14 Peaks for Setayesh

Have you ever played an instrument for animals in the wild? I did :) One day, I took my Appalachian dulcimer and went to the summit of Mount Aeneas, east of the Flathead River. There I found a group of mountain goats near the cliff. You can't see them in the video, but they were there. I played a few songs for them. Here is one of them. Please go to our GoFundMe page and donate. Thank you!

 Here is a Farsi nursery song I made for refugee children to help them retain their native language: Please go to our GoFundMe page and donate. Thank you

During COVID, I was part of a storytelling group. We could not meet in person, so we recorded our stories and shared them through a WhatsApp group. Here is one of them I recorded when I was hiking one day: Please go to our GoFundMe page and donate. Thank you

One summer during my college years, I did volunteer work at a hospice in northwest Philadelphia. There I met a 92 year old Jewish man and I asked him what his biggest regret in life was. His answer was a life lesson. Watch the video and please donate to change the world for my niece, Setayesh, a 13 year old in need of speech therapy. Please donate using this link to the GoFundMe page :

On the peak of Mount Kit Carson, a friendly marmot appeared out of nowhere. He scurried around, then suddenly started licking the trekking stick that I picked from the forest. The salt and minerals left behind from my sweat had probably drawn him there. Please go to our GoFundMe page and donate. Thank you

Hiking tall peaks involves many risks, one of which is being caught in a thunderstorm. On the summit and anywhere above the tree line, you are exposed to the danger of being struck by lightning. One of the most dangerous experiences I had was while descending from Mount Shavano. I saw a dark cloud forming overhead. Five minutes later, it started pouring. By the time I reached the tree line, I unintentionally moved next to a tree, but standing near trees is dangerous too, as they attract lightning. So I decided to run down the mountain.  Please go to our GoFundMe page and donate. Thank you Watch these three videos documenting those moments.    and this one   and finally runing down the mountains 

On August 15, I climbed Mount Harvard and then headed eastward toward the knife-edge connecting it with Mount Columbia. I avoided traversing the knife-edge cliff, instead, I descended into the lower basin, where I filled my water bottles with fresh water from the streams. I saw two hikers following me. Looking up at the dark cloud forming overhead, I did not want to linger there therefore, I pushed myself toward the steep climb to Columbia Peak. I was midway up when I saw a rescue helicopter arriving — it was an ominous sight; perhaps someone was hurt. See the video of how close it was. It made me think: what if something happened to me? How would I call for help in an emergency? I had no device with me except my phone, and I did not have cell service. Hiking rugged terrain at high peaks is not without risk. Hikers fall off cliffs, break their ankles, or die from heat exhaustion. I noticed many hikers were carrying a Garmin mini satellite communicator so that, in case of an emergency, ...

The book “The Warhead” is the tale of American taxpayers. Every American should read it. It is ethically and personally important to know what the government does with your taxes, where and on whom these guided missiles are dropped, and what the future of these lethal weapons may look like in the age of AI and robotic warfare. It is the story of people behind the development of these destructive weapons, and Jeff is not neutral; he questions the morality, rationality, and efficacy of the militaristic agenda. I was in the penultimate chapter when I made this video, my early reaction to the book, but it deserves a better review, which I will do when I return home. I finished reading it during my fundraising campaign in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. In the evening, when i retired to my tent, and sometimes, amidst grunts and huffs of bears that were roaming around my tent, I was reading this book. I finished reading it in 6 days while completing my climb of Colorado's 14 highest pea...

I’m done. Finished earlier than expected. I completed 4 peaks today. It was a meaningful challenge, and of course it’s not comparable to what a 13-year-old child experiences on a daily basis. My journey for hiking the highest peaks to bring voice to my niece ends here but the campaign continues. I realized when we humans share a big cause, we can do unbelievable things. I am not a professional hiker or climber but the cause inspired me to push myself to do the impossible thing. I have never done this kind of stuff before but I realized it’s possible. If you need me to join in your charity campaign, please let me know. I would be honored. Thank you for donating and sharing the link with your friends. If you haven’t donated, please use this link

Here is a video from the sumitt of Mount Lincoln. Please click here for a donation.   

 Here is a video from the peak of Mount Cameron. To make a donation, please click here .

here is the first video from the top of Mount Democrat. To make a donation, please click here .    And here is another video from halfway down from the peak.

here is a video from the top of Mount Columbia. To make a donation, please click here . 

