On September 7th, Diablo Rock Gym will be hosting the Educate Ethiopia Climb-A-Thon. Patagonian ambassador Majka Burhardt, a well-known climber and dynamic inspirational speaker, will be presenting a speaker/slide show in the evening. Along with a raffle and silent auction with gear from The North Face, Patagonia, Mountain Hardware, and the AAC, there will be Ethiopian food and an awesome presentation.
Majka is the author of Coffee Story: Ethiopia. This book takes the reader to present day Ethiopia, which is shedding its history of drought, famine and war by promoting its defining crop, coffee, a plant which was first found in Ethiopia three thousand years ago. Coffee is now ranked among the world’ most valued commodities.
Majka also authored the Vertical Ethiopia which documents a climbing expedition to unexplored sandstone spires in northern Ethiopia. In March 2007, four women traveled to Ethiopia to discover if climbing might be the next frontier for this continuously evolving country.
Ingrid Peterson, a Berkeley Ironworks member is helping to organize the event with the goal of raising $7,000. Born and raised in Angola until she was 16, Ingrid fled the country when the public schools became under bomb attacks. Ingrid now works at the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs.
With the support of the Educate Ethiopia Climb-A-Thon, Ingrid will be returning to Africa and trekking to Gonzilla, a small village with no road access, to help kick off the building of an elementary school.
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>Mark your calendars for this great event happening September 7th.
