I can't believe it has been five months since I've been on here! Where did the time go? I had a very busy and active summer, hiking to my heart's content and enjoying the freedom of living life! Time to catch up on my blogging!
As most know (I couldn't keep such an awesome adventure quiet!), in August 2016 I climbed Mt. St. Helens with my brother, Russ. The hike was a challenge for me (to say the least) but exciting too! Reaching the summit was the biggest high of my life, both figuratively and literally! You can read about that great adventure here, just in case you missed it! ;)
On the drive up to Mt. St. Helens my brother said to me, "I'm climbing Mt. Rainier again next summer and I would be happy to take you along with me if you want to do it too!" My first thought was "ARE YOU FRICKIN' CRAZY?!" but no sooner than that thought had passed through my mind, I was saying out loud, "Oooooooh the excitement!! In a perfect world I would LOVE to be that person!" He said, "Why can't you be?" I told him to hold that thought, let me get up Mt. St. Helens first, and then I'll decide. After a great day of hiking, we were on the drive home when we started to discuss Mt. Rainier again. I said, "Heck no! Not in your lifetime! You go ahead!" Climbing Mt. St. Helens was difficult for this girl and I couldn't imagine doing anything harder than that! Three days later it came out of my mouth... "Ok, I'll sign up to climb Mt. Rainier with you. Why not?!"
I must have unknowingly bumped my head and lost my mind out there on those boulders. Seriously.
And so the craziness began...
Training... not training... eating well... not eating well... panic... over eating... more training... more panic... FEAR... FEAR... FEAR. More FEAR!
Over the months Russ and I kept in constant contact, encouraging and motivating each other, reporting to each other how we were doing, what our weight was, what we were eating, sharing our successes and of course, sharing our struggles. The frequent - almost daily - contact with my brother was wonderful! We were sharing something big together and that's worth so much! Russ also made a couple of trips out to the Pacific Northwest to climb with me for training purposes (and to go to REI too! ha!).
Training on Mt. St. Helens...
We attempted to climb Mt. St. Helens in May when the mountain was still totally covered in snow from the parking lot up to the very top. I decided during that climb that I did not like hiking in the snow at all. (Uh... big problem!!). The snow in May on Mt. St. Helens was total MUSH and it was very difficult to hike in. Imagine hiking uphill on a sand dune... with a heavy backpack on ... fighting your way up and forward as your feet continuously sink deep down and slide backwards with almost every step. To say it was exhausting is an understatement.
As a result, I did not make it to the summit that day. I stopped just short of 2000 feet from the top. I was suffering from thigh cramps (what the heck???) and mentally I was struggling. I kept asking myself why I was doing this crazy crap... for what?! My head was full of negative comments and in the end that negativity won out. I let myself quit. The wet, heavy snow, direct sunlight and the heat (yes, it was HOT on the mountain that day) made things very difficult, true, but ... I gave up. I quit.
We sat down for lunch at my stopping (quitting) point and I tried really hard not to beat myself up over it. Joe (our guide and friend) tried to impress upon me that it was training... that we learn from these things and that I had succeeded in just getting to where I got that day. Not reaching the summit is not a failure. It was hard for me to absorb but I accepted it and silently ate my lunch. I wanted Russ to continue on but he wouldn't. He agreed that it was difficult (although he could have kept going) and that it was just a training hike so he was ready to go down too.
On the way down I was able to experience glissading for the very first time and wow... such fun!! I laughed and screamed like a kid on a roller coaster! At one point my Garmin recorded me going 9.4 mph - sliding on my butt down a snow-covered frickin' MOUNTAIN! I quickly forgot all about the summit-less climb ... and I forgave myself too. Glissading is awesome!! Think water park slide - made out of deep groves in the snow! FUUUUUNNNNN!
When we finally reached the parking lot - and I say finally because it was a long trip back down - it was nearly 90 degrees. Hot, hot, HOT. While Joe and Russ were chatting about the day, I collapsed across the backseat and promptly passed out. I was beat.
We had a wonderful dinner and visit that evening at the cabins Joe was able to arrange for us and all of the disappointment I felt earlier in the day disappeared. We went to bed early and unbelievably neither Russ nor I (and of course not Joe!) were suffering from ANY pain! We were tired but we were not hurting, very unlike the earlier Mt. St. Helens climb. Training was paying off!
Training on Mt. Rainier....
