Julie Hull
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In celebration of my 50th birthday in 2008, I joined two climbs: Mt Rainier in July and the Volcanoes of 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."
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. 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. 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 at 10:45 p.m., the stars were out, and we could see lights from various towns far below. 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 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. 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.
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