A general introduction

Who:  Annie is my name.  I'm 29 and live in Seattle with a view of Mt. Rainier from my balcony.  I love doing anything active, especially if it takes place outdoors.  Ask my family if I loved hiking as a kid and they'd laugh at you and tell you how miserable I made family hikes with all my complaining.  Since I've grown up I've acquired an appreciation for seeing what nature has to offer and I feel traveling by foot is the best way to do it.  

I'll be doing this climb with my friend Rachel who shares my appreciation for the outdoors.   We are looking for others who would be interested in going with us - is that you?!

What:  Summiting Mt. Rainier is the goal.

When:  Summer 2008 - the target right now is the end of June.

Where:  From Paradise (5,400') at Mt. Rainier climb 16 miles roundtrip with a 9,000 foot elevation gain to the summit (14,410').

Why:  Last year I hiked to Camp Muir (10,188') and when I got there I thought to myself "what's another 4,000 feet?"  I've always looked at the mountain from Seattle and thought how great it would be to someday stand on top.  Well, I've reached a point in my life where I don't want to keep saying that I'd like to this or that someday - I want to actually do those things.

How:  Rachel and I are researching whether to go with a highly expensive guided group option or to find people with mountaineering skills and form our own group to go to the top.  There will need to be an immense amount of training that will go into this and that which will be part of the fun.  I will also need to acquire pretty much all of the gear necessary to make this trek safely.