Rotary Report 10/9/08

Marianna Rotary Club Activities, October 1 Meeting
By Sid Riley & Byron Ward, Club Media Representative

At the regular Wednesday, October 1, 2008 meeting of the Marianna Rotary Club held at Jim’s Buffet and Grill in Marianna, this week’s program was introduced by club member John Y. Roberts. The program was a travelogue slide presentation by Matt Fuqua of a mountain climbing expedition he endured in the Rockies this summer. Fuqua was accompanied on this life threatening expedition by fellow Rotarians Ron Duell and Tom Sherrel. They had previously climbed Pikes Peak as a prelude to this more adventurous excursion. Pikes Peak is a 14,110 foot mountain located near Colorado Springs, Colorado. It had a well developed climbing trail as well as a paved roadway as well as train access. For Johns Peak, it is much more difficult.
Johns Peak towers to 14,259 feet, and has a much less accessible peak. The upper portion of the trail involves boulder fields, steep inclines that demand endurance, and narrow ledge trails that test nerve and balance. Our brave Rotarians passed these grueling tests. They began the trek at 2:40 AM, and reached the summit at 2:00 PM. After a brief rest, photo documentation and enjoying the beautiful panoramic views…they began the downward march. They finally made it back to their starting point after dark, around 7:30 PM. They were tired but had the warm feeling of accomplishment.
It is rumored that next year they have signed up for Mt. Everest.