So Many Visitors!

Hi hi hi! So I know it's been a few weeks since I posted but I have a perfectly good excuse. No, my dog did not eat my homework, sillies. I don't even have a dog or homework! See, my excuse is that I was having too much fun with all of our lovely visitors I didn't have time to write to y'all. So here is the crash course of the past two weekends. 

View of  Seattle (and Mount Rainier) from the Space Needle!

Two weekends ago, Aaron's sister, Kelly, and her boyfriend, Franz, flew to Seattle and hung out at our place for a few days. I believe they flew in on Sunday morning and we picked them up from the airport and had breakfast at Luisa's nearby our apartment. We went back to our place, they took a nap, Aaron worked, and I enjoyed some down time (I had some sort of flu that I was recovering from). In the afternoon, we went to Gas Works Park and then made a snap decision to go to Golden Gardens Park and grill out. After finding some interesting vegan sausage things to eat, we drove to the park and set up. We enjoyed a few beers while staring at the Olympic Mountains whilst Aaron cooked. Then I passed out for awhile, so I'm not even really sure what happened. But we had a wonderful time with near perfect weather.

The Olympic Mountains looking mighty fine with the sunset blazing behind them.

Seattle lit up! It is truly a beautiful city.

Monday, Aaron and I went to work and Kelly and Franz explored Seattle. Later that night after climbing, we came home to discover a bouquet of flowers from Kelly and Franz as a thank you for letting them crash in our apartment. We hung out on the patio for awhile and then I had to go to bed early because I opened the next day. I must have slept well because I didn't hear them come in or anything. Tuesday, they all got to go whale watching as I got to go to work! (Aaron promised me he would take me sometime. Yes, I made it public so now I have witnesses). Anyways, I went to work, rushed home to shower, and beautified myself for an interview for the Customer Solutions Specialist position at ChemPoint. I drove out to Bellevue, found the correct floor, and waited for my interview. Two hours later, I had completed the interview and became one of the thousands of thousands of cars that commute on I90 between Seattle and Bellevue. I love traffic. Anyways, we played dominion later that night, I crashed early again and went to work on Wednesday. Kelly and Franz stopped by to get some Americanos before they left for the Olympics. We had a really fun time with them (even if I was sick/sleepy/smelt like coffee).

Space Needle at night.

Wednesday, my mom and stepdad flew to Seattle. Aaron and I went bouldering at Gold Bar Wednesday evening. I got a text from my mom saying they landed in Seattle and were on their way to Mount Rainier National Park. They explored Mount Rainier on Thursday and part of Friday before making the drive to Seattle. They stopped by work and got some smoothies while I finished my shift. Then I took them to our apartment and caught up while we waited for it was time to go downtown. We stopped by Amazon so they could see where Aaron worked (and see the awesome views)! Then we drove over to Seattle Center and explored the area while we waited for it was time to check in for our dinner reservations at the Space Needle. At 6:30pm we took the elevator up to the observation deck and were rewarded with a 360 view of Seattle. All the mountain ranges were visible and Seattle was looking as beautiful as always. We snapped some pictures and then had the most delicious dinner, wine, and dessert I've had since moving to the PNW. I had salmon with a blackberry sauce, Aaron had 'half of a chicken', Brett had halibut, and my mom had lamb. Since I had gotten the job offer from ChemPoint, we decided to celebrate with Chateau Ste. Michelle 'Indian Wells' Chardonnay (which is easily the best wine I've ever had)!! After dinner, we went back on the observatory deck and took one last look at the Emerald City from the Space Needle.

The Seattle Big Wheel on the Puget Sound.

Saturday, we got up slightly early to get to Pike's Place Market before the crowd. My mom and stepdad were trying to find the throwing of the fish; much to their dismay, we couldn't find it :(  We bought a salmon for grilling for dinner. We explored the market and then went down to the Sound by the Big Wheel. We also saw the Gum Wall and the Bronze Pig (all classic iconic Seattle things). Then we drove home to get the salmon out of Brett's backpack and into the marinade. We grabbed a late lunch at the Eastlake Bar and Grille - our go-to place to eat. We killed some more time by going climbing at SBP. It was my mom's second time climbing with me (first time bouldering) and my stepdad's first time climbing with me! It was a fun time with them. I even sent my project I had been working on for a little while. Sending is sweet. After climbing, we went back to the apartment and grilled the salmon on the deck, enjoyed a few beers, played sheepshead, and caught a beautiful sunset.

Part of the ocean glass piece by Dale Chihuly. There were jellyfish, starfish, fish, and all sorts of unique blow glass pieces in this artwork.

