The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • E4

THE NEWS TRIBUNE ERSHLERS E4 THURSDAY APRIL 5, 2007 OONrnNUED FROM El "We wanted to tell our back Phil said. "What brought us together, dealing with cancer and how we stayed persistent by keeping our eye on the prize." The Ershlers initially planned to climb the Seven Summits in eight years. It took them 10 years, and they came dangerously close to not finishing. CROHN'S OR CANCER? Phil Ershler, 55, was a 16-year-old sophomore at Bellevue's Newport High when he started having weekbybouts with nausea. As doctors worked to diagnose the illness, he overheard one tell his mom he likely had Hodgkin's disease and had about six months to live.

As it turned out, Phil had Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. There is no cure for Crohn's disease, but Phil was pleased to learn he could manage the disease with his diet and keep his active lifestyle. This is precisely what he did. After graduating from Walla Walla's Whitman College in 1974, Ershler launched what would become one of the Northwest's most distinguished mountaineering careers. In 1989, he became the seventh man to climb the Seven Summits.

He is one of only two men to summit Mount Rainier more than 400 times. And today he is a co-director of International Mountain Guides, which launches a new Rainier guiding program this spring. "Because I learned I had Crohn's disease at 16," Phil said, "I had a whole lot of time in my life to figure out my way around it Persistence and resiliency are two good words." OPPOSfTES ATTRACT When Phil and Susan, 51, met at a Christmas party in 1991, about the only thing they had in common was their professional success. While Phil was a top mountain guide, Susan was an accomplished businesswoman. They hardly seemed like a natural match.

"Sue didnt even hike or own a passport," Phil said. Susan ran regularly and took aerobics classes, "but nothing going uphill," she said. "I never realty thought about it" JANET JENSETVThe News Tribune Mountiimcr Phil Enhlor ilgni a copy of "ToMthr on Top of the World" in SwrttWt Columbia Towtr ai hii co-author and wife, Sunn Erihlor, kft, chati with book buyan. BOOK SIGMNGS April 7 pm, Elliott Bay Books, 101 S. Main Seattle April V4: 2 pm, Borders Books Music, 16549 N.E.

74th Redmond May 2: 7 REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. Seattle after another hike up Kilimanjaro, but have decided to pursue other adventures together. So far, they've climbed Nepal's Island Peak and made a 150-mile Himalayan trek. But mostly, they are looking for ways to motivate people. They hope to do this through their book, Phil's continued guiding and Susan's motivational speaking.

Last month, they served as the honorary chairmen for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Big Climb stair race in Seattle. "I turned 50 recently and started thinking about my life," Susan said. "I accomplished the biggest dream of my life in my first 50 years. In the next 50, 1 want to help other people pursue their dreams." Craig Mlt 253-597-8497 cnigJifll9thffMwrti4iMMX0iii through a tube. "The first thing you think about is life," Phil said.

"Then when you decide, 'OK, I think I'm going to you start wondering if you are going to be able to continue to live your life as you've chosen. And for me that's climbing and guiding." Naturally, Susan's goal turned from the Seven Summits to helping Phil recover. "It was so scary," she said. "In the back of my mind I thought the dream was over." It took Phil just six months to get back in the mountains, and within eight months he was once again above 20,000 feet on the summit of Mount McKinley. The dream was not over.

A year later than planned, the Ershlers took on Everest But just 1,400 feet from the summit they found that the final piece of their goal once again had proved elusive. This time, the Ershlers had to turn around when Phil's corneas froze. With severely blurred vision, Phil had a hard enough time trying to get back to high camp. A year later, on May 16, 2002, the Ershlers finally reached Everest's summit and stepped into history. They were the first couple to climb the Seven Summits, and Phil was the first person to do it twice.

