2009 Summit Climb - Success!
On Saturday, July 18th eight climbers set out from the base of Mt. Baker with a goal of ascending almost 8,000 vertical feet and over 7 miles to reach the summit of Mt. Baker. Mt. Baker is an active Cascade Volcano that stands almost 11,000 feet above sea level.
The climbers left the parking lot at 10 AM with heavy backpacks each weighing approximately forty pounds and great anticipation. After over four miles of hiking and 3,000 vertical feet, the team established a "base camp" alongside the Easton glacier. The team quickly got to work setting up tents and having some gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
After a quick crash course on glacier travel, which requires the use of crampons and ice axes, the team had some dinner and attempted to bed down early in their tents in anticipation of a 2:30 AM wake up call.
At 2:30 AM, everybody was up and attempted to cook some breakfast in the frigid, dark morning. By 3:45 AM, seven of the eight climbers were ready to go. Because of a pre-existing knee injury, one of the participants was forced to remain in camp. The seven climbers and two guides (Martin Volken, the owner of Pro Guiding Service and Pablo, a native of Ecuador) set off into the star-filled night.
Not long after setting out, it was required that the climbers rope up due to crevasse hazards on the glacier. This added a bit of fun to the trip, (and I am sure your favorite climber would be happy to tell you about what it's like to peer into a crevasse that's over 100 ft. deep!). After about 3,500 vertical feet and over two miles, we arrived at the steaming crater and took a quick break before the final push to the summit.
The last push was the crux of the climb which required ascending 1,300 vertical feet at a sustained slope of 40 plus degrees. This was where everyone's endurance and training was tested. Finally, at about 9 AM after over five hours of climbing, the MSC summit team was standing on the top of Mt. Baker. After some quick photos, food, and great thanks to God, the team began the long journey down to camp. Seven hours later the team was packing up their cars and heading for double cheeseburgers. Success!!
I want to thank everyone who partnered with each one of the climbers and with MSC to make this summit climb a huge success! Each climber shared some great stories and will have memories of this trip for a long time. I hope that this MSC Summit Climb will be the first of many. We raised over $11,000 that will go directly to our current projects. Anyone who is interested in joining us in the future, please don't hesitate to contact myself or Bob.
God Bless!
Jeff Harbeck
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