August 21 - Friends and supporters of A Summit For Danny And All Our Kids joined the team an hour before take-off to wish them well. In the courtyard area of the Santa Barbara airport, many people working towards the fundraising climb met for the first time and united in a celebration of this courageous undertaking.Staff from the Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse showed up to thank them for raising funds for their agency.

To the left we see Bob Bryant in some last-minute consultations with climb coordinators, KEY NEWS anchor Debby Davison greets some friends and co-workers, and Lord Ridley-Tree shares a moment of fond farewell with his wife Lady Ridley-Tree.

Aug. 22 - Thirteen hours and four planes later, the expedition team arrived safely at our first overnight stop, IQALUIT, NUNAVUT at 12:30 pm local time. We caught all our connections, we're happy to say, even the close ones, but some our luggage wasn't as lucky. Several of the pieces arrived on a cargo flight an hour or so after we did, but Tom Sneddon's hiking boots are back in Toronto. He went shopping and now has a brand new pair.

Dan is the expedition leader. He, his wife Bunny, and his brother Art, joined us in Ottowa and are now keeping us organized. The rest of the day was spent packing our packs and checking gear. Next is dinner at 7:00 pm and then we need a good night's sleep as we prepare to continue our "fun-omenal" adventure as we tackle a Summit For Danny and all our kids.

Aug. 23 - Greetings from Pond Inlet, NWT from the 11 persons involved in a Summit For Danny & All Our Kids. After five airline trips, much backpack gear lugging, much eating and a night in Frobisher, we are ready to take off for the climb on Bylot island. As we get ready to cross the inlet to the glacier we have an outstanding blue iceberg at our side. The team is so excited and our orange survival suits help us stand out in this beautiful piece of the Arctic. The weather is quite clear and the wind has died down a bit so the crossing should be quite easy. We will have dinner on the shore and then start our trek in. The sun will stay up until after seven so we should be able to make a fair distance. It is very beautiful here and although cold, it won't freeze until later tonight. We are all very grateful and blessed by the privilege of being here and having the experience. Its a great team of outstanding companions.

-Cherrio from Lady Leslie

Aug. 24, 4:15 pm - Today we're on what we're calling a "death march". We're climbing to the base camp and have seven hours of hard climbing behind us and another hour yet to go. We're at 1050 ft., hiking over rough tundra. Our packs are far heavier than any of us anticipated. We're concentrating on keeping one foot in front of the other to reach the convergence of two rivers at the foot of a glacier that will be the site of our base camp. Mt. Thule (picture is of mountain with Bob and Patty) is snow covered and rising magnificantly in front of us. The sun sun has been our constant and welcome companion. Muscles are sore, backs ache, and some blisters are popping up but we forge on for the kid's sake. Dinner is spaghetti; got to replenish our carbohydrates! Looking forward to a good night's sleep and another "fun-omenal"
tomorrow. At this point we are not sure if tomorrow is our summit day-- if not tomorrow, definitely on Saturday.

So long from Bylot Island,
Debby

From Bob:
Aug. 24 - This is our second day on this island in the majestic Arctic. Our Santa Barbara team is performing beyond my wildest expectations. We are injury-free with the few minor exceptions of cramps, aches and pains and numerous blisters--and loving every minute.

- Bob Bryant

August 25, 4:30 pm - we just came down off what we're calling Danny's Glacier. We are probably the first humans to set foot on it. What a "fun-omenal" experience. we hiked from our camp after breakfast and went about 30 minutes upstream to find a river crossing. Once that was accomplished, we hiked over ridges and through a valley to reach the glacier.

Good fortune is traveling with us. The sun is so warm that Bob, Patty, and Rich hiked in shorts - others were in short sleeves. Standing on the glacier, seeing the snow-covered peaks surrounding us, and hearing from UCSB's Jeff Dozier about the life and dynamics of a glacier, the movement and composition was fascinating.

