Training to climb a mountain is a bit different than what I'd been doing for the 1/2 marathon and the triathlon. It requires you to actually get out in nature and hike. I also discovered that climbing stairs is a GREAT way to train for such an event.
Now, Mt. St. Helens isn't a very tall mountain anymore. It did lose about 1,000 feet 31 years ago. It's still just over 8,000 feet though and it is still a challenging climb.
I was all kinds of excited the morning of the climb. I could hardly contain myself!
What surprised me was how much snow was still on the ground. We hiked through snow nearly the whole way to the summit. 
As we got close to our lunch spot I started to get discouraged. I could see the summit and it was just so far away still. I was tired, hot, thirsty and hungry. My asthmatic lungs were also having trouble breathing the thin air.
There was a short moment where I had to sit down. I shoved a handful of trail mix into my mouth, took a swig of water and cried... just for a minute. After saying a prayer, I wiped my tears away and put the pack back on my shoulders. I was fine after that!Reaching the summit of a mountain was a very emotional experience for me. I never in my life thought I'd be able to say I'd climbed a mountain! Lisa and I had a crying, hugging moment before we turned to enjoy the amazing view before us on ALL sides.
It took us about 7 hours to get to the summit and 3 to get down. Since there was so much snow on the mountain we got to "sled" our way down! It was wet and cold because we didn't have any snow gear, but it was much faster than climbing back over all the rocks.
Looking back, it was something I will never forget. It was worth every ounce of pain I felt, but it's not something I need to do again in a hurry.
Lisa and I are already planning our next adventure!
sweet!!!
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