Five in Five - Summiting and Skiing the 5 Volcanoes of Washington State in 5 Days.

What started as a ‘why not?’ became an overwhelmingly positive experience as Trevor Kostanich and I found a great deal of joy and a very receptive audience in the outdoor community and beyond upon completion of the Five in Five, an ambitious plan to summit and ski the five volcanoes of Washington State in five consecutive days. While we were prepared to receive a few pats on the back, we never imagined we’d see our work printed in the Seattle Times, or even more outlandishly, the Times of London.

For those of you who are interested, I thought I’d share a little bit of background about the project and how I got involved. First off, some credit where credit is due. The plan was not hatched by me, nor was it first attempted by me. For that, we have to look at previous efforts by Trevor Kostanich and his long-time adventure partner, Peter Avolio. They had made two previous attempts, one of which failed on the final day due to a storm system on Glacier Peak, and the second, which I joined, that also was put to rest on Glacier Peak after various elements conspired to collapse the house of delicately stacked cards that a project like this becomes. I also need to give a huge shout to Chris Davenport and Jess McMillan, who’s Ring of Fire project, which, while not comprehensive of all of the volcanoes of Washington, did illuminate how efficiently the volcanoes of the west coast could be dispatched with good planning and excellent fitness.

As for me, I enjoy the volcanoes, but have a strong preference for the jagged peaks of the North Cascades. It was after a trip into the Picket Range, perhaps the most jagged region of them all, that I decided I was hungry for another big mountain adventure. I had just finished an 8 day trip to shoot the second complete descent of the NE Face of Mt. Fury for the film Finding Fury, and I couldn’t wait to get back into the area. I blocked out a chunk of time on the calendar and looped in my good friend and professional ski guide Trevor Kostanich. As the date window neared, we learned of late season storms lashing the North Cascades, creating conditions too unruly and unsafe for a solid effort in the Pickets. As we fished around for alternative ideas, we landed on a loose plan to make an attempt on the Five in Five. It would be Trevor’s second attempt, and my first.

Alas, the flaws of some last minute planning and the problematic nature of the recent snow created an untenable recipe, and at the end of the third day, near the summit of Glacier Peak in a hammering wind storm, we threw in the towel. Upon waking up the following day in the parking lot below Glacier Peak, we immediately realized that we needed to give the project another go. This time we’d do it right. The calendar was blocked out, the maps and spreadsheets were drawn up, we were going to give it a really good try. Here’s a brief look at how it all shook out.

Day 1, Mount Rainier (Tahoma)

Day one found us in position for a 1:00am start on Mount Rainier from the Glacier Basin trailhead at White River. We climbed the Emmons Glacier route, passing through Camp Schurman an hour after sunrise, and summiting at 12:15pm. The whole trip, we worked to find a pace that was efficient, while also leaving plenty of energy in the tank for the upcoming climbs.

The skiing varied from chattery, to chalky, to scratchy, to corny, to mushy, to dirty and slow as molasses. Par for the course on the big R.

Despite scheduling Rainier as our first objective of the trip in order to take advantage of cooler temps on the most technical peak, we still found ourselves good and sweaty by the time we reached the trailhead at 3:45, at which point we exploded our gear around the parking lot, gorged on calorie dense foods, slammed hydrating beverages and loaded the rig for a bouncy drive down to Mount St Helens.

Date: 6/24/21
Peak: Mount Rainier (Tahoma)
Route: Emmons Glacier
Start time: 1:05am
Finish time: 3:45pm
Total time: 14:40
Mileage: 17.6mi
Vertical: 10,630’

Day 2, Mount St Helens (Loowit)

A random clearing off of the bouncy National Forest Road 25 provided us a place to park the camper, dry the gear, eat big food, and attempt a few hours of sleep before St Helens. Three hours of sleep was the plan. Just under two hours in, we woke to the unmistakable sound of a mouse chewing on plastic. Lights on, mouse spotted then lost, empty the entire camper looking for the intruder, give up the hunt, but realize it’s too late to try to go back to sleep, on with the ski mission.