Michael is at the ready with treatment of blisters and whenever help is needed with packs or equipment, Don is right there. The group works well together. We're living well-fed even with this morning's EBC (Experimental Breakfast Cereal) made of grains, fruit and nuts. It was actually quite good. We have covered about 8 miles of moderate climbing today. We're looking forward to dinner and a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we climb our mountain.

Best wishes from the Summit for Danny and All Our Kids expedition.

- Bob Bryant

Aug. 26 8:30p.m. Bylot Island- We just had a visit from an angel! We were in camp after a 12 hour day hiking and we heard helicopter rotors. Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree did it! She said she would be over to visit us and she did. Leslie brought Tom's boots, some jerky, fresh bananas and pins for us all. We love the gifts but best of all, she took a lot of the heavy gear home, including the 22 pound generator that charged the computer and satellite batteries. The hike will be easier now. It was a "fun-omenal" ending to a special day.

We had an early breakfast so we could begin our summit hike at 8:00 a.m. We had a safe river crossing and began gaining elevation. The climb was difficult, over loose rock on steep terrain. We arrived at the summit shortly after 3:00 p.m. Bob and Patty were the first to step onto the top, followed by the rest of the team. It was a solemn occasion, deeply moving and emotional. We said prayers, and spoke of loved ones and their struggle with addiction, and buried our memorial capsule at the summit. Then we unfurled our banner and proclaimed this mountain Mountain of Hope. In the native Inuktituk language it is Niriungjik.

We returned to camp shortly after 7:30 p.m. and were getting ready for dinner when Leslie arrived.

It looks like a storm is moving in. A light rain is falling. We will break camp tomorrow and hike back to the beach for the boat ride back to Pond Inlet.

-The Summit for Danny Team

Aug. 27 4:00 p.m. Bylot Island It rained throughout the night and into the morning. We had a respite about midday and had some hot soup for lunch.

There is a foggy mist hanging over the bluffs and visibility is limited. We used the satellite phone to check to see if a boat could make it over. Since they can't see the island they will not attempt to cross the bay. We are staying in camp another night. We needed a rest day, and this is it.

Since we sent the generator back to Pond Inlet on the helicopter, don't be alarmed if these daily updates are interrupted. It just means we have run out of power until we get back to civilization. Dan Ortolani, the expedition leader, says we pack up first thing in the morning and head back to the beach to wait for the weather to clear.

This presents an interesting challenge, being cooped up in these small tents. Bunny, Dan's wife, and Debby have the laptop so they get to communicate with you and go through some of the hundreds of photos taken thus far.

Send us some "fun-omenal" Santa Barbara weather. We need it.

With love from the Summit for Danny Expedition Team

Aug. 28 - 5:00 p.m. Pond Inlet

We made it!

We woke early after another night of rain. It was colder than any previous morning. We wanted an early start because we were hiking out to the beach and back to civilization. After a 6:00 a.m. breakfast we struck camp. Tents were wet, feet were cold, we all had our gortex on, even Richard who was normally in shorts.

Peter was his cheerful optimistic self, full of energy and ready to tackle the reverse of the first day's "death march". We finally set out shortly after 8 am after checking the camp, making sure there were no signs of human presence. The ground was soggy from 36 hours of rain, but, much to our delight, the precipitation this morning was snow. We walked for several hours in a gentle snowfall--the hills covered in white. It was "funomenal."

The challenge was getting across the now rain-swollen river. We formed a human chain. Dan handed off heavy packs to Jeff and Art and then they helped all of us across. It was a safe crossing thanks to teamwork. The next challenge was stepping along sand cliffs, hundreds of feet above the river bottom. One misstep could have been disasterous. Jim and Debby both agree they'll never do that again! Then the bay was in sight and we knew our grand adventure for Danny and All Our Kids was coming to an end.

The boats arrived at 2:40 to pick us up. We circled an iceberg on the way back.

Leslie was waiting on the shore to greet some weary and grubby trekkers. Hot showers and laundry, calls home and unpacking gear took up the afternoon and now we're waiting for dinner.

