Going Back!

Fresh year, fresh start! The first trek ended prematurely with the appearance of the flu and a leaky bivy sack. Vowing to return, Harold and Derek are at it again.

Originally planning to re-embark on Tuesday, January 4th, last week's heavy snow moved the schedule up a bit.

After checking the entrance route last Tuesday, Harold found that Hwy 46 was not plowed. With heavy snow on the entrance route, Harold and Derek will not be able to reach the first drop off even with the help of a local 4 wheel drive club.

The extra 15 to 20 mile hike, just to reach the start point, pushed the departure date up by two days. "Two days we needed for preparation," says Harold who admits to being a little nervous on this night before E.S.C.A.P.E Survival Challenge.

Still determined to go through with the fundraising challenge on behalf of the Exhange Sponsored Child Abuse Prevention Effort (E.S.C.A.P.E), the team scrambled to collect and prep the remaining gear and make the nessesary contacts to Ranger Stations, support teams, food drop crews, and others.

On 7:00am, January 2, 2011, E.S.C.A.P.E Survival Challenge will be underway when Harold and Derek depart Salem and head into the Cascade Range for the next 14 to 17 days.

"Now I'm just wanting to get some sleep," says Harold, "or just think about how to fall asleep!"




Make sure to subscribe to this blog and click the Follow button for automatic updates on the E.S.C.A.P.E Survival Challenge Crew as they trek over the crest of the Cascade Mountains. Not only will there be tactical updates, but anecdotes and personal reflection from the team.

Hopefully you'll be inspired by the efforts of Harold and Derek and choose to support E.S.C.A.P.E by donating and passing on this link.

Check back tomorrow for final pics and thoughts from Harold and Derek as they leave town.

Challenge Conception

Harold Wood and Derek Arneson served the Salem, OR community together through various Networking Exchange Club, a national service organization, charity events and fundraisers.

Still, they wanted to do more for the people these charities hope to benefit, namely the Child Abuse Prevention Center.

During an Exchange Sponsored Child Abuse Prevention Effort (E.S.C.A.P.E) fundraising brainstorming session, Harold and Derek tossed around a number of different ideas . . .

Try to set a record for time spent perched on a billboard? They didn't have two years to spend on a ledge over I-5.

Plan a hiking trip and let people pledge per mile that is covered? Not unusual enough.

Backpack in the winter on the crest of the Cascade Range, turning a common trip into an uncommon survival situation? PERFECT!

With similar intersts in survival skills, outdoor adventuring, forest service work, and more, a winter survival challenge seemed like a perfect fit.

Serious planning began in Oct. 2010 for a Nov. 6, 2010 departure. It wasn't long into the preparation process that Harold and Derek found out just how unusual their plan was. Finding the perfect sled for the unusual mountainous hike through snow and rock proved difficult.

In the end, the two purchased basic, light-weight sleds and modified them to to suite their needs, fabricating light weight pulks (poles that attach the sled to a harness so it may be pulled behind the hiker).

They modified snow pants and backpacks. Created extra straps and hand rolled duct tape to save space. They purchased special water proof bags for gear, hats and neck gators with omni-heat lining, special boots, Spot 2 transmitting device for communication and emergencies, and much much more.

Come November 6th, Team E.S.C.A.P.E Survival Challenge was pumped and ready to hit the trail.