Brian Dickinson aims to climb seven summits to give back
May 26, 2010
By Steven Byeon
When Snoqualmie Valley resident Brian Dickinson first set out to climb the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents — known as the Seven Summits — his wife JoAnna was skeptical.
“I was surprised, because he wasn’t a climber and I thought ‘OK, where did this come from?’” she said. “But I knew if this is something he wanted to do, then it’s going to happen.”
The first mountain he climbed was Alaska’s Mount McKinley (Denali), at 20,320 feet, last May.
In February, Dickinson completed his second summit when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. At 19,340 feet, Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, is the highest mountain in Africa.
“As far as the seven, I would anticipate Kilimanjaro to be one of the easiest if not the easiest of them all,” Dickinson said, “because it’s not a technical climb, it’s just high in altitude, over 19,000 feet.
“I viewed that as an opportunity to have a couple of high school friends get together,” he added. “So, we met up in Africa and did the climb together.”
Jason Mead and Joseph Southerland joined him. The trio grew up together in Rogue River, Ore., and the men have known each other since elementary school.
Brian Dickinson and a guide stand atop Mount Kilimanjaro. Contributed
“It was really an incredible experience for all of us,” Southerland said. “It was like we were back in elementary school running around. This time, it was Africa running up a hill.”
Living in the Snoqualmie Valley — in the midst of the Cascades — gives Dickinson an ideal situation to train for his climbs.
“It’s the perfect location to climb and train,” Dickinson said. “People come here to train for some of the biggest mountains in the world. We’re pretty fortunate to live here.“
“I think seeing Mount Si every day and just the beauty of being out here has definitely played a role in his love for it,” JoAnna Dickinson said of her husband’s climbing.
When Dickinson first told his wife about his goal to climb the Seven Summits, she wanted him to use his goal as an opportunity to give back.
“Initially, I thought it was maybe a little selfish of him to want to climb all these mountains and it cost that much money,” JoAnna Dickinson said. “So, we just talked about different ways he would be able to meet his goals and also help others in return. Then, that became a big drive for him as well.”
Dickinson used his last climb to raise money for the AIDS Research Alliance and donate toys to Shalom Orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania.
He involved his children, Emily, 6, and Jordan, 3, who put together a bag of toys to donate to the orphanage.
Dick-inson’s goal has inspired those who are close to him.
“I talk to Brian a lot and he constantly is inspiring me to live life to its fullest,” Southerland said. “It’s something when somebody talks to you about living life to your fullest, but to see Brian doing it makes it that much more inspiring for me. It puts actions to words.”
When he’s not training or climbing mountains, Dickinson works as a systems engineer.
He spent six years in the Navy as a helicopter rescue swimmer.
Dickinson’s next summit is Mount Elbrus, in Russia, which he will climb in July.
Elbrus is the highest summit in Europe.
Snoqualmie Valley residents David and Jessica Heyting will join him. JoAnna Dickinson will climb with the group to the base camp.
Dickinson said he hopes to collect more toys to donate to a Russian orphanage near Mount Elbrus.
“I’ve just always been really goal oriented,” Dickinson said. “I think this is just the next chapter in my life. In the process, I’m hoping to inspire others and just to give back in the process.”
Steven Byeon is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
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