True Summiteers

Gerry, Carley and I have a few things in common. One of these commonalities is that we all work for a small interactive agency in Hood River called Summit Projects. On April 28th, 2007, we became official Summiteers when we climbed to the top of Mount Saint Helens.

We rolled out of work on Friday afternoon with our gear packed and headed north into Washington. After an enjoyable 3-hour ride, we reached the Climbers Bivouac at 3700 feet, where we camped that night. Aaron, Gerry's husband was waiting for us. Nice guy that he is, he put our tent up before we arrived! We drank a few beers and hit the sack. Here's the crew prepping for the climb bright and early the next morning:


As soon as we hit the trail we were at the snow line. Aaron was toting his snowboard while Gerry, Carley and I rocked the snowshoes. We saw Gerry's big tongue a lot.


It was super misty/foggy when we started the climb, so we couldn't see the top of the mountain. A lot of people were carrying skis and hiking in their ski boots. We blew by them like rock stars in our snow shoes. :)


For some reason, I feel like I look like a Frenchman here. You can see the line of climbers going up the hill like ants in a pile of sugar. "We're going up there!!!???"


Below, Carley takes a load off. We really started to feel the elevation here. I think it was a combination of the altitude and the fact that the shroud of clouds would clear as you watched and you would see how high up you really were. yowza!


The route we took was a 5-mile hike from the Bivouac to the summit at 8,365 ft—a gain of 4,665 ft. It took us about 4.5 hours to reach the top. And here we are!


When we took these shots, Aaron had already floated off down the mountain on his snowboard. wheeee!

Off in the distance you can see the top of Mount Adams. The rolling clouds and mist shrouded our view into the crater. It's also extremely dangerous to get too close to the edge. Click here to see a view inside the crater on a clear day without snow.



Gerry's big tongue again.


Here's Carley looking French. We were on our way down at this point. The folks in the distance are still on their way up. There were even a few dogs summiting that day!



At this point, we decided to descend the mountain the most fun way possible—on our butts, slide-style. There were some well-worn butt-trails that really allowed you to pick up some speed. FUN!!!!!!

Once back at the site, we broke camp and got on our way back to Hood River. Carley and I stopped to pose for a photograph with our new big friend.


Mount Saint Helens, May 17, 1980


Mount Saint Helens, May 18, 1980


Mount Saint Helens, Today


I've read that in 100 years, Mount St. Helens will have built itself back up to it's 1980 pre-eruption elevation. Seems likely, since this baby is active. :)

And now, for your viewing pleasure, watch our MSH movie!

Doin' the Dog

(L to R) Carley, myself and Gerry pose pose near the top of Dog Mountain as dusk sets in. The background of this photo is a view of the Columbia River looking west down the gorge.


The beauty of living in the Columbia River Gorge is that after work you can do some fun hikes that lead to some fantastic viewpoints. After 8 hours in the office and a stop in White Salmon, WA to pose for a test photo shoot for a NikeGolf TV spot, Carley, me, Gerry and Gerry's husband, Aaron climbed Dog Mountain. The Dog Mountain trail is located on the Washington side of the gorge, about a half-hour ride from Hood River. The trail is about 6 miles total and very steep in places, which equals a strenuous workout, a lot of elevation gain AND a rewarding view!

Doin' the dog is a great way to clear your head on a Wednesday evening. :)

Joy in 20!

In less than three weeks, I'll be getting a visit from one of my all-time favorite people—Joy! Can't wait! Over the memorial day holiday, I'll be turning the big 3-0 and Joy, the big 3-1. We'll be the same age for a whole day. I'll be keeping an eye on Saturn on my 30th, as I've learned that it will be in the same place in the sky that it was in when I was born!

In the meantime, take a step back into the stoneage of 2002, when Joy and I took a 5-day trip to the Yucatan Peninsula and had a blast. Check out our Mexican Adventure.

:) :) :)

Easter Bear

Teddy's all strapped in and ready for his first airplane ride–we're headed home for Easter weekend!


About a month ago, I hopped a plane to Philadelphia with Teddy in tow. I was excited to spend some time with my family and friends–especially my little buddies! A bunch of us hung out at my mom's, which was fun. I finally got to meet my cousin michelle's little boy, Aidan. CUTE! :)

(L to R) Nicole, Damian, Jim, Aunt Mary, Sierra, Me, Michelle, Teddy, Aidan, Bo & Melis.


On Easter night, the big girls when out for a couple beers. We played darts and the jukebox at a little bar in Mahanoy City. Sisters & Cousins. rrraaaAAAAAARRRRrrr.


(L to R) Jolene, Michelle, Melis, Me. Sex.


Sierra gives Teddy a morning squeeze.


Sierra and I did some really cool Teddy paintings for my mom's fridge. Here's mine:


This one of Sierra's is awesome. I can't tell you how many paintings I did of Teddy when I was a kid that look just like this:


One popular bear.


Sierra shows me how she plays on the internet. I love to watch her type IMs. She has all kinds of commentary as she types and she likes to add LOTS of different emoticons. I showed her how to select the type and little faces and make them bigger and bolder and italic. She liked that a lot. It's so cute to see her mousin' around.


We played some very exciting games of Bingo. Whenever any of us would be one marker away from Bingo, we'd yell, "BING!" hehe. :) When Damian won, he stood up and yelled and made a funny "YES" gesture with his arm. My buddies are the greatest.


Another one of Sierra's Teddy masterpieces.


Before they went to school on their first day back after Easter vacation, we woke up early to play. Here's Damian drawing me some cool tools. I brought them home to decorate my fridge. :)


I was sad when the spuds left for school. I knew I wouldn't see them again until they visit Oregon in July! A great bonus to coming home is a welcome home sign and this is my second one! I even got balloons! :) I took a quick shot of the kids right before the school bus came to pick them up.


My sister went to work and the kids went off to school. :( I had a few hours left to visit with my granny's and Aunt Anna & Uncle Adie. My mom and I went galavanting around and then we rode to Conshohocken for my eye appt and a little get-together with some friends. It was a fun and busy trip home! Teddy was sad to leave, but he loves his new home. Here he is waving goodbye to Pennsylvania. Goodbye! Goodbye!