faithrunner

At the summit crater Guided by RMI Guides , Geoff and Bridgette at about 0850 PDT on 12 August 2013 we crested the summit of Mt Rainier, WA . Few other thrills have matched the accomplishment and exertion of effort. Although the wind and blowing snow only allowed us about 20 minutes in the crater of the summit, I savored every second. I carried a flag to honor those on my new journey with B. H. Carroll Theological Institute . I want that flag to represent all who are part of that community of faith and learning as they reach the summits to which God has called them.  Me crossing the ice bridge We left Camp Muir about 0100, and began our climb on the Disappointment Cleaver route . By the time we reached the top of the cleaver, three of our group had turned back. As I sat where I turned back two years ago, I knew I would make it unless something outside my control happened.  The Ice Step The most frightening section of the climb was the sect...

Saturday was training day, and for a flat lander like myself who only hikes Class 1 walk ups I was happy for the refresher mountaineering class. We left Paradise parking lot about 10 and made it back to our rooms about 5. A full, but very fun day.  The guides were informative and patient with all of our jokes and jabs at each other. Chemistry matters in group sports, and we have excellent chemistry.   We all now have been trained in self arrest, team arrest with and without an ice axe, running belays, rest step, crampons and more.  The most helpful exercise to me was walking in crampons on the rock face. The is the terrain of Cathedral Gap and Disappointment Cleaver. We walked both individually and as roe team. I am ready for that challenge this time.  Everyone completed their training and returned to base without injury and in good spirits. We all should summit, and the gives us all confidence.  Today, Sunday, we head to Camp Muir, and head out on our summ...

Day two started early  with breakfast at The Kitchen in Enumclaw, Jim's hometown. We then drove to the Sunrise parking lot on the other side of Mt. Rainier than where we will be climbing Monday.   We hiked to Frozen Lake and got lost for the first time on the trip-but not for long or seriously, but glad we have guides on Rainier.   You can see Little Tahoma, Cathedral Rock and Disappointment Cleaver, my nemesis from the last trip, from an opposite angle. It was good to see and know the landmarks.  We got to RMI guides base area in time for orientation and gear check. We met Jeff and Peter (Bridgette later) our guides. Jeff was fun and informative. He will be awesome.  Off to the day of training on the Muir Snow field. 

We are in Seattle to make my second attempt of Mt. Rainier. We saw our goal from the sky as we flew in and then spent the rest of the day wandering around in the lowlands constantly looking over our shoulders at its beauty and power.  We had fish and chips at a seaside shop called Spuds and then sat on Alki Beach to eat. Flawless weather and idyllic backdrop to a restful day waiting for the rest of the team to arrive and allowing Jim to host us on his home turf. Why did he ever move to Dallas? (I'm glad he did, but we have none of this to offer.  A ride on the Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry gave us a taste of the ocean and beauty of the landscape and cityscape. I love the international flavor of the population and the culottes that roam the streets like the breezes that come in off the seas. Your own ethnocentricity fades when walking among them.  We made our final purchases at the REI Flagship store with its artificial waterfall but great gear and then headed out to meet the r...

Ever wonder who to get a group started or form people around a cause to meet a need? Here is a conversation I had with a friend in facebook . Bottom line: you already have all you need to start with those you meet with now.  My Friend: Hey, any suggestions on how to go about putting together a men's fellowship group ? Ideas to get us started and make us successful. Is there "An Idiot's Guide to... " for this? ha ha It is me and some friends and we want to assemble something. Any input or advice is appreciated! My Response: This is great! You know about grass root movements and how they start and grow. Y ou probably have all you need in the group to get started :  a common cause or interest, [this is what has brought some of you together] a natural or spiritually gifted leader , [someone who can champion the cause or interest and influence others to do so] supporters , [those who are attracted to the cause and will help where ...

Picture by Chris Howlett Outside Cedar Ridge Lodge in the Glen Eyrie Conference Center near Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods stands an outcrop of rock. It was one of those formations I am told that laid flat on an ocean floor until the violent shifting of the earth's crust stood it at a 90-degree angle to the earth like a giant vanilla wafer in a bowl of banana pudding. It dwarfed all the other outcroppings in the area. It formed a tiara crowning the valley where it stood. One Sunday morning on a break from my pastoral duties back home I walked out from the lodge and was shocked by the sun-splashed, sandstone skyscrapper rising out of the valley. I was not as overcome by its height as its shining and sheer audacity to stand erect in a sea of contours. It stood like a six-foot sixth grader among its peers--gwaky and obtrusive, yet powerful. I noticed that the face of the rock formation had become an apartment complex to the native birds of the region. They had buil...

Our Goal from the Road into Red River On Wednesday, July 17, three friends and I hiked out of the Middlefork trailhead parking lot to camp at Lost Lake and then summit Wheeler Peak the next day. This would be my fifth or sixth summit of Wheeler Peak and second year in a row to camp overnight at Lost Lake. Jim and Sara Craig drove in from Santa Fe to join us. This would be Sara's first hike and overnight camp out. She is a marathoner and triathlete, so she was definitely strong enough to make the trip. Jim climbed this trail and summit with two other friends and me last year, and he made the summit of Mt. Rainier that same year. My son-in-law, Graham , rounded out the band of hikers. This was his first summit of Wheeler but hiking and camping is part of his premarital and child-filled days. The weather was ideal and the trails were in good shape from the trailhead to the lake. The trail (#91) to Lost Lake is more scenic than either the East Fork or Middlefork trails, i...