Shannon Hahn will celebrate the summer solstice in the cold.
She will climb Californias snow-covered, 14,179-foot, Mount Shasta, the second highest volcano in the United States. Hahn will do so in June with a team of women from across the country to raise money for breast cancer prevention.
Hahn, a Durango native and customer service representative at Osprey Packs, is one of 27 women chosen to be apart of Climb Against the Odds. Its an annual mountain expedition organized by the Breast Cancer Fund.
For Hahn, 25, the inspiration to take part in the lofty climb came after she learned some startling statistics. According to the San Francisco-based, non-profit, and notably the only national organization focused solely on prevention, a womans risk of breast cancer today has increased to one in eight. Its a significant increase from 1966 when it was just one in 22 women. Only 50 percent of cases are linked to traditional risk factors, such as genetics.
The Breast Cancer Fund attributes the increase of exposure to carcinogens, radiation and chemicals that act like hormones.
I felt compelled to support the Breast Cancer Funds mission to eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer, Hahn said. From their groundbreaking work, Ive learned that a precautionary approach to chemical exposure is essential to sound health. The organization works from the knowledge that breast cancer is not simply a personal tragedy, but also a public health priority.
Hahn has set out to raise $10,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund and has also committed to paying for her share of expenses to the expedition, including travel to Mt. Shasta. Osprey Packs paid $1,000 of the $1,750 in expenses while on the mountain, such as guiding services, meals and lodging.
In the past several months, Hahn has been in training for the expedition through backcountry skiing, running, road and mountain biking, and hiking with a 30-pound backpack. She also completed a single day mountaineering course, generously provided free of charge by Durangos Southwest Adventure Guides. Hahn was taught how to use an ice axe, crampons and self-arrest techniques, and recently reached the summit of Snowdon Peak (13,077 feet) near Silverton.
Climb Against the Odds 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the Breast Cancer Fund and the 13th major mountaineering expedition for breast cancer prevention. The team will follow in the footsteps of the incredible women and men, breast cancer survivors and supporters, who have climbed Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. McKinley, Mt. Fuji and Mt. Rainier. The climb was envisioned in the early 1990s by breast cancer survivors Laura Evans and Breast Cancer Fund founder, the late Andrea Ravinett Martin.
We climb to demonstrate our commitment, to ourselves and to others, that we stand for a world in which cancer is a thing of the past, Martin had said. We apply our courage and faith that anything is possible, if taken one step at a time. And, we do it all as part of a team, climbers and supporters, knowing that there is more that we can achieve together than apart. Success lies in the journey, not on the summit.
Hahn feels the experience thus far has been empowering for both her and her team.
We have all stepped up and chose to do something, do what we could about the breast cancer epidemic, she said. We didnt just freeze up and say, What can I do about it? It is bigger than me? I wish someone would do something about that. We acted in the spirit of responsibility and hope, and are directly contributing to breast cancer prevention. I believe this attitude can be contagious, and when someone stands for positive change, others will find the courage, too.
For more information about breast cancer prevention and Climb Against the Odds, please visit www.breastcancerfund.org.
