Get a View from the Top

The Maupins on Mt. Adams

Danielle Hickman, UREC Marketing Assistant

When I think of the term “mountaineering,” I imagine a snow-covered mountain in the middle of a blizzard, ice hanging from the beard of a man who is struggling to inch his way across a frozen mass with nothing but an ice axe. Or maybe that’s the opening scene from The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Nonetheless, mountaineering is not for the faint of heart. Just ask Jeff Maupin, indoor enthusiast turned outdoor fanatic, who has found that the combination of sport and recreation makes mountaineering one of the most challenging and strenuous outdoor activities he has ever participated in. However, he will also tell you that the difficult trek to higher altitudes is worth it in order to get a view from the top.

After seeing information on the Outdoor Recreation Center’s Web site for a 4th of July Weekend trip to Mt. Adams, Maupin mulled over the prospects of embarking on an adventure that would challenge him both physically and mentally. While the trip’s route is rated Class 1 – 2 (low angle, little to no tools) and participants were not required to have any previous mountaineering experience, it is still an incredibly difficult activity, which requires the body to be in good physical condition. With this in mind, Maupin and his wife discussed the implications of the trip, made a visit to his doctor and began training.

Because the trip requires an individual to be in good health and physically fit, the Maupin’s had to begin training early. Utilizing hills in their town of Colfax, the Maupin’s practiced packing fifty-pound backpacks up West Fairview Street (the Colfax to Highway 26 short cut), ran on a treadmill and walked the Student Recreation Center track for one to two hours a day, seven days a week. With a specific goal in mind, the couple was able to lose weight together and begin eating healthier. Most importantly, they learned to encourage each other along the way, a characteristic that would help them later on in their quest to summit Mt. Adams.

Maupin described the trip itself as both mentally and physically challenging, especially at times when climbing up 75 – 80 degree ice fields with 50 – 60 pound backpacks on. He admits to hitting points where he wasn’t sure he could go on, along with many other people in his group, but they all pushed each other to keep going. “In the end, everyone was able to summit,” Maupin explains. “There isn’t one single thing that I have ever done that even comes close to the feeling of accomplishment I got standing on the summit of Mt. Adams with my wife by my side. Nothing.”

Maupin and his wife hope to return to Mt. Adams every 4th of July, either through the ORC or on their own. They are also planning to train enough in the next four to five years to be able to summit Mt. Rainer, an exceptionally dangerous and technical climb that will require much more instruction than what they received for Mt. Adams.

Maupin is just one example of a single individual who found his passion in a place he never thought he would. He found why he plays, and now it’s your turn.