How does one decide to travel to Russia and climb Europe's tallest peak to raise $10,000 for breast cancer research and awareness?

Good question.

I first saw the ad in Outside Magazine, but by the time I called to apply, it was too late. Being from Boulder, Colorado, I offered to put a team together for another expedition. The organizers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (www.fhcrc.org/climb) in Seattle, Washington, politely declined and offered to put me on a waiting list for this year, or for next year's expedition.

Basically, the answer was "no thank you", but send us your climbing resume. Arguably, after almost 30 years of climbing, it was one of the toughest assignments. Focusing on international climbs and routes over 14,0000 feet, I was able to get it down to a one-pager.

And I began the long slog of training. And checking in periodicaly to see if someone had dropped out. My opportunity came about two weeks before the expedition was going to leave. Linda Carlson, of the FHCRC, asked, "Can you go? Are you ready?"

Good questions.

After a quick flurry of activity, I was on my way with a $10,000 promise to raise the money sitting on my credit card, a vacation deficit at work, and a plane ticket to St. Petersburg, Russia.