The final steps of the 14,411 push to the summit of Washington's Mount Rainier. What a wonderful journey it has been. We have completed all of our goals for this project and making the summit was that extra bonus for this project. I wanted to share this with all of you since, you were all with me during this long climb to the top. Together, we all made a difference for those affected by Multiple Sclerosis!

On July 24th 2008 I successfully summited Washington's Mount Rainier at 9pm with some help from the best mountain guides in the world...IMG! Many thanks to Arron, Mark, Andy and Kelly...I am in awe of these true professionals.

Stay tuned this week as I will be putting together a video of pictures and video clips form the climb.

Namaste,
Chuck

This article can be found at  http://web.mac.com/lorettalynn/Fit-4-Sports.net/Xtreme_Adventure.html

Climbing Mountains for a Cause

by Loretta Lynn

    Chuck Norman has a passion for life. You can feel this from your first meeting with him. Norman, a Dr. Phillips resident has recently ascended another peak to add to his expedition passport, Mt. Rainier in Washington.

    He’s doing it this time, to walk in someone else’s shoes. A friend of his and his wife, Elena, has MS. A very debilitating disease. Symptoms of altitude or mountain sickness include; headache, breathlessness, fatigue, nausea, cognitive issues and motor difficulties. This is what an MS person feels like at sea level, explained Norman.

    He’s been climbing peaks in the Rocky Mountains for years and is an avid mountaineer. On a trip to Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the summit of one of Colorado’s most visited mountains, he was motivated to plan and climb Mt. Rainier. He dedicated this climb to their friend and to bring awareness of MS to the general public.  He planned and paid for this expedition with his own funds and all donations he accepted are being given to Multiple Sclerosis.

    He was in the National Guard Reserves for 16 years, has been an Orange

County Firefighter and Paramedic and is currently an Emergency Room

RN in Osceola Regional Hospital.

    He’s been helping heal people for 17 years, “Now I want to help find

a cure,” says Norman.

    His planning for this climb began two years ago, however he began

training in January. His training included several 5K runs in Central

Florida and in the Tampa area; participated in Operation Fitness Boot-

camp; and Tae Kwon Do workouts in the evenings.

    Along with two firefighters as training partners, he used Orlando’s 400 foot, Bank of America building, for more endurance. He would put on his backpack, add 50 pounds of gear, and walk up and down the 28 flights of stairs. To further enhance his mountain climbing, he flew to Colorado in April to climb Grays and Torreys Peaks, both more than 14,000 feet. Naturally, it was cold, windy and snowing during his ascent. With a 50 lb, backpack, and snowshoes, he made it to 12,500 feet before having to turn back due to a snowstorm. He has also climbed with the San Juan Outdoor School of Telluride, Colo., and has summited Mt. Wilson, 14,246 feet, and El Diente, 14,159 feet and Mt. Oxford, 14,153 feet.

    Mt. Rainier is an active volcano and is the highest peak in the Cascade Range. To reach the summit, you must be able to climb more than 9,000 feet over a distance of eight plus miles with deep crevasses, ice caves and steep cliffs. Weather can change quickly. Recently one climber was killed and others had to be airlifted off the mountain, from Camp Muir, 4,000 feet from the summit. Norman will be climbing with four IMG experienced guides.

    Norman’s original goal was to raise $3,000, it was almost doubled by the time he left for Washington in Mid-July. You can hear his progress from the podcasts off his website, www.thesnoeshowclub.net  Congratulations Chuck and safe return home.

This article can be found be visiting http://www.southwestorlandobulletin.com/directorytext.asp?id=2417

by Rita Devlin

Charles Norman is a professional healer. As a firefighter, flight medic, Coast Guard reservist and registered nurse, he has made a life and career of helping people in need.

For 10 years, Charles and his wife, Elena, had an idea on their hearts that grew out of a shared passion to help others.

“A snow shoe creates a greater base that supports greater weight and allows you to cover more ground,” Elena said.

When one of her friends began to experience serious episodes as a result of multiple sclerosis, The Snow Shoe Club was born out of the Normans’ desire to take action and generate momentum and awareness for MS.

The Normans, who reside in the St. Ives neighborhood of Orange Tree, refer to The Snow Shoe Club as a family project that brings good people and good causes together. Its inaugural event will begin July 19, when Charles sets out to summit Mount Rainier in Washington as a way to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Charles chose Mount Rainier, which claims the lives of several climbers each year, for its level of difficulty. At 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier is an active volcano encased in 35 miles of glacier ice. During the seven days he is on the mountain, Charles expects to fully experience the effects of acute mountain sickness, which can be similar to symptoms suffered by people with MS. Among others, these symptoms can include headaches, vomiting, lack of coordination and cognition, and fatigue.

