Cristin Bailey-2014 Climb Against the Odds Team Member
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Mount Shasta RE-CAP & RE-ENTRY
Summit of Mount Shasta June 18, 2014
Time never went by so fast. Just over three weeks ago I was on the summit of Mount Shasta celebrating the pinnacle of a journey full of surprises, accomplishments & life lessons. I didn't think I'd summit quite honestly, but I did...we did. The journey leading to this peak at 14, 179 feet was all I was really prepared for. So when I found myself on a rope team in the dark on a snow slope, I became overwhelmed. I am eternally grateful for my team, Shasta Mountain Guides, the Breast Cancer Fund team and my community for getting me to this point in my life. The fact that this was happening on my fortieth birthday no longer seemed coincidental but instead rather monumental.
That Sunday evening we met at the Mount Shasta Resort as a team for the first time. A few team members unfortunately couldn't join us for a variety of reasons and in the end we were a team of 25 that would attempt the climb. We honored those who could not join us and for their commitment to our team. We settled into our rooms and the 2014 Climb Against the Odds adventure began.
2014 Climb Against the Odds Team at Mount Shasta Resort
We met the incredible staff and volunteers from the Breast Cancer Fund as well as our teammates. There were prayer flags all over the resort in honor of our climb and those honored and remembered by this tradition. We were welcomed by the Breast Cancer Fund staff, told the story of the Talisman, briefed by the US Forest Service and performed a seed planting ceremony. We each planted a seed for our own personal reasons and shared a little bit about why we were climbing. I shared that I was climbing in memory of my Grammy Tibbetts and planted a seed for my community, who I could not have been there without.
That Sunday evening we met at the Mount Shasta Resort as a team for the first time. A few team members unfortunately couldn't join us for a variety of reasons and in the end we were a team of 25 that would attempt the climb. We honored those who could not join us and for their commitment to our team. We settled into our rooms and the 2014 Climb Against the Odds adventure began.
Jeanne Rizzo, Breast Cancer Fund CEO, welcomed us (an instantly inspired us!)
Sheila Brown, BCF Director of Development & Special Projects, presented Talismans to two of this year's climbers. This one went to Marie-Elizabeth from Mount Shasta.
Talisman (tal·is·man) noun
an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.
Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce made gift bags from local businesses as support
We ate and ate and ate
After our gear check on Monday we were free to go into the town of Mount Shasta, borrow gear from The Fifth Season, and pick up food or whatever last minute items we needed before heading to the trailhead in the morning. As we drove around town I was struck by the amount of businesses in Mount Shasta displaying prayer flags from past climbs to show their support of this year's event. This small effort by the community made me feel very special. This helped me perceive the magnitude of this climb, this phenomenon I was now and forever a part of. It felt incredible and it just kept getting better as the week went on.
Inside The Fifth Season were lots and lots of BCF prayer flags and lots and lots of smiles welcoming us. We borrowed ice axes, crampons, mountaineering boots, helmets & gators. I was so grateful to not have to travel from NH with these items!
Pretty sure this has been used before...I'll take it.
Tuesday was our trek to basecamp. We started at Bunny Flat Trailhead and had a cheerful sendoff thanks to many climber's family & friends as well as BCF staff & volunteers. We had about a 3.5 mile pack in, past Horse Camp, a Sierra Club campsite and onto Hidden Valley at the base of the West Face of Mount Shasta around 9000 feet. Shasta Mountain Guides has a Wilderness Permit with the US Forest Service to both camp at Hidden Valley and to climb the West Face of Mount Shasta.
"B Team" - guide David, Nancy, Rob, Katie B, guide Brendan, Sherry, Ruth & me
Off we go in California drought conditions
My amazing climber, carpool friend Katie Heineman from Adventure Medical Kits
Almost there!
Base camp!