In June we had planned to climb Mt. Adams but with the exceptionally heavy snowfall earlier in the year, the mountain was still covered with snow and the trailhead difficult to get to. We opted for a training climb on Mt. Rainier instead. This would give me a glimpse of what I was going to encounter in July. The trailhead at Paradise is 2000 feet higher than the trailhead on Mt. St. Helens. Where we were climbing to (Camp Muir) is 2000 feet higher than the summit of Mt. St. Helens. The climbs are comparable but Rainier is higher in elevation - and harder - so the snow was firmer and not as difficult to hike in. (Thank goodness.)
Once again though I did not make it to my desired destination. Sigh... I was about 1200 feet from where I was headed when I had to stop. I, for whatever reason, cannot get past this problem with severe thigh cramping when climbing. It feels like a knife is being stabbed right into the center of my big ol' thigh muscle and then it tightens up so badly that I can't walk. I don't understand it. It alternates between legs. I have been very well hydrated, eaten properly, exercised, etc. but the cramping continues. On this day I was sucking down mustard packets, eating salt tablets, drinking electrolytes, etc. but nothing kept the cramps away. Sometimes I can push through them and continue on but sometimes it ruins my hike and sends me painfully hobbling back down the mountain. This was another one of those times. The pain made me nauseous, the altitude was making me sleepy and I just wanted someone to show up on a snowmobile and drive me down to the parking lot. No such luck. However, I was able to glissade for part of the way which again made me laugh and have a great time but the rest of the hike down was filled with intermittent severe thigh cramping, bending over in severe pain, and waiting it out until the use of my legs resumed so I could continue on ... until it happened again ... and again ... and again. Believe me, it turns a very long hike into a much, much longer and slower hike back down the mountain.
This time Russ was willing to continue on but Joe went back down with me, unwilling to let me hike alone in my condition (he's a great guide and friend... thank you, Joe!). Once down we sat and had a couple of beers, talked about the day and discussed my upcoming Mt. Rainier attempt that I KNEW I wasn't going to succeed at. In fact, in that moment, I did not believe I would even start the climb in July at all. Why bother?
Russ made it to Camp Muir that day all on his own. The weather turned horrible (it's typical for the weather to change very quickly on Mt. Rainier) and it was sleeting and raining sideways. He couldn't see 10 feet in front of him. By the time he got down, he was completely soaked and cold but had a big smile frozen across his face! Awesome job, Brother!! I didn't mind waiting for you with my hot coffee, good company, and a blazing fireplace nearby. Really... ha! ;)
I returned home deflated, not knowing what I was going to do in July. I knew in my heart I would not make it up Mt. Rainier. I didn't even know if I could make it to the first camp. Regardless of the amount of training I had done, it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t in good enough physical shape… nor mental (I was scared). In the end I decided to go anyway and enjoy the journey, which was exactly what this was all about - the journey with my brother, the journey of climbing on a mountain, the journey of mentally and physically overcoming limitations and pushing past whatever I could. I was terrified of the sheer steepness of the climb… the deep crevasses… the unpredictable weather… the altitude… my thighs cramping... all of that and more... but I wanted to face those fears and see what I could accomplish. I wanted to enjoy the challenge and the adventure with my brother!!
Russ flew in a couple of days early and we spent our time sorting through our gear, checking off the gear list at least twice, making a trip to REI (of course!), food shopping, visiting, hydrating, and sharing our excitement and fears.
On Sunday we drove up to the mountain and stayed at Whittaker's Bunkhouse so we would be close to where we were going the following day. We signed up to go with a guided group through International Mountain Guides (IMG) and I can't possibly say enough great things about them! They are the best! IMG truly wants you to enjoy your climb and reach your goals. We signed up for the 3-1/2 Day Muir/DC Summit Climb.
Monday was our gear check day with IMG. It was our pre-climb orientation and instructional meeting at their headquarters in Ashford. We met the other climbers in our group (8 of us total) and some of our guides. We went through every single item in our backpacks, showing what we brought as each item from the list was called out. Kim Haft, the lead guide of our climb, inspected our belongings, told us what to leave behind, told us what we needed to rent if we were missing something or if what we brought wasn't going to work well on the mountain. IMG rents just about everything you need in your backpack so that was very convenient. Kim told us what to expect on the mountain, discussed the weather and answered any questions we had.
Tuesday morning we loaded up the IMG van and trailer and headed into the Mt. Rainier National Park. I was full of anxiety and could barely speak. I was excited but scared. Very scared. About 45 minutes later we were unloading the van, making our last minute adjustments and stepping foot onto the path that was going to change my life forever in one way or another! We started on a paved path that turned to gravel, then rock and then snow. We wore trail shoes to make it easier until we reached the solid snow but that meant we were carrying our heavy climbing boots tied to our already heavy backpacks. The guides told us we would stop four times to eat and hydrate on the way to Camp Muir, that it was going to take about 6 hours to climb and that we would take it slowly to conserve energy. Kim set our pace and true to her word, it was slow. I felt great and some of my fears were pushed aside although the constant chatter in my mind was a little disruptive. What the heck was I doing on this mountain???
