I guess there are many reasons I have climbed mountains over the years:
I climbed Mt. Rainier because she is the highest peak in Washington.
I climbed Mt. Stuart because, to me, she is the most beautiful.
I climbed Mt. St. Helens because she is arguably the most notorious.
And, last week, three friends and I climbed Ruth Mountain in the North Cascades, and it happens that two of us have mothers named Ruth.
After my climb of Ruth Mountain, I called my mother to tell her that I had made the trip to her namesake. Mom seemed pleased about the mountaineering adventure I had done in her honor. But, in true Mom style, she was, more than anything, happy that I'd come back healthy.
We climbers were tiny figures in the vast landscape of Ruth Mountain. Click on the images to see them at a larger size.
