10/25/2022
This past weekend, our resident John Karlin (93) had the opportunity to go back to Mount Hood thanks to the Wish of a Lifetime Foundation!
John has climbed Mount Hood a total of 40 times, the last time being when he was 71 years old! Mount Hood being one among several other major mountains he has climbed in his life including Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens.
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John was raised with his family (12 kids in total!) on a farm in Kansas. This began his deep-rooted love for nature and the outdoors. Since obtaining his Master’s Degree in English, he and his immediate family moved to the Pacific Northwest to raise their children. He has fond memories with his family hiking, bike riding, hang-gliding (which was his all-time favorite memory), rock climbing, as well as playing tennis, basketball, baseball, and so much more together. His favorite location to hike is Mount Hood, which he has reportedly hiked over 25 times, and many of those times were with his eldest son, Stan. John says it was because the mountain was closest to home, but Stan told me that Mount Hood holds a special place in their family. John is a 93-year-old Army Veteran, but his mind is still very active. He enjoys telling me stories of his greatest life adventures, and it’s thrilling to hear.
He now looks at Mount Hood as something he has conquered (many times!), because it was fun for him to climb, and to see the world below.
We'd like to dearly thank Wish of a Lifetime for providing John with such an amazing and special opportunity to reminisce with his family!