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| Russ' daughter send along a picture she drew him of him standing on top of Mt. Rainier |
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| Kris and Margo - husband/wife team |
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| Me and my awesome brother - Sibling team |
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| Ryan and Tom - father/son team |
During each of our 10-15 minute breaks we hydrated, ate snacks and were told what to expect for the next leg of our journey. We were given tips on saving energy, asked how we felt and told we were all doing great! (Even me!) We received constant training and instruction during these breaks as well as during our climb.
At the fourth and last break of the day before reaching Camp Muir (I was already well beyond the point I had reached during training) I sat down with Jason Edwards, the awesome guide hanging out with me, and we talked about how close we were - approximately 800 more feet in elevation - and about my climb. We discussed what my goals were (not to reach the summit, obviously) and he said he was there to help me reach them. I wanted to make it to the second camp and wait there while the rest of the group summited Thursday morning. Jason said he knew I could make it there and that he personally would make sure I did. I was tired, yes, after thousands of uphill steps over several hours but I had not suffered a single cramp and I was going to make it... and during this conversation was exactly when the crazy, painful cramp showed up. (Seriously...) After a few minutes of trying to loosen my thigh up Jason said to take my backpack off and he started digging through his. I thought he was going to give me an aspirin to try to stop the cramping. Instead, he offloaded everything out of my backpack and stuffed it ALL into his own! I was left with a sleeping bag and some water in mine (about five pounds total!). I couldn't believe it! I told him I was going to feel like I was dancing without all that weight. He said, "If it is a matter of you making it or not, you are going to make it!" He put me in line behind the leader and said, "Dance up that mountain! You can do it!" and off he flew up the mountain with his backpack overloaded with all of my stuff in addition to his own. I felt no pain, I was energized and as Jason directed, I danced all the way up to Camp Muir! Meanwhile... Russ was behind me and noticed my backpack was looking a little flat and that I no longer had an ice axe. Hmmmm, he thought... something was up....
[BTW, that was my one and only thigh cramp during the entire climb up and down.]
I really appreciated how Jason made me feel and how he stayed with me and encouraged me along the way. After I returned home I read his bio on IMG's web page. For someone of his caliber to make me feel like I was just as able and important as a seasoned mountain climber (which I certainly was not), knowing I wasn't going to summit even under the very best of circumstances, and still taking the time to make sure I got up that mountain as far as I could, I appreciated him even more! I have no doubt other groups would have turned me back at the beginning of the thigh cramp. IMG is TOP NOTCH!! I will definitely be climbing with them again.
Once reaching Camp Muir we were told to get inside the sleeping hut, eat, drink and take a nap. We were to stay there lying down until they came to get us for dinner two hours later. We each picked out our sleeping spot and I sat there waiting for Jason to show up with my belongings so I could eat a snack. Someone made a comment about "Jason's stuff" on the bench and I noticed those were MY things, not Jason's. Busted! Yes, y'all... Jason carried my load up the last part of the mountain! (I'm such a needy one... and a lucky one!)
Everyone ate and promptly fell asleep... especially me.
Jason came in to wake us up for dinner and talked about what to expect the rest of the day and in the morning. He said after morning training on the mountain we would proceed to Camp 2. It was a short day of climbing and hanging out at Camp 2 would give us the needed rest for summit day and would help acclimate us further to the high altitude. He said on summit day he and I would be staying behind while the rest went on to the summit. He was my buddy and he was going to make sure I got everything I wanted to get out of this adventure. (Again, I cannot say enough great things about the guides with IMG!!!)
Dinner was awesome... they cooked burritos (catering to those of us that had food allergies or requests that were made ahead of time), provided seconds and even thirds to anyone who wanted them, and provided all the coffee, cocoa, hot tea and water we wanted. We talked about our day and what was going to happen in the morning. At any given time on the mountain the only discussion was about what was right ahead of us... not the summit, not the weather, nothing ahead of what we absolutely needed to know. They wanted our focus on the immediate, nothing more.
At dinner we met our additional guides and they shared stories with us about their own great adventures! What an amazing group of people we were with! You can read about IMG guides here.
