Susanne 9. Please tell us about your “Set for the Summit” project. Whose idea was it and what was the concept?
When I was backpacking through Spain last year, I was heading to the airport in Girona to catch a flight to Italy. I ran into some problems when the flight got cancelled, and that’s where I met a guy by the name of Mike Gage. I believe everything happens for a reason, and that day I ran into him by pure luck I would say. Since we were both in the same situation – flightless & broke – we started making conversation & decided to go hitch-hiking together. One thing led to another, and pretty soon we had become very good friends, and even luckier hitch-hikers! We had three days of non-stop laughing, exploring & talking. It turns out we’re both dreamers, and our paths were simply meant to cross. Mike told me about a climb his group of friends was planning in Mexico, and that’s when I decided I was definitely going to take him up on his offer to join. After we were done our adventure through Northern Italy together, we kept in touch until I invited him to Ecuador to join me on a climb of Chimborazo as a test of our skills before attempting Orizaba in Mexico.
One night I was walking back to my hotel in La Paz, Bolivia. It was about 1 am, and I was huffing & puffing up the hill when a great idea hit me. I saw the opportunity to turn this climb into something not only for my own personal enjoyment, but also for the enjoyment of our kids at IRW in Cusco. That same night I wrote a 15-page email to Danielle Weiss, our Sustainable Tourism Coordinator at G.A.P Adventures & also the coordinator of our projects at Planeterra. I wrote down everything that went through my head late that night, and that’s how we decided to shift our focus to the kids instead of the peak itself. When I checked my email the next day, I got an answer from Mike who immediately fell in love with the idea.
Mike then pitched it to the rest of the group: it was unanimous, that’s how “Set for the Summit” was born.
10. You climbed the Pico de Orizaba, that must have been an amazing experience. Please give us more information about that. What were some of the scary moments and some of the rewards?
I wasn’t sure I was physically ready for this as I was still recovering from a frost-bitten toe, but since it was for the kids nothing really mattered. I had a goal, and I was going to stop at nothing to get to it.
My fight was no longer a solo battle. It became a quest I needed to go on to prove to myself I still had the passion burning inside of me. So I set off for Mexico to meet a group of people whom I had never before met, and to start something I was not entirely sure I was capable of handling without the proper basic training – but I knew I had the support I needed from my friends & family, and that slowly filled my heart with a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time. I found my true self last year in Switzerland, and as time passed, I was finding a person in me I hadn’t ever known.
“From the left: Rich Belliveau, Ian Passini, Mary Lenig (formerly of The Amazing Race with sister Peach) and Michael Gage (MGage Studios) on the summit of Orizaba after a very emotional climb. Those are the first smiles we shared all together since base camp a mere eight freezing hours before…”
The day we set off to the glacier, nothing could have come between us & a peak we all so desperately wanted to bag. We were minded, and nothing could stop us now. We had our last meal in the comfort of an old converted soap factory, and then we went to sleep after having a nerve-wrecking conversation over rope team leaders, possible fatal mistakes & the probability of us making it – or not. It seemed trivial at the time, but none of those issues ever really scared me. I felt completely confident I could do it & I knew I had the right people with me. We determined that Mike, Mary & I would be rope team leaders. The rest of the group said their strongest people were needed out there as lifelines, and so we accepted. I then realized I was taking on the lives of up to ten other people, and that began to shake me.
The next morning we got on the truck, and set off through the green melee of trees & rocks to basecamp. I sat on the roof with Mike & Ian, and I could see the emotion in their eyes. Mary took the front seat of the 1952 Dodge we were riding on, and she too felt the intensity of what was to come. We all knew that nothing would stop us from making it to that summit. As we drove up we could see the feeble air violently pushing snow and rock off the icy cliffs. We sat unimpressed with nature’s force, blinded by the light of determination. I was completely ready I believe to risk it all for those kids.
Ian had lost his mother to a battle with Cancer just one short year previous, and she was his inspiration for pushing the limits of his abilities. She had inspired him to go the extra mile for the sake of another human being. Mike had been on a stretch of three unconquered peaks due to injury & illness, and he was determined to push it not only for himself, but for the kids at his favorite project: www.kidspeace.org. Mary is real a “go-getter” whose lifelong quest to make the world a better place pushes her to go the extra mile every single day – she would do anything to help another human being. All four of us were at the peak of our determination, but little did we know about the foolishness of what it was we were about to attempt.
