This isn’t my story to tell…but I will for your enjoyment. While at home for Thanksgiving (Nashville) I spent a significant amount of time with my sister’s dog “Scout.” Scout is a small dog…one of those poodle-mix breeds that doesn’t shed…for lack of better words a stuffed-animal come-to-life. The little guy isn’t much for tricks but likes to follow you aroud. 
In fact, he’ll chase you about anywhere just to see what’s next. Well…Scout has gotten into the habit of jumping onto the toilet lid to watch Mom as she gets ready in the morning. Saturday morning…he wasn’t so fortunate…for I had used the bathroom in the night and had left the lid up. So Mom’s standing there putting her on make-up and here comes Scout. He walks in just as proud as can be and leaped upon the toilet and SPLASH! Ha! That little dude was scrambling just to stay afloat.
Just returned from a great trip to Chicago! Stacey and I took off Friday to visit her brother, Greg, for a wild weekend in the windy city. We arrived Friday afternoon and began to plan our weekend. What first!?! With all the art, parks, museums, history…what to do first?! Greg had us reservations for dinner at a great new restaurant called “Carnivale,” a really nice Latin restaurant there in the city. Afterward we hit a comedy club called “Comedy Sportz” where improv comedians compete for laughs. Saturday we did some walking downtown to see the CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), Chicago Tribune, and Millennium Park. I’ve never seen such a cool amphitheatre! It had a massive steel structure arching (photo right) over the entire theatre with speakers hanging from points for optimal sound. I would love to go back for a concert sometime! We had lunch at the Grand Lux Cafe (a huge restaurant that nearly always has a line) and then down to Navy Pier to see the sights. We then returned to the house to get bikes that we used to ride along the beachfront that borders downtown for several miles.
I had been craving Chicago-style pizza (since birth) and finally got my fill Saturday night at Giordano’s. Talk about some goooooood pizza! MAN was that good pizza. Sunday we went with Greg to church and then to lunch at Pompeii Cafe. Church made for a memorable event when a baby decided to reach for the shiny red fire alarm. We were forced to stand in the rain for about 15 minutes while the fire dept cleared the building. Would I go back to Chicago……..absolutely! There’s more to see and do in that city than 3 weeks of vacation time would allow. Many thanks to Greg for a great weekend!!!
I think I was 12 when I saw Mt. Rainier for the first time. It made me feel so small…so insignificant…and at the same time I wanted to see the top of it with my own eyes. I played in CO a year or so later…then when I was 25 I worked there as a guide (well, actually, I was “staff”). My love for the mountains, their grandeur, and their escape from the busy-ness of life continued to lure me. In February of 2006 I decided I would get a group together for a summit attempt on Mt. Rainier. So I threw a line and got a surprising number of responses. A year and a half later I had a solid group of 8 at the foot of the mountain. We flew out separately from one another but convened Saturday July 21st at the flagship REI in Seattle. We stayed in the Travelodge that night and packed for the big trip. Sunday we drove to the mountain and hiked in to our first (of two) camps at Glacier Basin. It was raining - surprise, surprise - after all, it’s SEATTLE! Of course it was raining!!! Monday we strapped on our packs (less the tents) and had a ropes and crevasse school of sorts. Ashley and Brad taught us how to walk on the snow & ice in our crampons, techniques of self arrest, and even crevasse rescue in the even one of our team were to fall in. The next day we geared up (with everything) for an ascent to Emmons Flatts, a glacial campsite on the mountain where we would spend 3 nights. After arriving we carved 3 flat spots out of the mountainside for tents where we crashed soonafter. Wednesday we rested, ate lots, and rehydrated our bodies for the big climb. That night (actually Thursday morning) we left at 1:30AM for the summit of Rainier. It was SO steep of a climb that was 99% UP with very little flat or down to rest. At 9AM we reached our summit, 14, 410′, and stood proud having accomplished such a feat.
Elev & Distances: White River Campground (4,400′) to Glacier Basin Camp (6,000′) was a distance of 3.3mi. We then climbed to Emmons Flatts (9,800′) over the course of (x)mi. Then (x)mi. to the summit at 14,410′. A total elevation ascent of 10,010′ and one-way distance to the top of 18mi. That’s like climbing Mt. Elbert (Colorado’s hightst) TWICE in one day!
Many thanks to God (for a healthy body), family, friends, and the guys at Cumberland Transit for helping make my dream a reality.
Brad, Becky, Wil, Jon, Erick, Brett, Ashley…thank you for joining me as I crossed a life-goal off the list. I am SO grateful for such good friends. May God bless you all as your adventure continues.
-Greg
Pictures: Hit the Photo’s button at the top of the page or just click here.
Videos from the trip: The Summit | The Bear | The Rockslide
In just 24 days I will be standing at the foot of one of our country’s most coveted mountains. Sure, I’ve been up 14ers in Colorado which take you from the base to summit in about 4,500′, but Rainier is a monster in its own right. Rainier’s height from base is twice as high giving our team an ascent of 9,010′. Our team… In February of 2006 I began to assemble a team that is now at the solid number of 8 (Brad and Becky Davidson, Jon Waldron, Erick Waldron, Brett Harrison, Ashley Tuggle, Wil Watkins, and myself). All have purchased airline tickets, bought gear, and train appropriately. Speaking of training…what must one do to prepare for a trip like this?? Well the standard answer to the question “how to prepare to hike in an upward fashion with a full pack”…is to “hike in an upward fashion with a full pack.” I’ll put the pack on with a treadmill at full incline about 2 weeks before the trip…as for now, it’s all about physical fitness. I hate lifting so I’ve become quite creative with exercises that replicate activities on the mountain. Chin-ups (to pull myself out of a crevasse), stairs (obvious), and push-ups are just a few. As for coordination - I give most of the credit to Ashley Tuggle. She spent 40 days on a NOLS course last summer in the Himalayas on glaciated terrain mostly above 14,000′. I “commissioned” her to coordinate and organize the trip. It’s been hard letting go of the reigns but she has done an outstanding job planning for the actual climb.
So why would I want to take a chance of falling in a crevasse, being blown off the top of a volcano, or sliding off the side of the glaciated mountain you might ask. The adventure has been calling since I saw this mountain at the age of 12. I have longed to play on such a mountain and done maximum planning to remove as much risk as possible. So join me (in whatever capacity) and wish me well as I set forth to enjoy a week on the mountain.