Mt. Washington
Spring 1998

This was my first summit. I climbed Mt. Washington, in the SE corner of the Olympic Range in the spring of 1998.
As I recall, I was with Matthew Tolley, Kevin Raudebaugh, Eric Mapes, and Josh Fisher.


What I remember well, was that we went off route and wound up climbing a steep and rocky valley headwall that was way too frikkin' dangerous.
It was misty and cold, and we all got separated while free-climbing this wall, everyone using their own routes to climb. Crazy by my current standards.
Yet, I still know people who act like this up in the alpine, reckless and amateur.
I also recall that Matthew went his own way on the actual summit block and was, at one point, clinging onto the side of some vertical snow bank for his life. Nuts.

I've learned a lot since this initial climb, but as of July 2013, I have yet to make it back to the top of Mt. Washington!