Sometime during his eighth consecutive day in waist deep “Quaker oatmeal” mud in Uganda’s Rwenzori range, Colorado mountaineer Jake Norton began to question his nascent quest to climb the world’s 21 tallest mountains. And he had 20 more to go.
“It was, for sure, one of the most grueling expeditions I’ve ever been on,” said the Colorado College graduate who in 1999 famously joined a mission to uncover George Mallory’s lost remains on Mount Everest. “Never in a million years did I think the first one would be so brutal. It was relentless.”
But Norton, who has long supported the notion that mountain climbing is much more than bagging peaks, is on a mission for more than mountaineering glory. His inspiring Challenge21 project aims to use expeditions to the summit of the three highest peaks on all seven continents as a stage for illuminating the developing world’s water and sanitation crisis.
The Triple Seven Summits has never been done. Fewer than 250 climbers have climbed the seven highest peaks on all the continents. The dream reflected the problem, Norton said.
“I wanted a big, long challenge that spanned many years and mirrors the struggles of the people we are trying to help,” he said.
Aiming higher is part of Norton’s scheme to not just raise $2.1 million for Denver’s Water for People, but spend several years trumpeting Third World water woes in a single-minded crusade against water poverty.
“I thought if this is going to be what I do with my life, I want it to sync with what I want to accomplish in my life,” said Norton, who has scaled five of the famous seven since launching his storied mountain guide career almost two decades ago. “I thought if I want to use my skills and use my climbing, it’s got to start with water.”
While he’s hunting for sponsors to support his expeditions, he’s planning to raise $2.1 million for Water for People by stirring 2.1 million people into action. A flood of nickel donations is the idea.
“More important than the funding is the exposure,” he said. “We want to get people aware and impassioned about water needs and sanitation issues around the world. We know once this thing gets rolling, the exposure will push us past the $2.1 million mark.”
Norton in October took a 2-mile “Walk For Water” with Whittier Elementary students. For half the walk the kids carried empty gallon jugs. For the last mile, the fourth graders carried full jugs of water. The message that some 884 million people don’t have nearby access to clean water hit home and Whittier’s sudden advocates for water rallied on a door-to-door push that raised money for Water for People.
The 20-year-old Denver-based nonprofit works in 11 countries around the world, helping local communities buy and develop easy-to-use, clean-water and sanitation systems for entire regions. Last year the group, which spends about $10 million a year on projects in Africa, India, Central America and South America, helped 188,000 people gain access to clean water. The group recently launched an ambitious project — called Everyone — that pushes clean water solutions from local communities up to state and national levels by promoting investment in locally-owned and maintained water and waste systems that provide every person in sweeping regions access to clean water and safe sanitation.
“We’ve got an enormous global challenge around water and sanitation, and Water for People itself is not going to solve this problem,” said Water for People chief executive Ned Breslin, who joined Norton on the project’s first muddy ascent up Uganda’s 16,763-foot Mt. Stanley last August. “Jake is bringing in a range of outdoor enthusiasts and climbers who care a lot about mountains and glaciers … and those people are becoming advocates for water issues in places like Nepal and Tanzania and all these great places.”
Norton indeed is inspiring his fellow athletes to join his clean water campaign.
“Jake and his team at Challenge21 are changing the face of what it means to tackle the world’s great climbs,” said professional skier Kim Havell, who plans to join Norton next year on an expedition up Europe’s three highest peaks in Russia. “It is an honor and it is necessary to take our expertise as skiers and climbers and translate this into a better life for others.”
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com
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