Giving Back

As I sit in a booth at a Denver coffee shop, hunting and pecking away at my computer, thinking of how to begin the dispatch blog for our 2010 Telluride Adaptive Sports Program Alaska trip, I'm suddenly struck by how seemingly rote and mundane my morning has been. I woke up, jumped on my bike for a quick ride around the campground at which we're staying for the next week, and then hopped into my truck for coffee and an internet connection. Easy-peasy-pie...

The athletes who participate in the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program (TASP), located at the base of the Telluride Ski Resort, in (you guessed it!) Telluride, Colorado rarely have "easy-peasy" mornings like mine. TASP organizes trips, excursions and instruction for people with a wide array of disabilities, from kids with learning disorders to wheelchair bound adults and folks faced with every imaginable challenge in between and beyond.

TASP serves an integral function on our SW Colorado community and we at Mountain Trip wanted to find a way to give something back to TASP for their efforts, and give some amazing experiences to some of their athletes in the meantime.

In 2009, we ran our first Alaska Adventure with TASP. We flew four athletes onto the Coffee Glacier, deep in the heart of the wild and remote Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve. We all had a collective dream, but no hard and fast notion of how the trip would go. The athletes were hand picked TASP veterans and they were aboard with a sense of curiosity, excitement and adventure, ready and willing to help us figure out systems to make their experience a memorable one.

By all accounts, the trip was a resounding success. I was fortunate to be able to attend TASP's local video and slideshow presentation after their trip, and I'm pretty certain there was not a dry eye in the house after hearing the stories, and seeing some of the participants so energized and invigorated by their experiences. It was awesome to see these super able folks figure out how to make their Alaska Range ambitions come to fruition with some support from TASP staff and our guides.

In late March, 2010, we were all deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and guide, Heidi Kloos, who had taken it upon herself to organize and push the limits of the possible for this program. Heidi was exploring the San Juan Mountains backcountry when a massive avalanche came quite literally out of nowhere and took her from us. A memorial fund has been established in her name to help keep her vision for the Alaska Adaptive Trip alive, by providing scholarships for participants. Mountain Trip assists in this dream by running these trips at cost to make it as affordable as possible for the participants.

We invite you to visit the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program website at www.tellurideadaptivesports.org to learn more about their programs and services. Anyone interested in contibuting to the Heidi Kloos Memorial Fund can find a link to a donation page HERE.

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