We had about 12 hours to sleep that night. TWELVE. They wanted us to stay in bed until they came to get us for breakfast. After 10 hours I had to get out and stand up. I never stay in bed longer than 8 hours and that's a rarity. My back can't handle being flat like that for so long. I quietly got up and went outside to stretch out and walk around. Russ also got up (and so did a couple of others) and we stood outside in the cold watching the sunrise and talking about how amazing the view was and how great it was to be right there in that very moment at 10,188 feet on Mt. Rainier! I was so darn proud of myself!
[BTW, that was my one and only thigh cramp during the entire climb up and down.]
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| Notice my empty backpack and Jason's FULL one :) THANK YOU, JASON! |
Once reaching Camp Muir we were told to get inside the sleeping hut, eat, drink and take a nap. We were to stay there lying down until they came to get us for dinner two hours later. We each picked out our sleeping spot and I sat there waiting for Jason to show up with my belongings so I could eat a snack. Someone made a comment about "Jason's stuff" on the bench and I noticed those were MY things, not Jason's. Busted! Yes, y'all... Jason carried my load up the last part of the mountain! (I'm such a needy one... and a lucky one!)
Everyone ate and promptly fell asleep... especially me.
Jason came in to wake us up for dinner and talked about what to expect the rest of the day and in the morning. He said after morning training on the mountain we would proceed to Camp 2. It was a short day of climbing and hanging out at Camp 2 would give us the needed rest for summit day and would help acclimate us further to the high altitude. He said on summit day he and I would be staying behind while the rest went on to the summit. He was my buddy and he was going to make sure I got everything I wanted to get out of this adventure. (Again, I cannot say enough great things about the guides with IMG!!!)
Camp Muir
Elevation: 10,188 feet
Dinner was awesome... they cooked burritos (catering to those of us that had food allergies or requests that were made ahead of time), provided seconds and even thirds to anyone who wanted them, and provided all the coffee, cocoa, hot tea and water we wanted. We talked about our day and what was going to happen in the morning. At any given time on the mountain the only discussion was about what was right ahead of us... not the summit, not the weather, nothing ahead of what we absolutely needed to know. They wanted our focus on the immediate, nothing more.
At dinner we met our additional guides and they shared stories with us about their own great adventures! What an amazing group of people we were with! You can read about IMG guides here.
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| Our dining tent |
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| Guide - Kim Haft |
We had about 12 hours to sleep that night. TWELVE. They wanted us to stay in bed until they came to get us for breakfast. After 10 hours I had to get out and stand up. I never stay in bed longer than 8 hours and that's a rarity. My back can't handle being flat like that for so long. I quietly got up and went outside to stretch out and walk around. Russ also got up (and so did a couple of others) and we stood outside in the cold watching the sunrise and talking about how amazing the view was and how great it was to be right there in that very moment at 10,188 feet on Mt. Rainier! I was so darn proud of myself!
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| Mt. St. Helens |
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| Mt. Adams |
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| Camp Muir |
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| Cathedral Gap |
After breakfast Wednesday morning (fresh chocolate chip pancakes!), we had training on the mountain. We practiced things like self-arrest with the ice axe, group arrest, belaying, and climbing on loose rocks with our crampons. We were issued our helmets, ropes and harnesses. (Another great thing about going with the guided group... we didn't have to carry these items up from the bottom!)
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| A woman climber sleeping in the rocks after coming off of the summit |
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| Guide - Ryan Dougherty |
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| Guide - Justin Merle |
While we were training, Kim and Jason were in the dining tent cleaning up and boiling water for our trip up the rest of the mountain. Unfortunately something happened and Kim dropped boiling water and burned her leg quite badly. Jason was splashed in the face but luckily it wasn't enough to harm him. Kim... her situation was different. Her leg was burned on her shin right in the area that her mountain boot hit her. She was in a lot of pain and had to get off of the mountain. She could no longer be our leader to the summit on this climb. This also meant that we were short a guide... which meant that I could no longer go to Camp 2 and stay there waiting for the rest of the group to reach the summit. I could not be left alone and they needed the remaining guides for the group because of the ropes, safety, etc. I had to go back down the mountain. Jason told me how sorry he was and said that it could not be helped... he really wanted me to get there but circumstances had changed. Of course I understood that. We were waiting for another group to come off of the summit and I was going to go down with them. It was a hard decision to absorb but ultimately it was my own fault because had I been in good enough shape to make it up the mountain, my climb would not have ended that way. I had no one to be upset with but myself. But honestly, I was ok with this decision to go down. I was still scared of the need for ropes, the upcoming steepness and the crevasses. I was very, very proud of what I had accomplished (and amazed) so truly I was not upset. I was more concerned about where I was going to sleep that night by myself than anything else (other than Kim's burned leg, of course, and my brother's safety during the rest of his climb).