We set up camp and stayed for one day contemplating our next move. We made a split decision to break camp and move up to high camp to better our chances of making it to the summit. Mike, Ian & I climbed from base camp to high camp three times with what we judged was enough water for everyone… We were putting ourselves to the test I guess, and we had passed that part with flying colors.
After a day at high camp, we took the group up to the tongue of the glacier to practice self-rescue and anchors. We realized that from that point on we would be responsible for each others lives. We carried on knowing that we were low on water supplies and that we would need all the strength we could summon to
lead our three teams to the summit without freezing all extremities or sliding off a cliff.
“New Years Day, January 1st 2004: The Legends: Zaz, Rich, Claire, Alex, Beav, Kate, Nick, Izzy & Alex – I’ll never forget you guys!”
That night we all sat down together & went through the procedures & the food/water rationing, and to our surprise, Mike, Mary, Ian & I were set aside by the rest of the group. They had decided to sacrifice their rations of food & water to allow us to bag this peak – they were willing to stay behind & let us conquer the monster that was living inside each one of us, and to do so they knew what had to be done. Their act of selflessness was most honorable, and it went to show that they also felt what it is we felt, and they knew what it took to make sure our demons would not prevail.
At that moment I was reminded of my usual answer to difficult situations: run away. Not this time I said. Not again, and never again. I told my team again exactly why I was doing this, and I told them why it was so important to me. I reached deep inside myself and pulled out my worst fears & biggest obstacles, and I made a vow to never let those evils take over again. From that point on there was no return, and there was no stopping us. I promised to cut the rope and split into two teams if I saw it fit to make it to the summit, and Mike quickly made the same promise. Pretty soon we had unanimously spoken on behalf of our battered souls that needed no convincing.
We went to bed that night knowing it could turn very bad in a split second if the weather didn’t hold or if we made a mistake. The altitude is nothing compared to Everest, but it’s enough to make a person lose his sense of judgement & level headedness.
The stars were out, and the mood was faint. The night would guide us through the better of two evils – follow your heart and push all limits, or give in once again and run away. Neither option was the right one given our condition, but it didn’t matter anymore. The clock struck midnight & we just about leapt out of our tents, geared up and got the adrenaline pumping. We decided the weather was good enough for us to climb. We were lucky; the stars were on our side and the night seemed very mild. After hours spent climbing though scree, we made it to the lip of the glacier where we were already frozen by bits. We roped up, said a final prayer, and started off straight up the face of the glacier. Although we all knew the success rate was only about twenty percent, nobody dared say anything. We pushed forward through the cold frigid wind under the very starlight that had inspired this push many nights before.
We fought hard, we stopped, we had even thought of separating for a while, but we decided to push the envelope as far as we could so we gave it our best shot. Just when we stopped one last time, a shooting star light up the sky above. I remember the magic it brought every time I wished upon a star when I was a kid. I think that star gave me the strength I needed to push on even though I was starting to feel exhausted. At that point I believe my soul was touched by that star, and I knew I had the wishes & dreams of too many kids on my back to turn around.
Bleeding from fingers & toes, scorched by the wind & sun, we kept ascending until we had nothing left to give. We made it to a summit we believed to be the one and realized we still had what seemed like miles to go. The look in our eyes was so intense and so disbelieving that there was nothing out there that could have stopped us – not even the worst of avalanches or the widest of crevasses. As we came up to the ridge on top of the volcano, the wind was blowing strong enough it could have easily carried Mary away if she hadn’t been weighed down by all that gear!
“The Legends & their leader after a hard day’s ski session – life is good…”
A mere meter form the actual summit, the energy was getting so intense that we all unclipped from our lifeline, and I slowly made my way to the highest point where I fell to the ground, planted my ice axe and began to sob like I had never done so before. I cried tears of joy, and I felt something I had never felt before. I laid there hunched over the rocks that marked the summit, and I wept. I looked up to the sky, and there I said it: “no more quitting, no more failure, from now on I turn not to run away, but towards whatever it is I face. I will never look back & run, I got you” I said, “I did it, I beat you!” I yelled. Ian came right up beside be, and he took off his gloves to reveal a photo of his mother he had been latching onto this entire time. He went to the base of the cross, dug a hole & carefully placed his mom’s photo in the ground. Just as he started covering it, a tear drop fell onto her photo. It was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever experienced.
