And since she reads my blog, she will surely appreciate this photo. No, I did not take the time to set up this photo just to imagine what my family would be like if I had 6 brothers, I was actually just setting up for a large (14 children and two grandparents) family photo and needed to test the lights in each position of my set. Lights were good! I will be sure and send you a print, mom.
Having successfully gone on a number of low-elevation trips with me both this year and last, I thought that my elder son (age 7) might be ready for something a little more challenging. He had asked me many times if he could climb a mountain with me, and of course I always said he was not old enough. However, after an extended trip in the Wallowas (at around 8000 feet) earlier this year, I thought he just might be up for a trip up the South Sister. The South Sister is a real mountain, over 10,000 feet with year-around glaciers. What it is not, however, is a technical mountain. Really, anyone in decent shape can make it up and down the mountain in 12 hours or so, and many do it in around 7 hours. But can a seven year old climb it…. Myself, I have climbed it many times, and it is not a place one sees too many children. In the winter it is a fairly challenging climb, thanks to the highway being snowed in and the 10 mile approach to the base of the mountain, but once the snow is gone MANY people make the climb. Some overnight near the base, some do it in one day. While thinking whether or not Elder Son could make the climb or not, I figured I had better stack the odds in his favor, so I planned it as a two day trip, and planned the overnight stay halfway up the mountain right near the first glacier (for water). What do you know, we made it, and really without any issues…. My son was beyond excited to make the trip, and says he is ready for the next mountain. Maybe St Helens….
Real men don’t need tents.
The lava field right below the summit.
Always time for a power nap at the top.
Middle Sister, North Sister, Jefferson, Hood, and the barely visible St Helens.
Back at the car. Does he look just a little tired?
Sometimes after a long, hard climb up, one just needs a little nap before the climb down. The peak would be Mt Adams, and the napper would be my brother, and this would be his attempt at making the cut for www.extremenapping.com. He is so ambitious.
