Journal Entry
A chance arose to test out the arctic wear issued for my expedition. My husband’s cousin eagerly enticed my husband to climb Mt. Shasta. With family time much shortened due to the impending expedition, I offered to keep them company on this sojourn. The polar sleeping bag was too large to fit into my backpack, but the parka, gloves, fleece and windbreaker pants were carefully added to my essentials. CJ came along too, since he had never been atop of any mountain. Trudging part way up the volcano, we camped out with thirty other intrepid mountain climbers. July 1 offered a full moon and when we started out for our summit climb at 3 am, the moon’s light gave us a clear view of the trail through the snow.
Gale force winds buffeted the climb, but success was achieved. There was never a cold moment, at least for me, and my fear of freezing in Greenland was somewhat alleviated. CJ enjoyed the trip, and his legs felt fine the next day, unlike mine, which ached for 3 days. An 18 hour hike down a mountain will do that to you, or at least, to me.
Victory photo at the summit