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jim
On a late summer night in July 1974, two energetic young cousins, James Fox and Darrell Haag, packed their
car and headed for Oregon and Washington to climb Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier. Their trip was long and strenuous, but also very
successful, because they were able to reach the summit of both peaks. They returned home in high spirits, and their enthusiasm
for climbing quickly spread through the family. Almost instantly, members of the extended Fox and Haag families took up the
sport of mountain climbing, and the Conference Peak Climbing Association was born! Now, thirty years later, the two families
have nearly 70 climbers who have climbed or attempted to climb many peaks. We believe that this is just the beginning. With
the upcoming cousins as a new generation of climbers, there appears to be a resurgence of interest among the veterans as well
as the new climbers. We hope everyone in the family catches this spirit! Some people are under the impression that mountain
climbing is a very technical and dangerous sport, only suitable for the super athlete. This can be true, but consider the
fact that both Everett Fox and Elva Haag (brother and sister) climbed Mt. Whitney when in their 60s. Equally impressive, McCall
Haag and Brock Bastian, cousins who were 5 and 6 years old two years ago, both summitted Boundary Peak in Nevada. While climbing
is physically taxing, there is a level at which everyone can participate. If you are thinking of becoming involved and would
like specific information about the various peaks of the Conference Peak Climbing Association, we encourage you to contact
any of the climbers on the Peak Performance Chart. They will be able to tell you the best season to climb a particular mountain
and the challenges it presents. Finally, we want to emphasize the growth that will occur when you engage in mountain climbing.
You will improve not only physically, but spiritually as well. Climbing enhances qualities such as patience, perseverance,
generosity, and achievement. Best of all, mountain climbing is adventuresome and fun, and no one escapes a mountain climbing
victory without increased self-confidence. We invite each family member to become as involved as they can inorder to get
the momentum going and preserve the competitive spirit for which the Fox and Haag families are famous!
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