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Life is full of challenges. Some are more daunting than others. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's mission is to eliminate cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death. Meeting that challenge is a long and arduous endeavor. Climbing a mountain peak is also an arduous task requiring skill, special tools, tenacity and determination. Like science you can see the summit in the distance but as you continue up, it may not seem to be getting any closer. The Big Expedition for Cancer Research — Unclimbed Mountains to Conquer is intended to show that seemingly insurmountable challenges are attainable and that they can lead to successes — such as finding a cure for cancer. These mountains are unclimbed because they are hard to reach and only a goal-oriented group with a mission would take on such a difficult task. The Big Expedition for Cancer Research brings together a group of professional mountaineers who will take on the challenge of one of these unclimbed mountains somewhere in the world. The general public will be able to be a part of this adventure through the news media and the Internet. They will see that success can be achieved through planning, teamwork and commitment. |
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Four professional mountaineers from across the country will participate in the Big Expedition. They are being selected because they are exceptionally skilled and experienced mountain climbers. They are young, aggressive, talented, thoughtful and safe — attributes shared with Hutchinson Center researchers. |
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An unnamed and unclimbed mountain has been chosen. Unclimbed mountains are where people aren't. The highly populated countries of the Americas and Europe have a few unclimbed mountains. The Big Expedition has selected a location that is somewhat accessible and is near the Seattle headquarters of the Hutchinson Center — Alaska. Because of its remoteness, Alaska still has several unclimbed mountains and the Big Expedition has located a beautiful one with a very interesting approach by air and water from the state's capital of Juneau. |
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The National Park Service cares for national parks with a network of nearly 400 natural, cultural and recreational sites across the nation. The system is designed to preserve, protect, and share, the legacies of the national parks. The American system of national parks was the first of its kind in the world, and provides a living model for other nations wishing to establish and manage their own protected areas. The National Park Service is excited about the Big Expedition and is collaborating with the mountaineers and the Mountaineering Advisory Committee. |
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For more than 10 years, the Hutchinson Center has held the
Climb to Fight Breast Cancer, a series of fundraising climbs whereby climbers from all over the country raise funds in support of breast-cancer research. This past year 104 participating climbers scaled five peaks in two continents, from Mount Rainer in Washington state to Kilimanjaro in Africa. The Big Expedition for Cancer Research introduces a new element to the Center’s link with mountains, climbs and cancer research — an effort that, in several important ways, should bring its research efforts into perspective. Learn more about the 2008 Climb to Fight Breast Cancer. |
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The Big Expedition is intended to be a long-term project. Each climb will feature a new mountain in a different part of the world and a new team will be selected to take on the task. The public as well as researchers and staff at the Hutchinson Center will be encouraged to follow and occasionally participate in the preparations and build-up to the climb. Together we will face the challenges of the Big Expedition and celebrate its achievements, just as together we will work to eliminate cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death. |
