Geesh, what a season!  The weather is turning cool again, and I suppose that's a sign that it's time for me to migrate.  But before I scamper off to Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California for my next stint of work, here's the fatty on what I've been up to from August onward. 

After returning from British Columbia I led my first trip with Odyssey Wilderness Programs aboard the Resolution- a 26 ft. longboat schooner.  We sailed through the San Juan Islands for the next 14 days, making stops here-and-there to resupply and visit with therapists in the field who met with students about their therapeutic progress.  I always learn a dump-truck load about myself on these trips, and I find that being involved in a therapeutic program isn't just beneficial for "clients", but equally beneficial for me.  My ability as a leader is constantly tested and adjusted, and the way in which I communicate- verbally or otherwise- is challenged.  I love this work because it challenges me mentally, physically, and emotionally while forcing me to learn about new environments and pick-up new skills.  And in the end, whether or not students make meaningful changes in their own lives, I think that I am positively changed myself.  Good stuff.

But after two weeks of full-on challenge, it can be a bit difficult to adjust to ordinary life once more.  So during my twelve days off after my boat course, I tried to capture challenges that floated my way.  Two planned mountaineering trips fell through, but I joined up with some friends for a little bike ride up the Mt. Baker Highway.  I ride a bike often, but I would not call myself a "cyclist", and neither would the cyclists who saw me huffing away on my mountain bike as I rode the 124 miles from Bellingham's ocean front up to Lake Anne at over 5000 ft. and back.  I had a lot of respect for my friends who had invited me along, who completed the ride with smiles on their faces as I feigned mine despite the taste of lactic acid in my mouth.

The weather remained good, so it was back up to Mt. Baker the next day to hike the Skyline Divide Trail with sweeping views of Mt. Baker, the Twin Sisters, and Mt. Shuksan.  And then around the east side of Mt. Baker for a backpacking trip along Baker Lake through old growth Spruce and Cedar more than ten feet in diameter.  After the trip I headed to Seattle for an interview with Lakeside School where I was applying for a position as an international trip leader for high school service learning projects, and then it was time to head back to work.

My next course proved to be more challenging than the first, with a larger group size, one less instructor, and a more physically demanding course as we backpacked the Olympic Coast and the Hoh Rainforest of Olympic National Park at the foot of Mt. Olympus.  Two weeks later and I was surprised to find myself back in Bellingham, which was awash with young people as students arrived for a new school year at Western Washington University.  I headed back to Seattle to work the corner for my friend George's boxing match, to see my cousin who I hadn't seen in over ten years, and to explore the city.  Then down to Bend, Oregon I went to see my friend Dave, where we went climbing, cliff jumping, and hot-springing.  Then back toward Seattle, stopping in Tacoma to see my friend RJ and meet Charloette who I would climb Mt. Rainier with.

Rainier was more of a challenge than I had thought, with the glaciers gaping wide this late in the season, making the going slow as we belayed eachother across broken icefall and crossed ladders over crevasses placed by a local guide service.  Wind speeds grew steadily as the sun rose, blowing rocks and chunks of ice from adjacent slopes, and occasionally blowing us off our feet.  We completed the final glacial traverse and sat for a few minutes on a ridge leading to the summit crater before we decided to head down.  The sun threw light of all shades over the landscape, and I again had the feeling of being an astronaut in a foreign land.  Rainier will certainly see me again in the future.

And now I am preparing to pack a van and head south to Joshua Tree so I can begin working winter backpacking and rock climbing courses for Odyssey Wilderness Programs.  I have a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off schedule, so if any of you are interested in paying a visit, come on down!  It will be warm and sunny!  (compared to where you all are coming from anyway).

Yikes, that's enough.  Take care, and make sure to value that low-elevation air,
Cheerio,
Glen