First Peak

[carolyn]

Seeing daniel's photo of silverstar was fun. as I mentioned in the thread it was the first peak I climbed.

 

It got me thinking and wondering...what was the first peak , rock, or ice climb you did?

What was it like?

 

-c

[Dan_Harris]

First peak was Round Top in CA when I was 20. Waited 20 more years and summited Mount Shasta to celebrate my 40th birthbay. Great exhiliration and feeling of accomplishment for both of them.

[To_The_Top]

My first peak, was after seeing Twin Peaks was Mt Si. After wondering where such a remarkable mountain on my TV was, and living in Issaquah at the time I was jazzed to hear it was in my back yard. Once the plan was set to climb such a impressive mountain, I realized that I had to have a team and gear setup.

I went to many garage sales at REI, looking around at other shops for deals, and even bought some gear online. Done

Next I had to find someone else who would do such a climb, and I ran into a guy training on Tiger Mtn in plastics, for Si.

Gear and team set we headed off to Si, and a addiction was born.

No really it was McClelan Peak, going up a snow field to the summit, and when turned around was freaked out by the exposure. My knees shook for days. Then I went back, now that was born for me.

TTT

 

[ 07-14-2002, 10:29 PM: Message edited by: To The Top ]

[mattp]

My first peak was Mount Monadnok, in New Hampshire, when I was three. Our cousins never showed up, but we showed them! I got a hiking stick out of the woods and all was golden. The leamonade stand up on top made it all worthwhile.

[joekania]

Brace yourselves for another gaper epic from joekania.

My first summer in CO me and my buddies found ourselves awake at 4am, out of beer and not drunk enough. Well we came up with the brilliant idea of climbing a 14er. I had to be home between 7 and 8am to let the carpet cleaners in, so we rolled out of town at the crack of 10:30, gunning for Mt. Antero. When we were halfway through South Park (yes, that south park), we saw our target peak swarmed with nasty looking clouds. A quick look in the gazeteer and we pointed our noses to Mt Bross, the next closest 14er. We parked and made an alpine start of one o'clock...pm. We somehow summitted and started down, finishing in the dark, no flashlight, staggering on alpine terrain that was more than likely private property. I think my spare layer was a baja pullover (like Jeff Spiccoli wore in Fast Times). If we'd had any clue, we could've bagged two more 14ers on the ridgeline. It was such a success we did it a couple more times that summer.

End gaper epic.

[plexus]

First mountain (at least that I count, because hiking up the Sandias in NM just doesn't count) would be Denny Peak sans ice ax on steep slope. And then traversed over and became one of the millions to gaze at the vista from the summit of Das Toof

[Dennis_Harmon]

First peak for me was the Ellingwood Arete on the Crestone Needle in the San da la Cristo (blood of Christ) mountain range in southern Colorado. Dennis

[tread_tramp]

As a clueless sixteen year old who had been hiking a few years, my first ascent was up St. Helens, eleven years before it blew it's top. I think we skirted to the right of the Dog's head and then generally just went up.

[iain]

South Sister via Green Lakes. My dad dragged me in there many years ago and I was totally hooked. I couldn't stop staring at the mountain on the drive away from the TH down Cascade Lakes Highway. Green Lakes is still a special place for me because of it. Nice topic.

 

-Iain

[Tom]

I guess the first one technically was Angeles over on the OP. I started out by taking the mountaineering course at Olympic College. But the first one that I actually applied my knowledge by researching, organizing and taking a team up was Olympus - a very cool area to explore.

[Skisports]

Mount Rainier Was mine when I was 14 I was straped on a rope and afreind of a freinds put me on the rope with an Ice and up I went I don't even knew what self arrest was or how to carry an Ice ax I just thought those weird opening in the snow where cool

[Jedi]

My Mom climbed Rainier and gave birth to me on the summit. I started with the North Face Everest at age 2, K2 2 months later, and the rest of the 8000 meter peaks by the time I was 5. I soon found ice climbing fun and put up a M10, WI8 as my 1st lead. It was called Jedi Leads. Then I saw a picture of someone climbing in a place called Baffin. Hell, at age 10, I had nothing better to do so I soloed a bunch of routes there. I called them Jedi Leads Again, And Again.

I soon tired and did some top roping on a 5.4 called Mud Gulley. The name fit the route.

 

Really though, I climbed a boulder in central Viginia, in jeans, wearing leather dress shoes, and a button down shirt. Just a rock on the bank of a river.

Taught myself top roping from a European climbing book from the library. Girlfriend belayed.

