Mt. Shasta Recon

My first reaction upon seeing the mountain once the clouds cleared: "Um" was all I could say. All I could think was, "I'm seriously going to walk up that thing?" That's still the plan!

"When I first caught sight of it [Mt. Shasta] over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since."

~John Muir

We traveled up to Mt. Shasta, CA for the long weekend (Cesar Chavez Day) so that I could take a look at the mountain. It's not been a great snow year for the area so the ski hill wasn't open. But it rained all of the first day we were there, which apparently translated into a dreamy snow day on Mt. Shasta.

We headed up to the trailhead, Bunny Flats, first thing Saturday morning. It was a little rainy going up and toward the top a little slushy. I definitely did not have an accurate concept of what we were heading toward as I thought we might be able to hike a short distance. Uh. No. There was at least 5 feet of snow with a couple feet having been dumped in the past 24 hours. The shelter was being shoveled out and there were quite a few cars that were pretty well snowed in. So after I stood in shock for a few minutes, I started walking around taking a look at the area. One side was snowmobilers…. going down. The other side was backcountry skiers beginning their hike up so they could ski down. If only we'd brought our snowshoes! We both kept saying that… over and over. Ah well, it was still fun to hang out in the snow. And Jambo definitely enjoyed running around in it!

Mt. Shasta from a nameless road off Everitt Memorial Hwy

We also spent a little time at The Fifth Season shop in Mt. Shasta checking out gear and getting some suggestions for hikes. We ended up hiking around Lake Siskiyou, which was pretty easy terrain and definitely beautiful. We also hiked up some random road that kept Mt. Shasta in view through the trees most of the way up. Seeing it like that, looming over me, was very intimidating. And it's not like I've never seen mountains before. I spent many years playing in the mountains of Colorado. But I've never climbed a 14er and I'm slightly older so it's different. Most of what we did was with caution as the weather forecast called for major thunderstorms mixed with snow at times. But 2 of the 3 days were actually quite beautiful. I'm sure that's not a good thing in a place where snow is the basis for most of their revenue. But it made life easier for us those few days!

Bench view of Lake Siskiyou

One thing of note is how confusing all the "Shastas" are! There's Mt. Shasta the mountain, Mt. Shasta the city, and we saw signs for Shasta Dam, Shasta City, and Shasta Lake (a city… and maybe a lake). I'm sure there were others but we had to focus on Mt. Shasta the city so that we wouldn't get lost! lol

I like having a little more knowledge about the area and what to expect. I know I can't predict nor can I control everything. I wouldn't want to. But I do feel a little less anxious about logistics so I can focus more on training and fundraising.

Please donate to give urban youth the option of the outdoors:
http://support.bigcitymountaineers.org/goto/summitjourney

Mile…Mile & A Half Screening Plans

I am SO excited!

I just got news that my showing of Mile…Mile & A Half is tentatively going to happen! Tickets will become available April 3rd and I have to sell 79 of them for $11 each in order for the event to be confirmed. Save the date and plan to buy a few tickets for your friends or to donate for me to give to those who would not otherwise be able to attend.

The Basic Details

Date:  Wednesday, May 7

Time:  6:30-8:28pm (yes, they are *that* accurate! lol)

Location: Cinemark Movies 5 in Woodland

There will also be a raffle and possibly a silent auction to benefit Summit for Someone. So if you or anyone you know wants to donate an item, please let me know using the contact form in the right margin of the blog. Physical items, gift certificates, and services, are all welcome!


Please donate to give urban youth the option of the outdoors:
http://support.bigcitymountaineers.org/goto/summitjourney

Wine Hors, D'Oerves, & Silent Auction Fundraiser - Thank you!

We had about 12 people show up for the Summit for Someone Fundraiser earlier today and raised over $200 from donations and the silent auction. Add to that what people who weren't able to be there donated and I've made it over the $1000 hump! Just $3000 more to go!

Jillian and Jill were awesome hosts! Nothing like Sangria, white wine, cucumber water and a fruit drink served with a variety of dips, cheeses, crackers, breads, and vegetables with new and old friends in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.

Please donate to give urban youth the option of the outdoors:
http://support.bigcitymountaineers.org/goto/summitjourney

Wine and Hors D'Oerves Silent Auction Fundraiser

My first fundraising event is tomorrow. Friends Jillian and Jill are hosting a Wine and Hors D'Oerves event at their home with a silent auction and a suggested donation of $10. I'm really looking forward to meeting some new people and talking about the youth that are being supported through my Big City Mountaineering (BCM) Summit for Someone Climb as well as the Mount Shasta climb itself. Some people are more interested in who benefits and others are wondering how the heck I am going to make my way up that mountain. I'm happy to talk about both!

As I've trained and worked on fundraising, I've thought more and more about the youth who will benefit from the money that you donate. Sometimes I get ahead of myself about next steps but with a BCM Hub so close to me, it seems like a realistic proposition that I might get involved as a mentor in the future. Of course I'm not a professional mountaineer and I have limited vacation time from work. But I do think I could be a good role model for a kid and maybe someone they could talk to even away from the outdoor experiences. I also believe that I could benefit immensely from hanging out in the outdoors with a bunch of kids. Who wouldn't?? So with such a win/win possibility and with so few barriers, why not jump in?

Okay, let's put the cart back behind the horse. Fundraising. Training. Fundraising. Training. I have $4000 to raise and a mountain to climb.

Please donate to give urban youth the option of the outdoors:
http://support.bigcitymountaineers.org/goto/summitjourney

BCM Benefits Youth

I've been thinking about the mission of Big City Mountaineers a lot recently. At the surface it seems like all fun and games. Hey! Let's go outside and play in the woods or in the mountains! That may be accurate for the privileged, right? But for kids who not only don't get outside regularly but who don't even realize it's an option, it's not just about getting outside for fun. There are so many life lessons they can learn from their time outdoors and from the mentors who are their role models during that time and beyond. And though I do believe "where there's a will there's a way" one must be aware of what their options are in order to have "the will." Even coming from a privileged background and being raised about five hours from the Boundary Waters, I was not aware of its existence because no one around me was interested in the outdoors. So, though I may have been able to pursue experiences in the Boundary Waters or elsewhere when I was young, I just didn't know. For the youth participating in Big City Mountaineers, they often have neither the awareness nor the means to pursue such experiences.

Percentage of youth served by Big City Mountaineers
who come from families that live below the poverty line.

So aside from the physical benefits of spending time outdoors, which I'll discuss another time, here are the objectives of Big City Mountaineering programs:

• Build character and citizenship
• Improve individual self-esteem and self-efficacy
• Increase sense of responsibility
• Develop resiliency
• Foster a care for others
• Encourage group and individual goal setting

Working together with peers toward survival in wilderness settings is a prime environment for focusing on others, developing healthy relationships, and strengthening their own character.

When you sponsor my Summit for Someone Mount Shasta climb, you are helping give more youth around the nation this incredible opportunity to create a new path in their lives!

Please donate to give urban youth the option of the outdoors:
http://support.bigcitymountaineers.org/goto/summitjourney