While at Sculpture in the Park, a dear girlfriend asked if I’d join her for an expedition on Mt. Baker. I said yes.
Livingston Peak with Tala
Decades ago, I’d followed a boyfriend in a whiteout up Mt. Rainier, blissfully unaware of what glaciated mountains really meant. Mt. Baker, as it turns out, has less elevation than Crazy Peak (which Raymond and I had just summited before the show) - but it starts 5,000 feet lower.
The guiding company recommended six months of training.
I had three weeks.
So, I traded studio time for trail time - stuffing a pack with 30 pounds and hiking daily with Tala up our mountain and summiting three local peaks (with a lighter pack) to prepare.
Summers are short in the Rockies, and guiltlessly “training” was the perfect excuse to be outside. I swaped bronze dust for wild air and deadlines for ridgelines. Saying yes can lead to the most extraordinary adventures.