Chris Long traveled to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in the winter of 2013. Now a defensive end for the Eagles, Long was then a high-profile player on the St. Louis Rams who wanted to experience “something out of my comfort zone.”
The mountain was the motivation, the challenge of climbing 20,000 feet, of experiencing life beyond pressuring the quarterback on third-and-8.
“I really enjoyed that,” Long said, “but what I saw was an opportunity to really improve the world.”
It happened in the hotel bar after the climb. Long celebrated with former teammate James Hall over a few drinks.