I’ve always wanted to be good at something. Writing isn’t one of them. Hiking however, let’s say I’m confident that I hover somewhere above the line of Intermediate. Good enough to survive high elevation glacier treks and overnighters at least. As a hobby or extracurricular activity, it’s probably my biggest passion. So much that I found that writing of them is like having the opportunity to do each one over again. Once upon a time I set forth a book project, a story telling, you might say, of all my treks including the ascent of five mountains.
However, I lacked the confidence of presenting a way to share my stories of me being the key subject. Eventually the project lost steam and fell to the wayside. Even so, I enjoyed reliving each one while writing of them, and, I continued to set goals and hike. Putting myself out there in high open meadows or deep forest of the Cascades has given me a fresh perspective of my everyday world. Forget about football, baseball or sports in general. Forget about housework, yard work or for that matter work itself. Actually, my accommodating career generously facilitated this hobby that at times takes ample time and expense.
Therefore, we can’t forget about work. Nonetheless, the introduction to hiking has gotten me off the couch and into the woods… or on a mountain. In August of 2015, 1 spawned an idea of inviting Holly along on a summit climb. The idea came to me after Tim, my hiking and climbing buddy announced a desire to climb Mount Adams a second time. The first expedition to the 12,276 foot summit in 2014 happened to be one of the ultimate experiences of my life. As a simple climb in the eyes of an avid mountaineer, it was a challenging two-day climb for the intermediate such as me.
However, as a non-technical climb anyone could virtually climb the south spur route. The approach isn’t a glacier, there are no crevasses or snow bridges, and rope travel isn’t necessary. Ice ax, crampons, a strong desire and a lot of stamina is all you’ll need. Three times prior I had the privilege of Holly’s presence on a trekking adventure, so I was well aware that she enjoyed an occasional outing. In August of 2013 Holly and her church group invited me along on a hike out of Monte Cristo. The trail; called Gothic Basin, is a strenuous nine mile round tripper.
The trail gained 2,600 feet of elevation resulting in an average of 578 feet per mile. When I witnessed Holly’s energy and how easy it was for her it took me by surprise, leaving me impressed. Mount Pillchuck, a popular favorite lured our aspirations in October of 2012 and again in August of 2014. The moderate climb of Mount Pillchuck happens to be no picnic either. Though a mere 5. 8 miles both ways, the 2,200 feet of elevation averages out to 759 feet per mile. Her energy again caught me off guard. On the first Pillchuck trek she continually pranced ahead of the group bouncing off boulders similar to that of a young fawn.
On the second journey, she insisted to hike the trek wearing a pair of Vibram five fingered shoes. Above all else, she definitely had youth on her side. I carried the notion around a few weeks before I revealed the idea to Tim. I needed to have his thoughts before approaching Holly. After all, it being Tim’s idea to redo Adams again and by bringing Holly into the mix would be encroaching on his parade. I wasn’t surprised when I received the positive response that he thought it was a plausible idea. With my vision still alive, it would be a few additional weeks before I approached Holly.
I wasn’t sure how she would respond and I wanted the timing and everything to be just right. I wanted nothing more than to be successful in my sales pitch. Just in case, I prepared myself for a letdown of magnificent proportions. When I did approach I made it clear that the climb and the journey leading up to the climb would be difficult. One just can’t show up and walk to the top of Adams, though there are people that probably can. I explained that climbing roughly 6,700 vertical feet in six miles takes a little prep.
The lower half of the hike would be easier than the higher half where over 10,000 feet in elevation the air will be thinner. Of course by then heavy breathing would be imminent. She would need to have enough in the tank to hike back down. She would need to be in the best shape of her life, meaning she would need to embark on numerous training hikes beforehand. Not just regular hikes, high elevation hikes. Before I knew it Holly would be drawing up a list of all the clothing and gear she would need, and later post it on the outside of her bedroom door.
The past twelve months I’ve had the opportunity to experience four wonderful treks with Holly within the Pacific Northwest. Of these fabulous gems a few were simple and a few were not. Yet they all were sentimental, adventurous and hiked with a specific goal in mind. On our way to Wallace Falls in September 2015, I recognized on that initial training hike that it was the beginning of something special. There we were the two of us were embarking on a yearlong adventure that would comprise of some of the finest remarkable trails in Washington.
In addition to taking pictures and video which can turn out to be wonderful, writing about them and formatting the work into a book would be fresh and present a wonderful keepsake. I truly realized that day I had a fresh subject, a fresh cause and a chance to experience each one over again in writing. In addition to that, Holly could have the opportunity to experience them over again; she would forever have them at her fingertips. And of course, there’s always the original objective, the grand finale, the summit of Mount Adams. That alone would be something to write about. That alone would be something to experience over and over again.
