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The Purple Cafe and Wine Bar continues in its support of Team Matterhaus! This just in...

Whomever donates the largest donation to our team in this cause, will receive a wine-paired dinner for two, to the new and spectacular Bellevue Purple Cafe location. Now, that's an offer hard to resist!

And don't forget... every $20 donation through April 1st will constitute an an entry into a raffle for a $100 gift certificate to the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar.

Thank you Purple!

"On Air"

This past week we were invited by Don O'Neill to speak about our climb on his show, The Ron and Don Show. Such a generous offer! We were warmly welcomed into the KIRO studios around 5 this past Friday. Mandy and myself were given two chairs in the recording studio and greeted with high fives from Don and simple nod and a smile from Ron. Just as the red light flashed "On Air", the guys picked the headphones from off their necks and covered their ears,

"It's hour two here on the Ron & Don show..." booms Don's voice.

We got to watch the show progress live which was certainly entertaining as both Mandy and myself stifled giggles during Don's story of his former after-school, snack-stealing nanny. As the six o'clock hour approached we were told that our story would be featured at twenty after.

Mandy stepped up, speaking on behalf of our team and explained why her grandfather was the inspiration behind her wanting to climb and what our team's goal was. She did awesome! Overall, it was such a fabulous experience getting to watch Don and Ron doing their show live, tour the KIRO studios, and get to speak to Seattle about our mission to get on the top of this mountain.

Don, thank you so much for graciously inviting into your studio and onto your show. Your support has been invaluable! Thank you to the other KIRO employees: Ron, Jason, and Jessica Gottesman who were so kind to us during our visit.

Check out The Ron and Don Show Blog featuring our story! Second story from the top.

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We just passed the $2,000 mark!

Stacia Davis, Larry Lorenzo and Dustin & Bekah Osterhaus made this possible. What fantastic friends and family!

Only on top can you see the whole view -

can you see what you've done and what you can do -

press on follow your dream! (this quote passed onto me by my Aunt Tanna)

k.

March Update

We want to say thank you again to everyone who has supported us. We are honored to be sharing our stories with you of who and what have inspired and challeneged us to climb.

We have raised $1,842

We have $8,158 to go

There are 70 hopeful climbers. We have to be 2 of the first 40 climbers to raise the minimum set by the ALA to climb on the 2010 Clean Air Team. Help us reach the fundrasing goal and make the team.

THINGS TO KNOW

1. $100 Gift Card to The Purple Cafe and Wine Bar
Donate $20 and you will be entered into a raffle for a $100 gift cirtificate to the Purple Cafe.

Drawing will be held March 31st, 2010.

2. Garage Sale
Katie's parents will be hosting a benefit garage sale.

When: April 3rd

Where: 1459 N. Baltimore Tacoma, WA 98406
How to get involved: Donated unwanted items! For all donated items sold- proceeds go to the Amercian Lung Association on behalf of our team. We will come pick them up! Let us know when and where.

The Purple Cafe and Wine Bar is simply fabulous. Thank you to them for their generous donation for this month's contest. How we love the Purple Cafe!

k&m

Mandy's Story

George S. Butler, died from complications of emphysema. He was a life-long smoker.

He was my grandfather.

My grandfather joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. He served along many other great men in WWII. To pass the time between combat missions he smoked. Smoking was a part of daily life; something to do, something for reprieve.

During and after WWII smoking was socially accepted. Big advertising promoted cigarette smoking. There was little education about the effect of cigarettes and a general disregard for the warnings of the Surgeon General that came out nearly 20 years after the war.

A habit learned during war time became a habit back at home as my grandfather continued his career with the Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration.

My grandfather made many attempts to quit, never more than when I was born. While smoking around his first and only grandchild would never happen, quitting completely was easier said than done. For me, he was able to turn 40 years of smoking into the occasional sneak smoking, but the damage had already been done.

As emphysema plagued his life I couldn't do more than watch as the breathing became harder. Walking turned into a marathon endeavor, and my grandfather became chained to his oxygen tank.

My grandpa survived a war; he survived combat missions; he survived being shot down over enemy territory, he flew countless hours for the United States Air Force and FAA; he even survived cancer and peritonitis. My grandfather didn’t die from the war; he didn’t die from a plane wreck; he didn’t die from cancer; he died from cigarette smoking.

“I love yous” are rarely spoken, but actions are taken perhaps even more seriously where I come from. My family isn’t good at words. My grandfather wasn’t nor am I.

