Wilson arrives, hikes, and makes friends

Near North Bend, WA--Wilson, my mascot soccer ball for my oneworldfutbol/Mt. Adams quest, arrived yesterday in a nondescript brown cardboard box. Today, I and my hiking partner, Roger Matthews, field tested Wilson  by climbing Little Si, which rises on the Western flank of Mt. Si near North Bend, WA. The field test involved packing him up the mountain, introducing him to people we encountered along the way, and stabbing him to demonstrate that he was indeed a virtually indestructible soccer ball.

Steam rises from Cascade foothills in clear view of Little Si near North Bend, WA

It was an overcast day with steam rising from the hills, but not chilly -- very conducive to a hike. The sun didn't make an appearance until we were ready to descend.

It didn't take long for Wilson to make friends. At a stopping point we chatted with a couple of young women hikers then asked them whether they would be willing to autograph Wilson.  Two other women hikers joined us and we told them of the indestructible soccer ball, 800,000 of which have already been distributed to children in more than 160 countries around the globe.. One of them was particularly interested  because she worked for a non-profit.

Wilson makes friends: From the left, Ashleigh, Lola (the pooch), Rebecca, Jessica, Wilson and Hope.

The interchange provided an opportunity to test Wilson's mettle. I opened a pocket knife and drove it into Wilson right up to the hilt. Wilson didn't even blink, whimper or deflate.

Remember those Timex demo ads where a watch is put through a grueling test and survives? The tag line was that Timex watches took a lickin' and kept on tickin'. Well, Wilson took a trouncin' and kept on bouncin'. The knife didn't faze him.

Lisa, a home schooler  hiking with her daughter, witnessed Wilson's resiliency.

Near the top, I thought I would enrich Wilson's experience by reliving something I did on Little Si three years ago while training for service in Peru. I decided to perform a plank. That's me, below, planking by a cliff on Little Si. Wilson got into the game by planking right beside me.

Déjà vu: virtually the same plank in the same place as in 2011, except Wilson wasn't here three years ago

At the top, I performed my double-reverse two-point supine plank, something I had learned how to do 50 years ago at the University of Washington. Not in a class. I learned this important skill from a fellow dormie. It has stayed with me my entire life. You'll note I'm doing an iron cross; I just thought I'd add that on to make it more interesting.

The double reverse two-point supine plank with iron cross.

Lacking feet and a head to suspend from, Wilson had to settle with lying on my lap for the double-reverse two-point supine plank. It was a bit of a trick for Wilson, being round and all, because it's hard to know when Wilson is "supine."

The campaign to raise money for these soccer balls is starting to shape up. In a few days oneworldfutbol.com will have a folder on their Web site that will constitute Wilson's page. donations can then be made in Wilson's name, and the proceeds will pay for Wilson's siblings and cousins to be distributed to children all over the world. I'll be telling you more about the distribution process.

Meanwhile, I'm planning our next hike, and this time I will have business cards to distribute. I purchased a stamp to add a message on the back side of my Vistaprint business cards, making it easy for people to follow the campaign. I'm kind of optimistic, based on the response from the individuals I met today.

The red line follows the path up Little Si. White line is Mt. Si hike

Not much more to say at this time, except for the latest statistics:

Today's hike: 4 miles
Today's time: 4 hours
Today's elevation gain: 1,300 feet
Packing: 20-pound weight vest
Accumiulation to date: 26.6 miles and 7,200 vertical feet gained--one tenth of the way to goal.

Total hikes since Aug. 29: 6

Additional stats: Roger Matthews believes he has shed 5 pounds. He wants to shed at least 30 by next year. I have the easier job: I want to shed 8, which will put me at 185 pounds.


Love,
Robert, Roger and Wilson

Roger autographs Wilson

Roger, Wilson and me at the summit of Little Si