Erden Eruç had dreamed about a huge human-powered self-propelled journey since 1997. He always wanted the journey to be shared by children around the world. His goal was to turn the world into a giant laboratory to inspire and to engage the students. Much research and efforts to define the route had already taken place.

When Göran Kropp, who had encouraged him to take on the journey, fell to his death while rock climbing together in September 2002, Erden decided that it was time to make this dream a reality. He was inspired to add the mountain summits to honor Göran.

The result is the Six Summits Project, Erden's quest to climb the highest summits on six different continents by human power. He will cross the oceans by rowing in a westward push to reach the next continent. From the point of landfall, he will travel to the highest peak on that continent by bicycle, where he will meet his friends for the climb. He will relay the journey and the experience to the students via the internet.

Erden's adventure began on February 1, 2003 when he left Seattle for Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Stage 1. Between February 1st and August 24th, Erden bicycled to Alaska, walked 67 miles over glaciers to the base camp with his friends, and summitted Denali on May 29, 2003. Following his wedding in Homer, Alaska, he bicycled back home still towing his climbing gear. At the end of Stage 1, his odometer reading for the roundtrip was 5,546 miles.

After taking a year to solidify the non-profit Around-n-Over and recruiting a strong team, Erden bicycled from Seattle to Miami between October 3 and December 25, 2004. Starting the circumnavigation by rowing out of Miami, and ending it there was the intention. During the ride, Erden stopped at schools and REI stores to share the story with a wider audience. This 82 day and 3,980 mile trip provided him the much needed media visibility in the US.

Erden's solo Atlantic row in early 2006, reinforced the advice that he had been receiving against the Miami departure. A continuous row around the world which created much risk and introduced fail points in the project was the original thought. Further research and discussions with experts matured the circumnavigation project to its current path, dropping the continuous row idea.

During the remainder of the Six Summits Project, Erden will:

• bicycle from Seattle to San Francisco (done May 3-16, 2007),
• start his circumnavigation by rowing across the Pacific Ocean, to eventually reach Australia, (Stage 2)
• approach Mt. Kosciuszko by bicycle and climb it,
• bicycle to Geraldton on Australia's west coast,
• row from Geraldton to India, bicycle to Nepal, climb Everest (highest point),
• bicycle to Elbrus in Russia at its border with Georgia and climb it,
• bicycle through Georgia, Turkey, Syria to Jordan to touch the Dead Sea (lowest point),
• continue on to Tanzania by bicycle and climb Kilimanjaro,
• bicycle to Namibia, then row to Brazil,
• bicycle to Argentina to climb Aconcagua
• return to San Francisco to conclude the human powered circumnavigation, then continue on by bicycle to Seattle.

The not-for-profit charitable organization Around-n-Over will produce news and educational content about the journey as it unfolds, and will share its know-how for future human-powered challenges of similar nature. It will be a privilege for us to assist other dreamers with their journeys worthy of Göran's legacy.

Education

Our efforts will be worthwhile when we share the human powered journeys with the school children who will be inspired. Showing them the possibilities and presenting them with a window to a greater world is our goal. While the Six Summits Project is the first one, we intend to include the stories of other journeys here as well, all for education and inspiration.

We will visit schools to meet the students both before and after the journeys to engage them, and to tap into their excitement. We will engage the classrooms from the ends of the world using any available technology, preferably a satellite phone to deliver voice and video clips, updates to the web site, and replies to e-mails. Participating educators will use supporting content surrounding each journey, making them each an effective learning tool.

Charitable Cause

Göran Kropp in his health was supporting the Wongchu Bishwa Darshan Junior High School in Chyangba, Taptin, Solukhumbu, Nepal. This is our legacy project.

7 teachers struggle to bring education to the children of Chyangba village in addition to those from surrounding communities. Other worthwhile projects which service that community include rural elecricity, monastery repair and telephone service. We will be receptive to potential investments in that community which may help the general health of the children and improve their chances of regular attendance at the same school.

We feel that the good work that Göran had started should not stop. We will focus on the needs of this school and the community which are beyond what they can afford. Once we understand the work remaining, and the new requirements that may have arisen since Göran's passing, we will plan how to address these needs. These will allow us to zero in on the task at hand.

Around-n-Over will seek resources and partnerships to take care of this task. We will establish relationships with key supporters, foundations, corporate and public entities, and also with community leaders.

We will, over time, monitor the Wongchu Bishwa Darshan Primary School and continue a constructive relationship in their progress toward self sufficiency. When the timing is right, we will engage other communities that may need similar help, and we will repeat the same constructive process with them.

Similarly, our research has identified İLKYAR Foundation in Turkey as a possible candidate. With a quarter of a century of experience and passion behind it, İLKYAR focuses on elementary and middle school children, especially trying to keep girls in school in rural Turkey. They provide books, libraries, educational supplies, even clothing and shoes on occasion, and do this entirely with volunteer help. They utilize 100% of all contributions toward their mission, which is to promote among rural students the love of reading and the desire to stay in school. Often those who donate become volunteers themselves, ensuring an emotional investment in İLKYAR's projects.

Boskoff-Fowler Search and Rescue Fund

Please see Boskoff-Fowler Search and Rescue Fund page to contribute. Any funds received by Around-n-Over referencing this Fund will be treated as "restricted funds" dedicated to the purpose of this fund as described below. All donations received by this fund since 12-30-2006 are tax-deductible.

Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler lost their lives on Genyen peak near Chengdu in south central China. The cause of the accident is assumed to be an avalanche. To this date, Charlie's body was located. The search effort for Christine resume when conditions on the mountain improved and was finally located on July 3.

Christine Boskoff was the Owner & Director of Mountain Madness since 1997. Christine had led or taken part in twelve 8000-meter expeditions in Asia. She had summitted six of the world's highest peaks, actively guided, and explored. Christine was foremost a fellow climber, who listened intently and with great interest when we shared with her our Six Summits Project.

Charlie Fowler was a world-renowned alpinist, mountain guide, writer, and photographer. Charlie had 25 years of professional guiding experience and had started climbing in 1968. Charlie was a certified AMGA Rock guide and had worked as an examiner on AMGA alpine and rock exams. Charlie guided numerous expeditions to Patagonia and Asia, including far flung, unexplored regions of Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal. Charlie made climbing both his livelihood and a lifelong avocation.

Honoring the vision of Scott Fisher, founder of Mountain Madness lost on Everest in 1996, and under the leadership of Christine, Mountain Madness has continued to carry out socially responsible projects in mountain regions of the world where they travel.

Together with Mountain Madness, we are raising funds to be used specifically to defray the costs related to the search and recovery effort. Any surplus funds will be used in the spirit of the mission statement of Around-n-Over to honor the legacy of Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler. The Boskoff Memorial Fund has already been established through Room to Read to build a school in Nepal.

Past Projects

Atlantic Crossing

An Atlantic crossing was attempted with Tim Harvey of Vancouver to Moscow expedition. Tim Harvey began his journey in Vancouver with his former expedition partner Colin Angus in June 2004, and they became the first modern men to row across the Bering Sea. Tim reached Moscow alone by bicycle in August 2005.

The project proposed to Harvey by Erden Eruç aimed to assist Harvey to return to Vancouver by human power. Harvey's human powered journey was clearly one of Göran's caliber; therefore, Around-n-Over decided to commit resources in order to help Harvey across the Atlantic Ocean. Erden Eruç arrived at Lisbon, the meeting place with Harvey, in October 2005 with his ocean rowing boat.

This Atlantic crossing was not part of the Six Summits Project, which will require another crossing of the Atlantic to bring the journey back to the Americas.