And now… I am going to climb this mountain to say "I love you, Grandpa".

~Mandy

The "Big" and "Little" Battle

It has been a busy week. We have both increased our training, and significantly refocused on the intensity of this climb. Saturday morning, 8 am, we headed off to Mt. Si in North Bend. The morning commutes of both last weekend's and this weekend's hike sounded similar as I, the non-morning person, couldn't believe we were up at such an early hour. I will take full responsibility for my attitude, eagerness, and energy as I had been visiting friends in Bellingham the night before which led to a bedtime sometime around 4am.

For the record: totally worth it. We reached Big Si by 9ish and took off into the forecasted "...gorgeous day ahead with sun for the morning and afternoon and temperatures of up to 70 degrees..." A recipe filled with Northwest adventurers, boy scout troupes, and families, Big Si was further garnished with the unexpected backpacker, toy dog, and toddler. The climb is 4,167 feet and 4 miles from the parking lot to the summit plateau. Four hours of

sleep and sore

from the previous day's spin and weight session, Big Si provided me with a much more arduous climb than times before. Mandy kept me

motivated and on task as we climbed. The summit, worth it as always, provided a

warm welcome with the warmth of the sun on our skin, fresh air in our lungs, and view of our goal at hand, Mt. Rainier...

The plateau's energy, certainly more than my own, even came with its own soundtrack with a group of young men

enjoying the opportunity to play their fiddle for those that

would stop and listen. Our goal was to summit in two hours. While, the dragging of my feet didn't speed us up by any accounts, we managed a timely accent not far from our goal pace. At the trail head, we were welcomed back by being boxed in by two other cars! Who does that?! Mandy's superb maneuvers behind the driver's wheel and my direction

from outside the vehicle, we managed to 'scrape' by and get on our way home. Big Si down, Little Si to go... Sunday morning was our 2nd training hike with the other Climb for Clean Air team members. We met in the Little Si parking lot that quickly went from being dusted by mist to overwhelmed by rain. Without delay, us hikers threw our packs on the ground searching for rain gear: outer shells, pack covers, gators, etc. One member of the 2010 team is Brett Martin, a friend from college. I had no idea that he was going to be joining this year's team so, the random nature of now seeing him at our training hikes has been really fun. In the true Northwest fashion, we took off, rain and all, to train with the help of Little Si. While, the mud and the rain didn't seem to catch

anyone off guard, the pace our guide kept certainly did. "I felt like I was running. I am a little person, with little legs!" cried Mandy as we took our first break alongside the trail. The pace was indeed fast but it felt good to keep a quicker

pace than we last did at Rattlesnake. Upon reaching trail's end, most of the crew was gasping for air. "That was quite the pace you kept..." One hiker exclaimed. Our guide smirked. I am certain he was thinking to himself, "mission accomplished." Feeling full of the energy I lacked the day before, the physical push felt good. On the other hand it brought up the intensity that will be Rainier. Many of the climbers were faced with their weaknesses. "Well, I certainly know now that I am far from ready," pronounced fellow climber Mark. As we continued on, so did the rain and by the

end of our trek we were all wrapped in the rain's slippery sheen. Little Si is a baby compared to its mama at only five miles round-trip and gaining 1,200 feet. So, in this weekend's the battle of the Si's... which did we favor?

DIFFICULTY: At 4,167 feet and 8 miles round trip, our vote... Big Si
SCENERY: The green moss, sheer walls of grey rock and variance in terrain, our vote... Little Si
SUMMIT VIEW: The peaceful stoop surrounded by grey mist, tree-covered mountain peaks that is Little Si compared to Big Si's stretched view of Seattle, Bellevue, the Cascades and haystack rock, our vote... tie OVERALL: While for training purposes, Big Si is where it's at, but the varying trail grade, flora, and fauna of Little Si offers competition, our vote... tie

Look for our March update out this week via email, letter, and blog...

