Year I is done. We are back from the Ausangate Range after an epic trek through the Peruvian Andes. We raised more than $28,000 and most of our group are now back to their regular routines as they process the impact of a truly memorable experience.

It is always interesting to decide when it is time to move on from one experience to start something new. For me, this is the time. This week, we signed off on Year II of Climb for Kids and we are back into the cycle of recruiting trekkers, social media announcements, training and a new launch.

While I don’t want to let go of this first trek through those beautiful mountains, it is time to turn to a new destination. Now we are preparing for Year II and the Tour de Mont Blanc.

The Tour de Mont Blanc will be a different type of trek, which is a great reason for doing this. A really different challenge. The trek is in the moderate to high altitude zone, but not the very high altitude zone (4500m-5000m) we experienced during the Ausangate climb. We will be walking over 170 km around the Mont Blanc Massif travelling through three countries and camping all the way. I think this makes for a great second adventure for Christie Lake Climb for Kids. As one article puts it, “More of a shrine to the Alps than a simple walk in the mountains, the TMB is the definition of a Bucket List Hike.”

So, the training starts again. We will probably do more long-distance walking this time to get ready for the long days. This is one of the many attractions to taking on a new adventure every year. We are in a constant cycle of training. Every day we have to consider what we can do to prepare for the next challenge.

Of equal importance is the money we will continue to raise for Christie Lake Kids. Christie Lake is all about transforming the lives of lower-income kids throughout the year. We wouldn’t be doing this unless we could make a contribution and a difference in the lives of children. For this reason, most of the climbers who signed on last year were either educators or connected in some way to programming for children.

This is also all about building a community. Last year, I had 29 supporters who helped me raise $2100.00. Each climber can talk about similar numbers. Together, we raised over $28,000 and put on two great fundraising socials with lots of silent auction and corporate sponsors. This community will grow this year. We will attract new sponsors and new climbers. The positive energy will expand this great social venture! 

This is what makes Climb for Kids such a great opportunity for growth. We transform ourselves by training, fundraising and climbing. We help transform the lives of children by rallying people to give to a really important cause.

So now we need 14 people to sign up for a great adventure. The new group will have some great experiences together. We will work with each other for a year and we will challenge ourselves in ways that are difficult to imagine.

Adventure and committing to helping others transforms. Helping others gives us an important new focus. If you want to do something truly wonderful this year, join us!

Here is what you need to know:

The Booking Form can be downloaded here

The full itinerary is here

TRIP COST: $3525.00CAD
DEPOST DUE AMOUNT UPON BOOKING: $500CAD

This does not include insurance (mandatory) or flight.