Kent in the San Juan Mountains (Colorado)
Kent O'Donnell lives in New Mexico, where
he is a fireman with the Farmington Fire Department. He is outgoing,
incredibly amiable, and has experience well beyond his years. In
his mid-twenties, Kent is the youngest member of the expedition and brings
valuable medical and technical skills to the team. He is acquiring
and preparing the necessary medical supplies for Denali.
Kent grew up in Colorado and was introduced to the outdoors by his father, who was a police officer in Denver. "Every day off or vacation he took me camping or hiking," Kent remembers of his childhood. By the age of 18, he was a certified Emergency Medical Technician, an Outdoor Emergency Care Instructor, and an Avalanche Team Member for the ski patrol in nearby Winter Park. His summer job was as a rafting guide on the Colorado River.
He joined the United States Marines, and successfully tested into Force Recon. "I spent four years of jumping, diving and having an overall good time," O'Donnell says of his military experience. He became team leader of the Cold Weather Survival Training in Alaska and augmented his medical training in the Advanced Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support School, including certification in the treatment of High Altitude Sickness.
Upon fulfilling his four year service, he raced in the Ironman Triathlon before entering college. Kent maintained his military ties by staying in the reserves. "Once a Marine, always a Marine," he proposes. In the meantime, Kent volunteered for the fire department in Durango, Colorado, where he acquired advanced rope techniques and started their high angle rescue team. Now, O'Donnell is a full-time fireman in Farmington, New Mexico, and is close to completing his bachelors degree in Exercise Science.
"As I thought of my lifetime goals, " he states on the subject of
mountaineering, "I often thought of McKinley." His climbing experience
includes Mount Elbert, Longs Peak and at least 15 other peaks in Colorado
over 14,000 feet. "My dad started dragging me up those when I was
in grade school."