This week's "AWESOME LIST": Kailyn Sylvester, Uncle Bill, and Professor Brotherton. Thank you thank you for supporting us!

k&m

Brunch with Don O'Neill of the "Ron and Don Show"

$10,000 is a lot of money but 14,410' is a lot of climb. Honestly, I was expecting the latter to be the hardest part. Climbing stairs, up and down Mt. Si, heavy packs and thin air all in hopes of summitting of Mt. Rainier but come March 10th, it hit me how truly difficult the fundraising was going to be. We had only raised $1,300 and barely in the top 40 climbers, we were in jeopardy of losing our spot on the 2010 climbing team. Over 25 hand addressed letters with hopes of sponsorship stuffed inside laid strewn across my desk and as I pushed them aside, I decided to ask for help. I went to mynorthwest.com and typed in "The Ron and Don Show." Don O'Neill, host of one of Seattle's most popular talk radio shows (and a rad radio show if I may add) was a member on the Climb for Clean Air's 2009 team. Don not only had to have the knowledge of how to prep for the physicality of the climb but certainly had to have the know how of how to raise the funds. On hope and a prayer I asked Don to accept myself as a friend on Facebook along with a message, "Don, we need your help! Do you have any fundraising suggestions?" With the week full of sponsorship denials, I was shocked to get a reply from him within the day, "I have a ton of ideas. I'd be happy to help. Let's meet up and talk."

At 1pm on Sunday, we met up with Mr. Don O'Neill at Queen Anne's Toulouse Petit Kitchen for brunch. I will admit, after listening to this man on the radio, I was slightly imitated to talk with him. Why? Well, he's a radio host- loud, opinionated, boisterous- you get the picture. While I love him for it on radio, I wasn't sure how it'd work in person. *Shocker* He was still opinionated, proud, and blunt but SO sincere, SO generous, and SO compassionate about our climb, our cause, and who we were as a whole. It was just what our team needed.

Our meeting started out talking to Don about his own ascent, "You know, not everyone is going to summit. Honestly, only 7 out of our 20 person team made it to the top... you'll know where you are physically on day one at summit school...that's when you know if you're going to have a chance of making it." We continued on discussing training techniques and tips on getting physically prepared:

1.Train in your plastic boots
2. Stairs at Discovery Park
3. Climb Muir at least three times before your summit attempt
4. Take spin class
5. Wear that pack

Don explained to us that the mental challenge is as difficult as the physical one, "Come prepared having trained, but also come knowing what you are capable of and why you are climbing 'cause once you strap your crampons on... it's GAME ON."

The discussion then moved onto "our stories." Don really moved both of us by genuinely asking us who we were climbing for and why we personally wanted to summit Rainier. True, Mandy and I had discussed the basics of our desire to climb but we had not ever shared "our stories" with anyone before. Don emphasized the importance of sharing these while fundraising and reminded us that we shouldn't feel bad asking people for money because it should be an honor to ask our friends and family on behalf of "our stories" and it should be just as an honor for those to donate. I had never thought about it as being an honor. I unfortunately had seen it as a task. Something to check off the to-do list. But it really is an honor. I am honored to climb on behalf of "my story" and I sincerely hope that you will have the honor of donating.

Don climbed on behalf of his dear friend Brad Perkins who lost his battle with cancer in 2008, "I took Brad's ashes to the top of the mountain and let them fly in 50mph wind..." He reminded us that there is a powerful story behind each of us climbers and donors. We should be honored to train, climb, and donate because of each one of them.

Mandy and I ended brunch feeling pumped up for what's to come. We may still be at our $1,400 mark and be hanging on to keep our spot in the top 40- but we have a greater faith in why we are doing this and who we are doing it for. We have faith that it will be done. Don really helped us to find our focus, and find the heart behind this climb.

BTW- If you haven't already, you should: Listen to our friend Don on the "Ron and Don Show" weekdays 3-7pm on Kiro 97.3fm

Thank you Don O'Neill for taking the time to talk with us today! We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to share this wonderful adventure we are on. Thank you for listening to "our stories," discussing our team's future, and the support you have offered to both Mandy and myself.

So, you ask, "what is 'our story'?"

Stay tuned...
k.

*Shout out to Mr. Mattson, Ananda Osterhaus, Katie Christopher, Rashida, Katy Coffey, and John Osterhaus for your generous donations! From the bottom of our heart... thank you.

When you don't have time to hike a trail...

Mandy: I can't say that this part of the year is easy for me. I am working nearly 60 hour weeks and fitting time in for training is nearly impossible. 'Nearly' leaves space for heart and determination though. While I couldn't muster changing out of my PJ bottoms on Saturday morning, I did manage to strap on my backpack, trekking poles in hand, and start up the winding hill my parents live on. "Urban Hiking." Who needs a trail? Find a path, an incline, your spirit, and go with it.

Katie: I was also pressed for time to hit the trails this weekend. Saturday, I participated in the Tacoma St. Patty's Day 5k alongside my brothers Bryce and Dustin and sister-in-law Bekah (who placed first in her division!). The morning was full of sunshine, sweat, and spectacles of green. On Sunday, Mandy and I met for some more urban hiking. While we left the PJ's at home, I'm not going to lie about how hard it was for me to get up so early, especially due to the fact that it was Daylight Savings. It went something like this:

*ring* *ring*
"What?!"grumbles Katie.

