Mount Baker

Three of us old teachers from Lake Stevens Middle School decided to climb the big Mt. Baker. It was a great weekend for weather sunny and bright. My partners and myself where all novices. One of my friends dedided to hike in his shorts up to the Coleman Glacier and got badly burned. After a cold night on the Glacier we got up early to start the final leg. One partner who was sunburned on his legs so bad that deicided not climb any more. My other partner climbed up to the Hogsback and then found out that he was very nervous about heigths and turned back to spend the day in the tent on Coleman Glacier. I decided what the heck and traveled up the ridge to the top by myself. It wasn't too bad as there where many climbers on the Moutain. What a view of the San Juan Islands and Camano as I had fished many times as a boy with my Dad looking up at this Mountain and saying to myself that someday I would climb it. I felt pretty smug while sitting on the top until a 70 year old fella with some skis on his back came up and said he did this several times a year. He then proceded to put on his slats and down he went. It was a great weekend that I will remember the rest of my life. It is now 2002 and I am 58 years young and would like to climb Mt. Rainer this summer.