Sunday, Aaron had to work to make up for his day whale watching with Kelly and Franz. My mom, Brett, and I went to go hike Mount Si. Before I even get into the story, the best part is the beginning. We were driving on I-90 to get to the trailhead and I point out the window to show them Mount Si. Mom's reaction: "WHAT?!" with a look of pure disbelief on her face. The kind of look that is saying: holymolywhatdoyoumeanthatismountsi-arewereallygoingtohikethisthingthatlookslikeitswaytallerthan4000feet!! The answer is: Yes. That indeed is Mount Si, Mom. I wish I could have gotten a photo of her face; it was the funniest thing ever. Anyways, they CRUSHED the hike like professionals. But then we got to the 3rd class scrambling. It went better than I thought it was going to because they were psyched to give it a try. Well, we made it part of the way when Mom decided she wasn't going to move. Not an inch forward. Not an inch backwards. Not an inch to either side. Not going to sit down. No no no no no. She was going to stay right were she was until Brett and I came back down. Brett and I made it most of the way to the summit but decided we should get back down. We managed to all get down safely with no injuries so it's always a good day :) On our way back to the car, we found some paragliders attempting to take off. We watched them for awhile and saw one guy take off and paraglide down for a bit. It was pretty cool. Anyways, we cruised back to the car, picked up some grilling food and headed back to my home. We grilled out on the deck again - we had near perfect weather again. After dinner, we went inside and Aaron and I taught them how to play the card game Dominion. 

Every piece fit together like flowers in a garden.

On Monday, Aaron and I had to work so we didn't get to see them too much. Mom and Brett came over before I had to work to play some Dominion. We grabbed an early lunch at Subway. After work, we went to eat at one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle: Annapurna Cafe. We had a delicious last dinner together. Mom and Brett brought us back to the apartment and we said our goodbyes (they had an early flight the next morning and Aaron and I were jonesing for a hard climbing session at SBP). With full bellies and happy hearts they went back to the hotel and the next day said goodbye to the PNW. 

This was my favorite piece. The use of light, dimension, colors, texture, and boats makes this piece beautiful.

Then surprise!! On Wednesday night, Aaron and I went to climb Princely Ambitinos (5.9+) in Index, WA and when I turn my phone back on I have a voicemail. I listen to it and find out that Brad and Ruth Kramer and Bill and Linda Koenig are in Bellingham, WA and will be in Seattle on Thursday! Well, wouldn't ya know that I have Thursday off! I call Ruth back and say, "Yes! I'd love to hang out with you guys!" So on Thursday, I bike to Seattle Center around 11:15am to meet up with them. They were on a 2 week vacation/cruise near/around Alaska and they were on their way to Portland, OR to see Peter and Alissa!! Anyways, we spent a few hours in the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum (tons of photos below) viewing amazing glass artwork by Dale Chihuly. We had lunch at a cafe in the museum and then went up the Space Needle. It was kind of hazy but we still had a decent view of all the mountains including Mount Rainier. It was cool because you could only see the top half of Rainier! 

The iconic Chihuly Glass and Gardens piece.

Space Needle and blown glass art.

That's about all for visitors! Dad and his girlfriend, Laurie, will be here in about a month - getting excited to see them!! So, I'm going to eat, climb, and read my book now. Hope  y'all enjoyed the beautiful photos!

Beauty.

'Relaxing' Weekend

Guten tag meine Blumen! How are y'all this wonderful day? I am on the tired side as I opened at work and have unsuccessfully tried to nap this afternoon. But on the up side, my man took me out to lunch right after work at Mammoth. That's always a nice little pick me up :)  Anyways, I thought I should quick catch you up on my 'relaxing' weekend after conquering Mount Rainier.

Friday evening, Aaron and I left Seattle for Washington Pass. I know, I know - how is Leavenworth taking us not being there every weekend?! We will have to go again soon to make sure Leavenworth knows it holds a special place in our bouldering part of the heart. We had a real fun drive to WA Pass this time around. Google Maps was playing tricks with us and we did all sorts of strange things to get to a Walmart for groceries after Subway (we were getting a little hangry). Then the traffic was unbearably slow because of multiple accidents. Once we were close to the pass, we saw a lot of deer (maybe elk)? so we had to extra alert - which is oh so easy when it's past your bedtime. Anyways, we made it safe and sound and crawled into bed shortly after.

