JON ARASON

About Me

I was first exposed to Summits of Hope through my girlfriend, Shelley Metcalfe, who was a member of the 2007 Ecuador Expedition. After meeting the team and hearing all about their great adventure, I knew that a Summits of Hope expedition was going to be in my future. Being in the outdoors has always played an important role in my life. I’ve hiked throughout much of British Columbia and parts of Guatemala, and have mountain biked a variety of trails including Ecuador’s Volcan Cotopaxi (5 hour descent), and the Birkenhead Lake to Squamish trail (100km). I have a few summits to my name, but nothing even close to Aconcagua. Climbing Aconcagua will push me to a new altitude of 6,962 metres (22,841 ft), besting my old climbing high by more than double. In addition to climbing Aconcagua, going to Argentina will allow me to practice some Spanish, eat some exotic foods, meet new people, and maybe go to a soccer match. Taking part in the Summits of Hope and climbing Mount Aconcagua is going to be the biggest challenge of my life. When I was at the stage of deciding on whether or not to officially commit myself to the hike and the fundraising, I asked myself, when was the last time I did something where I was totally scared to even try? My answer was that I couldn’t remember. It’s time to step out of the comfort zone. I invite everybody reading this to follow along with our team’s progress online as we hit the trail, and it would be greatly appreciated if you could support the cause with a donation as every little bit helps. Thank you, Jon Arason