Northbend Trifecta - This is a local challenge few have accomplished – A series of three peak summits I have only read about and given my recent push to climb more and summit more and push harder, I thought after a week of summits – Mount St. Helens, Mailbox Peak 2X, Dirty Box, Teneriffe Kamikaze Route I was ready for this undertaking. It was also an opportunity to put myself in the finishers’ spot with the PNW Peakbaggers Facebook Group’s challenge to visually summit Mount Everest by gaining the total altitude beginning April 15th. Here goes! I completed the North Bend Trifecta today!: Mailbox Peak Old Trail, Mount Teneriffe Kamikaze Route, Mount Si Old Trail – up and down each one. 11,609 feet gain, 19+ miles, 17+hours.

MPB was a breeze and I ran into our own PNW Peak Bagger group founder and leader – Bill Goodgion descending the summit! Kamikaze was slow with all the precipitation making the rocks and roots on the ridge and steep approach super slick, and 6″ of new powder on the final 500′ make it slippery and slow. Did Si in the pitch dark – first time on the Old Trail. I was the only human on the mountain tonight, but not alone – my axe was in my hand the entire time! The weather got worse as the day progressed. Si was awful in the dark, cold, rainy, foggy, wet conditions – did I say dark? Finally stumbled to my car at 1 am – Alpine Finish! Now, what else can I climb in a day? #ageisjustanumber #hikingwithhadland #thehad

This was a super accomplishment for me in terms of endurance and fitness. This is nearly double the vertical gain in a single day I have ever climbed, and these three trails are considered some of the hardest hiking trails in the Seattle area. Oh, and I finished the Everest Challenge, 4th finisher, 1st in my age group!.