Julie Hull
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In celebration of my 50th birthday this year, I chose to undertake some exciting challenges. I joined two climbs to benefit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, one of Mt Rainier in July and one of two volcanoes in Mexico in November. It is very rewarding to me to combine a physical challenge with a challenge of fundraising for such a worthy cause; it's a way of striving for two goals at once, knowing that the money raised will fund crucial breast cancer research.
Our 16-year-old daughter Maggie chose to join me on the Rainier climb. This was a great way for a mother and daughter to spend time together, as well as a way to teach Maggie the value of "giving back." We trained together on local hikes totaling more than 38,000 vertical feet, carrying progressively heavier packs, and then started our Rainier climb on Sunday, July 6, under cloudy skies. The climb up to Camp Muir at 10,000 feet was a good warm-up and the guides watched us carefully, assessing our fitness levels. We stopped almost every hour to munch on snacks, gulp down some water, and get to know each other. The clouds finally parted, and we had our first glimpse of the massive mountain above us with its spectacular crevasses, seracs, rocky crags and sun-drenched summit.
Over a delicious dinner of freshly cooked burritos, we gathered in the Alpine Ascents weather port and laughed while listening to amusing tales related by our fabulous group of guides. We slept in a hut at Muir the first night and awoke around 7 a.m. to brilliant, sunny skies and a gorgeous view. After a bit of instruction on self-arrest, rest stepping, pressure breathing, and rope-team travel, we roped up and began our ascent through Cathedral Gap to the Ingraham Flats.
A scattering of two-and three-man tents awaited us, flapping in a rather stiff breeze. After a dinner of pasta and pesto chicken, we retired to our sleeping bags and awaited our 10:45 p.m. wake-up call. Despite the fierce wind, the freezing level was high, so the guides wanted us to get an early start to the summit. When we emerged from our tents, the stars were out, and we could see lights from various towns far below.
The guides described the route as being quite direct (steep) at the time of our climb. We roped up around midnight and slowly lumbered up the snow-covered Disappointment Cleaver. The wind was relentless and whipped pellets of ice and snow at us. After Maggie got cold hands and was knocked off her feet twice by the wind, she opted to return to the Flats. The guides congratulated her on reaching 13,500 feet, no easy accomplishment for a 99-pound 16-year-old.
The rest of us continued on, and I often thought about how easy this climb really was in comparison to a battle against breast cancer. At 5 a.m., just as the sun was rising, we crested the huge crater. Because we were the first to reach the summit that morning, we were able to relish in our success before other rope teams began arriving. I walked across the crater, signed the ledger, and then climbed to the true summit. The rising sun projected a magical shadow of Mt Rainier behind me. I leaned all my weight back, and the wind held me up.
It was quite exhilarating to reach the top, but it was even more exciting to know that Maggie and I raised over $22,000 for breast cancer research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. We were very inspired by the opportunity to honor and support those battling breast cancer.
Thank you to the guides of Alpine Ascents International for their expertise, patience, camaraderie and humor and to the rest of the wonderful Climb to Fight Breast Cancer team for joining Maggie and me on this incredible climb.
