In the fall of 1993 when I was living in Lake Tahoe, my friends and I decided to climb to the top of Mt. Shasta (14,162ft.) and ski down. It was the middle of August and we had a pretty good winter the year before and there was still a substantial amount of snow on the ground at elevations above 7000 ft.
I had never attempted a climb of this magnitude before so I was very excited. We didn't need to prepare much physically because all of us had been skiing, hiking, biking and playing soccer all year at 7000 ft. I did however need to go out and get a few essential tools for the climb. Two tools that I had not used much, an ice axe and crampons.
Back then I was scraping money together to buy food (beer) so I certainly didn't have the money to buy things like a camera or video camera. I wish I had documented the trip with photos, but it just so happens that I have found another group of climbers that did just that in July of this year. I have no idea who the guys in the video are, but they followed basically the same route we did from Bunny Flats up through Avalanche Gulch over Misery Hill to the Summit.
The big difference between our trip and theirs is that there was a lot more snow on Shasta when we climbed it and our packs were about 100 pounds with all our winter gear and ski equipment. We hiked from Bunny Flats into Avalanche Gulch where we set up camp at Lake Helen (10,400ft) and rested until 3:30am when we began our ascent to the summit. One of the reasons you have to leave for the summit so early in the morning is because the glacial snow is easier to hike on with crampons while the snow is still firm. Once the sun comes out the snow becomes more unstable and it makes it more difficult to hike. Plus, we wanted to summit as the sun was rising and ski down in time for a good breakfast at the bottom. Turns out, by the time we summited the sun was out for about 10 minutes and then the clouds moved in and the temp dropped 20 degrees in minutes. Oh well, we got to see the sun rise at 14,000ft.

If you are interested, make some time for the 4 movies below. Watch them in order they are only 5 minutes each.
Spectacular views and a look at what it's like to climb a 14,000 ft peak. Not anywhere near Everest but it's a good adrenaline rush nonetheless. My next adventure up to a summit will hopefully be Mt. Ranier. Maybe a 40th birthday present to myself.

Happy 29th Birthday Patty Love!

DJ leaves tomorrow for Nature's classroom. His first big trip away from the family. Nature's classroom is a school trip for a week to Wisconsin where the kids learn a little about the environment, nature and the about themselves. It's going to be a great experience for him and hopefully he'll learn a little in the process. Good Luck bud we hope you have a great time. DJ is taking a camera so we'll try to post some pics when he gets back.

Mountaineering fascinates me and stories like this one don't deter me but make me want it more. An amazing man!

Read HERE!

Not long ago my mom gave me a book that has become great bathroom reading material.
This is an excerpt from the book...

Written by John C. Maxwell

"Just as the growth of tropical fish is limited by the size of the aquarium in which they live, we also are affected by our environment. If your current circumstances do nothing to help you to grow, you're going to have a hard time enlarging yourself to reach your potential. That's why it's crucial that you create an environment of growth around you. That kind of place should look like this:
1. Others are ahead of you.
2. You are still challenged.
3. Your focus is forward.
4. The atmosphere is affirming.
5. You are out of your comfort zone.
6. Others are growing.
7. There is a willingness to change.
8. Growth is modeled and expected.

A life of continual growth is never easy, but a good environment makes the swim upstream a little less difficult. "

The new paint goes on Lizzy's walls. Her room is being updated.

So, at the kids school they have an activity where they stack cups. At one of last years whole school meeting a few of the better stackers gave it their best shot. I was impressed with how fast the motor skills of some the kids were until I saw this video. This little girl blows them all out of the water.

Hammerhead Attacks Tarpon - Happy Friday!