For those who don’t know, on July 17, 2021, I (Eric) along with Chris Nolan will be Climbing Devil’s Tower for ALS. It is a daunting bucket list item that to be honest, kind of makes me nervous. But despite my apprehension, this climb will hopefully be a way we can educate others about those with ALS. Plus, we are doing it to honor Chris’s brother Sean. Back in 2016, Sean was diagnosed with ALS. But in talking with Chris, we also wanted to find a way to do this for others. So, we came up with an idea to Climb and to Pray Devil’s Tower.

A History of Praying while Tackling a Bucket List item

A few years back, I undertook perhaps one of my greatest bucket list adventures, the Camino de Santiago. To tackle this pilgrimage, I took the traditional and most common route, known as the Camino Frances. Essentially, it is a 490-mile walk from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The purpose was to walk to a holy site where it is believed that the remains of the Apostle St. James the Greater are buried.

Now people embark on this adventure for many personal reasons. Some walk as part of a spiritual retreat and others to discover themselves. There are even some people who spend the 30-day walk in hopes that a miracle touches them or someone they love. For me, it was a combination of it all because I had kind of lost my “way” with my life.

So, I wanted to find my way back and the idea came to me to Walk and Pray.

To do this, I had decided to commit a portion of my daily activity to prayer while walking The Camino. But I didn’t want to make it all about myself. So I asked for the personal intentions of others. Essentially, every morning at the start of my walk. I would focus on my personal intentions for that day. Then I would focus on the intentions of another and then pray the novena for both our intentions. As I continued to walk, I tried to stay in reflection of that daily prayer and intentions of the day.

Why we want to Pray while we Climb Devil’s Tower

Now, of course, we are raising money for two different ALS foundations to donate in Sean’s name. We are raising money to donate in Sean Nolan’s name to both The Steve Gleason Foundation and The Tennessee Chapter of the ALS Association.

But while promoting something strange happened.

People kept sharing how ALS has affected their lives. Whether it struck them personally, ravaged a loved one, or affected a friend, countless people have been telling me their “ALS Story!” In telling me their story, they would passionately thank Chris, Darcee, & I and say how they felt like we were doing it for them too.

It was then that we realized that our climb was bigger than us and perhaps even Sean. We were going to need to climb and to pray Devil’s Tower in our task to summit the nation’s first National Monument.

Let us Carry your Intentions up Devil’s Tower

Of course, we would love you to donate to our GoFundMe page for Climbing Devil’s Tower for ALS. But if you can’t, you can help us in 3 other ways:

1. Please pray for us as we Climb Devil’s Tower on July 17th. Like I have said before, it is a bit scary. So if you can on July 17th, please pray for us to physically finish.
2. We want to carry your intentions with us up to the top of Devil’s Tower. It can be anything you want. Whether you need prayers for yourself personally, your family, or anything weighing on you.  This intention can be asking for help or perhaps even thanking God for recent Blessings. 
3. If you know anyone who has been diagnosed with ALS, share their name with us. As an ALS Research Ambassador, Sean has spent his last few years trying to help and educate others with ALS. Plus, he is asking us to donate money to help others. So we would like to carry those others as we attempt to climb and to pray up Devil’s Tower.

The logistics of carrying your intentions up Devil’s Tower

So, I am not going to lie, I have no idea exactly how we are going to be able to climb and to pray while tackling all 867 feet (265 m) from summit to base. I mean we don’t really want any excess weight during this nearly 7-hour climb. But what we would like to do is to write down all the intentions, prayers, and names on a sheet of paper and safeguard them in my pocket.

Before we climb, as a family we will read all the private intentions, prayers, and names of those affected by ALS. Then, safely tuck them into our pocket. Then if possible, at the very top, as we look upon the amazing views of Wyoming, we will repeat the process. However, if this isn’t possible when we finally return to the ground safely, we can then repeat the process in thanksgiving for a great experience that we shared with all of you.

How to Send us Your Intentions & Names

There are several ways you can send us your intentions or the names of those who you would like for us to carry up Devil’s Tower as we climb and pray:

1. You can leave a comment on this article below.
2. You can leave a comment for us on the Bucket List Project’s Facebook Page by Clicking Here.
3. If you would like to send it to us privately, You can fill out our Work With The Bucket List Project contact form.
4. You can always call, text, or message Darcee, Chris, or me (Eric) on our phones or social media channels.

We would like to have all the intentions & names of those affected by ALS collected and solidified by Wednesday, July 14, 2021, if possible. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Of course, it goes without saying that any private intentions will always remain private. We will also try to reach out to anyone who shares their info with us a day before the climb to remind you so that you can join us on the climb in spirit.

Thank you for your Support

Lastly, we just want to say how much we appreciate all who are supporting us on this Climb for ALS. Without your thoughts, prayers, and support, it would definitely be harder for us to climb. So for that, Thank You!

Of course, we would also love donations because, without your financial help, we may never find a cure for ALS. But know that you don’t have to donate any money in order to ask us to pray and climb Devil’s Tower for you or your intentions. But, if you would like to help in our raising of funds you can visit our GOFUND ME PAGE directly. There you can see exactly which 2 ALS foundations Sean Nolan asked us to send all funds and exactly how we will distribute your donation. 

Don’t forget to Pin this to your favorite Bucket List Board!