Aug 21 2008
Rainier Climb & Fall Plans
Thanks for Praying!!
Dear praying friends. Maybe all of you did not know but last week I attempted to climb Mt. Rainier with a group I’ve been training with since January. We had 4 Covenant pastors on our team, including my youngest son. Most of them made it while I did not. I stayed at base camp pitched at about 10,000 ft. on an open snow field, called Emmons Flats. It was a great place to cool my sore feet and open wounds while praying for the group that was making the summit above me. They departed around 11:00 on Tuesday night with headlamps strapped to their helmets, crampons and boots tightened so as to give them good traction on the glaciers and ropes holding them together in teams of 3 and 4 climbers.
As it turns out my son, Erick, did a great job. He showed leadership and a sure footedness that helped out the others on his rope team. I had purchased a Mexican flag to unfurl on the summit for a National Geographic photo-op but since I did not make the summit, I gave it to one of the other team members who pulled it out for Erick at the top….to his wonderful surprise. Erick was born in Mexico when we were serving as Covenant missionaries in Monterrey, Mexico. Needless to say, he really likes his bi-cultural identity.
I’ve got a few pictures from our climb in a slide show. Of course, I have pictures: Rainier photos [click me] . Anyway, the flag shot is embedded in there along with a few other fun shots….of snow, ice, glaciers, a few crevasses, our team, places we slept and some of the breathtaking views we all enjoyed. It was an amazing trip. I’m completely satisfied with what I was able to reach, even though it was NOT the summit this time. God was good and we all came back in one piece. Our leader said this was his toughest assent on Rainier. That made our entire group feel a deep sense of accomplishment and gratitude.
Below you will find a little description of the mountain for your reference. It is a biggy. I’ve looked at this amazing mountain much of my life, especially when growing up in this area. I’ve probably been on the mountain a hundred times, at or above 10,000 ft. 4 times, and summating once, 22 years ago when I was a wee little 29 years old.
On other fronts in my life and ministry things are turning a corner and picking up speed. My new role with the Mosaics project was approved at the Covenant’s June meeting so I’m ramping up ministry activities while based in Seattle. I’ve begun to visit places of worship and prayer for focus people and build bridges with the community here in Seattle. That has been fun and continues to grow. Last month I visited a house of prayer in North Seattle and was invited to participate. After doing the ceremonial washings [feet, hands, arms, face, nostrils, and then my head] I joined about 250 bearded men inside for prayers. I explained who I was and found them to be very hospitable. No compromise of my Covenant credentials or Christian identity. My list of new focus friends is growing. Pray for those relationships and ways to share and live the Gospel before them.
Our daughter just left for North Park University. She is excited and a little anxious at the same time. Carol is with her this week helping her get set-up in her apartment. Pray for this significant step for Nicki, for the relationships she develops and the things she learns and begins to experience. I already miss her and it has been just 2 days since she left.
My fall travel plans are also beginning to come together. I will be headed back to Europe and the ME for meetings, networking, ministry and next steps in developing our strategy for ministry. Please pray for safety, significant connections to be made and advance in the implementation of our ministry. On this trip I will be in Brussels, the Middle East, Sweden, Finland and Barcelona.
As always, I deeply treasure your support in prayer and partnership in ministry. God is moving in the focus world in amazing ways and is calling us to be engaged. What an opportunity and blessing!!
Mt. Rainier Climb Aug. '08 [click for slideshow]
Here are pictures from Mt. Rainier Climb up the Emmons Glacier route on August 10th-13th. Our leader said this was his most difficult climb of the 11 he has attempted. The glacier was very exposed and provided the challenge of some amazing climbing maneuvers that were initially unexpected. Of the 12 who were on the climb, 10 made it to the summit. I stayed in base camp at about 10,000 ft.
Mount Rainier is an active stratovolcano (also known as a composite volcano) in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is the highest peak in the Cascade Range and Cascade Volcanic Arc at 14,410 feet (4,392 m). The mountain and the surrounding area are protected within Mount Rainier National Park. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states with 35 square miles (91 km²) of permanent snowfields and glaciers. The summit is topped by two volcanic craters, each over 1,000 feet (300 m) in diameter with the larger east crater overlapping the west crater. Geothermal heat from the volcano keeps areas of both crater rims free of snow and ice, and has formed an extensive network of glacier caves within the ice-filled craters. A small crater lake, the highest in North America, occupies the lowest portion of the west crater below more than 160 feet (50 m) of ice and is accessible only via the caves.
Mount Rainier has a topographic prominence of 13,210 feet (4,026 m), greater than that of K2. It is a prominent feature of the southern landscape in most of the Seattle metropolitan area. On clear days, it can also be seen from as far away as Portland, Oregon, and Victoria, British Columbia. Because of its scenic dominance, Seattle-Tacoma-area residents sometimes refer to it simply as "the Mountain"
