Take the 29029 Everest challenge

My dad and I in October took a special trip to Stratton Mountain in Vermont to participate in the 29029 Challenge. My dad had completed this run twice, and this year he took me. We were able to do a few runs up the mountain together.

We were driving down the winding icy cold streets in the dark night, and it was almost midnight when we arrived, and the race started at 6 a.m. It ends about two days later depending on how fast you can climb. This challenge isn’t necessarily a race against others, it is an endurance challenge against yourself. To finish this challenge, you have to climb up Stratton Mountain 17 times, which equals the same height as Mount Everest, which is 29,029 feet above sea level.

You don’t have to climb all 17 times, you can have smaller goals. For example, you could climb four times and that would equal the height of a smaller mountain. Each time you summit, you put your mark on the board. Depending on the number of marks, it would tell you the equivalent of the mountain you climbed.

I completed two summits: one at night and one during the day. Each summit took about 90 minutes. We did the night summit around midnight. It was really dark, cold and foggy. I was really tired, but it was exciting. The daytime summit was fun, too, because it was beautiful. You could see all the other climbers and the amazing scenery.

I will tell you this, it is not easy — it is muddy, cold and snowy near the summit and really hard to climb. About a quarter of the way up the mountain there is a rest area with food, water, energy bars, etc., which was a nice break.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it really is a lot of fun being with friends, exercising and challenging yourself. Start training now — the next challenge at Stratton Mountain is Oct. 17-20.

Info: 29029everesting.com

Melissa Levonick’s fifth-grade class, Wading River Elementary School