I cycled the Chilly Hilly in March. The Chilly Hilly is a long-standing cycling event on Bainbridge Island. As part of the race packet, each entrant was given three-month subscriptions to a choice of 3 magazines. One of the magazines I chose was Climbing. Before that, the only climbing I had ever done was climbing out of bed in the morning. But I quickly got hooked. A bunch of us from the firm signed on with RMI for an ascent of Mt. Rainier. During the spring and summer months, we went on a lot of day hikes around the Northwest such as Mount Si, Granite Mountain, Tiger Mountain etc. in preparation for the climb. On August 25^th we first climbed to Camp Muir (10,200 ft.). Lights were out at 6:00 p.m. We were awakened by our guides at midnight. We geared up, roped in to each other, put on our helmets with headlamps and up we started. My son (Christian) and I were roped together with one of our groups' guides, Jason Tanguey. I've never suffered or endured more in my life. I left everything I had (including eight pounds) on the mountain. Jason, Christian and I reached the summit at 7:15 a.m. The stars were so bright and the sunrise was awesome. The views from the summit were worth the pain of getting there. We spent an hour at the summit and then we headed down. We were off the mountain by 5:30 p.m. That's me in the photo on the right, carrying a 40 lb pack on the third leg of the ascent between Camp Muir and the summit. Christian and I were 1200 vertical feet below the summit. Holy Cow, that is one big mountain! It doesn't look all that steep but it really is.

In the aftermath, Christian and I mutually swore that we would never climb again. Now, we're already trying to whip up some enthusiasm in the firm here for another climb next spring. This time we're looking at the Nepal Himalayas. In the lower photo at the right is Christian, Phursumba and me. Phursumba was one of our RMI guides who also leads an 18-day climb through the Nepal Himalayas. We're totally hooked on climbing. Plus, we've got all this new gear, fashionable parkas, trail mix, lip gloss etc. Can't stop now.

This spring, I hiked Mailbox Peak with some friends. On the left are Bob Kransberger and me at the Peak. And yes, there are some mailboxes up there! There are diaries inside of the mailboxes. Everybody gets a chance to sign their name, say where they are from, how they got there, etc. The hike is 4,000 vertical feet in two miles, so it's a challenge. There wasn't much snow on the way up, but there were flurries at the peak. Hiking is sort of like life itself. One step at a time, the adventure is more fun if shared with friends or family, look up (not down), stop along the way to rest and give yourself a pat on the back, and continue on up to the top. Summiting truly epitomizes the joy in life: setting goals or destinations and working to achieve them.

Here we are. Father, daughter, David and Christian (from right to left). The kit and caboodle. Julia was in town for this year's Father's Day. David and Christian are here every day which means that every day is Father's Day for me. At least in regards to my three kids. Julia now lives in Maui. She's got a new hairdo. A little short, don't you think?! But, when you are still twenty-something, fit and good-looking you can wear your hair pretty much any way you want to and you still come out looking great. Wouldn't you agree?

Maui has two outdoor aquatic centers, one in Kihei and the other in Lahaina. Both aquatic centers have championship 50-meter pools. That's me at the Lahaina Aquatic Center (LAC). A lot of swimmers measure their stroke efficiency by timing their distances. I like counting strokes per 50 meters. Here, as in other aspects of our lives, less is more! Swimming takes your mind off other matters and provides a good cardio workout. There are always things we can do to improve our stroke and kick. Plus, we get a cool suntan along the way. At least in Maui.

Life doesn't get much better than a three hour "session" on the North Shore of Maui. My kids and I took up windsurfing in the early '90s. We learned the ropes down at the Columbia Gorge. The day of this photo, I met up with my daughter, Julia, and her pro-windsurfer husband Ferdinando Loffreda from Termoli, Italy.; I was on an 8'4" Dill squaretail, and a 4.7 meter EZZY wave sail, the trades were easterly at a steady 20-25 knots and the swells from the north were at six feet. Julia, Ferdinando and I rolled the math and it was one of the best three hour "sessions" that I can remember. You couldn't have have asked for a better setup. Windsurfing is a very individual sport. It's just you, your gear, the wind and the waves. If you score a good wave, give yourself a pat on the back. If you bash, you can only blame yourself. As in life itself, the rewards you receive from taking these risks always outweigh the aches you suffer from absorbing the bashes. Although windsurfing is an individual sport, it always gets really social at the end of the day when you're meeting with your buds over fish tacos and soft drinks at some local café. You hear a lot about fishermen taking liberties with the truth? You ain't heard nothing until you sit around a table at the end of the day in some café in Paia and listen to these wave warriors tell their tales. Who me?