"Good Morning! It's a gorgeous day for a hike!" Mandy said as though she was on a sunshine high.

"It's too early," Katie fires back.
"I'm two exits away. See you soon" Mandy sings along with the birds.

I sulked to the door with my hair tousled, face frowny, and eye's barely open. The air and sun remedied my early morning tantrum like medicine and we headed off to St. Edward State Park in Kenmore.

A fun fact about this particular park is that before 1976, St. Edward State Park, was actually St. Edward Seminary. It operated 46 years as an institution developing Catholic priests and in 197o my father was a 16 year old student living and studying at this school for the purpose of priesthood. Well, actually... my grandmother's intention for sending him there was for the above mentioned purpose, but my father would have rather been anywhere else, hence leaving the school after only one year and opting for public education instead :)

St. Edward Park consists of 365 acres of lake front and trails. We shared the trail down to the lake with only one another trail runner and enjoyed the exertion of the steep grade. We continued onto Jaunita Drive, the stretching sloped road that connects Kirkland to Kenmore. While we wanted to conclude all 5 miles of this route, Mandy and I had a meeting to get to that afternoon and we didn't want to be late. We bookmarked our course mark for next time and headed home...

k&m

We wouldn't be doing this without you! Thank you thank you... Sarah Johnston, Claudia Davila, Marc DuCharm, Ruben, Shawn Chittle and Brett Martin.

Rattlesnake Ridge: 1st Training Hike

$1,105.00 is what we have raised thus far. Woo hoo! Thank you so much to all that have donated. We are so, so, so thankful! We still have $8,895.00 to go though, and that ain't no small feat.

The American Lung Association (ALA) is holding training hikes every two weeks for all of its 'clean air' climbers. (Like I mention in yesterday's post, while there are 70 hopeful climbers this year, only 40 spots are available to partake in the Mt. Rainier summit this coming

July. The first 40 climbers to raise the funds required by the ALA will get to climb this year- the rest will have to try again next year) While we are still playing the game of "raising the money" training hikes are open to all 70 of us hopeful climbers. Today was the first hike. About 30 climbers, including our guide "Fireman Mark," met at the Rattlesnake Ridge at 8:45 am.At promptly 9am, our trekking poles, 15 (training) lbs. accounted for in the backpack, snacks, and our eager spirits embarked on our one hour trail tour.

It was a fun trek as we chatted with other aspiring climbers, discussed fundraising techniques, and swapped stories behind our desire to summit our gorgeous mountain.

One story in particular really touched my heart. Fellow climber, Shirley, explained to me that in 1962 her father had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Shirley, only 16 years old at the time, had been recommended by doctors to have her lungs scanned- this was procedure at the time, as cancer was thought to have been a genetic or even contagious disease. A large mass was subsequently found in her thoracic cavity and surgery was eminent for this newly made Varsity cheerleader. Shirley, reminisced that the thought of having to leave the cheer squad she had worked so hard for, seemed like a death sentence to her

sixteen year old being. Tears welled up as she continued on with her story... "My dad took me

aside and told me, 'Shirley, this is life and death. I know how hard you worked for your spot on this team but I promise you that if you have this exploratory surgery,

I will work with you every day until you have recovered enough to cheer again.'" Shirley agreed. Surgery was no joke- her sternum was cracked open, her chest spread. What it revealed was shocking: an overdeveloped thymus gland. Completely abnormal, nothing severe, but certainly not cancer. While, the finding was great news- recovery from this type of surgery was intense.

Shirley continued on, "My dad kept his word. He worked every day with me to get me back into shape, to recover from such an intense procedure. And not only did I get better- I cheered at the opening football game." Tears fell from Shirley's eyes as she continued, "My father died 2 months after that game."

k&m

Who rocks...? Tyler Kopkas, Bryce Osterhaus, Cal Dauncey, Nova Schauss, Jen Bruce, and Adam Zachary. Thank you for your support!

Cookies for Clean Air!

There are 40 spots on the 2010 climbing team and as of now there are 70 climbers hoping to make the cut. The FIRST 40 climbers to raise the required funds will be given a spot on this year's climb. Help us be two of them!

This coming week, March 8th-14th, donate to Team Matterhaus and receive a delicious batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Donate Here