13 Years!

It's been thirteen years (aside from a trip to REI Seattle a couple years ago) since I have stepped into a harness, thrown on small uncomfortable shoes, chalked my hands, and put all four to the wall. So when the Bakers (NoPoGirl, BarkerNews, and Hazel) invited me and my family to come climbing I said absolutely, let me check with Ky.

Fastforward, I loaded Drew and Ky into the car and headed north for a glorious weekend.

As seen above, we were treated to an amaizing view of the South East side of Mt Rainier. It has taken me almost 10 years, but I finally got a photo worthy view of Mt Rainier. You would think a 14,000 ft mountain would be easy to get a photo of, well it's not, it likes to hide in clouds when I have had a camera and an angle. It took 3 years before I even knew that you could see Mt Rainier from I-5 South of Seattle.

Back to the climbing, here is Ky working her way up a nice and hard crack route, I don't care what the raiting was, crack climbs are hard. Especially for your first climb ever. Good work Ky!

Here I am, biting off more than I can chew after recieving enough peer pressure that I had to give it a go. It was a very successful weekend of climbing for me, I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be, but it still kicked my ass. There is a reason why you don't see 200 lb climbers on the cover of Outside Magazine.

Victory, our motley crew stands atop our final climb of the weekend, with wild fires burning the canyon nearby.

More photos available on Flickr

Weekend Update

The splendiferous weather continues, so Ky and I threw Kona in the car and headed up to Puyallup for a weekend of packed full of activity. Friday night after a mellow drive we were welcomed to Hotel Bennett with fabulous meal and a comfy bed, much rest was going to be needed for the two upcoming days.

Saturday morning Ky and her rents headed out to Bainbridge Island for Golf and Mimosas (I'll let you guess who did what). As usual I hoped on my two wheeled steed and headed for the mountain. Mt Rainier to be exact, after a bit more than 4100 ft of climbing, 75 miles, a bit of gravel, and a couple close calls, I was back at the residence getting ready for the next activity of the day.

After a shower and lunch, I fed Kona and started up the Xterra and pointed north, destination Seattle. A Chinese dinner and Major League Soccer (MLS) game was on the book. Here Ky and I pose outside Qwest Field/Xbox Pitch (yes they named the "grass" and the stadium separately), notice the matching scarfs. Apparently team scarfs are mandatory accessory at Sounders games, even in June, I didn't believe it until I was in the stadium and literally everyone had one. I am not sure if this is a soccer thing (since I have a UP one, but never took it to a game) or if it is an MLS thing or a Sounders FC thing. The stadium was packed, the crowd was rowdy, the game was a tie. After the game back home and straight to bed.

Sunday morning was greeted with coffee and eggs, calories were needed because it was back to the mountains for a hike up to the Green Lakes (think emerald not split pea). Kona decided early in the hike, he didn't care how frigid snow melt is, he is a Labrador and Labradors swim. His first venture was a bit unexpected and fortunately into an eddy, the river was definitely running stronger than his legs could swim. From their on out Kona was on tether and it definitely was put to use. Timid does not describe how Kona now leaps into the ragging river, I smell a Dock Dog.

After a few harrowing river crossings (narrow bridges over incredible rapids) a quick snack more swimming and a picnic lunch it was back to Puyallup for one dinner and then back to Portland, one of us had to be up at 5am for work on Monday (hint: It wasn't Ky and Kona is a freeloader).

More photos on flickr.


Kona had a blast!