I made an attempt on Mount Rainier years ago, on the Kautz route. Unfortunately, we didn't make the final push to the top from high camp (13,000+ feet) -- it wa

I made an attempt on Mount Rainier years ago, on the Kautz route. Unfortunately, we didn't make the final push to the top from high camp (13,000+ feet) -- it was unseasonably warm, the ice didn't freeze up overnight, which made it dangerous. It still stands out as one of the most personally rewarding things I've ever done. Some people are content, I guess, with experiencing the world behind a computer or TV screen. All I can say is that I am not happy with that. It makes me feel ... blunt, dull, glassy. Half-alive. I have to go out and see things, I have to try to do difficult things occasionally, or I'm not happy. I've been working on my business, spending most of my time behind a computer, for the last few years. I just started training this year to get back into mountaineering shape, joined Sierra Mountaineering Club (http://www.sierramountaineeringgroup.org/ http://www.sierramountaineeringgroup.org/), and replacing my aging gear. I need this as much as someone needs social time, or time alone, or time on a hobby. It is nutrition for my soul.