The last two years of his life have been spent preparing mentally and physically for this climb. As a trained rescuer, Charles understands his limits, as well as the dangers presented by this adventure. His preparations have included running, reading about the mountain, stair-climbing and solid dress rehearsals on snow-covered Colorado peaks.

While Charles ascends Mount Rainier with a team of experienced guides, Elena and Victor, the Normans’ 6-year-old son, will be in the Seattle area keeping track of him via scheduled satellite phone calls. A steady support, Elena is confident in her husband’s cautiousness, capability and dedication to safety first.

With a sense of urgency in his voice, Charles said, “I hope I’m able to make an impact on MS. I’ve been a professional healer my whole life. Now, I want to be able to help find a cure.”

For more information about Charles Norman’s expedition, visit www.thesnowshoeclub.com on the Web. The Mid Florida chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society also has additional information about MS, which affects nearly 10,000 Central Florida residents. Visit the Web site at flc.nationalmssociety.org.

Listen in from 14,000' ...Podcasts from Mount Rainier

Click the link above and follow the directions to listen in from 14,000 feet on Washington's Mount Rainier.

"Life begins at 10,000 feet" Willie Unsoeld

Published from the Front Page of the West Orange Times...visit wotimes.com

A Dr. Phillips man will climb Mount Rainier next week to raise awareness and donations for MS.

By Kathy Aber

Adventure is a part of Chuck Norman's daily life. This Dr. Phillips resident has served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve for 16 years, has been an Orange County firefighter and paramedic and is now an emergency room nurse at Osceola Regional Hospital.

He's also been climbing high peaks in the Rocky Mountains for years and is an avid mountaineer.

But it was a trip on the Pike's Peak Cog Railway to the summit of one of Colorado's most visited mountains that motivated Norman to climb Mount Rainier in Washington. He's dedicating his climb, which will begin next week, to raising awareness and donations for multiple sclerosis.

At the summit of Pike's Peak, 14,110 feet above sea level, Norman experienced altitude sickness.

"I have never felt so helpless," he said in a recent interview with The West Orange Times.

Symptoms of altitude, or mountain, sickness include headache, breathlessness with mild exertion, fatigue, nausea, cognitive issues and motor difficulties.

"That's what a MS person feels at sea level," Norman said.

He and his wife, Elena, have a friend who was diagnosed with MS five years ago. Norman had been looking for a way to help their friend, who has never let her MS slow her down or dampen her positive attitude.

She is the inspiration for Norman's expedition up Mount Rainier.

"That's why I'm climbing - to walk in someone else's shoes," he said.

As a paramedic and a nurse, Norman said, "I've been healing people for 17 years. Now I want to find a cure."

In addition to increasing awareness for MS, Norman is also collecting contributions for research to find a cure for MS. Initially, he wanted to raise $3,000, but he has been so successful that the goal has been reset four times and now stands at $6,000. To date, he has raised $5,200. He is accepting donations for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society online through a link on his Web site http://blog.snowshoeclub.net/. T-shirts promoting "Expedition Rainier 2008: Climb to create a world free of MS" are also available with a $100 donation.

Norman, 35, has been planning his ascent of Mount Rainier for two years, but he began serious training in January. For starters, he competed in a number of 5K runs in the Central Florida area and in Tampa. For several months, he participated in Operation Fitness Boot Camp in downtown Orlando, which focuses on an hour of intense calisthenics and aerobic exercise three mornings a week. In the evenings, he did another full workout as part of a Tae Kwon Do program.

With two fellow firefighters as training partners, he used Orlando's 400-foot-high Bank of America building as a training resource. Norman donned his Redcloud backpack with 50 pounds of gear to walk up and down the stairs in the building's 28 stories. While one of his friends chose to descend via the elevator so he could run up the stairs again, Norman took the stairs back down.

"Articles I have read on preparing for climbs state that it is just as important to develop muscles used to decline as it is to develop inclining muscles," Norman said. "After the first set of 28 floors with 50 pounds of gear, my legs were exhausted."

He did make a second roundtrip of the 28 stories before quitting for the day.

Another local training routine included logging "Panther miles" up and down the steps in the football stadium at Dr. Phillips High School.