We were all overwhelmed by the power of this mountain once we were at its feet, a bit nervous, and dreading the alpine start for our summit attempt the next day. We had dinner, packed, re-packed & packed our packs again, then tried to get some sleep. Our guides promised to wake us up and get us going sometime between 1 and 2am when snow conditions are best. We'd have a 12 hour day ahead of us.
"Alpine Start"
I can't say I slept well, but the anticipation of summit day took over...plus, it was my birthday! We went slow & steady as a team, guarding our energy for the long climb. We split up once or twice to accommodate some needs on our team including my own. I was cold and we would not see the sun for hours to come. At one point I got my own guide and we went at a pace more my speed which helped tremendously to temporarily warm me up. Still, being cold added to altitude issues. I felt icky quite a bit that day. The views and my team's need for my support kept me going and so did all of those who got me to this point. I felt Grammy Tibbetts with me, and eventually the light came.
en route
Sunrise & Shasta's morning shadow from the West Face
Specialized duct tape head lamp courtesy of Shasta Mountan Guides
Still cold but with strong company. Lucky to have you on my team Sherry Erickson!
With a whole lot of support and scenery that will literally take your breath away, we pushed on, kept smiling and made the most of this challenge. Some of our team's summits were below the physical peak of Mount Shasta but their contributions were with those of us who did reach the peak. We all reached our own personal summits along this journey. I can say for me, the actual summit was not where it happened for me. It was way down low in the dark somewhere that morning when I was overtaken with emotion and realized I had accomplished all I had come for. My summit happened with my entire rope team not far from base camp. The rest of the climb was hard and I felt as if that day was not about bagging the peak but about helping other achieve something symbolic. There were two breast cancer survivors on my rope team and many more on the mountain that day. What they had faced on their own journeys was harder than any climb I have ever done and far more important. I kept telling myself that day that the crushing headaches from altitude that came and went were just going to have to come for the ride. I was there for a reason and it wasn't to complain about how hard it was. Looking around and taking it all in made it easier, especially when I saw the smiling faces of my teammates.
Welcomed sunshine!
SUMMIT OF MOUNT SHASTA
I had let go of the idea of the summit when I signed up. I feel fortunate to have made it myself but more so to have been part of a team that made it further than we thought we might. We did it together and it felt just right. We still had a long way back down to base camp to complete our climb. Our team struggled more than ever on the early part of the decent, but pulled together and had the most fun we had had all day on the way down.
We were in awe of our accomplishment at the end of the climb. And I had all but forgotten it was my birthday. We had a wonderful recap of the day full of laughter and smiles over dinner and I even had a teeny little cake to share with my team. Best birthday ever.
On Thursday we left Hidden Valley and headed down to Horse Camp for a pancake breakfast put on by The Fifth Season. More food! We also had a prayer flag ceremony where we circled up with our flags, recited the prayer and called out names of those in our lives who have faced breast cancer. This ceremony was such a nice way to end our time on Mount Shasta with those who had inspired us to climb joining us in spirit
.
Yes, we had gluten-free pancakes!
Fresh fruit, bacon, coffee..."Eat Against the Odds"
I was greeted with this sign at Bunny Flat thanks to Breast Cancer Fund superstar & prayer flag specialist Missy Van Slyke. Thanks for making me feel special :)
We we greeted by a crowd at Bunny Flat Trailhead. You could hear the drumming & cow bells from a ways away. This was such a nice surprise! We headed back to the Mount Shasta Resort and re-grouped before a big evening celebration in town.
Loving Support to the end
Jeanne Rizzo honors climber Katie Heineman
Jeanne Rizzo honored each climber with personal, kind words, gratitude & appreciation of our contributions to the Breast Cancer Fund and each other on this journey. We all enjoyed this fully from tears to laughter and lots and lots of hugs. This night was so well thought out and such a great end to our descent Mount Shasta that day.
Friday was the final debrief and departure. This was also incredibly emotional but a very important part of the climb. Summit day was long and hard, more so emotionally for some and physically for others. For many it was both. We discussed in small groups with facilitators from BCF and wrapped up the experience by midday. We said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.