Liberty Bell Group in the North Cascades. Finally summitted Liberty  Bell :)

Saturday morning we slept in (per my request). We decided during breakfast to do a short easy trad climb and then see how we were feeling. Well, the hike in reminded my legs that they were still in denial from Mount Rainier (Aaron was a little tired too, fyi). Anyways, we made the journey up to Liberty Bell and got set up to climb Overexposure (2 pitches, 200', 5.8). First things first. Gradings in Washington aren't as stiff in Yosemite. It felt like a breeze which was wonderful. Anyways, the climb we were doing is the rappel route for Liberty Bell so we had a fun time making our way up and them down. We did it in one long pitch, Aaron lead, and I follow and cleaned gear. It had a layback section, a beautiful splitter, and even some small fingers. We cruised up the pitch, unroped and scrambled to the summit. After we made our way back down to the truck, we drove to Mazama for a little snack and coffee (we forgot the french press so instant coffee it was. YUCK). We hung out and read our books for awhile before making our way to Diablo Lake for the night. We made dinner at the Diablo Lake Overlook and continued reading our books. That night, we fell asleep to a beautiful view and a night full of stars.

Sunday, we had a slow morning getting ready for the day. We drove to the Thunder Knob Trailhead and did a short hike (3.6 roundtrip, 680 feet gain). I snapped a few pictures and then we made our way back to Seattle. We had lunch at this cool Ma and Pa diner in Concrete, WA called Cascade Burger. It was a 50's style diner that served burgers, fries, and milkshakes. I'd stop by there again. And as usual, we hit major traffic on I5. Then I got to do laundry. What a better way to end the weekend that do laundry? Keep posted for next weekend when Aaron's sister, Kelly, and her boyfriend, Franz, come to visit!! I'm so excited :)

Diablo Lake from the overlook. The lake is really that blue in person too!

Disappointment Cleaver

Hey hey hey! So many of you know that I was out on an adventure on Friday and Saturday with Aaron, Blair, and Camden. But do you know that the adventure involved hiking uphill for 8,900 feet over the course of 6.7 miles? This adventure is also called Mount Rainier. Yeah, that's right - the tallest mountain in Washington, second tallest in the lower 48, 17th tallest in the USA, and the 30th tallest in North America. Also, I just want to point out that although it is the 30th tallest mountain in NA - it is the FOURTH most prominent peak (base to summit height) in North America. Yes, I'm bragging. It's an accomplishment.

View from the parking lot. That folks, is 9000 feet worth of mountain you're looking at.

First of all, I need to thank my friend KC for trading shifts with me so I could hike Rainier on Friday and Saturday (it turned out she needed to trade shifts too)! On Thursday night, we packed the trucks and drove to Mount Rainier National Park. After a restful night of sleep, we woke up early to wait in line at the ranger station in hopes of getting climbing permits. There are needed for camping on Rainier or climbing above 10,000 feet. We were really hoping we could get a permit for camping at Ingraham Flats because it would help make our second day of hiking be a little easier. WE WERE IN LUCK - WE GOT THE PERMITS :) We went back to the truck and used our engineering skills to pack our packs with camping and mountaineering gear. We waited until the last minute to put our oh so comfortable mountaineering boots on and then left Paradise for a different paradise.

View from Camp Muir. You can clearly see Mount Adams in this photo. I promise that Mount Hood is in the picture too off to the right!

The two miles after leaving Paradise (5,420 feet) are the "easy part" where you have a paved or gravel trail to follow. Since we did it very late season, and it was a very low snowfall year, we didn't hit snow until about 7,300 feet right after Pebble Creek. Then comes Muir Snowfield where in the next two miles, you gain 2,700 feet. You just follow the bootpack. It's like walking up 225 flights of stairs (assuming 1 flight = 12 vertical feet). Now imagine that with a pack stuffed to the seams that's not exactly light. Now that is what I call a 'Buns/Thighs of Steel' workout! Anyways, it took us about 4 hours to make it to Camp Muir (10,080 feet). There we took a little break and got prepared for the next mile and 1,000 ft gain leg to Ingraham Flats. From Camp Muir, we had a beautiful view of Mount Adams, Mount Hood, and Mount Saint Helens! On the down side, I was starting to feel the elevation and was developing quite the headache. We hydrated and then got ready to trek to Ingraham Flats (11,100 feet). We took out our ice axes and roped up. 

And it goes on forever and ever and ever and ever...

