Blindness in Sierra Leone

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Many people have only heard of Sierra Leone from its civil war or the Ebola epidemic. We recently (Dec 2017) visited Freetown, Sierra Leone. With Much assistance from our new friend Emmanuel Kabba, we were able to meet with the Chief-of-Staff to the President of Sierra Leone and are moving forward with our project to help Sierra Leone develop independent and sustainable eye care for all its people. Our plan is to build an eye hospital, residency program, and eye bank for corneal transplants that will be a regional training center for expanding eye surgery in Sierra Leone and throughout West Africa. 

20 Hardest Hill Climbs Challenge: At it Again in 2018

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If you live in Utah, join us for the 20 Hardest Hill Climbs Challenge / Fundraiser. Test your cycling fitness against some of the hardest climbs in Utah and raise money for a good cause. To join, get connected on our Strava club HelpMercy Hill Climb Challenge for updates on how our chairman and others are doing with the challenge. 

Suggested Donation - $5 / climb. Click here to Donate

The 20 Hardest Hill climbs in the Salt Lake City area (with a couple especially hard climbs from nearby in Utah) are:

  1. Guardsman Pass East - Beyond Category - 8.6 miles with 3948 ft elevation gain, 8.6% (max 18%) - hardest climb in Utah.
  2. *Powder Mountain - Beyond Category - 6.0 miles with 3179 ft elevation gain, 10% (max 17%) - steepest climb in Utah.
  3. Big Cottonwood Canyon (to Guardsman Pass) - Category 1 - 17.1 miles with 4814 ft elevation gain 5.3% (max 12%) - greatest overall elevation gain in Utah.
  4. Empire Pass South - Category 1 - 7.7 miles with 3181 ft elevation gain, 7.8% (max 18%).
  5. Little Cottonwood Canyon - 8.6 miles with 3390 ft elevation gain, 7.5% (max 10%) - very similar to the famous climb Alpe D'Huez in the Tour de France.
  6. *Rt 31 West - Category 1 - 13.2 miles 3795 ft elevation gain, 5.5% (max 9%). combo with - Rt 31 East - category 2 - 26.3 miles with 3685 ft elevation gain, 2.7% (max 7%).
  7. *Mt. Nebo - North - 22.2 miles with 5034 ft elevation gain, 3.9% (max 10%) and while you are there, South - 13.8 miles with 3843 ft elevation gain, 4.8 % (max 14%).
  8. Alpine Summit East - Category 1 - 8.7 miles with 2836 ft elevation gain, 6.2% (max 10%).
  9. Alpine Summit West (American Fork Canyon) - Category 1 - 10.7 miles with 2980 ft elevation gain, 5.3% (max 9%).
  10. Empire Pass North - Category 1 - 5.6 miles with 2094 ft elevation gain, 7.1% (max 12%).
  11. Millcreek Canyon - Category 1 - 9.0 miles with 2412 ft of elevation gain, 5.1% (max 14%).
  12. Butterfield Canyon - Category 2 - 6.6 miles with 2228 ft elevation gain, 6.4% (max 14%)
  13. Squaw Peak - Category 2 - 4.3 miles with 1548 ft elevation gain, 6.8% (max 13%).
  14. Big Mountain - Category 2 - 7.5 miles with 1881 ft elevation gain, 4.8% (max 10%).
  15. East Canyon - Category 2 - 5.4 miles with 1603 ft of elevation gain, 5.6% (max 8%).
  16. Traverse Ridge Road - Category 2 - 3.5 miles with 1302 ft elevation gain, 7.1% (max 10%).
  17. City Creek Canyon - Category 2 - 5.5 miles with 1433 ft elevation gain, 4.9% (max 11%).
  18. Suncrest Drive - Category 2 - 3.9 miles with 1167 ft elevation gain, 5.7% (max 10%).
  19. Snake Creek Road - Category 2 - 3.3 miles with 1035 ft elevation gain, 5.9% (max 14%).
  20. Emigration Canyon - Category 3 - 7.8 miles with 1311 ft elevation gain, 3.2% (max 8%). 

* climb not in Salt Lake City/Provo/Midway region

Lets get fit and help some kids!