On a clear day, Mt. Rainier figures prominently on the horizon. Looming in the distance and covered year-round with ice, Washington State's Mt. Rainier is the largest mountain in the lower 48. (Second only to Alaska's Mt. McKinley.)
This weekend, my friend Nicole will mark her 30th birthday, summiting Mt. Rainier. While her life has been filled with one amazing accomplishment after another, summiting this 14,410 foot mountain is among a long list of lifetime goals.
Traversing the ice fields and enduring weather that can turn on a dime...I'm all too aware of the dangers that lay ahead of her. And yet, my mind keeps envisioning Nicole, standing at the top, looking out over the vast span of clouds and mountain tops*. What an incredible sight!
Cheers...to many more mountains to climb (both figurative and literal). Happy Birthday, Nicole!
*The surrounding mountains are less than half the size of Mt. Rainier--6,000 feet on average.
