Sometimes I Climb Mountains:

Living in the Midwest has its ups and downs, er' or it doesn't really. That meaning, its flat land. Couple hills here and there. But really, standing still, there isn't anything out along the horizon in any direction. That's good if you're into cycling, or jogging, I guess. I'm into rock climbing, big cliffs, exposure, and summits.

I had a three year passion... I mean obsession, to climb Mt Rainier.

In 2014, I flew out to Seattle where my long time mountain buddy lived. He was game for our first attempt. Problem is, when booking a flight three months in advance it's difficult to predict the weather. Kind of just wing it and hope for the best.

I think half the mountain had forest fires due to lightning strikes. The other half, where we intended to travel and camp, was under harsh nasty weather. Neither seemed to be foreseeable enjoyable passage. We waited days for a window of weather to clear, pushing our opportunity to the end of my trip. The Gods were not on our side that week.

So, we drove 10hrs south through Oregon, into Northern Cali, and climbed the 14,180 foot Mt Shasta. It didn't quite have the glacier coverage we were hoping for, but we managed to have a good time.

Here's a little video of that time:

(video is best with volume on)