Took a day off yesterday to

6/25/09 -- Took a day off yesterday to climb Mt. St. Helens and ski from its summit. No crevasse falls or whiteouts, like in STORM MOUNTAIN, thank goodness. Still, the main characters, Cat and Ty, did cross my mind many times during the day.

Going up . . . and up . . . and up. 4,500 vertical feet on the ascent. That's me on the right.

On the summit. With winds gusting to 50 mph, we didn't stay long. Mt. Adams in the background.

Looking down into the crater and at the lava dome. Notice steam venting here and there. Geology in action! Spirit Lake and Mt Rainier in the distance.

Headed down (me on the left). Great open slopes to carve turns, then some tricky drops. Altogether a wonderful day! Tomorrow, for a different kind of challenge, it's back to REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR!