Dan Robinson, ONE member, mountaineer and British navy pilot, has begun his climb up Mt. Aconcagua. This is the first peak of seven that he will climb in the name of ONE. As he climbs the Seven Summits, he’s planting a ONE flag on the top of each. Read his almost daily updates at www.dan-robinson.com.

-Chandler Smith

Thursday, January 17, 2008

15-16th Jan…Casa de Piedra to Plaza Argentina (Base Camp)

Hey guys. Managed to get some internet access but it is very slow and very expensive so I’ll combine the last two days. Yesterday we moved from Casa de Piedra to Base Camp at Plaza Argentina. It was a climb of over 3000ft in elevation and around 8 miles. The climb took just over 6 hours and upon arriving at base camp, it was the first time that I really noticed the affects of altitude. Base camp itself is like something out of a Star Wars movie as it is a very dry, rocky environment surrounded by huge mountains including Aconcagua and its Polish Glacier. I woke up this morning with a mild headache, sore throat and a nose bleed that have stayed with me throughout the day. Other than that I feel okay! I look up at the summit of Aconcagua and sometimes I dare to imagine myself raising the ONE campaign banner at the top. It is a very long way and there are lenticular clouds sitting menacingly on the summit. An indication of very high winds that sometimes can range from 100-200mph. I have a lot of work ahead.

Thought for the day:

Our generations challenge is to help the poorest of the poor to escape the misery of extreme poverty so that they can begin their own ascent up the ladder of economic development. The end of poverty, in this sense, is not only the end of extreme suffering but also the beginning of economic progress and of the hope and security that accompany economic development.

See you all soon.

-Dan Robinson

Today I’m heading to Argentina to begin climbing the first of the Seven Summits for ONE. As the team and I reach the peak of each mountain, we’ll plant the ONE flag on top, symbolically bringing each continent under ONE’s cause—to beat extreme poverty and disease.

Our adventure begins this morning when we fly to Mendoza, Argentina, to ascend Mt. Aconcagua. At 22,840 ft., this is the tallest mountain in the Americas, and the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia.

All of these climbs will take about two years to complete. My hope is that, by working with my partner Eddie, we will put together a series of programs that will allow students to get involved, whether by tracking my progress or establishing service projects in the mountains’ respective locations communities. Stay tuned as we get working on that—we will want ONE members’ involvement!

When I’m not furiously planning for the next two years of climbs, I spend my “free time” flying the F-22A Raptor supersonic stealth fighter. I’m a Lieutenant in the British Royal Air Force, and currently stationed at Langley Air Force base as Britain’s representative to fly this jet. While my day job isn’t exactly a walk in the park, I expect that these climbs will be an even greater challenge. After all, ending poverty and finding ways to save millions of lives around the world isn’t easy either.

I’m working with a team at Alpine Ascents to help me get up and, even more importantly, get down the mountain safely. We believe in what ONE is doing, and we want to do all that we can to raise awareness of these critical issues. I hope that you will join me checking out my blog at www.dan-robinson.com.

-Dan Robinson, ONE member

New England Patriots’ star Tom Brady sports a ONE shirt again for reporters. (Coverage today in my hometown New Hamshire paper The Foster’s Daily Democrat.)

Our ONE Ironman, Vance Sutton, has returned to NV from the big race in Hawaii and I wanted to pass along some of his words about the experience.

Vance: Thanks for your heroic effort, and thank you for reminding us that there are thousands of unique ways to raise awareness about global poverty and disease.

-Matt Higginson, Nevada ONE Vote ‘08

“On the day of the race, the ocean was quite calm as it had been in previous days. The prayer offered by the local Hawaiians before the start was absolutely hair raising. It was at that point I realized; time waits for no one. I am 15 minutes away from the absolute biggest day of my sporting life–I am competing in the World Championship of triathlon.

I enter the water with 1800 of my fellow competitors. The water is warm, calm, and clear. Looking back at the crowds surrounding the bay was absolutely incredible. Thousands of them sitting on the sea wall that stretches for about ½ mile.

In the afternoon the wind really picks up on the island and blows right into your face as you crawl back home on the bike section. I wanted to quit so many times, but I kept thinking about the people who supported my efforts by donating $1 per mile to the ONE Campaign.

It got dark about 13 miles into the marathon and they hand you a glow stick that fits around your neck. It’s quite cool to see the glowing circles just bobbing up and down in the darkness from the other racers. Everything slows down mentally and you begin to realize that you’re going to finish…eventually…just keep going.

The last two miles were very interesting. Something inside my mind allowed me to run fast, actually quite fast. Once you begin to see people again and the lights of the city now guide your path, new strength kicks in. I finished strong. Running down the finishing chute is something I wish everyone could experience.

My marathon time was 5 hours and something. Total event time 14:26.

It was such a blessing to have the support of family, friends, and the ONE Campaign. It gave me such great satisfaction to use this race, that by it’s nature is very selfish and individualistic, to help raise awareness about an issue that is much larger than any ONE person.”

-Vance Sutton, Ironman and ONE member

ONE member Tom Brady wore his ONE shirt to a press conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, today.

First question: “What’s your shirt mean?”

Watch the clip here.