36 / Volcán Cotopaxi (19,347’)

10/10/25: It’s taken me a few weeks to process the culmination of the Climbing for ROMP team’s time together here in Ecuador. It was truly an honor to spend time getting to know each and every one of these incredible humans - a group largely made up of strangers, each on their own personal journey with mobility, yet all sharing the same desire: to raise awareness and funds so that those most in need can receive top-quality care.

I roped up with Tanner and departed the refugio with the second team around midnight. Conditions were wonderfully warm and snowy. More importantly, the company was even better - everyone encouraging one another, cracking jokes, and trading stories as we slowly wound our way up the moraine toward the glacier.

Big mountains are the great equalizers - they don’t care about your past, your status, or your strength. They demand respect and humility from everyone. If you commit to the grind — both before and during - and have a bit of luck, you might reach the summit. But if you’re with a good partner or team, that can make all the difference. At the very least, the experience itself becomes the reward.

#36 for me was by far the most special. Not because nearly everyone reached the top, but because of the people. It was awe-inspiring to see Tommy setting the pace for almost the entire group; Aaron pushing past exhaustion and finding new wells of strength to keep moving; Bri moving effortlessly across the glacier; Pete doing his thing as a leader and seasoned Mountain Daddy; and Nurban relentlessly climbing higher without hesitation.

The team absolutely crushed it. But I think a big part of that was because summiting was no longer the objective. We knew the expedition was already a success the moment we walked into ROMP’s clinic in La Floresta the week before - seeing new patients going through intake, hundreds of liners and prosthetics ready for fitting, and witnessing firsthand the immediate, life-changing impact of the funds we helped raise for hundreds of people.

Thank you to our captains (Tino, Taylor, Tanner, Pete), teammates & all my supporters / donors.