Here are two videos. The first one is like a trail talk video where I explain why I am doing the hike. The second one is from the peak. Please go to the GoFundMe page to donate. Thanks!    Here is the second video, which I have recorded from the peak of Mount Harvard

Here is a video from the summit of Mount Belford. To make a donation, please click here . here is another video of me trying to sing the song " The Impossible Dream " See I can even sing for you on the summit to make your donation possible. Please donate for this cause and whatever makes it better, I can give it a try, even singing here I’m sending the Impossible Dream on the summit of Mount Belford at 14,202 elevation. My lungs almost collapsed please use this link to donate

On my fourth day, I had to make up the missing peak from the previous day. Here is a video from Mount Oxford and please click on the link to donate    and here is another video

On my fourth day, I hiked three peaks: Missouri, Oxford, and Belford. Missouri, 14,070 feet high. Please click on the link to donate .   and here is another video

Day 3, 5th peak: Mount Yale, 14,200 feet high. A few things happened today: we experienced an early storm, and I couldn’t make the second peak. For safety reasons, I had to return from the trail. Also, I got severe muscle cramps in the calf of my right leg. In the video, a fellow female hiker is filming me while I’m trying to release the tension in my calf. It worked. I will make up the second peak in the coming days. Please use the link to donate Here is a video of me trying to release a muscle cramp in my calf.  It was a bit dark early in the morning, deep in the forest, as I was making my way up to the peak. I saw a black spectacle moving behind a tree. Watch the video for more details:

Here is a video from the peak of Mount Tabeguache at 14,158 ft high. Click here to make a donation.  

Here are two videos. The first is on the trail leading up to Shavano Peak; the second is on the peak. I call it trail talk. It was early in the morning and I wanted to talk a bit about some challenges. Please go to the GoFundMe page to donate. Thanks!     From the peak of Mount Shavano

Here are three videos from the summit of Kit Carson Peak, at 14,167 feet. It was the second peak on my first day and the most challenging peak to climb. What made it difficult was not the actual climb itself; it was the loose rocks in the gully that sometimes tumbled and shifted under my feet, dragging me down. It was dangerous because some of those rocks were tumbling all the way to the bottom, and I feared that if there had been another hiker, they would have been hurt. Luckily, no one was there.  Another thing that made it very difficult to hike was the going up and down. I like going up, and when I descend, my mind signals to my body that I am going home and there won't be any climbing. Going around from the west to the southeastern side of the Kit Carson was a long walk, and it wasn't easy. But luckily, it was short. Here is a video from the Peak of Mount Carson. Please go to the GoFundMe page to donate. Thanks!     and here is another video without me in the fr...

I can't remember exactly what time I arrived at the peak of Mount Challenger; I assumed it was about 11 am local. It was a hard climb, to be honest. I carried a lot of water with me, perhaps about a gallon. I always have a fear of going short of water, and for that matter, I carry extra when I'm away from the lake and creeks. If you ask me what is the heaviest load on your back, it is the water and again the water. Here is a video I made on the peak of Mount Challenger and please click here to donate . Thanks! 

Please go to the GoFundMe page to donate. Thanks! 

Please go to the GoFundMe page to donate. Thanks!     On August 10th, at about 7:00 pm local time, I arrived at the Willow Creek Trailhead. The dirt road from the Crestone village that is nestled at the foot of Mount Challenger and Kit Carson. Driving slowly through the village, I noticed there were a few restaurants and shops, though I barely saw people moving in and out at that time of day. Perhaps people were relaxing at home, watching TV, and enjoying dinner. When you enter the village, you can feel it is a semi-touristic area, but not so obvious because you don't see many tourists. As I was pulling into a small alley leading onto the base of the mountains where the dirt road begins, an eye-catching landscape opened up in front of me as if welcoming me to its bosom. I could feel my heart pounding with excitement.  The village of Creston is about 2.5 hours from Cañon City and about 1 hour from Alamosa. These are the nearest cities where you could access large groc...

Please go to the GoFundMe page to donate. Thanks!  I drove all day yesterday, passing through the scorching deserts of California, Utah, and Arizona. It was a long drive, and my constant stops made it even longer. I can't drive more than 50 miles without stopping to rest. I strongly believe we humans are not made to stay behind the wheel for long hours. It is bad for the back, legs, and arms, not to mention the mental exhaustion that comes with hours of staring at the road. What I do during the rest is walk for 5 minutes, stretch, and cool off. At rest stops and grocery stores, I take longer pauses, allowing the engine of my old car to cool down so I can open the hood and check the engine oil, power steering fluid, and antifreeze. With an old car, you have to be on the lookout; if neglected, it can break down easily and be left abandoned. Last night, I arrived late at Sunset View Campground in the Navajo Nation. I think it was 9:30 pm local when I arrived at the campground. It was ...

Help a 13-Year-Old Girl Access Speech Therapy Background story: The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the collapse of Afghanistan’s government into the hands of the Taliban were catastrophic for my family. My niece, Setayesh, used to be a normal introvert girl. During the evacuation, at age 9, she was traumatized, according to her mom. She began whispering her words. When she arrived in Canada, she refused to speak entirely. At a clinic in Saskatoon that conducted a basic screening, she was identified as autistic, but a proper and comprehensive assessment for autism has never been conducted on her so far. That is because her parents don't speak English and they don't know how to navigate the system. They recently moved to Calgary, Alberta, where, for the first time, the family doctor referred their child to a pediatric clinic for a comprehensive assessment. In the meantime, her education has suffered enormously. Because she requires additional support in the classroo...