Mountaineering, also called mountain climbing, is the sport of attaining, or attempting to attain, high points in mountainous regions, mainly for the pleasure of the climb. For the untrained, mountaineering is a dangerous pastime. Although the term is often loosely applied to walking up low mountains that offer only moderate difficulties, it is more properly restricted to climbing in localities where the terrain and weather conditions present such hazards that, for safety, a certain amount of previous experience will be found necessary. Mountaineering differs from other outdoor sports in that nature alone provides the field of action—and just about all of the opposition—for the participant. Climbing mountains embodies the thrills produced by testing one's courage, resourcefulness, cunning, strength, ability, and stamina to the utmost in a situation of inherent risk. Mountaineering, to a greater degree than other sports, is a group activity, with each member both supporting and supported by the group's achievement at every stage. For most climbers, the pleasures of mountaineering lie not only in the “conquest” of a peak but also in the physical and emotional satisfactions brought about through intense personal effort, ever-increasing proficiency, and contact with natural grandeur.

This page of my website will be dedicated to my personal Mountaineering endeavors, which include climbing the 12 main (over 10,000 feet, with the exception of Mt McLoughlin at 9,495) volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest. They are as follows in order of height:

Mt Rainier (WA) 14,411 feet (climbs: 4; summits: 1; summit date: July 11, 2005; route: Disappointment Cleaver)

Mt Shasta (CA) 14,162 feet (climbs: 1; summits: 1; summit date: May 19, 2007; route: Avalanche Gulch)

Mt Adams (WA) 12,276 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

Mt Hood (OR) 11,239 feet (climbs: 1; summits: 1; summit date: June 23, 2007; route: Pearly Gates)

Mt Baker (WA) 10,778 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

Glacier Peak (WA) 10,541 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

Mt Jefferson (OR) 10,497 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

Mt Lassen (CA) 10,457 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

South Sister (OR) 10,358 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

North Sister (OR) 10,085 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

Middle Sister (OR) 10,047 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

Mt McLoughlin (OR) 9,495 feet (climbs: 0; summits: 0)

Here are summit photos of my climbs in order of summiting success:

Mt Rainier: July 11, 2005; route: Disappointment Cleaver

Mt Shasta: May 19, 2007; route: Avalanche Gulch

Mt Hood: June 23, 2007; route: South Side via the Pearly Gates (notice Rainier to my left and Adams to my right)