It was very hard to say goodbye to my brother (I didn't want to leave him) but I wished him well and told him I knew he could do it! This was his moment! He was strong and doing great! I'll always remember looking back as I was starting to go downhill and there was my brother on the top of a hill jumping up and down, waiving at me and blowing his kisses! They were calling for him to hurry up but he just knew I would look back and he wanted to be there waving goodbye to me. (Thank you, Russ!) I love my brother so much....
Russ went on, made it to Camp 2 and got ready to climb to the summit the following day. The wind was blowing, there were 50 mph gusts and it was COLD. He admitted to me later that he was nervous and had nightmares two nights in a row. He questioned himself... his safety... his life. He has a daughter and wife at home and he was risking it all. He was worried... but he felt strong and had to push his fears aside. He was going to summit this time.
As it turned out, Mother Nature had alternative plans for the entire group. Two people stayed in Camp on summit day (which made me a little upset when I found out because I could have been there too... they took one of the guides from the rest of the group). [Note... another guide coming down the mountain joined them and went back up in Kim's place ... which happened to be her husband, Mike Haft. Unfortunately I was already long gone or I would have continued on with them to Camp 2.]
Russ and the four other climbers got up early and started their hike to the summit with three guides. Two climbers stayed at camp with one guide. My brother and the others made it to the top of Disappointment Cleaver and stopped for a break. At that point two of those climbers said they could not go any further and wanted to go back down to camp 2 (this is why they need so many guides). The remaining two climbers and Russ said they felt great and wanted to continue on with the remaining two guides. Unfortunately the wind gusts were extremely strong now, the temperatures at the top were well below zero AND there was LIGHTNING in the distance - a storm was coming in. There was no other choice but to turn around and go back down the entire mountain. Safety first. ALWAYS.
So... no one from our climb summited Mt. Rainier that day. Disappointing, for sure, but understood and respected.
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| Little Tahoma |
But back to my part of the adventure... When the rest of the group was headed up to Camp 2, I was going down with a group that had been on the mountain for four days and had summited from the opposite side of the mountain (up and over) and were on their way back down. Ummmm... WOWZA. Picture a calendar of firemen.... haha I was in some hot company! ;)
The group "adopted" me - I was probably double most of their ages - and they took time to talk to me and ask what I had been doing on the mountain, how I ended up with them, etc. They wanted to know if my adventure was worth it and if I would try it again. We stopped for ONE break on the way down and I kept up with them even with all my tripping, slipping and sliding! I knew I was in great company and I felt like an imposter BADASS. When we got low enough on the trail to start running into uphill day hikers, I kept my eyes down because I didn't want them to see that I was a fake who didn't belong with this group of fit men, never mind I was the only female AND out of shape! ;) It was the highlight of my downhill climb and totally worth the turnaround! haha
Mt. Rainier
Elevation: 14,411
That night IMG put me up in one of their platform tents at headquarters and gave me access to the lobby, bathroom and shower. I was alone for the majority of the time and enjoyed the solitude. It was my first time to sleep outside totally alone and obviously I survived it! (I passed out rather quickly and slept really hard.) Before bed I took myself out to eat nearby at the BaseCamp Bar & Grill and watched as climbers came and went, some full of excitement and others obviously disappointed. Some climbers had a definite spring in their step while others were limping ... some with leg braces... some with foot braces... and some on crutches. I felt proud to be a part of the group, knowing that not everyone made it but WE. ALL. TRIED.
Mt. Rainier is a beast and I'm very proud of myself just for having the nerve to say, "Yes, I'll try it!" I gained so much from the experience and have lifelong memories that I share with my awesome brother. The destination was not what mattered most here... it was the experience and I loved every single minute of it!
IMG is truly the BEST! We were surrounded by such a great group of people whose love of the mountain is very evident. IMG made my experience what it was... AWESOME!! :)
Mt. Rainier is a beast and I'm very proud of myself just for having the nerve to say, "Yes, I'll try it!" I gained so much from the experience and have lifelong memories that I share with my awesome brother. The destination was not what mattered most here... it was the experience and I loved every single minute of it!
IMG is truly the BEST! We were surrounded by such a great group of people whose love of the mountain is very evident. IMG made my experience what it was... AWESOME!! :)
Russ... I look forward to our next great adventure together - another attempt up Mt. Rainier!! heehee
I love you, Bro!!
I love you, Bro!!
Beat up but oh so proud....
