Little Si

Yesterday a group of us went out and climbed Little Si. We had planned on driving out and climbing Mt. Si but sadly enough we couldn't find the Mt. Si trailhead. So we decided to just climb Little Si. Its a good thing that we did! Jeremy a friend that came with created a great proverb, "Must climb little hill before a mountain." So true! It was great to get out in nature and go for a hike. I am in definite need of getting in better shape before I start climbing any big mountains! Little Si is beautiful. I've heard Mt. Si is cool because you can see Seattle from the top that will be my goal for next time. Round trip our hike was 4.6 miles. Anyone in the area should check it out if they haven't yet.

1st Climb for Clean Air meeting

On Tuesday the 16th we had our first Climb for Clean Air meeting. We went not knowing what to expect. There were a few speakers. Lou Whittaker was there, its always great to hear him talk. He is always so encouraging and loves to joke around.  The thing that was the worst for me to hear at the meeting was that there are 70 people signed up this year and only 45 get to go. You don't get to choose your climb date till you get all your money in! I'm going to be honest, I'm a little worried about it! We have to have all our money in by May so that I can request the time off of work. I guess one good thing we heard was that if we raise all the money but don't make it before all the other people that they would sign us up for the 2011 climb. There were some climbers from last year that spoke, they were encouraging however all of them kept saying that it was the hardest thing they had ever done. haha They all gave suggestions on how to train but Lou said the most important thing to do is just keep walking and hiking. He said stairs were great! The other really encouraging thing was to hear all the reasons why people were wanting to raise money for the ALA. It is amazing how many people around us are affected by lung issues such as asthma and lung cancer. I bet everyone reading this knows of at least one person that has been affected by lung disease. More people die from lung cancer than any other cancer but I find that its not as well known. Breast cancer affects me personally so I notice all the breast cancer research but before my mom was diagnosed I heard of all the walks and fundraisers. Same with heart disease and prostate cancer but we rarely hear about lung disease and it affects so many more! My encouragement to you is, think of somone you know that has been affected by tobacco use, asthsma, lung cancer, CF or any other lung disease. It is for them that we do this climb.
~Naisha

We reached $1000!!

YAY!!! Today we reached $1000! This is huge! Thank you sooooooooooo much to those that have donated to us so far!! We know we still have a LONG ways to go, we are only 1/7 of the way there. But this is a great feeling! THANK YOU!!!

All about the Quilt!

Name: Clean Air, Blue Skies, and Sunshine. (named by the creator)
Size: 62" x 86" Perfect for a lap blanket
Color: Variations of blue from light to dark and yellow.
The backing of the quilt is made of fleece, great for snuggling!
Made by: Brena McNulty

Reminder: The drawing ends February 28th! Every $5 donated gets your name in the pot!

The picture doesn't do it justice, its beautiful in real life!

Snoqualmie Ski Day!

Who ever thinks that snowboarding isn't exericise is wrong! I went out snowboarding for the first time in two years with some girlfriends. This morning I am SOOO sore! The snow was pretty icy so I had to dig hard into my edges, that created a nice workout for my thighs and calves. As a snowboarder you do spend some time sitting on your butt however that makes it so you have to use your upper body to get back up! The two girls that I went with were learning how to snowboard so I spend the second half of the day teaching them. At one point I had my snowboard off and was running up and down the hill trying to help them turn. So overall I had a fun day hanging out with friends but got an all body workout! Now to see if I can do stairs today...I don't know I can't barely move now! ~Naisha

Quick Climb

Tonight, Gavin and I went and climbed the Eastlake stairs twice. We had to do it quickly because Gavin has a strict schedule of getting our bathroom mostly done. We have a friend coming out to visit next weekend and we would like the bathroom to get almost done. So instead of not getting out we decided it was better to do a little then none at all. But space-cadet that I am forget to bring Gavin's clothes and tennis shoes so he had to hike the stairs in his work clothes...oops! ~Naisha

House work

This weekend we didn't get out to climb stairs because we were busy working on our house. The project we started wasn't suppose to be too difficult. But as all projects in a our house seem to go we ran into issues. Gavin's plan was to pull up the old bathroom flooring, put down hardyboard, cut and lay tile, then reset the toilet. But as we pulled up the toilet and tore our the flooring around it we found that the toilet was leaking and the floor starting to rot. Thanks to Richard (Gavin's Dad) we got that problem fixed but we are a little behind. It may not be running stairs but its a lot of work. Lifting, bending, pulling, etc. While Gavin was doing things I couldn't help with I've been moving and rearranging boxes up in our "loft." So sadly not get to "train" but at least we're working! ~Naisha

The Times

The Seattle Times must be avid viewers to the Erickson Climb blog. I understand the draw completely with such riveting articles how could one shy away? That said, I am surprised they are writing full length segments that could only be directed to us (and perhaps a couple thousand other people).

Check out the article in the February 4th edition of NW Weekend, or check it out here.

Thanks guys,

Gavin

All by myself....

Hello all!
Today, I went out to Golden Gardens by myself.  I had a staff meeting this evening so I wasn't going to be able to make Gavin come along with me after work. It was sooo beautiful in Seattle today. Let me tell you, it is definitely warmer feeling when the sun is out. The thermometer might say the same number but its was warm out there climbing the stairs. I walked to the top. Then jogged down, then back up, then back down each set jogging to the next set all the way down the stairs. I did that twice. I went to my car to check the time and get a drink of water, I was all ready to go out and do that one more time. But as I started walking down the first set of stairs my knees were really wobbly. I probably could have pushed myself thru if someone else had been there with me but I was nervous to be there by myself, just in case something happened. I had a good time. It was nice to just have some time to myself and enjoy the amazing spring like weather in the beginning of February! I think that Pennsylvania groundhog is wrong!

Working out with friends!

Today, I went and worked out with my friends Robin and Allison. We went down to Golden Garden park. We climbed the stairs three times! I ran a couple of extra flights this time too! I finally feel like my lungs are getting use to working hard. I'm hoping to try some stairs with a pack soon! :) We had a great time and a great work out! It's fun to get out and get healthy with your friends helping you!

Hidden Treasures

In a quest to find urban hiking environments we've discovered several hidden treasures. Live in the Seattle area? Want to walk somewhere you've never been?

Check this out you might find it interesting:
Queen Anne Stairs...

Enjoy,
Gavin

Our first donations!

Over the weekend I just randomly checked our donation page and there was $250 more than the last time I looked! We had two friends donate! We are so thankful beyond belief for their very generous donations! We are starting to get closer!! Thank you so much!! ~Naisha