Mt. Rainier!!

A month ago, at Louie and Naomi's wedding, Daniel Jessee flippantly mentioned that he was heading to Washington for an REI event and to climb Mt. Rainier. He invited me to go, and without considering the possibility, I told him that it sounded like an amazing trip (for him, not me). A week later, I remembered the conversation and started to give it some real thought. Flights were reasonable, I had some experience at 14,000 feet, and Daniel had already scoped out dates, routes, gear lists, etc... So I went for it.Now fast forward three weeks, a flight to Seattle, and an approach climb to Camp Muir at 10,000 ft.: On June 26 at 11:30pm, I woke after an 1.5 hours of sleep. Daniel and Jamie arose with me. We put on our helmets, cramp-ons, gaiters, and harnesses. We picked up our packs and ice axes and tethered ourselves to one another. We left camp and started toward the summit of Rainier at 12:45am. The first scare came as falling rocks bounced down the incline; we heard them first and saw them in the last second as they entered the scope of our headlamps. Next, we scampered up the loose rock fields. Still in the dark, we navigated around the (seemingly) bottomless crevasses. Scared and out of my comfort zone, I kept drudging forward and trying to stay focused on the task ahead.

As the hike wore on, Jamie, Daniel, and I got into a better rhythm and I gained more and more confidence. At 415ish AM, I witnessed the most majestic sunrise that I have ever seen. At 555am we summitted Mt. Rainier (14,441 ft)!


Looking back to the casual invitation from Daniel, the trip was so much more than I could have imagined then (or blog about now). Rainier was a formative and memorable experience for me. I learned so much about Mountaineering, respecting the outdoors, and my friends, Jamie and Daniel. My dad loves Mountaineering and lent me much of my gear, and I found myself thinking of him throughout the trip. He would have loved this trip (as most of my family would have). In the end, it was also a good test for me, and I feel accomplished to have completed the task.

A few thank yous: Daniel for leading and teaching, Dad for the gear and support, Blair for housing me and showing me around Seattle, Jamie for his infinite wisdom and newly found friendship, and Tracy for not worrying too too much. I've posted a few a pictures. I can show you more photos the next time I see you.