The Fear Builds

4:45am, my alarm blaring to wake me up. After a slow and cold rising, I was finally up and packing. As I was packing and putting excessive gear that I didn't need back in the car, I was able to cross paths with a ranger. After a quick conversation, I asked him this, “do you believe with the gear I have I’ll be able to make it to the top?”. He looked at my “crampons”, looked at my hiking poles, then said, “It’ll definitely help, but I can’t guarantee it. With the past couple of days being huge rainstorms, the conditions near the top off the mountain are very icy and may make it pretty difficult to get grip...But I believe in you.” I promise you that might have been the absolute worst thing to hear in that moment.

Even though that message sent waves through my body, I decided I must push on. I’m 3 hours from home and won’t go home without at least just attempting it. With a bagel my mom had made for me the day prior in one hand and my tripod with my camera in the other, it was finally time to set off for this adrenaline-rushing adventure.