As we have learned this year, we must be able to adapt. It is something we at ASPNC do best, especially when it comes to making outdoor sports, recreation, and wellness activities accessible to all! This year we've had to adapt our most important fundraising event, The Sunrise Ascent on Mt. Washington.

Since we could not hike as a large group, we launched the July Mileage Challenge through the month of July, at a time when we would typically be training for the ascent. The July mileage challenge was a virtual or remote event allowing people to join a team from anywhere in the world! Throughout the month of July, we challenged our athletes and mules to partake in an “any which way you can” mileage challenge for the month of July to promote healthy, human-powered exercise and recreation. Ride, run, walk, paddle, or roll, just be active!

Some of the activities we saw logged included: walking, biking, rowing, running, tennis, kayaking, wheelchair tennis, hiking, disc golf, krav maga, lawn mowing, swimming, handcycling, glide cycling, yoga, awareness through movement, peloton, interval training, roller blading, gardening, paddle boating, and golf.

Though we set our initial mileage goal at 6,288 miles (Mt. Washington is 6,288 feet tall), we quickly realized that the summit was far too low for our group! By the end of July, our more than 190 participants logged over 24,000 miles of human-powered recreation.

On August 2nd, 2020, in celebration of this amazing effort, we hosted a sunrise car parade up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. Heading up the auto road in the predawn hours, we were greeted at the summit with a sunrise view of the majestic Presidential Mountain Range and even a rainbow or two. 

Click here to see more about the 11th Annual Sunrise Ascent on Mt. Washington