Great Success! Hood Summit on 6/22

Hello Supporters!

Well, another week has passed and there's great news to share with you on the training front! My uncle and I summited Mt. Hood successfully on Sunday at about 6:25am. The climb was spectacular, not too difficult and loads of fun.

Not only am I rejuvenated and more pumped than ever about Rainier, but I got to climb this mountain together with the man that introduced me to climbing, spending time outside and the West Coast: my uncle Bill. This climb was until now, the capstone to all of the experiences in the mountains with my uncle. Back in '97 I started coming out to the Bay Area for what started as a weekend in Tahoe, then a summer week in Yosemite. That one year of winter and summer in the Sierras did me in. Every year thereafter I began coming out to chill in the winter, then tackle something harder, longer and higher each summer. After graduating from high school, we crossed the Sierras in a week and climbed Mt. Whitney. Whitney's high, but nontechnical. Now, after graduating college, we did Hood. Hood is not as high, but much more technical involving rope management, crampons, ice axes, route finding and much more serious risk assessment. Check out some of the pics further down the page. The climb was absolutely spectacular, remarkably easy--thus allowing more time to enjoy and have fun up Bill. I can't wait to continue on.

On the fundraising side, you all have been fantastic. I challenged you to put me over a grand by July 1. Well, you did that within a day of the challenge; I obviously underestimated your generosity. AWESOME! Let's keep it up! My goal is to raise $3800 big ones by the day I summit Rainier. I can do it, but only with your generous help. Hit up the fundraising page and drop some support. Your donation goes directly towards BAWT, its programs and mission to get youth outdoors!

This weekend I'm going to take some time off and head down the coast for some surfing and camping. Then, I'll be back at it the following week in Yosemite for Mt. Lyell, the highest peak in the park at 13,114. If I feel like a real rockstar, I might have to throw in another peak on top of it! Summit day is fast approaching and I've got to keep up the pace.

Until my next post, enjoy these pics and check out a few more through Facebook. Friend me and I'll let you in on more fun.

Happy Trails,

Steve