An hour of dirt walking yielded mostly continuous snow under the light of a full moon. The break of dawn was punctuated with a round of cold Via coffees and the nearly comedic shouts of bliss and hollers of glee from a neighboring party who seemed deeply moved by the amazing sunrise, and may or may not have been enjoying the combined effects of the alpine environment and psychedelic substances (just a guess).

They would not be the only ones to howl with maniacal glee, I soon would join them.

The summit greeted us with soft breeze and layers of haze penetrated with the towering cones of the neighboring volcanoes, our companions for the week.

On the climb we had remarked on how dirty the snow looked, and how much like Velcro we expected it to ski. Oh, how wrong we were. Here, I must insist you listen to the ski videos in my Instagram stories. That is where you’ll hear a man on the brink of ecstasy. Skiing can do that to a person.

By 9am we were back at the truck and ready to make the surprisingly long push to Mount Adams.

Date: 6/25
Peak: Mount St. Helens (Loowit)Start time: 2:37am
Finish time: 9:02am
Total time: 6:25
Mileage: 9.8mi
Vertical: 4,710’

Day 3, Mount Adams (Klickitat)

By day three, the existence of the ‘heat dome’ with its associated record, triple digit temperatures was undeniable. Alpine starts would need to give way to evening starts and a fully nocturnal strategy. The tools at our disposal included: cold mountain streams, truck air conditioning, and the cool cover of darkness. The first two were employed during the hot daytime between the completion of St Helens and the start of Adams, the last kept us cool on the long, arid, exposed slog up the south rib of Mount Adams.

Reports would also come in from this weather anomaly of extremely high winds in the big mountains of Washington, this night climb would be our first exposure to said winds and it provided an unexpected bit of ‘alpine’ adventure to the usually casual ascent.

An hour after sunrise, we dragged our tiring carcasses to the summit and hoped for a quick and easy ski down. Alas, the ski would prove neither quick or easy, but sticks sliding on snow are nonetheless effective tools, and we were back to the overcrowded trailhead before 9am.

Between the high winds and the hard snow, this day would prove the most grinding, but hump day always ends, and the finish line was getting ever closer. Next stop, Kulshan, and the addition of a secret weapon.

Date: 6/25-6/26

Peak: Mount Adams (Klickitat)
Start time: 10:02pm
Finish time: 8:49am
Total time: 10:47
Mileage: 13.4 mi
Vertical: 7,150’

Day 4, Mount Baker (Kulshan)

Maybe it was the perfect temperature, maybe it was the inspiring sea of peaks surrounding us, perhaps it was the collective energy of the many parties working toward the summit by the light of a few dozen headlamps. Whatever it was, the groggy, uncomfortable slog of the previous night on Adams, was replaced with a joyful night and dawn on the Coleman Deming route on Mount Baker.

The most major commute of the trip, Adams to Baker, which clocks in at around 8 hours of driving, included triple digit temps, gridlock in Centralia and Tacoma, surprisingly effective air conditioning, and most importantly, the addition of Chris Shalbot who joined us in Seattle, took the wheel and allowed for some serious road napping. He also came equipped with the big food and positive energy that we needed at just that moment.

We crashed for a couple of additional hours near the trailhead, then set alarms for 9:30pm in order to get packed and have a meal before an 11pm start.

The creeks were running high on the trail in, but the conditions were so kind as to make the hours of darkness pass by as though in a dream. A dream only briefly punctuated by the shotgun blast sound of some ice shedding off of the Colfax icefall while we were uncomfortably positioned not far below. Fortunately, it was a small block, and all was well.

Dark transitioned to dawn at the Coleman Deming saddle, and the Roman Wall was dispatched as the mighty North Cascades revealed themselves in layer upon layer of grandeur.

The conditions on the summit could not have been finer, and the spirit of joy was palpable. And, while we were too early to find perfect skiing, as the sun had only just begin to warm the snow surface, we still found very reasonable ski conditions, and made quick, enjoyable work of the descent.

Spirits were high as we reached the truck with many of hours of daylight still in the bank, and only one volcano left to go. Next stop, Glacier Peak.

