Volcanoes, Mountaineer and Badges

After completing my Alpinism 1 course with the American Alpine Institute, I felt ready to apply those skills on bigger objectives. Over the next six weeks in the summer of 2021, I found myself standing on three iconic Washington summits: Glacier Peak, Mount Olympus, and Mount Adams. Looking back, I didn’t realize it then, but this short stretch of climbing would become some sort of a graduation. The length, elevation gain, and multi-day nature of these climbs would make me more comfortable with expedition style climbing spending many a nights on the mountains.

Glacier Peak - The Long Way In

My first objective was Glacier Peak, one of the most remote volcanoes in Washington. There are no shortcuts here. To reach the summit requires a commitment from the very first step.

The climb is a brutal 36 miles round trip with nearly 11,000 feet of elevation gain. Twenty-six of those miles and over 7,000 feet of climbing are done carrying a 40-plus-pound backpack. More than an alpine climb, it felt like a small expedition.

As always, the mountains rewarded the early start. One of my favorite memories from the trip was watching a crescent moon rise just before sunrise, followed by the first light illuminating the surrounding peaks. We had a very narrow weather window and our guides did a fantastic job of planning and executing the climb safely. Instead of starting at dawn, we took off the midnight to avoid the storm. The summit itself was spectacular, but Glacier Peak still had one final lesson to offer. On the descent, the weather changed quickly. Storm clouds rolled in, the winds picked up, and we found ourselves using nearly every layer and piece of equipment we had carried all that way. At one point, we were descending in winds approaching 35 mph.

It was a good reminder of why mountaineering places such an emphasis on preparation. By the time we made it back to the trailhead, I was physically exhausted, but I also felt stronger and more capable than before. The long miles, heavy pack, and changing conditions made Glacier Peak feel like my first true mountaineering expedition.

Mount Olympus - From Rain forest to Glaciers

Just a few weeks later, I headed to the Olympic Peninsula for Mount Olympus. At nearly 46 miles round trip and around 9,000 feet of elevation gain, this was an even longer outing.

The approach to Olympus is beautiful in a way that feels almost mythical. Mile after mile of lush forest and river valleys eventually gives way to alpine terrain and one of the most impressive glaciers I have ever seen.

Blue Glacier. I had seen photographs before, but none of them did it justice. The glacier seemed endless, ancient, and alive. One photo from the trip captured a moment that has stayed with me. Taken from high on the ridge, it showed our three rope teams crossing the glacier below. We appeared as tiny specks on the ice.

That image summed up our place and significance, or perhaps lack thereof in nature. I found that realization strangely comforting. So many of the worries and stresses we carry around every day suddenly feel insignificant in places like this. Mountains have a wonderful way of shrinking your ego and putting life into perspective.

The final scramble up the East Face and East Ridge was technical 5th class scramble with huge exposure and view of all of cascades and volcanoes on the mainland. It was amazing to have summitted as I was not keen on repeating the long approach with heavy packs. Though, Mount Olympus reminded me that not every climb is about the summit. The most enjoyable parts were the changing landscape from Rainforest, to the beautiful Blue Glacier and final exposed scramble with 360 views.

Mount Adams – Finishing What I Started

While Adams isn't technical, standing at 12,000 ft and 7000ft evelation and 13 miles round trip it is a big objective. I had epic'ed on this with my friends last year when we tried to Car-to-car this climb from Seattle. A 28 hour round trip with no sleep had taught us valuable lesson. This time Steve and I decided to drive and hike up to Lunch Counter and camp. The next day Summit and hike down was lot more manageable and enjoyable.

Mountaineers Five Majors Badge

With this summit, I completed my first peak list—the Mountaineers Five Majors Award. Five major volcanoes climbed in one year and twenty days.

A little over a year earlier, I had been a hiker who was simply curious about mountains. In that short period, I had climbed five major volcanoes, learned glacier travel and rope systems, and discovered a passion that would end up shaping much of my life. When I think about that summer now, I don’t remember the statistics or the badges as much as I remember the experiences. At the time, I thought I had completed a list. In reality, I had only just begun a much bigger journey.