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By Andrew Corsello

Issue: July 2009

Section: Feature

Because of Noah

When newborn Noah Hunter was diagnosed with a sick heart, many wonderful things happened.

By 2008, Dana had retracted her statement about it all being a "macho" thing—and she'd replaced her irritation with alarm. "Don't you know how stupid it is to climb alone?" she asked. She was right. I knew it. (I may have wanted to die in a state of rapture on a mountain in Colorado, but, for crying out loud, that doesn't mean I had a death wish.)

Still, I bristled. When reflecting on what I'd experienced on my second visit to Mt. Princeton, I often thought of the 46th Psalm, which unleashes roaring waters and shaking mountains and the melting of the very earth before offering up a whisper: Be still, and know that I am God. I had been receptive to the meaning of that marmot at the moment it appeared because, despite the churning of blood and air beneath my surfaces, I was as still as a stone. And it seemed to me that that stillness was by its nature an alone thing. How could I have listened so deeply to myself in the presence of another human being?

Whatever the case, I obligingly logged onto 14ers.com a month before our family trip to Colorado last summer in order to post a notice: Was anybody interested in joining me on La Plata (Colorado's fifth highest) sometime during the second week of July? I got no bites—perhaps because the site's users had doubts about a flatlander from Virginia being able to hack the altitude. Two weeks later, the following post appeared on the site:

Hiking for Hearts 2008
by Hunter » Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:23 am

I have to put this out there in hopes of raising awareness and support of the Welcome Program at the Children's Hospital here in Denver. When my son was 2 months old last year he had open-heart surgery at Children's which was coordinated through the Welcome Program of the Heart Institute. When we arrived at Children's the day before surgery, our fear for our baby had numbed all our thoughts. We were met at the front door by a personal coordinator who guided us through all of his pre-op tests, showed us where we'd be staying, and introduced us to the staff that would be taking care of him. Most importantly to us—she was our anchor. We are trying to raise funds as we attempt to conquer the nine 14ers listed below. 100% of the proceeds raised will be donated to the Welcome Program to ensure that the non-clinical needs of these families are being met. Some examples of these needs include housing, meals, transportation, and the availability of the amazing staff to just be there for the families. During 2007 this program welcomed 350 families and accommodated 250 hotel nights for families. Donations will be receipted by The Children's Hospital. To donate visit: http://hikingforhearts.kintera.org/
July 7th Massive & Elbert
July 8th Huron & La Plata
July 9th Princeton & Yale
July 10th Shavano, Tabeguache, & Antero
Thank you all for your time,
—Hunter

I thought Ah, the humility! and responded accordingly:

Re: Hiking for Hearts 2008
by Liverboy » Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:40 pm

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