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Hunter in studio after Climb for Casen on Mount Rainier
on July 27, 2012 @ 3:02 pm (Updated: 6:42 pm - 7/27/12 )
 Hunter and his brother Ethan pose with Ron and Don, confirming Hunter did make it to the top of Mount Rainier. (MyNorthwest.com) |
After only a few hours of sleep, months preparing, and thousands of dollars raised, Hunter Stutz, 17, climbed 14,411 feet to the summit of Mount Rainier Thursday morning.
He joined Ron and Don in-studio Friday to talk about his trek.
"It was actually easier than I thought it was going to be," said Hunter.
Julie, Hunter's mom, said she heard her son was pulling them up and was holding most of the rope. She said she had about a 30 minute panic attack when the live tracker didn't update Hunter's progress early Thursday morning.
But Hunter did not fall into a crevasse and the tracker refreshed, much to Julie's relief.
Blue skies and light winds awaited Hunter as he reached the peak to sign his name in the book. He also ran into a climbing legend at the top. Ed Visters welcomed Hunter to the summit and told him he did a great job.
Hunter raised over $10,000 on his climb. The money benefits 5-month-old baby Casen Buswell.
Baby Casen has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that could prove to be incredibly painful as he grows up, unless he gets much needed medical treatment.
Climb for Casen team returns to Paradise
Casen is living with Glomuvenous malformation (GVM) plaque-type. It's a genetic disorder so rare, only 14 others world-wide are living with the disorder; only two others have been specifically diagnosed with Casen's GVM- type.
Casen's mom, Jenna, said she was up most of the night checking Hunter's progress as he climbed Mount Rainier.
"When I saw that they reached the summit, it was really an emotional moment for me because Hunter raised money for Casen, but he also showed me that anything is possible and that Casen is going to be able to climb the mountains in life that he's going to have."
Jenna and her family met Hunter Thursday morning when he came back down the mountain.
Hunter leads climbing team returning to Paradise
"It was definitely an emotional couple of few minutes when Hunter led the pack down to where we were at Paradise."
Hunter reached his $10,000 funding goal, but the Ron & Don Nation wants to do even more for Casen. Please visit http://www.climbforcasen.com to donate for Casen's medical treatment and help this baby achieve a normal life!
Casen was there to welcome Hunter at Paradise
Stephanie joined the MyNorthwest.com team in February 2008. She has built the site into a two-time National Edward R. Murrow Award winner (Best Radio Website 2010, 2012).
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