mouth of the tunnel, made our way through and then clung to a cable, inching our way along the side of the mountain. After making it through the tunnel, all that remained was an easy stroll to our destination…our summit…Crypt Lake.”   -- Judy Wong, Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™ Participant

The Chief Mountain Hike & Scramble

Back Row L-R: Derrick Olesen, Lesley Laycraft, Pierre Dayon, Pat Herzog & Walt Stevenson Front Row L-R: Lu Doyon, Alan Hobson & Kim Olesen

With the assistance of local volunteer, Paul Sloan, and Alan Hobson, a second team tackled 2,761 metres (9,056 feet) tall Chief Mountain, the unmistakable limestone and shale monolith that stabs its way skyward along the eastern edge of Montana’s Glacier National Park. This hike features:

• a gentle stroll through rolling pine and spruce forest
• a serpentine meander past glacier-fed ponds
• a high traverse at tree line with breathtaking panoramic mountain views
• a steep scree (loose rock) scramble to the base of a towering rock buttress
• a short hand-over-hand scramble to the summit
• one of the most dramatic mountain views in all the Rockies

The Chief team takes on the steep scree slope at the base of the summit scramble only a few hundred feet above. Left to right, Lesley Laycraft, Pat Herzog and Lu Doyon.

An elated (and relieved) Kim Olesen at the summit of Chief Mountain, elevation 9,056 feet (2,761 metres)

“My emotions were on overdrive when we reached the summit. I felt terror, relief, tears of joy and incredible satisfaction. We did it! I DID IT!”

	Alan at the summit

During the day, Alan read from his latest book, Climb Back from Cancer – Introducing The 10 Tools of Triumph for Survivors and Caregivers, which he co-authored with his former wife, Cecilia. Here’s one of his readings:

Alan on the stationary bike on the ward while receiving chemotherapy.   "At 3 p.m., the porter arrived to take me to the diagnostic test. He insisted I go in a wheelchair, saying I might need it after the procedure. I was adamantly against it. I was working to maintain my independence as long as possible. I had also decided not to wear the hospital clothing provided to me. These two decisions served to create a psychological separation between myself and the institution. They reduced, at least in my mind, the width of the crevasse we had to cross. As I saw it, the more institutionalized I allowed myself to become, the more I had surrendered to the disease. If I was going to be a survivor, I had to start acting like one. I had to think it, say it and live it.

The 6th Tool of Triumph™ for Survivors.

 I started by calling myself a survivor. Medically, I was classified as a patient, but I was still alive, and in my mind this fact made me a cancer survivor. So, that is what I called myself and everything I did was aimed at maximizing the chances of staying that way. I was not a statistic. I was not a “leukemic.” I was a survivor. Period."

-- from Chapter 9, Climb Back from Cancer, available at www.climbback.com.

Limited Entry Next Year

Due to the overwhelming success of the first year’s event, entry into the next Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™ is to be restricted to a small number of specially selected participants. The event is to be held on the weekend of June 15, 16 and 17, but is to feature three separate hikes for beginning, intermediate and advanced trekkers, hikers and scramblers. Participation is limited to just eight people per hike and is based on a first-come, first-to-be-considered basis. The event promises to be even more exciting, uplifting (literally) and inspiring than the first year’s so…

Apply to Be Part of the Unforgettable Adventure with an Inspirational Aim!

To Apply, Contact ...

Tom Fredericks, Co-Founder, The Climb Back from Cancer Hike for Hope™, Chairman of the Board, ECL Group of Companies (403) 720-5001 TFredericks@eclgroup.com

Climb Back Inc.,
#5, 100 Prospect Heights,
Canmore, Alberta, Canada,
T1W 2X8
Tel. (403) 609-9939, ext. 204
Fax. (403) 609-2818
Email info@climbback.com

An Inspirational Fund-Raising Initiative
of the

Helping Patients, Survivors and Caregivers Climb Back to Better Lives