Went to Seneca with a guy who had some gear. I asked "what is this?" He said "a nut and it goes in a crack". I asked "what is this?" He said it is a cam, it goes in a crack too". I through on my 20lb pack full of all kinds of crap I did not need. Pulled on my Five Ten Summits and lead Banana 5.6. The guy cleaned it and told me I would have died if I had fallen. But I got better.

 

Rainier was my 1st mountain and did not see a cloud the 5 days I was there.

 

Top roped ice the 1st weekend trip to New England.

My second trip yeilded many nice routes.

 

Most on my 1st routes on rock & ice, I was very cautious while learning because I was teaching myself (no one to ask if I was doing it right).

These routes were short, easy and not memoriable. The 2nd outting usually was more exciting. The sharp end is where my memories are.

Jedi

[CraigA]

My first summit was St. Helens via the very technical, very exposed Worm Flows route It took us two attempts, first one was thrwarted by snow and 60mph+ winds; viz of about 30 feet. The second attempt the next week was beautiful, lots of sun and calm winds. Standing on the summit looking into the crater I felt very insignificant, pictures do not do it justice; it has to be seen to be appreciated. I felt like I had conquered Mt. Everest and wanted more. The next month, knowing very (and I mean VERY) little we headed up Hood from the south side. Now I can't get enough, my biggest problem is finding a partner with similar ambitions, but I keep looking and climbing, solo if I have to. It's too much fun to pass up on!

 

Craig

[MountainMan]

Black Peak at 9 years old.

[jules]

First learned the "rest step" in Camp Fire Girls a long, long time ago, but I'll be darned if I can remember the names of anything we went up (heck, ending a sentence with a preposition again).

[MtnHigh]

I was 16, she was 15. It was in a tent at a lake near my home. Neither of us knew anything, but we knew this was good shit.

[Paul_detrick]

Mt. Stuart, no rope , no iceax , cotton shirt. Afer that we thought we should learn something about rockclimbing, and the rest is history.

[KeithKSchultz]

Mt Jumbo. Age 5.

[tivoli_mike]

North Twin Sister out by Acme , WA via the West Ridge. 6 hours from TH to summit and 3hrs back. I should mention though that the glissade down the North face is one of the sweestest in the Cascades...

[terrible_ted]

Saddle Mountain - Clatsop County, Oregon. It fascinated me for years. One of the 'big kids' - Marty - spent an evening at the foot of a cliff cradling the broken body of his best friend. He died a few hours before the rescue party made it up. It was something you always knew about Marty, but you never talked about.

 

Years later, three of my friends and I hiked up and buried a bottle of whiskey near the summit, having just seen "Fandango." We got a bottle of (ughh!!) Canadian Whiskey because it was cheap and came in a wooden box. "Last one left digs it up!" Now I'm thinking it'll be punishment for living too long... Maybe that's why I climb.

 

It was the Steens, however, that really lit a fire under my ass.

 

-t

[b-rock]

Mt Washington NH via the Great Gulf. It was so steep I had to use my hands, gasp!

[Dru]

Hollyburn when I was 5. I was already wondering what was on the other side of that mountain on the way up. i was so disappointed to find out it was just some boring valley. I figured there should have been a lost world with dinosaurs and stuff.

 

I remenmber the first time i hiked up the Chief and saw Garibaldi I was so impressded. I figured a peak way up north like that was probably in Alaska...

[ScottP]

The Watchtower

Marble Fork of the Kaweah River, Sequoia Natl Park, Sierra Nevada Range: I scrambled the right-hand skyline(and scared the shit out of myself) at about the age of twelve.

 

[ 07-16-2002, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: ScottP ]

[Lambone]

Slide Mountain, New York at age 11 or so, with the Boy Scouts. (No Boy Scout jokes nessecary, I've heard em all) It was dumping, and were were all wet, miserable, and hated eachother and our leaders for taking us there. Yet through the agony and torment a spark of light flikered from somewhere deep within and I have been hooked ever since.

 

Second, was Mt Tallac in Lake Tahoe. Much less epic.

 

[ 07-16-2002, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: Lambone ]

[gschryer2]

Golden Ears - in Golden Ears Provincial park.

 

I remember reading the park pamphlet describing the serious mountaineering effort it requires.... you know, all the regular scare tactics governments are required to disclaim...

 

It was a couple years later that I finally felt the confidence to be able to tackle it. Even then, I recall it being a long hike with a snow field and a rock scramble (class 2) to finish.

 

The coolest memory is of my partner screaming down the snowfield in an out-of-control sitting glissade then miraculously popping up onto his feet and back down onto his ass in order to avoid a potentially ass-reaming rock protrusion!

 

G.