Mt Adams 2015 – Take 2 (Erin’s PNW Volcano Debut)
The best place to view fireworks on 4th of July is from a volcano. (we’ve stuck with this plan 3 years in a row – year 1 year 2)
Mt Rainier – DC Route – June 2015
Ever since last year’s unsuccessful summit attempt on Mount Rainier, we’ve had our eye on Washington’s tallest, and arguably most famous mountain.
This spring we started brewing plans again. After numerous doodle polls, availability changes, adjustments for our ridiculously low-snow winter, we finally nailed down a crew and timeline: Brad, Kyle, Jarrod, Kaytlyn, and I planned to go up the weekend of June 20th, weather conditions permitting.
Mt Adams – 2015
Ever since Katy got her first taste of volcanos when we climbed Mt. Hood a couple years ago, we’ve been meaning to have a proper ‘Volcano Season’.
This year, with the low snow year and an itch to get some spring/summer skiing in, we laser sights on ascents and ski-descents on some of Washington’s snowy, glaciated high points.
Mt. Baker Ski Ascent/Descent- Squak Glacier Route
Not long after Katy and I got married, we met up with our fellow PNW-Hoofers for a beer at one of our favorite watering holes. We thought it’d be just another weeknight drinking yummy brews, but it was strangely different: most of the time we can barely make schedules align for a weekend, let alone for a weeknight, and here were 6 of our friends and us all around a table.
We sat down, ordered beers, and a couple minutes later an orange envelope was placed in front of Katy and I.
Rainier – Crevasse Rescue Course
There’s always at least one good lesson learned for every trip I go on. It’s only appropriate then, that when a few of us went out for the trip of our Glacier/Crevasse Rescue course, the lessons we learned from our AIARE course were one of the most important things reinforced that weekend, in addition to how to rescue myself and my team out of a crevasse.
Mt. Hood – July Shreddage
The dust was finally settling on an abandoned trip plan, and from that cloud emerged a free, high pressure weekend in the mountains. As crowds rushed to Fred Meyer to pick up last minute Ameri-brews, Hot Dawgz, and all the ABC’s of BBQ’s, Brad, Katy, and myself rushed to make a decision on what to do during the weekend after America Day.
After spending Friday recovering from Fourth of July shenanigans and finishing up tasks for work, we packed snowboards, crampons, ice axes, bits and bobs, and some delicious wraps into our car and began the slog down to Mount Hood.