SANDPOINT — There are 2,226 steps from top to bottom of One World Trade Center.

On Sunday, June 1, Sandpoint resident Berit Ollestad will climb every single step in an effort to thank the region's first responders and raise funds for the nation's wounded warriors by taking part in the annual Tunnel to Towers Climb.

The climb, now in its ninth year, has participants from 34 states taking part, with Ollestad the only person from Idaho participating. There are also participants from three other countries taking part, including Great Britain, Hungary and Mexico.

Even though the event was just a few weeks away, the Sandpoint resident didn't hesitate and immediately accepted.

"It wasn't until moving to Idaho in 2018 that I experienced the level of patriotism that I did while living in New Jersey," Ollestad said. "So that is why when I received an email ... that I was being invited to participate in the tower climb, I didn't think twice."

The annual climb pays tribute to those lost on Sept. 11 in the terrorist attacks. Taking place in the One World Observatory, 1,000 participants climb the building's 104 stories to serve as living symbols of the strength, hope and resilience of the American spirit shown by the first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center's Twin Towers when the site was one of three attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.

The climb pays tribute to FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller and FDNY Capt. Billy Burke, who were among the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives. Siller had just finished his shift and was headed to play golf with his brothers when he got word that an airplane had hit the center's North Tower. Driving his truck to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, he strapped on his gear and raced through the tunnel to the towers, according to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation website.

Burke and his crew were on the 27th floor of the North Tower when the South Tower collapsed. They notified firefighter command officials, who began immediate evacuations, resulting in many lives being saved.

Minutes later, the North Tower also collapsed with Burke among those losing their lives.

Ollestad had seen an application online for the climb a few months ago, but when she reached out, the 1,000-person limit had been reached. After placing her name on a waiting list, she placed it on her mental bucket list for the future and only occasionally thought about the event.

It wasn't until about two weeks ago that Ollestad got an email from Tunnel to Towers Climb NYC officials telling her that she had been selected from the waiting list.

Would she, they asked, still be interested in taking part?

After accepting the invitation, Ollestad began making plans — including how she was going to get ready. But then she realized she had the ideal spot to train — War Memorial Field — one that honored the very people she was dedicating her climb to helping.

So, for the past week and a half, Ollestad has headed to the field's grandstands, running up and down the stands, over and over and over again. She carefully counts the steps, making sure to at least match the number of steps she will need to climb at Sunday's event.

The first day was brutal. Her body was sore and ached. She could barely move, and she considered — very briefly — changing her mind.

But then she remembered who she was climbing for — the country's wounded servicemen and women. They didn't give up, and she would not either.

She headed back to War Memorial Field and back to her training, where she plans to be until she heads to New York City for the climb this weekend.

Ollestad lived in a town about 30 minutes from New York City and had a clear view of the Freedom Tower as it was built. There were daily reminders that paid tribute to those killed in the attacks — flags hanging from freeway overpasses and Sept. 11 memorials in each town.

She found herself freelance writing for the local paper, something she enjoyed. Many of the events were associated with fire and police.

"This is where I learned more about the Wounded Warrior Project that supports veterans that are coming back from active duty injured, maimed and in need of support to pick up the pieces of their lives," she added. "It was then that I heard many of their stories and how they are dealing with their new reality since returning from the front lines."

It took her back to when she was in her 20s and had bunion surgery, opting to have both feet done at the same time. It wasn't until after the surgery was done that she realized her wheelchair would not clear the bathroom's doorframe.

Her father would pick her up and carry her into the bathroom and out again when she was done. After he returned to work, Ollestad said she had to figure out how to manage it on her own, from getting into an improvised bedroom in the living room to making it to the bathroom. The challenges, she said, were endless.

"That is why it's so important for these young men and women coming home from active duty to know they will be welcomed with open arms and be provided with services that they desperately need to be successful in their civilian lives," Ollestad said.

Ollestad plans to wear an Idaho potato sack to climb in — if she can find one and if she reaches her $25,100 goal.

Donations can be made at bit.ly/3ZBPCDa.

    Berit Ollestad climbs the grandstand steps at War Memorial Field as she prepares for Sunday's Tunnel to Towers Climb.
  

    Berit Ollestad has spent the past week and change at War Memorial Field training for the Tunnel to Towers Climb on Sunday.