To enhance his mountaineering skills and begin the acclimatization process, Norman flew to Colorado in April to climb Grays and Torreys peaks, two of the state's 54 14ers - 14,000-foot mountains. It was cold, windy and snowing, but Norman started up Grays carrying 50 pounds of gear. He fell several times into waist-deep snow even with snowshoes on. For his climb up Mount Rainier he will need to carry 70 pounds of equipment. He made it to 12,500 feet before the snowstorm made it necessary to turn back. He had achieved a 15-mile hike with 3,000 feet of elevation gain - quite an achievement for someone who lives 100 feet above sea level.

On previous trips, he has climbed with the San Juan Outdoor School of Telluride, Colo., and has summited Mount Wilson (14,246 feet), El Diente (14,159) and Mount Oxford (14,153).

Near Seattle, Mount Rainier, at 14,410 feet, is the highest peak in the Cascade Range. It is an active volcano that last erupted approximately 150 years ago. As the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States, it is a challenging test of endurance - the highest peak Norman has ever attempted. Reaching the summit requires a vertical elevation gain of more than 9,000 feet over a distance of eight or more miles. Deep crevasses, ice caves and steep cliffs intensify the climb.

Because it's just 90 miles inland from the Pacific Coast, weather conditions can change quickly and dramatically, said Norman.

The dangers are real. A few weeks ago, an unexpected blizzard on Mount Rainier killed one climber and two others had to be rescued by helicopter from Camp Muir, about 4,000 feet below the summit of the mountain.

Norman's climb begins next week.

He will fly from Orlando to Ashford, Wash., July 17, spending two days at the base camp to adjust to the altitude before beginning the six-and-half-day climb on July 19. He hopes to reach the summit July 24. He will climb with International Mountain Guides and is paying for all of his personal and related climbing expenses.

His wife will update and chronicle his climbing progress daily on their Web site.

While the climb can be dangerous, Norman said he plans to be cautious.

"That mountain will be there for centuries," he said, "I don't need to risk life and limb.

"My wife and son will be in Washington to welcome me off the mountain," said Norman.

When he's not mountain climbing or working, Norman shares his emergency skills with Boy Scout Troop 226 - teaching safety, CPR and knot tying.

"I enjoy helping kids," he said.

Norman, his wife and son, Victor, 6, live in Orange Tree.

Amazing news!!! Total pledges and contributions as of June 22, 2008 are currently $4,700. WOW! Words cannot express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all that have so generously contributed to this great cause.
 

A short story that some of you may already know:
 

Carol Hawk and three of her girl friends from college visited Fulton’s Crab House for dinner some 12 years ago and I was their host. The short version of this story is Carol, Colleen, and Kristen introduced me to the fourth college room mate Elena…my wife. I am forever thankful for that introduction and can not imagine how my life would be if it wasn’t for that fateful night.  
 

You ask what is the correlation to this story and the fund raising climb? My reason for this climb came out my desire to help Carol. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 5 years ago and with the advances in medications and her cheerful and always positive attitude, she has continued to live life to the fullest and has not allowed MS to slow her down. She is a true inspiration and I am incredibly blessed to have her as a friend.

This picture was recently taken while the Hawk’s were on a family vacation to Alaska and they are sporting the official Expedition Rainier 2008 tee shirts. I will take a copy of this picture to the summit of Mount Rainier in celebration of Carol’s incredible strength.

 
Below you can find a recent article from reporter Rich McKay of the Orlando Sentinel who generously took time out of his day to hear about Expedition Rainier 2008 story. I thought it would be appropriate to publish this article on our website.

Orlando man to climb Mount Rainier, raise money for MS

Chuck Normanhas two reasons for risking life and limb to conquer Mount Rainier.

He's a self-styled adrenaline junkie, who sees a challenge in Rainier, one of America's most dangerous peaks; but he's also got a soft heart and is using the climb to raise money for a friend with multiple sclerosis.

Norman caught the mountaineering bug years ago when he met his wife's family in Colorado. He climbs mountains regularly.

The Orlando man has been preparing for two years to make his ascent of the glaciated volcano in Washington's Cascade Range.

"This is the highest mountain I've ever attempted," he said.

The mountain's dangers were vividly illustrated last week when three climbers were caught in a freak June blizzard that killed one of them. A helicopter rescued the other two hikers from Camp Muir, a staging area for climbers about 10,000 feet up the 14,410-foot volcano.

Camp Muir is one of the spots Norman's team will be using.

The rescued pair and the husband of one of them had been out for a day hike to Camp Muir when they were caught in the storm that dumped 2 feet of snow.

