Whether you know exactly which mountain you want to climb and when or if you just know you want to hike a mountain, we’ll help you get set up.  Our Expedition Leader Rian just took a group of friends up Mount Rainier. Here’s his description of the pre-trek experience.

I received a message from a guy stating that he and four of his closest friends wanted to hike Mount Rainier but that nobody was ready to pull the trigger on planning. It was perfect. Pulling the trigger on planning a mountain trek is literally my bread and butter. He assured me that they were all fit, adventurous, and agreeable.

The first discussion point – which would fuel much of our planning – was when they wanted to go. I typically suggest September for people who want to spend the summer training and then hike with fewer other folks on the mountain. The snow is firmer at the top which can make the hike a little more challenging. But the sky is a treasure in the late summer. For this group, we decided upon early June – one of the guys is a university professor and wanted to be sure he wouldn’t be teaching and they all decided that July and August were probably too busy for them.

They set a goal of climbing it in 3 days but allowed for a fourth if they couldn’t meet their goal. And I suggested they plan a few days afterwards to spend in Seattle and debrief.

Once we had determined the timing, number of days, and I gathered the information from all the guys – I got to work. I sent weekly “Tasks List” to the group that included booking airfare, gathering gear, and some exercise tips.

Every group of trekkers has the option for their Expedition Leader to join them and act as the Trek Lead/Sherpa or to just have us facilitate all the prep work. These guys graciously invited me along with them and wow they were fun!