Susan became the fourth American woman to check off the list and the 12th to summit Everest "This wasn't the most difficult mountaineering achievement, but it was a great excuse to see the world," Phil said. But just 10 years into their marriage, what would they do next? The couple briefly pondered doing the Seven Summits again tions within the parks would provide more in-depth information on places like Paradise and Old Faithful Video gam: Specific to Mount Rainier, we also could develop a climbing video game: If you're the expedition leader, you'll have to contend with variables such as the weather, snow and ice conditions, the skills of your team, crevasses and such to get your team to the summit Speed would have its rewards, but also its risks. Such a game could mimic the real-world lessons of teamwork and decision-making vital to summit Mount Rainier. And such a game would require the same math and science we are so eager to test Play areas: Use the Children's Museum of Indianapolis as a model to create visitor centers geared to children. Rather than the perfunctory handful of antlers and furs tucked in some corner, give the kids a place to play and learn.

Toddlers could use blocks to build their own national park. Imagine the squeals of delight as preschoolers use Play-D oh and water bottles to create their own Old Faithful geyser. Elementary-age students view park flora and THE DREAM DELAYED In 1999, during an elective surgery to help Phil control the Crohn's disease, doctors discovered he had colon cancer. The cancer was removed, but complications to the surgery led to Phil spending two months taking all his food and liquids started in 2000, the program's vans have brought environmental education to more than 80,000 students. Imagine the children we could reach with a small fleet of vehicles, equipped to carry the message of our national parks to schools? Why stop there the vans could bring the park message to fairs, conventions and other community events.

Electronic adventures: Let's partner with the folks at Microsoft and create a park tutorial. Kids can download a general park pod-cast and watch it en route to the park. Podcasts for specific loca Thurs, April 5 Most stores open Qfl uu OFT I SEARS PARKS CONTINUED FROM El Since then my affection for our parks has deepened on trips to signature parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite. I've been to lesser-known places such as Hopewell Culture National Historic Park in Ohio. Here in Taco-ma, we have Mount Rainier in our backyard.

As a parent, I'm trying to make sure my two children experience and appreciate our parks. I fear others are not. Should we fail to make our parks relevant to our children, then who will be the next generation of park rangers, biologists, volunteers or visitors? If we can get our children to the parks, we will capture the hearts and imaginations of some, just as happened to us in our younger years. That will ensure we will have caretakers for some of our greatest national treasures for years to come. Here is how I suggest we get kids to the parks: f3 APPLIANCE OUTLET STORES But Susan was intrigued by Phil's tales of climbing in places such as Africa, Asia and Antarctica.

The couple hit it off, and soon they were married and climbing mountains. "I climbed Rainier with him to understand what he did for a living," Susan said. "Then, when I stood on top, I got hooked." In 1992, they climbed Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak, then added Europe's tallest mountain, Elbrus, a year later. In 1995, after Susan and Phil climbed Mount McKinley, they hatched the idea of bagging the four other Seven Summits. By 1999, only Everest was left on their list, so they planned to climb the world's highest peak in 2000.

Then disaster struck. Rm( grants: This is vital in places like Washington, where our parks are far from the major population centers. Encourage oil companies, through partnerships or tax credits, to provide fuel vouchers for schools. You can create all sorts of education centers and programs, but if school districts cant afford the gas to bus kids to a park, it's all moot No park kft behind: We like to mandate that our kids pass test after test to gauge their math, science and reading abilities. How do we gauge their outdoor abilities? How about this: For every five days of mandated testing, they have to spend a mandated day in a park.

Some might call it a reward for spending a week filling circles on a test form. I'd argue they would gain more from that day fin the park than a week grinding down No. 2 pencils. Bring tha park to town: Another opportunity involves bringing the parks to our communities. This could be built on the model of Tacoma's Enviro Challenger program.

Since EnviroChallenger 33 reasons jilto teach 69 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TACOMA (253) 692-4430 niiinminiMiiiNnib i New, one-of-a-kind, out of carton, discontinued, used, scratched and dented merchandise. Hurry in! Limited to stock on hand. xh7 I nn I I ALL Stainless Steel 50 fauna under a microscope. Older children could sit at a bank of computers and have online chats with kids visiting other parks. There you go, Mr.

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