Katie and I had a great drive back to the Bay Area, had our own extended debrief and had another goodbye. I was fortunate enough to meet up with an old friend, catch some World Cup and have a little time in San Francisco before returning to the east coast.
After a red-eye back to Boston, my family welcomed me with a nice gathering of friends and we celebrated my birthday. I was again, honored to have been on the journey to California thanks to my community and especially my family. Something about my return was hard to describe and share still though.
What got me going again was a small package I recently received in the mail from the Breast Cancer Fund.
When I opened this small package, it gave me both closure and focus for the future I was longing for. I was able to choose five flags to keep as a token of my journey.
Each flag represents a piece of me and a certain strength I will always have with me. I chose carefully.
I chose Grammy Tibbetts, she was my original inspiration for Climb Against the Odds. She was strong, creative and she will always be part of me although breast cancer took her away far too soon. This climb brought her back to me in a new light and has helped me understand her strength.
I chose my cousin Aimee. She is a survivor of breast cancer. Her bravery and honesty about her own journey will continue to inspire me as long as I live. This climb helped me get to know Aimee and her family better and I am so grateful to have them in my life.
I chose my sister Meredith. She is a quiet and selfless survivor of skin cancer. Her determination and commitment to her family will always amaze and inspire me. My sister rocks and always supports and encourages me, even when I take on more than I should.
I chose "Nina Bear", my best friend Amy's mother, a two-time breast cancer survivor. Carol has alway treated me like family and given me heart-felt advice that has guided me for better or worse. She helped me find my way emotionally on this journey and always helps me find strength I didn't know I had as she did with her cancer.
And finally, I chose my new CAO climber friend Ruth, who was sent to me by some higher power and guided me up Mount Shasta. Where we separated at birth we joked during our time in Mount Shasta? Making a new connection like this made Shasta so much more meaningful than I ever imagined. Ruth is a breast cancer survivor and part of a family who has faced more battles with cancer than I ever imagined possible. She is my newest and dearest hero. Ruth dragged my sorry butt up that mountain with her spirit and determination. She was an obvious choice to complete my strand of flags, representing this incredible journey.
A friend of Ruth's made her a sweet and thoughtful paper chain with words of wisdom and inspiration leading up to the climb. I'm not sure if it was an accident or not that Ruth left one chain of paper in our room at Mount Shasta Resort. It reads:
"Believe you can (climb Mount Shasta!) and you're already there." -Teddy Roosevelt
This truly summarizes the witty grit Ruth brought to our climb. She was just the person I needed to guide me along.
Raising $12,288.50, reaching the summit of Mount Shasta at 14,179 feet, turning 40 years old and making new connections with an incredible organization and people dedicated to stopping breast cancer before it starts are just the foundation of what this journey has done for me personally. What everyone else has done for me and for the Breast Cancer Fund through this climb is what I value most from my experience. There is no feeling in the world like people believing in you, being inspired by you and knowing for certain you are doing good in the world. It's no wonder I didn't want to put my gear away and struggled to do this blog post. I don't want it to end. So now what?
New England Peaks for Prevention is the Breast Cancer Fund's first climb in the Northeast. They'll be on Mount Washington of all places in September?! I hope to get involved somehow and volunteer to help make this event a lasting connection for BCF and my home. I feel like this is a little more than a coincidence that they are coming to me. I am not registered as a climber, but will share more about the climb as it is the same incredible cause and the same powerful organization putting it on. I truly hope the Breast Cancer Fund reaches the east more in the future and that I can continue to help out.
Finally, I have to thank you all for reading, sharing, donating, inspiring me and encouraging me along the way to Mount Shasta and truly every day of my life. This journey has helped me understand that I have a supportive, strong community behind me. I can't wait to give back to you all the way you have given to me...it is such a joy to have you all in my life. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)