Last year I had the privilege of being a part of the expedition of a lifetime, Soldiers to the Summit. The expedition was a 10 year celebration of Erik Weihenmayer’s ascent of Mt Everest and to honor Veterans for their service. The trip consisted of 10 Erik’s Mt Everest summit team and 11 wounded veterans. I was honored to be one of the 11 veterans on this transformative trip. Work continues on our upcoming film High Ground as we cross our fingers for Sundance Film Festival.

That expedition was such a success that immediately after returning home from Nepal discussions began on how we do this again. The ideas were fast and furious and after the dust settled several amazing things have taken place. First, Soldiers to the Summit came under the umbrella of No Barriers. This opened up the door for a new expedition. Charlie Mace was chosen as the Program Director for the second expedition. This was exciting news to hear. Charlie is beyond accomplished, beyond humble, and understands veterans issues.

This is going to be a great program! First there will be a new group of wounded Veterans. Five of the soldiers from the Nepal program (including myself) are going to return as mentors. It is going to be so amazing to participate in another of these programs. The program will begin will be two training sessions here in Colorado. These training sessions are going to be comprised of learning mountaineering skills and team building. The finally of the program will be a trip to Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi is a 19,347 foot volcano located in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. It is an active volcano with its last eruption in 1940. It is beautiful with an amazing cone. After my recent trip to Pico de Orizaba I am really excited to look down into another volcano.

Soldiers to the Summit is taking applications for this program now. The deadline for application is February 17, 2012. If you are a wounded Soldier or know one who might benefit from this program you can download the application here:

Intro Letter
Application