Sensory Processing Disorder is a very special topic for us at Mountain Trip.  Todd's 6 year old son Logan was diagnosed with SPD at age 3 1/2 and learning about the challenge and discovering strategies to help him has become a second full-time job.

Sensory processing (sometimes called "sensory integration" or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses.

SPD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses.  It has been likened to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.

 

The Gorilla Room, where kids can get their fill of vestibular stimulation.

 
We want to help them put a down payment on a new facility, and this Benefit Climb will hopefully help them toward this goal.

Mountain Trip began offering April Denali expeditions in 2005 at the urging of legendary South District Ranger Daryl Miller.  These trips have become a favorite of our guides, as they enable climbers to have a very different experience from trips launching in early May. 

This season, we are heading up glacier before the Park Service patrols start their way up the mountain.  Camps will be deserted or nearly so, and the team will need to be more self sufficient than is generally typical of a West Buttress expedition. 

Temperatures will probably be somewhat colder at all elevations, however the upper mountain does not see quite the temperature swings as does the lower glacier.  You'll want to add a light down or puffy vest to your kit to compensate for this potential.  Some years are quite warm, as we experienced on an even earlier trip in 2007.

The rewards for choosing to climb in early season will mostly be intangible, but the memories of seeing camps as basins of glistening hoar frost instead of clusters of snow walls will last forever.  There is a very good chance that this team will be the first to summit for the 2010 season, but this is not our objective and we are not racing anyone for that distinction. 

If you are familiar with Mountain Trip, you will know that we would not offer a trip that we did not feel was absolutely set up for success.  Obviously, weather can, and often does, conspire to prevent teams from reaching the summit, but historically, we have seen as good of success rates for our April climbs as for any other week in the season.  We think this will be a great trip, and are thrilled to offer it as a means to also do some really great work for a bunch of very special kids.

All proceeds will go to Skills for Living and Learning and the Piedra Learning Community.

West Buttress Benefit Climb
April 18 - May 11, 2010
$5400