Training 1The Journey Begins!

Anne Auer, a Board member and volunteer at The Center for Wisdom’s Women, has turned 50.  To celebrate that milestone, she decided to challenge herself by hiking up Mt. Whitney in California. It is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,496 ft.

She is dedicating her effort to honor the women at The  Center for Wisdom’s Women! She’ll be doing the hike on August 9 with her son John (15), his cousin David (13) and David’s dad, Anne’s brother in law Phil (their guide) who has summited Whitney twice before.

Anne is doing all of her training in Maine. She carries a backpack of books while hiking! Training sites are in Baxter State Park, Acadia National Park, and Cairibou Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest, and more locally at Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Lewiston, Macworth Island in Falmouth, Wolfe Neck and Bradbury Mountain state parks, and more.

Follow Anne’s progress on her Walking Whitney for Wisdom’s Women BLOG. She will be blogging in the weeks leading up to and during her big hike of Mount Whitney.  In her writing, she will weave together experiences she has had with women here at the Center as a Companion with what she has learned about the impact that adverse childhood experiences have had on their lives, along with reflecting on some of her own family memories. In training, Anne has had lots of time to think and she will share the new perspectives gained while walking. http://walkingwhitney4wisdomswomen.tumblr.com/

You can participate in Anne’s journey and support her efforts by donating to her Walking Whitney for Wisdom’s Women Campaign. Her goal is to raise one dollar for every foot of the mountain, $14,500.  The funds will go toward general operating expenses at the Center. https://www.razoo.com/us/story/Walkingwhitney

From Anne: “I’ll be taking my training and preparation one day at a time. I’ve got help from experts and support from friends, family and colleagues at the CWW. My journey is self-imposed, but I imagine some elements of my struggle to figure out my way safely to the summit and down are like those of some of our women. I take it one day at a time and get stronger with each practice hike. I have a plan for my progress and I have good days and days I struggle.”