**Okay, let me explain because I know most of y'all have no idea why we rope up while hiking. Getting from Camp Muir to Ingraham Flats involves crossing Cowlitz Glacier. It's good practice that while hiking on glaciers and steep/icy snowfields to be tied to one another. We do this because on glaciers there are big cracks called crevasses that can be small or big enough that you could fall in and have to be rescued out or worse. The theory is that if everyone is tied together and someone slips downhill or falls into a hole/crevasse there are other people (besides themselves) to use their ice axe as a way of stopping the fall. This involves jamming one end of the ice axe into the snow and leaning over it to put pressure on it so it digs into the snow and hopefully stops you from sliding or falling further (self-arresting). That is why we rope up.**

Crevasse

So we roped up and crossed Cowlitz Glacier to Cathedral Gap. There has been a lot of active rockfall in this area this season so we had to make sure we were moving fast to get out of the danger zone as fast as possible. Then we hike up a rocky section of Cathedral Gap to gain the Ingraham Glacier and shortly after we reached Ingragam Flats where we were camping. There are two things we started almost immediately: 1 - melting snow and 2 - digging out a flat section of snow for camp. I had the honor of melting snow while Aaron set up camp. Once we were in shade it got cold pretty quick. We crawled into the tent and made dinner in the tent to maximize our comfort. At 7:30, we went to bed. We had the alarm set for 12:03 am but I'm pretty sure we beat the alarm and woke up before it was technically Saturday. Why were we up so early? Well, the snow is more solid when it is colder so you try to hike the most dangerous part of the route when it is coldest - late night/early morning. This way, it is more likely that the crevasses aren't as open, snow bridges are solid, and snow is more stable. Anyways, we made breakfast in the tent and then started piling the layers on to keep warm until we started hiking. 

Little Tahoma Peak as seen from our campsite on Ingraham Flats.

Then came time to assemble gear. Have I ever mentioned how fun it is to put crampons (metal bear claws for your feet) on in the dark? I didn't even stab myself! We roped up again and had ice axes in hand. We ascend Ingraham Glacier, crossed the Bowling Alley (named for the boulders that go bowling for humans), and onto Disappointment Cleaver. Here we took off our crampons because crampons and rocks don't mix very well. We started the ascent up Disappoint Cleaver until we hit snow again and had to put our crampons on again. Then it is just a sloth trudging pace on Ingraham Glacier what feels like eternity. There were some huge crevasses that we had to cross but the park rangers had anchored ladders for us to cross. In the steep parts, there were also fixed ropes to hold onto or clip into for extra security. It was getting hard to breathe and at one point (maybe around 13,500 feet) I had to sit down and catch my breath. There was a lot of motivational pep talks from Aaron: "Come on Megan! You got this! We are almost there! Megan I know we are getting close now! I can see the summit from here!" Although I knew he was lying about being close, it kept me shuffling my feet forward and sucking wind as we traveled the Emmons Glacier to the crater. Once we reached the crater, we unroped and took off the crampons to cross the crater. You would think that being on relatively flat ground would feel like a breeze, right? Well, it is hard to breathe up there and the trek across the crater to the true summit was harder than expected. But anyways, I made it to the true summit of Mount Rainier at 6:10 am on Saturday morning. I DID IT. Look, even a picture to prove I was indeed there and didn't just sign my name in the register.

Getting my bear claws on!

And we were told not to take photos here because it was a danger zone where that could collapse and take us out. But I took one anyways. 

Then we reassembled our gear, and booked it down the mountain which is surprisingly difficult when it's hard to breathe! I mean, we were moving much more quickly but it wasn't a sprint or anything. Anyways, we got stuck behind a guided group so that took a little while but eventually we were able to pass them and cruise back down to camp. We took a short break, ate some food, and then packed up to get the hell down that mountain. Once we got to Camp Muir, we were essentially home free. We ran/slid/skied down Muir Snowfield. Yes, I did wipe out hard onto my bum with all four limbs in the air. I felt like a turtle with that big pack on my back. But please note that I did not wipe out or trip during the difficult part of the hike. Anyways, with very sore feet, hungry bellies, thirsty mouths, and mentally exhausted minds, we made it back to the truck. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing, better than taking off mountaineering boots after hiking Mount Rainier. It's the best feeling ever. Then I drove home while Aaron slept (lucky dude). Oh, and to guilt trip a little more, I had to get up at 5 am the next morning for work while they all got to sleep more. Don't worry, I caught up on sleep eventually. I discovered that I can sleep like a hibernating bear if required.

Cool snow/ice feature on the crater!

View from 14,410 feet!! 

So there is my story guys! Do you feel like you were on the summit with me? Did you join me in the sufferfest it truly was? Well, now everytime I see Mount Rainier I can rejoice in knowing that I have conquered the tallest mountain in Washington. Who wants to go again next weekend?!

Proof I was on the summit of Mount Rainier!!

