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MBC mountaineers
top Mt. Adams

Five physical education students and two instructors climbed to Mt. Adams' summit in just under 10 hours on Sept. 20, completing the first mountaineering P.E. class MBC has offered.

Gina Berguist, the Solid Rock Cafe manager, and Kelsey Underhill, Berquist's friend, guided the trip. Gina's husband, Don, and their dog, Sierra, also accompanied the group to help with the base camp. The five students were Jason Burns, Margo Shear, Todd Wheaton, Chuck Whitley and Hondo Wynn. Their final exam was to climb Mt. Adams, the third-highest volcanic peak in Washington state. Its summit elevation is 12,276 feet. The P.E. team went up the south climb, a "non-technical" route that required ice axes and crampons.

While renting their plastic boots, crampons, and ice axes, some of the students heard a slogan that they thought fit the class well: "It's better to be climbing a mountain thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about a mountain."

The team left the MBC parking lot at 3:52 Friday afternoon and drove for several hours until they got to a single-lane trail that led to the base camp. Upon arrival, they set up camp and ate a hearty spaghetti meal to prepare for the day ahead.

At 4:30 a.m., the team began climbing the mountain trail under the glow of the partially full moon. A brisk wind rolled off the icy snow, forming a chill that penetrated to the bone. The sunrise brought a much welcomed warmth to all the climbers.

After more than nine-and-a-half grueling hours of constant uphill climbing, some of which was at a 45 degree angle or steeper, the team reached the summit at 2:17 p.m. All suffered the effects of minor altitude sickness, ranging from lightheadedness to nausea.

"The view of the mountains was majestic; it was one of those views you work 10 hours to enjoy," Jason Burns said. Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainer and Mt. Baker jutted out from the deep green Cascade mountain range like giant snowcapped volcanic pinnacles.

The climbing team glissaded down the glacier in 45 minutes, using ice axes as brakes. One team member slid down on a inflatable pool toy. The climbing team arrived back to the base camp at 6 p.m. They ate a hearty meal of chicken, chips, and soda pop.

Don Berquist, the base camp facilitator, said "Attitude is not dependent on circumstances." In spite of sore feet, sunburned faces and wornout bodies, the overall attitude of the group was one of conquest.

"Attitude is everything," Gina Berquist said.

As the team drove back to Portland, they occasionally looked back toward the mountain, shaking their heads and saying, "I can't belive we climbed that."