We all felt her presence there that morning as the sun rose over the valley below. We hugged and smiled as we knew we had conquered what it was that could have kept us from ever blossoming fully, but it was not over yet. I reached into my bag and pulled out my kids’ prayer flags. We slowly unrolled them, and as I held one end with all the strength I could gather, I threw the other end into the wind and ran across that summit. Those prayer flags flew higher then ever thought possible. As I ran I felt the weight of the futures of all our children growing and growing until I couldn’t hold on any longer. Mary looked up and yelled “let go Rich, just let go, we’ve done it, we’ve won…”
The looks on our faces turned from exhaustion to glory, and we let the wind carry our kids’ dreams across the valleys & mountains of the world. I felt as invincible as the wind that day. I only wish my kids could have been there to experience the emotion with me. We had won; Mary was right. We had taken a step forward that could never be taken back. I vowed to make sure nothing could ever stop them from accomplishing their dreams.
From that point on I decided never to look back on the things that made me weak, and to never let those demons and evils get the best of me. For as long as I live I promise I’ll always look out for those around me, and I will always push on through no matter what. That summit represented the beginning of a new life not only for me but for anyone who is willing to give that extra push. It represents only the beginning. The future is in the hands of those who are willing to do good with it, and I knew the future got much brighter that day – for me and for my kids.
11 Please tell us what was the outcome of the “Set for the Summit” fundraising event. How much money was raised and what is it going to be used for?
This event marked the beginning of a new program called the “Planeterra Partner Program” which is a special branch of our foundation that allows normal people like you & I to create or map out our own event to help raise funds for the charity. We encourage people at home who want to support our community projects to do whatever it is they wish to help out; if that means hosting a local bungee jumping/bachelor auction, a benefit concert or even a bake sale, we’ll be pleased to know that others are doing their part to make the world a better place.
So far we’ve raised 3000$ U.S. with this effort which will in fact be a total donation of 6000$ U.S after G.A.P Adventures matches the amount – as they do with ANY donation of up to 50 000$… If that’s not enough to knock your pants off, you’ll be pleased to hear that there are absolutely no costs involved in running Planeterra as G.A.P Adventures already covers all the costs of our operations & staffing needs through the company itself – therefore Planeterra has no overhead costs! For those of you who, like myself, only took Math until college, that means that 200% of your dollars go to the projects directly! It’s simple: 1$ = 2$, no catch!!! In the case of this event, the funds will be going towards the purchase of a parcel of land in Cusco to be able to build a house home for our kids to call their own.
“Me & Mike on the summit with our kids’ prayer flags proudly flying free in the wind.”
12. What have been your learning experiences from the mountain climb and the events that led up to it?
I learned never to underestimate the power of a dream, never to forget all the people that make me happy, and never to run away from the things I may fear. I learned that no matter how hard something may be the right answer isn’t to run. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. I realize that now, and I’ve realized that the mistakes I have made in my life are nothing but normal. I know now that if I don’t want to go back to University yet, I don’t have to. If I don’t want to get a regular nine to five job, it’s up to me. If I want to dedicate my life to helping others & making the world a better place, then it’s entirely up to me. I consider myself very lucky to have the love and support of my family and friends in everything I do.
13. What has happened since you climbed that mountain? Please tell us what’s on schedule next for Rich Belliveau.
Since that mountain I’ve noticed many changes in my ways. I have started living every day as if it were my last, and I’ve started appreciating everyone around me much more. I’ve also decided to keep on going with this wave I’m riding. My plans are very vague right now. I plan on climbing many more mountains for charity, raft a number of rivers, and do lots more fundraising. I’ll be leading in Northern Canada and Alaska for the summer season, and I plan on doing some research for some more fundraising opportunities. My best kept secret right now also happens to be what drives me, what inspires me, and of course it is also what pushes me every day to make a difference in this world. Hopefully my work will be recognized soon enough and I’ll have the support I need for the next big endeavor. All I can say for now is “Watch out world, here I come!”
Richard, thank you for telling us about your personal journey and all the insights you have gained along the way. I wish you all the best for your efforts and all the future fundraising projects you are going to be involved in. Keep up the great work!
