Of Men and Mountains – Mount Hood 2010
There are few places in all the world that rival the beautiful, dramatic mountains of the Cascade volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest. This will be the backdrop for the second annual Of Men and Mountains trip. Our objective for the trip is to bring a unique group of men to the mountains to challenge them physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is in this environment, and while on the mountain that we hope to stimulate discussion on what it looks like to be a better man whether that is son, brother, husband or father.
In 2010 Branndon and Greg selected a group of their highly motivated and slightly out of shape friends. The team consisted of ex- collegiate football, baseball, and basketball athletes, professional photographers and authors, and professional business men from the fields of real estate, oil, and other large industries. It was their first time to climb a technical mountain like Mt. Hood. We warmed up with a climb of Mt. St. Helens in Washington. We then drove south and made an attempt at Mt. Hood. It was said that 2010 had the worst climbing conditions in 30 years. We had some of the most miserable weather possible, and the men loved every bit of it. Everyone had to dig deep and learned a lot about themselves. We made 2 attempts and came within 200 feet of the summit, but not one of our 14 men made the top of Oregon.
It is this reason that we will be making a second annual “Of Men and Mountains” trip to see if we have what it takes. And if you are a fan of the great Donald Miller author of Blue Like Jazz, and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years you can read some of his past posts of last years trip on his blog at DonMilleris.com.