Name, Age, From:

Jenn Carter, 38, Carnation, WA

When and why she got started climbing:

I grew up backpacking and caving in Tennessee.  When I first moved out west, I did a lot of solo backpacking. Climbing was just the next step to experiencing more.

I remeber a 6 day solo backpacking trip to the Glacier Peak wilderness.  Some Mountaineers flew past me with helmets and ice axes going at what I thought was a break-neck speed.  I thought, “damn!  I need to do that!” Not long after, I joined the Mountaineers and 10 years later, I’m still trying to keep up!

Loves mountaineering because:

I love trailhead bivies.  Alpine starts.  Sunrises on the glacier.  Blasting down the mountain to try to get back to the trail before dark.  My body in motion for 20+ hours.  Eating out of a bag.  Pooping in a bag.  Sleeping in a bag.  Carrying a bag.  It’s all sort of a circluar beauty, really.

Least favorite part of mountaineering:

The descent.  Of all the times I’ve climbed Mt Rainier, I always say “I’m never walking down this piece of shit ever again!”  I really, really need to learn to ski better or paraglide. Or both.

Favorite piece of gear:

My BD Fusions. They are so beautiful, I have them hanging as art in my house (when I’m not using them, that is).

If she had a Spirit Mountain it would be:

Washington’s Mt Stuart.  I always say the 2nd gulley going up the the West Ridge is my happy place.  4th class granite to the sky. My friend Paul and I climbed it once together and giggled the whole way up.

What her friends would say about her climbing style, or who she is on the mountain:

They would probably ask me to stop eating so much Chili Mac and Cheese.

How she’s getting in shape for this climb:

So far, I’ve found people to hike and run by headlamp, in the pouring rain, up mountains at night.  I wonder how long they’ll stay my friends?

When she’s not climbing, she’s:

Reading to kids at the library, trail running with my best bud, learning to ski, or heading out to the mountains to help as a volunteer with Seattle Mountain Rescue.

First thing she wants to eat when she gets back to town after a climb:

Olives. And avocados.  But not together. Separately.

Day Job:

I’m a children’s librarian at a public library. I get to do story time, bookclubs, summer programs and I have a very impressive puppet collection.

Thing she thinks she’ll miss the most while on the mountain:

My dog, best friend and cuddle buddy: Banjo.

Favorite thing about climbing with women:

Women don’t freak out when someone cries.  Really, guys… it’s just a stress release.  There’s no need to freak out.  Crying is normal.  We cry a little and then everything is peachy.  Just get over it, already.

Thing she thinks will be the hardest about doing this climb:

Staying warm.

Next on her climbing list:

El Capitan!  I was supposed to do it last year, but my climbing partner had a child care emergency.  I’m hoping to celebrate my 40th birthday on the wall!

Favorite climbing quote:

Not really a climbing quote, but part of a poem by the Spanish poet, Antonio Machado:

caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino

Roughly translated to:

“Wanderer/ pilgrim, there is no road/ there is no “way”,

We make the road by walking.

By walking we make the road…”

I feel I am a pilgrim into the mountains and that as a team, we will make our journey together. Denali will be, for a few weeks, our mountain, our journey, to make it what we will, together.