Zwick, climbing the face of the rock where he slept on a man-made ledge that he carried in his 200 pounds of gear.

by Carin R. Kirkegaard with pictures submitted by Kevin Zwick

In July, local resident Kevin Zwick achieved a dream that had been haunting him for the past 10 years. In the process, he raised more than $4,000 for the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center.

For 14 years, Zwick has spent his free moments pursuing his passion for rock climbing. Zwick began with smaller climbs that eventually grew to his dream of ascending a big wall in a solo ascent. This summer that dream became a reality when Zwick ascended a 2,000-foot wall in Kolb Canyon located in Zion National Park, Utah.

As with most dreams, finding the time to pursue the dream can become a roadblock. Zwick discovered this as life went from being a working single man to a married man, to a married man with two children. For Zwick, it was a priority to strike a balance between life, work and family. The time he once had for weekends ascending rock faces was
dwindling.

Zwick and his wife have embedded a culture of doing for others as their family has grown. With this in mind Zwick decided to take his dream and partner with a cause that has been an important part of his life since he was a teenager. Since junior high, Zwick has been an active supporter of the National MS Center, from volunteering to riding in MS Bike Rides.

After contacting the Rocky Mountain chapter, Zwick learned of the Chasing Dreams for MS Program. The program partners with individuals looking to make a dream a reality. Zwick, with his dream of accomplishing a big wall climb, partnered with the Rocky MS Center to generate awareness of the disease and help raise funds.

The forecast was 80 degrees for the four days Zwick had allotted for his solo climb. When he arrived in Zion and it was still 80 degrees at midnight he knew the weather forecast was off. Zwick immediately threw out his rain gear and made room for more water.

In addition to the near 100-degree weather, Zwick was entering a canyon that hadn’t seen a hiker in probably four to five years. He literally had to pull 200 pounds of gear through what Zwick described as a jungle that reached his waist, just to get to the base of the rock wall.

This gear also ascended the wall with Zwick. After climbing to a point on the wall and securing ropes, Zwick then repelled back down to retrieve the gear and haul it to the point where he stopped. He did this throughout the entire climb. In the end Zwick actually climbed closer to 6,000 feet, three times more than the actual 2,000-foot rock face.

In total, the climb took four days, with Zwick sleeping on a man-made ledge that he carried as part of his gear. During the climb, Zwick was by himself climbing and hauling his gear without any assistance. The park service was aware of where he was climbing and would go out to check if Zwick didn’t return within the time he allotted for the climb.

According to Zwick, attempting something as difficult as the climb up Kolb Canyon is labor. “You tap into reserves of your own when you do a climb like this,” something Zwick has seen in the eyes of the children that he works with who are living with MS.

The Rocky Mountain MS Center is on the cutting edge of MS treatment. The center is home to one of the largest brain and tissue banks in the world. The bank supplies MS tissue samples to scientists and researchers to help with MS research.

The center is a testing site for major clinical trials that deal with treatment of the disease, not just managing the symptoms. To learn more about the Rocky Mountain MS Center, or Chasing Dreams for MS, visit the website at www.mscenter.org.

Zwick right before starting a climb that would take four days in nearly 100-degree heat. Zwick raised more than $4,000 for the Rocky Mountain MS Center.

Pictured above is the 2,000-foot rock face that local resident Kevin Zwick ascended as part of the Chasing Dreams for MS program.