Author Archives: Mathias

On May 29, Jenny and I climbed Mount St. Helens. This was the second time for me, after summiting in September 2013 via the Monitor Ridge route. This time, we took the winter route, which is a few miles longer … Continue reading →

In mid-April, my Mountaineers SIG went on a snow overnight field trip to Rainy Pass on the North Cascades highway. We summited Whistler Mountain, learned more about snow travel, built snow anchors and practiced crevasse rescue. On the second day, … Continue reading →

Here are a few more pictures from our The Tooth climb taken by Brett, one of our fearless leaders.

Yesterday, my Mountaineers SIG (small instructional group) climbed to the summit of The Tooth, a granite peak near Alpental, just south of Source Lake. This was my first multi-pitch alpine rock climb. The approach was harder than I thought, but … Continue reading →

With the Mountaineers, I went on my first rock climbing trip. We climbed some of the crag columns in Vantage. Along with several others, I climbed Shake It Don’t Break It (5.5), Feather in My Cap (5.6), and Ruffled Feathers … Continue reading →

Jenny and I joined the Mountaineers Basic Alpine Climbing Course this year. It’s really a rush and a lot of fun to learn so many new things: knots, belaying, climbing, rappelling, crevasse rescue. Here’s a picture of my SIG (small … Continue reading →

I’ve been conditioning at Mt. Si this winter and made the hike several times. December 29, 2015: 2 hours, 3 minutes January 9, 2016: 2 hours, 7 minutes with heavier pack March 6, 2016: 1 hour, 47 minutes with heavier … Continue reading →

My wonderful girlfriend was out of town, and the weather looked decent, so what could I do? Go hiking again. I would have done the same with her here (and gone together with her), but just because she’s not here … Continue reading →

I hiked to Camp Muir at 10,000 feet on Mt. Rainier today! It was an amazing day. I arrived at the Paradise Visitor Center a little before 10 AM, and it took me 4.5 hours up and 3 hours down. … Continue reading →

On the first Sunday of April, we came back to the Mountain Loop Highway to get to Lake 22. It was only a few miles away from Mt. Pilchuck, but there was almost no snow. We were definitely overdressed. Granted, … Continue reading →

At the beginning of April, I had a hiking double-header on the Mountain Loop Highway. Saturday I went up Mt. Pilchuck. I was surprised how much snow there was: close to 2 ft! It was gorgeous and a good workout. … Continue reading →

One of the most annoying things from my hikes early this year was going back and forth between the glare of the snow and the darkness of the woods. I kept taking off my sunglasses and putting them back on, … Continue reading →

It’s been a while since I’ve written here last. I’ve gone to Finland, I’ve come back. And there have been some pretty dramatic changes in my life (not all to be detailed here and now). Normally, this would be the … Continue reading →

I made my second attempt this year to reach one of my favorite spots in the state, Snow Lake (and ideally, Gem Lake). Yet again, I turned around before I could reach Snow Lake. The first time was a snowshoeing … Continue reading →