9-11

I set out around 7:45 this morning to walk in the 911 Stair Climb at Red Rocks this morning to honor the 343 firefighters and the 2819 people in all who died that day in the terrorist attacks.

There were about 1500 of us there this morning. As we checked in, we were given our shirt and a sticker of one of the 343 to march in honor of. I got Ray Meisenheimer. Click on his name to learn more about him. Two months away from retirement, his shift had just ended when the call came in. He was 46.

Last year was the first year for the event, put together on the fly in a few weeks by firefighters who wanted to do something to honor these men when they couldn't be a part of the stair climb capped at 343 firefighters in downtown Denver. About 600 people came. I hope it grows exponentially each year as word gets out.

Swedish Medical was the big sponsor for the event, providing funding, the shirts, and the Air Life helicopter you see in the background.

Many of the firefighters climbed in full gear, carrying axes and hoses, just as their brothers did that day.

Amelia Earhart of 9 news was one of the emcees as the events started. One thing she said stuck with me. This is not a race. Go at your own pace, do as much as you can do.

I instantly thought of frightened people, overweight, bad knees, asthma, heart conditions, trapped and having no choice but to rush down flights and flights of stairs as fast as their bodies would carry them.

A moment of silence at the time the first plane struck the first tower was followed by Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.

And then it was time to turn and start the climb into the amphitheater, led by the flags.

There were so many babies and little children.

And up we went.

That steep tree line across the theater might give you some idea of the climb. 9 times around would equal the total height in terms of steps that would get you to the top of one of the Twin Towers.

Baby with a bagel and daddy remarks as he passes by, "There's something wrong with this picture."
Up and around and down. Recovery time felt shorter and shorter with each pass. I made it to 7 before the legs got so rubbery I had to stop for fear of falling.

And right in front of me for one round was a young woman with one leg. That kept me going that last lap.

So many brave men and women.

After I recovered enough to get back to the car, I detoured over to one of my favorite spots only minutes away to have some alone time to reflect in the silence.

That morning of Sept. 11, 2001 I had heard just a small blip on NPR that there were reports coming in that a plane had hit one of the towers. Like everyone else, I thought it had to have been some small plane gone horribly awry.

As I headed into my first class, there seemed to be something more to the story, but there were no televisions available and we seemed to be having internet connection troubles.

When class let out an hour and a half later, the world had changed. Lynne and I made our way over to the Student Center to watch on the one tv the second tower fall, again and again, replayed for days and in my dreams. All those people. All the unknowns. So many missing. So many stories. So much loss.

I explained as best I could, with what I knew, what had happened to my 6 and 8 year old that night. Sammi had turned 6 the same week. The next day, her kindergarten teacher sent home a note with Sammi telling me how eloquently she had spoken to the rest of the class about it as there were so many questions.

Now, 9 years later, I have a 15 and 17 year old and the world spins on. But it was one of those days that change you as much as it changes the world. It was a tearing away of innocence.

As I wandered along the creek, I picked up these two rocks and tucked them into the fallen tree in the stream and remembered.