All three were experienced climbers, and two had reached the top of Mount Rainier before, said Kevin Bacher, a spokesman for Mount Rainier National Park.

If all goes as planned, Norman, a firefighter, trained EMT and emergency-room nurse, will head to base camp July 17 to start getting acclimated to the altitude.

Norman said he had heard the news of the climbers, but he still plans to go.

"Sometimes people don't take Rainier as seriously as they should. It's a dangerous place," he said.

"There are no shortcuts to the top."

By July 24, he hopes to reach the summit of the mountain that has claimed more than 300 lives in the past century. Many of the dead vanished without even a footprint left in the snow to follow.

But despite the danger, he wants to go for all the typical reasons -- for the challenge and breathtaking beauty and to live life to the fullest.

"If it were easy, everybody would do it," the 35-year-old said with a shrug.

However, he and his wife, Elena Norman have added another component: The Normans want to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"Elena has a friend from college who has been diagnosed with MS," Chuck Norman said. "There's no cure, and it can be debilitating. We thought, let's see if we can do something."

After learning of their friend's illness, Chuck Norman noticed that some of the symptoms of MS are similar to altitude sickness that can afflict even seasoned mountaineers: debilitating fatigue, loss of coordination, dizziness and numbing pain.

"The difference is that for mountain climbers, their symptoms go away when they come down from the mountain," Chuck Norman said. "If you have MS, there's no cure."

The Normans don't handle any of the donated money themselves. Their Web site, TheSnowShoeClub.com, which has been chronicling Chuck Norman's training, has a link to the Multiple Sclerosis Society's Web site.

He's paying for all his own expenses, gear and permits and doesn't get a dime from the fundraiser.

In the meantime, he has kicked his training into high gear, climbing the 28 flights of stairs at the Bank of America building, lugging a backpack with 50 pounds of gear.

"When he's just sitting at home, he's always practicing tying and untying knots," Elena Norman said.

He's also serious about safety.

Although Rainier ranks as the 15th-tallest mountain in North America at 14,411 feet, it's a killer.

Deep fissures called crevasses open and close as 26 major glaciers -- rivers of slow-moving ice -- slide down the mountain, sometimes bringing avalanches and rock falls without warning.

Even though it's summer, temperatures can drop to below zero. Norman has been scaling mountains in the Colorado Rockies to hone his ice-climbing skills.

Elena Norman plans to post daily updates of Chuck's progress on their Web site.

"He'll reach us by satellite phone," she said. "Cell phones don't work on the mountain."
Chuck Norman expects to be on the mountain by July 19. He'll be climbing with seven seasoned mountaineers, and they all will be tethered to one another, just in case someone steps into a hidden crevasse.

He promises his wife and son, Victor, 6, to respect the mountain's dangers.

"I'm not planning on falling," he said.


Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Rich McKay can be reached at rmckay@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5470.

 

 

It is with great pride that I am announcing that we are increasing our goal from $3000 to $4000. We have made such great strides in our fund raising efforts that we have just exceeded $3500. I am extremely thankful for your generosity and support. Thank you!

For those who have not yet had an opportunity to make a donation I urge you to please do so. Ever donation brings us closer to finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis and with your generous support; we can 'Create a World Free of MS'.

As for my most recent trip to Colorado...well it was fantastic. It was cold, windy and snowed. It's hard to get any more perfect then that when...that was exactly what I wanted. I flew into Denver on April 30 and drove to Georgetown, CO. My plan was to get as high as I could up onto Grey's and Torres' Peak to begin the acclimatization process. This was going to be a difficult climb since I was at only 100' above sea level less than 24 hours prior. Grey's and Torres' Peaks are two of the (54) 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado. The road to the trail head was a bit precarious since there was 3 1/2' to 4' of snow and ice. The rental I was driving had 4-wheel drive and I almost got stuck so I decided to play it safe and parked along side the closest county road.

 

 

This put me about 4 miles from the trail head and with sloppy snow conditions made it harder to transit to the trail head. I departed at approximately 7am on May 1st with a snow storm headed towards me from the West.  It was fore casted the storm would hit the Bakerville area around 12 noon. This still gave me some for climbing prior to the storms arrival. The storm was blasting snow in every direction...I was loving ever minute of it. I got to the trailhead around 10:30 or so had a snack re-hydrated and headed for the summit of Gray's peak.

