In the summer of 2008, the Diabetic Youth Foundation offered its fourth biennial “Diabetic Teens Take Mount Whitney” backpacking trip. Over the course of nine days, eight teens with type-1 diabetes between the ages of 15-17 and four staff, two with type-1 diabetes, hiked over seventy miles.

They hiked across the Western Sierra, and up to the highest peak in the lower-48 states, Mount Whitney (14,496 feet).

Applicants to the Mount Whitney program were asked to write a short essay on their desire to participate in the trip, and were screened for their level of commitment, determination, and willingness to embrace challenges.