Dear friends –
This summer, I hauled thirty-five pounds up a volcano for the privilege of sleeping under the stars. At 3 a.m., when the alarm went off, the sensible thing was to stay in my sleeping bag. Instead I strapped on crampons and a headlamp and started up the mountain. After hours of trudging through snow, with frozen fingers, throbbing legs, and more than a few tears, I reached the summit of Mount Adams, 12,281 feet above sea level.
I had help. The Asha Climbing Program is a volunteer-led group that trains climbers in support of Asha for Education. The volunteers demanded precision and resilience from us, but gave even more of themselves. They charted the weather, tracked our mileage, checked our gear, and monitored our pace and well-being without ceremony. They provided extra training on their own time for those who needed it. After long climbs, they called us late in the evening to check on us and give us feedback. They taught us how to self-arrest with an ice axe, walk in crampons, measure calorie density to shave ounces from our packs, and fall down a mountain gracefully.
By the end of the season I had logged more than 250 miles and 80,000 feet of elevation, which is a lot of effort to end every Saturday exactly where it began. But the best of it never showed up as a Strava stat. The group, about fifty people spanning generations, turned the early mornings and aching legs into something fun. There were thermoses of chai at the trailhead, samosas at the summit, and Bollywood songs on long descents. On the switchbacks, I practiced my Hindi on a captive and forgiving audience. Shared exhaustion, I learned, is an excellent accelerator for friendship.
When the climbing ended, I missed the Saturday mornings more than the mountains. So I traded boots for running shoes and trained three times a week with Asha’s Running Program. I dodged rain, cold, and gravel in pursuit of a modest 5K. Then, over Thanksgiving weekend, in a spontaneous burst of energy I still can’t fully explain, I signed up for the Seattle Half Marathon, a distance I had never aspired to run. And to my genuine surprise, I didn’t finish last. Two weeks later, I ran the Santa Runs Half Marathon, and even improved my time.
The Asha volunteers who got me up that mountain and across the finish lines gave their time for free, to support a cause they believe in: children’s education in India. Those who know me well know how much I love India – my favorite place in the world – and I can’t think of a better excuse for all those miles. I’ve committed to raising $1,200 for Asha and the kiddos in India. I hope you’ll help me get there.
To those who cheered me on this year, thank you for standing with my very tired legs.
With love,
Dimple
About Asha
Click here to learn about the projects in India that your donation will support, funded specifically by Asha’s Seattle chapter. Asha is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with over 95% of donations going directly to grassroots projects on the ground in India. Charity Navigator rates it 100% for transparency, accountability, and financial integrity. Donations are tax-deductible, and many employers will match your gift.