Date: 6/26-6/27

Peak: Mount Baker (Kulshan)
Start time: 11:05pm
Finish time: 8:37am
Total time: 9:22
Mileage: 12.6 mi
Elevation: 7,320’

Day 5, Glacier Peak (Dakobed)

At 9am we were back at the Mount Baker trailhead asking ourselves if it was rude to sprawl all over the only picnic table with our smorgasbord of snacks and musty gear. Necessity outgunned civility, and the sprawl won out. But before long, the gravity of Glacier Peak was pulling us south.

First stop, Darrington, WA, where the grocery store, some cellular towers and the local Mexican joint took care of our coolers, our communication commitments and a burrito to go.

A camping spot by the creek provided the perfect crash pad to get things reset. This day would be a little different than the others, today our climb would start at 6:30pm. Strategy: we would start hiking in the forest as soon as the direct sun was off of the valley floor, then make up the big trail vert in the late evening. The middle of the night found us picking our way through some surprisingly dicey skiing as we crossed over into the greater White Chuck Basin.

Then, mile upon mile of slow motion skinning as the hours ticked away with relentless regularity. Finally, the miracle of putting one foot in front of the other put us on the saddle below the south ridge. Here, we struggled against steady 50mph winds as we chipped away at the last 800 feet to the true summit. By 10am we were hugging and laughing on the final high point of the journey. Just 18 miles to reverse, and the mission would be accomplished!

Almost 12 more hours passed in near constant movement. Some good skiing, some glacier slogging, a lot of effort spent trying to keep the bodies hydrated and cooled using any and all techniques by which one can introduce cold water to the human system. With 5 or 6 miles to go we boiled water and made backpacking meals and coffee. We were mentally prepared to move in slow motion from this point on, but instead I felt a surge of energy and increased the pace, hoping it would hold to the end. Hold it did, and at 9:25pm, 26+ hours after setting out, we were back at the trailhead.

One looks for climaxes or epiphanies at times like these, but a dusky, mosquito infested gravel parking lot was an inadequate venue in which to absorb the depth of experiences that we had just shared. The realization, as always, came quickly. The end was meaningless, the act was everything. The belief, the teamwork, the movement in synchronization with the mountains and the weather, the opportunity to engage in a truly and deeply immersive challenge, and to realize that we are capable of so much more than we know. I am still digesting, but I know for sure that we were truly happy in those mountains.

Glacier Peak Stats:
Date: 6/27-6/28
Start time: 6:39pm
Finish time: 9:35pm
Total time: 26:46
Mileage: 36.6 mi
Vertical: 13,140’

Which brings me to the topic I really want to discuss: gratitude.

Trevor and I made a previous attempt at this mission. It didn’t go according to plan on a lot of levels, but one of the failings for me personally was what was happening inside of the landscape of my own head. When we would hit a stumbling block, or I would realize how far behind I was getting on sleep, etc., I found myself experiencing resentment and frustration at the circumstances I found myself in. Circumstances, into which I had voluntarily placed myself.

Fast forward to the beginning of our successful attempt. We had a 3 hour window in which to try to sleep before launching on our first mountain, Rainier. I tried to relax. I counted to 1000 in my head (for the first time in my life!) And finally, when frustration and stress started to creep in, I decided to do one more thing.

I chose some words to repeat in my mind. Words that would serve me as my window for sleeping grew smaller, and would hopefully continue to ground me throughout the challenges and stresses of the week. The first word? Gratitude.

It’s hard to wallow in self pity and negative sensations if you’re looking through a lens of gratitude. Anytime I started to slip, I’d come back to gratitude. I’d remind myself that I was thankful for the opportunity to adventure, for the health and wellness to take on great challenges, for the support of my family and friends, for a career that dovetails with my passions, for inspiring landscapes, for humor, for my partner, for my block of cheddar cheese and a cold river in which to soak my aching muscles.

There were endless things to be grateful for, and they ALWAYS outnumbered the things to be upset about. Starting with gratitude painted the whole damn endeavor in tones of rose and gold.

More than fitness, extensive planning, the accumulated experience of the team, nutrition, transportation and equipment, more than any other thing, the most important element was Gratitude. Thank you so much for following along, it means the world to us to know that we’ve inspired so many. Your support is invaluable.