Projects, Projects

Hi there. As y'all may have guessed, I was back in Leavenworth last weekend! Oh don't act so surprised! Where do you think I went? Rocklands? Patagonia? Fontainbleau? No sillies those are all on different continents! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to spend a few months in each place but I guess I'll just have to settle for some of the best bouldering in the PNW in Leavenworth, WA. I really love that place. Especially because I was climbing with someone who has witnessed my climbing highs and lows earlier this year. Yup, you guessed it. Blair is in Washington with his buddy Camden! It's really good to see him again!

Blair on the Peephole (V10)

So last week Thursday, Blair and Camden rolled into Seattle and they crashed at our place. We didn't hang out with them (bad hosts!) because Amazon turned 20 and had Macklemore come to CenturyLink Field and give us a private concert!! **I was always told that dating a smart man was the way to go - I would advise a computer geek. They are smart, probably look good in glasses, get good jobs that throw cool concerts, and are slightly socially awkward.** Anyways, it was a good concert but we didn't stay for the whole thing because I was tired from opening and had to open the next day and we wanted to beat traffic out. It was a really fun time! Then on Friday, Blair and Camden left to meet up with their friend, Ben, in Leavenworth.

Aaron working out the upper moves on Peephole.

Saturday, Aaron and I were going to go to the Amazon picnic. Well, we didn't know there was going to be a Mariner's game (Safeco Field is right next to Century Link) and we got stuck in traffic for quite some time. So... we decided not to go and drive over to Leavenworth. Except, we didn't make it there as fast as we originally hoped. We were in Bellevue getting groceries for the weekend when we checked one of the tires' pressure because the warning light was on. Guess what we found!! There was a bolt in the front driver's side tire and was slowly leaking air. Aaron called a few places and we drove to Issaquah to an automotive repair shop to get his tire patched. About an hour or so later, we were back on the rode, caffeinated, and on our way to our third home (second being The Tacoma). 

Camden on Pimpsqueak (V9)

So, I'm going to start with my big exciting news first. Saturday we met up with Blair and Camden and went to Mad Meadows to work on Peephole and Drugstore Cowboy. Well, after we were warmed up, I started giving my project all I had. Then somewhere along the line, Blair did Drugstore Cowboy and did this beautiful kneebar and made the top out look incredibly less awkward than other people (you know who you are). So I tried the knee bar. It was the most secure knee bar ever. Anyways, I was still struggling a bit to get over the lip and I dropped. I took a rest and let the boys start working on Peephole. Then came the send go. It all started with the beautiful heelhook, an arm-stretcher to the jug undercling, another heel hook to gain the overhanging jugs, walk the feet up to get in a better position, a high heel to rock up on to get the bomber knee bar, a mantel, and a pushup to complete the topout. Yeah, that's right, I sent my proj.

Ben on Pimpsqueak!

After that, Aaron and Blair worked on the Peephole and made some good progress with working out the beta. I have some great photos of them - some funny, some intense ones. Then we went to Pimpsqueak (V9) for the guys to climb. I'll cut to the chase - Blair was so close to a send but didn't quite hit the 'thank god' hold. Pimpsqueak is a problem that climbs an arete on a roof. I know there are a lot of heelhooks involved, slopey holds for the right hand, and a pretty decent sidepull for the left hand while under the roof. Then you come out onto slopers and have to make a move to the 'thank god' hold, do some interesting footwork, and then top it out. I took so many photos, I could probably string them together to make a beta video. I like to document climbs. Plus, they look pretty awesome. Anyways, I got a bunch of photos of Aaron sending Pimpsqueak. Here are a few of the better ones so you can see what the climb was like.

Aaron on his way to a send of Pimpsqueak!!

Sunday, Blair, Camden, and Ben went to go do Hyper Space on the Snow Creek Wall. Since Aaron was on call, we had to stay in service and close to the truck so we could zip into Leavenworth if he got paged. Thankfully he didn't so we were able to spend most of the day climbing again. In the morning, we had a bouldering session for me. I mean, I needed to find a new project. We went to Forestland and I indeed found a project! I warmed up and then started trying to take down The Real Thing (V4) which is this beautiful crimpy problem. It has a great lefthand crimpy sidepull and a small pinch for startholds. The holds are good the whole way up and I worked the crux over and over and finally worked out some beta that may work for the next time I get on it. Then Aaron and I went over to the alphabet wall so he could work on his crack climbing skills. He climbed a few 5.10 cracks and absolutely crushed them! So that was our weekend in Leavenworth :)

Here I am working on The Real Thing (V4)