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| Base of Mt. Rainier |
It felt like winter in July. We experienced cold temps, wind, snow blowing at us and nearby lightening strikes, yet, on Saturday, July 31 at 6:00 a.m. we walked up onto the summit of Rainier, 14,411’, with George Dunn. And yes, he became the first person to reach the summit 500 times!
What an inspiration, but let’s back up.
To prepare, I had not been hiking much so one evening while walking along the shores of Lake Washington in almost 90 degree temps, I had to ask myself several times, do you really want to hike to Muir, (10,000’ on Rainier)? In this sport the best prep is to do what you are going to do. So, at 9:30 pm I jumped in the car and headed for Paradise.
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| Summit of Mt. Rainier |
The lodge and parking lot at the base of Rainier is called Paradise for a reason. There truly is something magical about this place. Deer grazed in the wilderness on the side of the road in the old-growth forest and as I approached Paradise at midnight the sky opened up displaying a zillion stars. After hiking a few hours the next day to Muir in the beautiful sunshine on the snow covered route and seeing so many old friends, it was definitely the right decision.
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| Crevasse Crossing |
What an experience, this weekend I had the privilege of climbing with three climbing legends. George first climbed Rainier in high school in the late 60s. After years of guiding he achieved his 500th summit. Eric Simonson was with us, another stellar guide, he has 283 summits of Rainier and of course my husband Phil, who has achieved the second-most Rainier summits reaching his 440th. These three partners in International Mountain Guides, http://www.MountainGuides.com, have collectively reached the summit of Rainier, 1,223 times. I am so inspired.
Two of the most important members of our climbing party were Nancy, George’s wife, and Jeremy, his 16-year-old son, making his first summit. (George’s other son, Jimmy, has reached the summit twice). The Dunn’s are a great example of how a family can experience the treasures of life together.
I just achieved my 19th summit of Rainier. I know it pales in comparison to my team, though it is special to me because this is the same number of years I have known Phil.
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| George and Family 500th |
All photos courtesy of Eric Simonson