It was an awesome experience. We'll have more for you tomorrow now that we're back to electricity.

With love from the Summit for Danny and All Our Kids Team.

Tuesday, August 29
Pond Inlet

We had today to spend in Pond Inlet and get familiar with the people and the land.

There's an excellent cultural center called the NATTINNAK Center. In the Inuit language, the name is the term for a flat iceberg, which is the design of the building.

Inside was a wealth of information about Pond Inlet. We saw displays of the Narwal and Bowhead whales and how the whales were used to sustain life in this harsh Artic environment.

The native Inuit people were superstitious and believed that each person has two souls--a human one that dies with the body and another that continues on to be born into a new body.

Elders are revered. In the traditional family, men's and women's roles were equal, but different. Marriages were arranged and people married young, between 15 and 20 years of age.

Caribou is hunted for food, and its fur used for clothing. There is also a strong connection between man and the sea.

About a mile or so down the coast where a fresh water river runs into the ocean, there is an archeological site where people from Greenland would make camp and hunt whales.

In just a few weeks, Eclispe Sound between Bylot Island and Pond Inlet will once again start to freeze over as the first signs of winter appear.

In mid-November, the sun dissappears entirely and the moon becomes the dominant sky feature.

It is indeed a different world this far North--further than any point in Alaska. It is easy to appreciate the magnificence of this land and the friendliness of the people.

We are flying out tomorrow to begin our journey home, tired and a bit sore but satisfied that we have climbed mountains, both as a team and personally.

Tomorrow night we're in Ottawa and then it's on to Chicago, Los Angeles, and home to Santa Barbara.

We're anxious to get back.

With love from the Summit for Danny and All Our Kids Expedition Team.

Aug. 30 - Wednesday, Pond Inlet

We're even more anxious to get back to Santa Barbara now that we know we're not leaving Pond Inlet today.

A strong wind was blowing through the night and into the morning today. First Air won't land in Pond Inlet unless the wind is less than 32 m.p.h.--and it was much stronger than that today.

Our flight out has been cancelled--they turned the plane from Iqaluit around before it reached Clyde River, which is South of us, and sent it back to Iqualuit.

The weather forecast for this coast of Baffin Island is for lighter winds tomorrow, but because of flight schedules, we will be able to get only as far as Iqualuit, and then we'll have to spend Friday night in Ottowa and arrive home on Saturday afternoon.

We're all sitting in the hotel lobby discussing ways to make it home more quickly, but it's Labor Day weekend so we may just have to be patient.

Tomorrow is Leslie Ridley-Tree's birthday--we'll be celebrating with her in Iqaluit.

We're a good team and we'll find some way to pass the time.

Now it's time to make the phone calls home with the latest news. Looks like we'll see you all on Saturday.

With love from the Summit for Danny and All Our Kids Expedition Team.

Aug. 31 - 10:30 a.m. Pond Inlet

Happy Birthday Leslie!

Today is Leslie Ridley-Tree's birthday and her husband Paul is getting her a present that we're all really excited about. He wanted Leslie home for at least part of this day's celebration so he has chartered a plane to pick us up in Iqaluit and take us home to Santa Barbara.

If all goes as planned, we will be leaving Pond Inlet on the 1:45p.m. First Air flight to Iqaluit which is on the southern end of Baffin Island. That's where we will board the charter. We will land in Butte Montana to refuel and clear customs and then head home to Santa Barbara, arriving before midnight so Paul can wish Leslie a Happy Birthday on her special day.

So we have packed our bags and sent them to the airport. We will grab a bite of lunch here at the hotel and then head off to the airport ourselves to catch the First Air flight.

We'll be home tonight and we can't wait!

If you want to see video from the summit climb, we'll have that for you tomorrow on Key News starting at 5.

This has been an amazing adventure but we're all anxious to get home. See you in Santa Barbara!

With love from the ""Summit for Danny and all our Kids" expedition team.