By Steve Richert

On January 16th 2012, I marked my 13th year of living with diabetes. It also marked day one for Project 365, a diabetes empowerment initiative that I took on with the support of my wife Stefanie. The goal was to climb every single day consecutively on a transcontinental expedition–that would last for 365 days. I wanted to send a resounding message that diabetes is what WE make of it and that we are not victims. We can choose not to suffer.

Over months that followed we dealt with the highs and lows of diabetes while living on the road–we sold all our “stuff” and left our home behind–and faced uncertainty, separation, encounters with animals, heat, cold, rain, snow and dust while residing in an 1987 station wagon–all to show that diabetes does not have to be the biggest challenge we can face in our lives. Struggle is a necessary component in life and it is a gift.

On January 15th, 2013, I clipped the chains on the hardest free climbing route I have ascended to date, setting a personal record for my own climbing career to complete my 365th consecutive day of climbing–establishing the first transcontinental climbing challenge of this nature.