Monday, September 2, 2013

Climb for Peace with Justice: Aug 13-15, 2013

Climb for Peace with Justice: Aug 13-15, 2013
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Photos and Text Credit: Jacob Sperati

Heading out for Mountain School on Day 1: The agenda. Learning how to stop ourselves from sliding down the glaciers. Learning how to stop someone else from sliding down the glaciers. Learning how to walk on the glaciers. Learning how to walk tied to everyone else.
Here's our classroom! 
Practicing the proper self arrest final pose.

And down the mountain we slide: feet first, face first, and head first on our back. — with Phillip Otterness.


   With Annie Dahlquist.

We roped up and moved as a team together. — with Allison Stephens, Trey Fouche and Matthew Fullington.

And we also learned how to clip into running balays. — with Trey Fouche and Allison Stephens.

School was done and we headed home.

The sky was clear and blue, the wildflower fields were beautiful. It couldn't have been a better day.

We capped it off with a bunch of drinks around the bar, excited for the climb the following day. — with Trey Fouche, Annie Dahlquist, Maria Krebs, Sarah Ervin, Katie Chatelaine-Samsen and Chris Chatelaine-Samsen.

 With lisa gernand, Phillip Otterness and Matthew Fullington. 
The RMI bus to the top. It was important to get on the right one!

Our beautiful blue sky from the day before had disappeared into a smoky haze from the distant fires and lenticular clouds hovering around the summit. — with Phillip Otterness, Matthew Fullington, lisa gernand and Annie Dahlquist.

We began our slow ascent up the Muir snowfield.

We took a break every hour to eat, drink, and catch our breath. — with lisa gernand, Annie Dahlquist and Sarah Ervin. 
Some sections got pretty steep, but views across the Tatoosh Range were stunning. — with Maria Krebs.

Finally we experienced the Muir Mirage...it looks so close! But is still 45 minutes away. — with Trey Fouche and Paul "Little Paul" Edgren.

We arrived! The box on the right was our tiny bunkhouse.

The clouds opened up a little and we had a great view of Mt Adams, Mt Hood, and Mt St Helens.

 with Sarah Ervin and Phillip Otterness.

In the bunkhouse there were 18 of us lined up along the three tiers. I "slept" right behind the stairs on the bottom level. — with Matthew Fullington. 
We laid down around 6 to get our rest before attempting the summit, but unfortunately it wasn't to be. During the night the wind picked up and the rain began to blow sideways against our hut. At 1:30 we got the word our summit attempt wouldn't be happening. It was the first climb of the season that our guide hadn't been able to complete. — with Sarah Ervin, Maria Krebs and Annie Dahlquist.

Around 6:30 the cloud layers opened up just enough to give us a pretty sunrise.

Though we didn't make it to the summit, the 9 of us were excited that we made Camp Muir, and were able to do so much great work for LVC raising over $30,000! Paul, our guide, told us that there's an old sherpa saying that when the weather keeps you from the summit, it's just the mountain's way of saying it likes you and it wants you to come back sometime. I think many of us took this to heart and are resolved to come back and try again. — with Matthew Fullington, Sarah Ervin, Phillip Otterness, lisa gernand, Trey Fouche, Maria Krebs and Annie Dahlquist.

On the way down from Muir the fog rolled in and out. As we watched the climbers descend out of the fog, we decided that the Muir Snowfield would be a good place to film a zombie movie. — with Matthew Fullington.

We slid down the final few snow fields.
and regained the trail, beginning the long hike back to Paradise. Even with the summit obscured, the Nisqually Glacier inviting us back for more. — with Sarah Ervin and Paul "Little Paul" Edgren.






Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Exploring the "Alps of Montana"

Last weekend I made it out to Trapper Peak in the southernmost Bitterroot Mountain range, a couple hours south of Missoula.  At 10,000 feet it was truly stunning alpine trekking on a picture-postcard sunny day.  Also, it was snowy!  One of those "gotta ring out your socks" hikes.  I had lots of time to reflect on the training I need to persevere in in order to climb Mount Rainier in August....