 

The trail was impossible to follow because of the record breaking snow fall Colorado had. Each step towards the summit was a challenge in and of itself as I found my self-falling waist deep in the snow with snowshoes on several times. I was tempted to cache my 50+ pound pack pack put I wanted this weeks climbs to be more about conditioning then summiting. With the extra weight and repetitive postholing made it a great workout.

 

 

The approximate 50 pounds of gear I brought was only the essentials of what I would need for Rainier. I will need to haul about 70 or 80 pounds of gear during my climb on Rainier. It was all great fun and there wasn't another person around in miles. I had the place to myself!

Grey's and Torres are two favorites for most Deverites since they are only an hour or so from Denver. In some of the forums, it has been mentioned that upwards of 100 vehicles fill the road leading to Gray's with some 200 people attempting to climb them. To me, that totally takes away form the outdoor experience. It was a real privilege not having to share this experience with 200 others.

 

 

These are probably the most used 14'ers in all of Colorado due to its proximity to Denver. I just had to laugh while I was there wasn't another soul in miles...I had the whole range all to myself. I got to ~12,500 by 1pm and thought that it was a good time to turn around since the storm was really coming in strong and I still needed to drive to Telluride (7 hour drive) that night.

 

 

 

I got back to the car around 4:30pm and drove back to Georgetown for a bite to eat at Mountain Buzz cafe for some hot cocoa and a warm meal. It was a great end to an approximate 15-mile hike with ~3,000' gain in elevation. Not a bad start for someone who lives at 100' of elevation.

......More to come soon       



Thank you all for your love, encouragement and support.

Namaste,
Chuck

 

"There are only three sports: Bullfighting, Motor Racing, and Mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."
Ernest Hemingway

 

 

Well it has been some time since my last post and I will be putting out a another podcast real soon...but I wanted to publish these pictures as soon as possible.

Many thanks to Elena and Vic for allowing me to take the time go on this great journey! I love you both so much.

Thanks also go out to Josh and Tara Butson from the San Juan Outdoor School of Telluride, Colorado  for a trip of a lifetime.

To Jon Miller, my guild and new friend...thanks for leading me on this climb that I will remember for the rest of my life.


Namaste,
Chuck

This has a busy week for physical training. On Monday Feb 11, I started a training program called “Operation Fitness Boot Camp” that focuses on an intense hour of calisthenics and aerobic exercise.  Having completed Boot Camp, I can tell you that I am impressed with this training program and already can see and feel the results. I am doing everything I can to hold my own in the class but it is by now means a walk in the park. Training is on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7am in downtown Orlando for 4 weeks. As I have mentioned before on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays evenings I am in Tae Kwon Do for another full workout. No rest for the weary. 

This past weekend there weren’t any 5K’s so, two fellow Orange County Fire Fighters (Ian Lord and George Washburn) and myself decided to make good of the training resources that were available to us. We all met at the Bank of America Building in downtown Orlando and climbed all 28 floors a few times. George was an animal! He chose to run the 28 flights take the elevator down and continued to run them for another 4 more times. I chose to put on my Kelty Redcloud backpack with 50+ pounds of gear and walk up and down the 28 stories. Articles I have read on preparing for climbs state that it is just as important to develop the muscles used to decline, as it is to develop the inclining muscles. Ian chose to keep me company and pushed out three round trips up and down the 28. After the first set of 28 floors with the 50 pounds of gear, my legs exhausted. I did manage to make another trip back up and down but that was plenty for a first day. With the vertical height of the building at 404 feet, 800+ feet on the first day was a great start.

We have threatened to go back later this week but with a 5K that I will be running in this weekend, I am unsure if that is the best choice.

Ok, I know that I have threatened to have the shirts ready by now but the National Multiple Sclerosis Society needed some minor changes. The printer told me today that the shirts would be ready on Thursday.

I recently spoke with Dr. Phillip’s Starbucks manager Rachel about Expedition Rainier’s mission and goals including our desire to sell our shirts at her store. Rachel called me today and made an offer for me to host a booth this week’s “Open Mic” event. The event will be this Thursday February 21^st from 7pm to 9pm. If you are available, please come out, show your support for us, and perhaps pick up your very own Expedition Rainier 2008 shirt and a latte if you like.

Thanks again for your donations, words of encouragement on this Blog and in our guest book. I really enjoy reading them all and cherish your input.
 

One special thanks to my wonderful loving wife Elena for all of her encouragement and support. Behind every great man, there is a great woman! Yes she is great…me on the other hand the jury is out. Until next week, be safe and God Bless.
 

Namaste,

Chuck