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Reaching The Summit – 2018
This past week the second of two teams reached the summit of Mt. Ranier bringing to a close another successful year of climbs for Recovery Beyond and the Climbing Out program. The energy and effort that was put into this program as a team (donors, volunteers, climbers, staff, and others who supported our efforts), is most reflected in this capstone climb. Thank you for your involvement and congrats to our collective success.
Watching someone in our climb program move from being disconnected from community and struggling with a low-view of themselves, to standing on top of the highest peak in Washington, connected and beaming with confidence, is why we do this work. Sarah Farrens, a 2018 recovery climber, shared this sentiment and her experience at Camp Muir this past week.
Without the commitment and dedication of the entire team, what we accomplished could not have been possible. The board, the staff, the donors, the many volunteers, and the miraculous dedication of our recovery climbers, together allows for this collective success. So again, thank you!
We had 100{637c4c527fde39f83a380e19107d2ba88ad72607f37ccf8f8b7edeff1c20688c} summits for recovery climbers, all injury free, and a monumental achievement in our climbers lives, the community, and this program’s history. Here are a few more details surrounding our capstone climb.
2018 Rainier Climb Stats:
- 8 recovery climbers summited Mt. Rainier (4 women, 4 men) – all indicated when asked that this was a top accomplishment in their life
- 23 total RBP climbers (including guides) to the summit
- 45 volunteers helped with guiding, basecamp support, portering, celebration picnics, trip briefings and more
Take a look at these stunning photos showcasing this year’s climb.
Tacoma Team on the Paradise Steps before their hike to Camp Muir, Paradise, WA
photo courtesy: Greg Balkin
Seattle Team having dinner at Camp Muir
McKenzie Johnson Crossing onto the Emmons Shoulder at Dawn
photo courtesy: John Colver
Little Tahoma, Near High Break, Emmons Glacier – 13,500′
photo courtesy: Greg Balkin
Ladder Crossing, Near High Break, Emmons Glacier, 13,500ft
photo courtesy: Greg Balkin
Peering into a Crevasse, the Emmons Shoulder, near 13,200′
photo courtesy: Greg Balkin
TACOMA SUMMIT PHOTO 2018
photo courtesy: Greg Balkin
Seattle Team Packed Up, Leaving Camp Muir
Watermelon Tradition! – Watermelon Break at Pebble Creek before final decent to Paradise.
photo courtesy: Scott Brown
Tacoma Team Picnic at Paradise, WA
Seattle Team Picnic at Paradise, WA, our tradition of cutting the “mountain cake” with the ice axe!
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Sarah Farrens
Name: Sarah Farrens
Age: 35
From: Spanaway, WA
Sarah and her other recovery climbers and leaders at the summit of Mt. Rainier, 14,410ft. (Sarah is in the blue coat and purple helmet, second from the left)
A Little Bit About Sarah
For Sarah, a native of Spanaway, motherhood was the best motivation to turn her life around. “I have these two beautiful children (Ally is 5 and Bubba is 3) that I wasn’t being the best mom too, so I was willing to try anything,” she said of joining the Climbing Out climb team. 30-day-programs had failed her before, and she had to hit rock bottom before finding her way here. “[The Climb Team] is a commitment I’m sticking to!” she says, “It is a healthy replacement that gets me motivated to be strong and healthy.” Her goals outside of the climb itself include pursuing a career as a substance abuse counselor while becoming the best mom to her kids.
Two days ago, on August 8th, 2018, Sarah did the unthinkable. She stood atop Mt. Rainier. 14,410ft, the tallest peak in Washington, and a great metaphor for what she has come to accomplish this last year. We couldn’t be more proud of her. A year ago to the day, she was on another relapse. Today she tells us she feels like a whole new person, a better mom, a better friend, and a now one heck of a mountain climber! She did it!
On August 7th, hours before her summit climb, we interviewed Sarah about her experience being on this team. Here is what she had to say.
RBP: What is the main thing you’ve been given from this climb team?
Sarah: “A family and a network of support. These people are my family now. I’ve never had relationships like this. I can trust and be trusted now. Also, I have healthy muscles and am so much happier than before, so that’s nice too!”
RBP: Do you think you would have the same success without this program?
Sarah: “I don’t think so. The outdoors brings some sort of peace to me. The ability to breathe. The ability to get outside yourself. I love how small it makes you feel; it puts things in perspective. And mountain climbing can be kind of messy too, but it’s a good mess. A mess where I can meet myself in a “whole” way. The reason I started drinking is that I was so insecure. I felt like a mess. You get a lot of things in addiction you wouldn’t normally get in sober life. Now I have more time and the confidence to do things. I’ve been like “Woah, I can do this without all of that” (addiction). It gives me something different to seek.”
RBP: Why do you climb?
Sarah: “A year ago, I could barely get out of bed in the morning ya know. Now I get to do something like this (points to Mt. Rainier from Camp Muir). I am excited to share this with my kids and for them to know that mommy did this for them. I want to show them how to do life right. I want them to see they can do things!”
RBP: Do your kids realize what you’re doing right now?
Sarah: “When I tell them I’m climbing that mountain (points to Mt. Rainier), they say “you’re doing what Mom? How do you do that? How do you get up there?” They know that mommy is climbing mountains, but I don’t think they fully get it (she laughs)”
RBP: What is this giving them? Why are you doing this?
Sarah: “I want to show them, and myself that I can stick with things. That I can work hard and accomplish great things. I want them to know that I would climb to the top of a mountain for them each and every day.”
RBP: What do you think has been the biggest change they’ve seen in you as their mom?
Sarah: “That their mommy is there for them now and that there is mental stability in the home. I can be there now, I am present, and I can take care fo them as their mom. We can move forward as a family, whereas last year I couldn’t do that. This means the world to me.”
Sarah Farrens crossing “spicy” terrain on the upper mountain – Mt. Rainier, WA
2018 Tacoma Climb Team – Summit of Mt. Rainier – photo courtesy: Greg Balkin
Sunrise on Mt. Rainier, smokey billowing clouds below. – photo courtesy: Greg Balkin
Please consider supporting Sarah and the other climber’s like her by joining our Community Of Compassion.
