Bacon Brothers join charity hike to top of Pikes Peak

Go up, to the summit of Pikes Peak.

Climb from the Crags campground, encircled by thousands of scrub oaks and bristlecone pine, to a ladder of granite rocks at the treeline above 11,000 feet.

Still, about 3,000 feet to go.

Soak in the sun as you get closer to an icy summit, where The Bacon Brothers plan to perform once you're there. Look behind you and see the 85 hikers who woke before dawn on Saturday to challenge the mountain for charity.

They paid a $50 registration fee and pledged to donate at least $1,000, which helps the Love Hope Strength Foundation support cancer treatment and research around the world.

Near the front of the pack, actor and singer Kevin Bacon wears high-top Gore-Tex sneakers, black skinny jeans and a black jacket.

The White Buffalo and Cy Curnin are set to perform acoustic songs along the way to set your mood.

To start, Shannon Foley, the foundation's director, gives a speech.

"The hard parts are over. Now the fun begins. This is not a race, this is to enjoy," she says, standing on a rock. "This is for all people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Take it slow. Enjoy the hike."

Gravel crunches between Dan Sullivan's hiking boots. The 39-year-old cancer survivor drove 11 hours from Dallas to be part his third hike with the foundation. He returns for the challenge, taking it slow, one sip from his Aquafina water bottle at a time.

In his backpack he brings two Snickers and extra clothes.

Beside him, James Chippendale, 44, walks in shorts with leggings underneath. A knee brace prepares him for the worst. Chippendale, the charity's founder, doesn't usually hike. The elevation bears on his chest, as he takes two hiking sticks to help him up the mountain.

"It's not a mountain hike," he says, "It's a climb."

Betsie Bacon, Michael Bacon's wife, who is from New York City, begins to feel the elevation. The 58-year-old's head rushes, and she's feeling nauseated. Guide Buie Russo, 58, takes out his first-aid kit and asks: "Tylenol or ibuprofen?"

He recommends ibuprofen.

Betsie bacon slits the packet and gulps it down with water from her CamelBak bottle. They near the treeline, where the forest begins to disappear, and the sun bathes each hiker.

On rocks beside the trail, Sarah Paterson, 26, removes her long-sleeved shirt. There's sweat on the T-shirt she was given by the foundation. Her pants are camo, like the colors of the foundation, and are the same she wore serving the U.S. in Iraq.

The veteran has come here for a challenge, and comes ready with two Sony speakers tied to her backpack with neon pink string. She pumps her arms and shakes her head to the sounds of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

Paterson soon finds her pace as she reaches Devil's Playground.

Chad Karns, 35, offers one of his two hiking sticks.

"They were strangers, but when we meet them, they're just like us," he says.

Slowly, they come single file as they hike the snowy stretch to the summit. Kevin Bacon picks up an energy drink with his right hand, places his left in his pocket, and stares at the path.

He was persuaded by bandmate and oldest brother, Michael, to hike Pikes Peak, he said.

"My brother shamed me into it," he says, laughing. "And the hike's inspirational, a combination of playing music and altitude."

The summit's wind hits the face like an ice pack on a bruise. Feet are sore. Hearts pound like hammers. But after a while, almost 100 people, including hikers, settle to watch the reward at the top of Pikes Peak.

Soldier on, like that hike today.

The Bacon Brothers sing their second song.

You've got to soldier on.