17 climbers, who together raised over $47,965 for Big City Mountaineers charity, began climbing the mountain on Aug 12. 16 of those climbers made it to Camp Muir, at 10,030 ft on Aug 13th. 10 of those reached Columbia Crest Crater on Aug 14th. 6 of that group continued on to Columbia Crest, the very top of Mt. Rainier at 14,410 ft.
All of us safely made it down, with memories not soon to be forgotton, the biggest accomplishment of all.
I was very lucky to have made the entire journey, despite the pain, exhaustion, and fear.
Without the support of my friends, co-workers, the memory of the good souls I have lost this year, I would not have been able to even reach halfway up.
It was the experience of a lifetime, and I hope that our funding will do the same for the children heading out to the Great Outdoors with Big City Mountaineers.
I would have been lost without experiencing our wild lands. As Thoreau stated: "In wildness is the preservation of the world.."
click here for more pictures of our journey
