[coach hale]

This is an article i featured at my site a few years ago.

Reaching The Summit
By Ann Thornberry

The first night when I awakened from my sleep looked at the clock and it was 2:30 am. Sometime during the night the light rain turned to snow and I sighed with the thought of what tomorrow would entail. I was thinking about hiking in the cold wet climate while carrying a 65lb back pack. I smiled as I recalled the naïve enthusiasm of my group as we began our journey 12 hours ago. At that time we were all well fed and excited about beginning this adventurous journey. The enthusiasm soon began to fade as we began a steep climb and reached about 4000ft. There were 12 of us the first day that began with ambitions of summiting one of Washington State’s most beautiful complex mountain’s, Eldorado Peak. By day two, 2 people in the group had already dropped out.

(I have always been labeled as the adventurous type. My past experiences in physical activities include competitive bodybuilder, road biker, mountain biker, horseback riding, scuba diving, and rockclimbing. When my husband suggested we take a 6-day mountaineering trip in the Northern Cascades I agreed to the adventure without hesitation.)

During the next few days our group endured windy wet and cold conditions. At the same time we were practicing such skills as wilderness travel in crampors and snowshoes, and climbing fundamentals such as belaying, rappelling, self arrest, glacier travel, and crevasse rescue. Meals were an effort to prepare as we had to gather and melt snow in pots over the camp stove, a bathroom had to be constructed with snow blocks, and tents had to be erected and tied together to prevent 40 mile winds from toppling them (and their occupants) over the side of the mountain.

On the morning of the summit climb we left camp at 3:00 AM. A late departure would risk reaching the summit during the warmest part of the day, which would mean the chances of encountering an avalanche would be amplified. Darkness surrounded us as we headed out from the camp in three rope teams. Streams of light from the headlamps bobbed in the darkness as we carefully pushed to the summit. The route features a long exposed traverse up a “knife-edge” snow ridge. Two hours later exhausted but exhilarated we reached the summit of Eldorado Peak. I forgot about the muscle soreness, the headache from the altitude, and my cold numb fingers as I focused on the raw beauty that was before me. I could reach out and touch the clouds. My heart was soaring at the sight of the magnificent view. I felt alive.

Mountaineering is a demanding activity, both physically and mentally. Before beginning this adventure I knew I would have to be in the best condition of my life. I had been in great bodybuilding shape for the past few years, but mountaineering requires a completely different level and type of conditioning. In preparation for my Eldorado Peak adventure I contacted Coach Jamie Hale to see if he thought he could help prepare me for the trip. He was very enthusiastic and seemed very passionate about helping me prepare for the journey. Once I began working with Coach Hale he stressed to me that he would present a large array of exercises and methods that would probably seem unusual to me. He was not kidding about this one. He introduced numerous concepts that I had never even considered in the past. I trusted him so I done exactly what he asked me to do. He developed a very comprehensive plan that addressed all the physical and mental qualities that I would need to be successful in my journey. I will say his program produced unbelievable results as I found a new enthusiasm for training. (A word of caution if you do not like straightforward facts and hard work coach Hale probably is not the best trainer for you.) I thank Coach Hale for helping me reach the summit and un-covering my true potential.

thanks,
Coach Hale