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Mt. Rainier Climb - August 19-20, 2000

© Jerri Brooker

"No parking at Paradise," the sign said. I had to get parking and was certain I would as I drove to meet the mountain climbers after their two-day climb on Mt. Rainier.

Jeri Kohut has been my friend since 1979. We raised our teen-aged children on the same street in Federal Way as we shared our successes and failures. Jeri is also part of the team that climbed Mt. Rainier in Washington State August 19-20, 2000, to raise money for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and their fight against breast cancer.

My May 30, 2000, article and discussion area tells about the climbing team's goal and progress in an effort to fight breast cancer. This article is about the group's successes in this inspirational venture she and others took on to benefit other people: the SSA-Y2K Climb.

When I entered Mt. Rainier National Park to await the arrival of the climbers as they descended the mountain after their two-day climb, the lights on the sign said there was no parking at Paradise, a mountain destination, at 4:15 p.m. I was a little late, as I had come from a family picnic at Point Defiance Zoo and park. It took me two-and-a-half hours to get to the point of their descent by the Guides' House up the hill from the Henry M. Jackson Visitor's Center at Paradise. I was afraid I had missed their arrival. I was also convinced I would find parking, which I did after I drove on the curved, magnificent tree-laden road up to Paradise.

Sure enough, I missed the descent. The climbers were already down the mountain. Disapointment set in, but I was cheered to find them still there. After taking off at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, the climb was over. As I huffed and puffed up the hill to the top parking lot where they gathered after the climb I was in awe of their undertaking at this beautiful mountain site in spite of my delinquency. I enjoyed the wildflowers along the road on my trek.

I found Jeri sitting on a picnic bench in the area where the climbers, guides, sponsors and well wishers congregated. A nurse from the Army National Guard 6250th US Army Hospital had just finished repairing blisters on Jeri's feet. The four nurses from the unit: Barbara Merk - Jeri's coworker, Amy Benson, Ruth Knowles and Cindy Leming were visiting with the climbers and supporters stating how they'd like to be part of next year's effort. From what I could hear from Caroline Powers and the others, this was to become an annual event. So many folks were overcome with the mountain climbers' valiant undertaking and insisted this should be an annual affair.