Climbing tallest peaks and risks involved

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, they could send distress signals. I thought about it, but I honestly did not have anyone whom I could designate to receive a distress signal from me. So, I hiked without the device. I did this perilous hike to raise money for my niece's speech therapy. It was not for me doing it for fun or sports' sake. Now that I look at my photos, I realize I forgot to take a selfie on some peaks, simply because I was so absorbed in the cause that I did not think of myself.

Please donate on the GoFundMe page or via Venmo @Nasim-Fekrat or Zelle at fekrat@gmail.com. Thanks! 

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