...which reminds me, I have a long ways to go in my required fundraising.  This is the time!  :)  Will you make a donation to LVC to support me in the Climb for Peace with Justice?  Any amount is deeply appreciated, but consider pitching in $38 - that's 1% of my goal!  And remember that right now the next $1,000 of donations are being matched.  THANKS FOR YOUR LOVE, SUPPORT AND SPONSORSHIP!








Donate online to the Climb for Peace with Justice, or by check to:
Lutheran Volunteer Corps (sponsoring Phillip), 1226 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Backyard BBQ and House Concert (June 19th, Roseville, MN)

I'm coming to visit Minnesota and I'm throwing a party.  Please come and hang out, get fed, be entertained and support my climb.  A great way to enjoy a fun, laid back summer evening with friends!


Backyard BBQ and House Concert
Benefiting Lutheran Volunteer Corps
and Phillip Otterness in the “Climb for Peace with Justice”



Featuring BBQ Dinner and the music of Ayd Mill Road

Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) is a national service organization that links full-time, year-long stipended volunteers with nonprofits working on social justice issues.  In the Twin Cities 21 volunteers serve 19 organizations including Habitat for Humanity, the Immigrant Law Center, Lincoln Park Community Shelter and Sojourner Truth Academy.  Working alongside their placements, volunteers actively respond to the gifts and needs of their communities in the areas of healthcare, education, homelessness, children and youth, economic development, the environment and more.

Climb for Peace with Justice: In August, nine LVC alumni will climb Mount Rainier (14,411’) to raise awareness of LVC and its outreach.  Each participant must raise $3,800 to climb.  All money raised at this event will go to support LVC and its mission in the Twin Cities and around the country.


As Ayd Mill Road, singer-songwriters Rachel Crooks (piano), Andrea Olson (guitar) and Alex Kraker (fiddle) blend their soulful voices into a variety of foot-tapping, country-waltzing and slow moonlit-walk-on-the-beach originals.   Though they now claim the Twin Cities for a home, their songs give away a small-town sensibility and gratitude for what is most important - the love that bursts into little moments and makes the simplest life a treasure.


Wednesday, June 19th     6-8pm

1409 Rambler Road
Roseville, MN 55113

$25 suggested donation

Can't come? Donate online or by mail to:
Lutheran Volunteer Corps (sponsoring Phillip), 1226 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005

For more information:   Phillip Otterness    612-208-7732    p.otterness@gmail.com

Friday, May 31, 2013

Exploring Jerry Johnson Hot Springs

As part of my strenuous training regimen for Mount Rainier I recently went for a hike to a real backwoods Idaho hot springs.



Come along with me for this late evening journey!  Perhaps we will even encounter some strange woodland creatures of the night...


Remember the Matching Giving Challenge has started!   Next $1,000 of donations to the Climb for Peace with Justice will be matched, so sponsor me today!

Phil

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

On the run in Pattee Canyon

When not on a mountain trail my new favorite place run is this winding road up into Pattee Canyon, east of town.  It's a wooded valley tucked into the hills that feels like much further away from city life than it actually is.  I can bike there easily from my house and it's where I hope I'll soon find myself living in a little red cabin with a big stack of wood outside and a window looking out into a stand of Ponderosas.  One can dream, right?  :)





Monday, May 27, 2013

ANNOUNCING: $1,000 matching giving challenge!

THANK YOU to all who have sponsored me in the Climb for Peace with Justice! So far I have raised $926 of my $3,800 commitment.

If you haven’t donated yet, now is the time!  Why? Because the next $1,000 of donations will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by a generous friend who I did some work for this winter. That means that your contribution will go twice as far towards my climb and my goal!
"Fundraising $3,800 is a
bear of a challenge... grrrr...  

bring it on!"

How can I donate, you ask? Simple!

Donate online by clicking here. Or, mail a check to Lutheran Volunteer Corps to:

Lutheran Volunteer Corps
Attn: donation sponsoring Phillip
1226 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20005

Thanks and "keep climbing!"

Phillip


Big thanks to Jesse Neve and family for making the $1,000 matching giving challenge possible!  You're the best!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Exploring Mount Sentinal

Just went for a good hike-with-running, this time to the top of Mount Sentinal via the Ken Williams trail.


The north side of the mountain was deliciously verdant and flowerful...





...and a good, strenuous, time was had by all...