My Latest Ambition

Photo taken on my Sunrise hike last year

I am currently training for this endeavor, but I've recently had to kick it into high gear. August is approaching sooner than I can blink an eye and my cardio and upper body strength is, by far, not where it should be. I've been putting gym time on the back burner and my body is definitely feeling it. Summiting Rainier is something I never saw myself doing. Small hikes and backpacking adventures is where I am comfortable and I always thought anything more than that is, well, insane. It took a trip to California to summit

Mt. Whitney in 2009 and the encouragement of a few friends, to believe in myself and the things I'm capable of. When the opportunity to hike Rainier presented itself, I was hesitant to grab at it....All these worries in my mind (I've never hiked in such cold temperatures, I've never used ice picks or crampons, I dont know if I could keep pace, what if I cant BREATHE! Mt. Whitney was high enough!...) Eventually I gave it more thought. Reconsidered. I am so in LOVE with that mountain. I love seeing how absolutely beautiful it is on a clear day. I don't want to just stare at it; I want to experience it. I want to see the world from the top of it. Life has worries, risks and inhibitions. That's just part to living. But all in all, you only live once, so you might as well take those risks. You might find that you may surprise even yourself.