Banner!

We got together last night to work on the banner we’ll be taking up to the summit.  After all these months of focusing on training, it is really fun to be working on the action part of our climb.  Back in March or April, when all of our focus was on training, it was sometimes easy to forget why we are doing this, that we’re not just climbing this mountain for personal achievement.  This is what is motivating me right now, as we get closer and closer (only one more week!) and I feel some apprehension about the climb.  I’ve never had any interest in climbing Mt. Rainier before, and sometimes I wonder why I’m doing this.  But last night was a good reminder.  We also had the opportunity to talk with some folks from Fuse Washington, and talking about the climb, and the issue of coal in Washington,  also helped remind me why I’m doing this.

Plus, the banner looks super cool!  There are about two dozen small flags that kids, (and others) painted at our party a few weeks ago.  We stitched those onto some background fabric and strung them together.  They look great!  We’ll be taking those up with us, along with a banner that has our message to the governor.

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Letter to Governor Gregoire

We sent our letter to Governor Gregoire today.  If you’re on Sierra Club’s email list, you may receive an action alert asking you to sign on in support of it.  Check it out here.

Mt. Adams

Five of us from the climb team made the trek down to Mt. Adams last weekend.  We headed out for the five hour drive on Friday evening, through pouring rain and dense fog, past strip malls and along gravel roads, to finally arrive at the trailhead, about 5000′, at close to 11pm.  We camped there for the night and headed out the next morning for Lunch Counter, our base camp, at 9300′.  The hike into Lunch Counter was uneventful, hiking pretty much the entire time on snow.  Lots of other hikers on the trail, many with skis or snowboards.  I felt good and strong, working hard but not too hard, and sweating when the sun was out.  We made it to our base camp about 2:30pm and had lots of time to set up camp, melt snow, relax, hang out and enjoy the view!  We could see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, and several peaks beyond Hood.  It was beautiful up there.  After dinner, we tried to get to bed early.  I think I got a bit of sleep before the winds started to pick up about 2am.

We had scheduled a wake-up call of 3:30, hoping to get an early start while the snow was still firm.  After a quick cup of coffee,  a little breakfast, and a fair amount of lingering in the warm tent, we headed out of camp at 5am.  A slow start with some gear fidgeting and forgotten cameras, and we were trudging up the steep slope towards the false summit.  The wind was still going strong and I worried a little about being blown off balance.   About half way up the slope, I started to feel really uncomfortable, the combination of the steep slope and the wind making me wonder again why I was doing this.  My body felt strong, but I didn’t feel confident in my ability to keep my balance, or to catch myself if I fell.  Although we had practiced self-arresting with Al just a few days before, the conditions were really different (mainly, less steep and not nearly so icy!), and I worried about whether or not I could self-arrest here.  I ended up deciding I’d had enough and stopped at some rocks.  The rest of the team kept going, half making it to the false summit, where the wind picked up even more, and the other half pushing on for the summit.  As I was stepping carefully back down, I started to feel more confident, getting a better feel for my crampons and their ability to hold into the snow.  After, I thought a lot about the upcoming Rainier climb, knowing it would be longer and steeper, and possibly just as windy or more.  How will I make it there if I couldn’t make it here?  I hope that the bit of confidence and experience I gained on Adams will help and I’ll be looking to my teammates for motivation and inspiration!

We all met up back at camp by 10am, to start packing up for the hike out.  We didn’t linger much, as the wind was blowing pretty good, and not much fun to hang out in.  The hike out was mellow, with some super fun glissading down.  Back at the cars, a cold beer waited (thanks Roger!), and then the drive down to Hood River for burgers.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that area and I was reminded again of how beautiful it is.

Next up:  The Big Climb!!

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We got mad skillz

What a great party!

Thanks so much to all the folks who came out to the party!  We felt truly blessed by our friends, family, and community.  I know that when I’m trudging up that mountain, I’ll be able to dig deep and access all that love and support sent our way on Saturday night.