Salon owner Jason Deavalon's life was "a mess" until he learned about a friend's nonprofit organization, which eventually changed everything.
As Deavalon shampooed and snipped, he started asking Kim Valentini, founder of the nonprofit Smile Network, about her mission to raise money for cleft-palate surgeries.
In March 2007, Deavalon signed on to do a trek to Peru to raise money for the organization. Since then, he has done three more treks, including one to Mount Everest, and raised $200,000 for Smile Network.
He leaves in July for Mount Kilimanjaro. His journeys have turned out to be as emotional as they are physical.
ON THE MOVE: "I was a chubby kid. I was born in Minneapolis, but I moved around a lot. I didn't do sports, because I wasn't ever around enough."
PRIMED FOR PERU: "When I was 35, I realized it was time to grow up. [After I signed up to go to Peru,] I changed -- from the inside out. I stopped playing, drinking and smoking. I started eating a special diet -- I haven't had sugar or grains since then. I hired a trainer and got into kung fu and meditation. Still, you don't know what you're in for if never done it before."
BENCHING FOR BACKPACKING: "I'm preparing for Kilimanjaro much like I did for Everest, only more strength work -- more strength makes the backpack easier to carry. [Every week] I do four hours of strength training, two hours of Pilates, karate, stretching and get a massage."
NO DOOR-KNOCKING: "I'm kind of an employee without a paycheck," he said, referring to the Smile Network. "I pay my own way and then have fundraising parties to raise money afterward."
