Snoqualmie man tops continent’s highest peak
June 10, 2009
By Laura Geggel
Last year, Snoqualmie resident Brian Dickinson announced he would climb the world’s seven summits — the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents.
His success rate? One down, six more to go.
During the month of May, Dickinson climbed Mount McKinley in Denali National Park in Alaska. At 20,320 feet, McKinley is the tallest mountain in North America. It outranks 14,410-foot Mount Rainier, which Dickinson has also climbed.
“Ultimately, a lot of people ranked (Denali) as the hardest, so it’s good to get that out of the way,” Dickinson said.
Snoqualmie resident Brian Dickinson on his way up Denali, the tallest peak in North America.
The venturous man is organizing intense activities closer to the Valley, as well. The Extreme Adventures group, affiliated with the Church on the Ridge, offers a monthly event, from snowboarding on Mount Rainier to hikes on Mount Si. The next event, rappelling down Mount Si, is open to outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. The group will meet at the Church on the Ridge parking lot, at 35131 SE Douglas St., Snoqualmie, at 8 a.m. June 13.
Church on the Ridge Pastor Charlie Salmon called Dickinson “a really genuine guy.”
When Salmon became exhausted on an Extreme Adventures hike, Dickinson leant him a hand.
“He is carrying a motor home on his back,” Salmon remembered. “I’ve got my socks and a little food. He turns to me and says ‘Hey, let me take some of your load.’”
“That came across on his hike, but that comes across in his life,” Salmon said. “He’ll take it on, even to his detriment.”
The southern Oregon native spent six years in the U.S. Navy working as a helicopter rescue swimmer, before moving to Snoqualmie in 2001. When he discussed his climbing ambitions with his wife, JoAnna, she encouraged him to raise funds in the process.
Dickinson is donating money from his recent climb to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. To donate, visit www.sponsor7summits.com.
Before his Denali trip, Dickinson trained for his big ascent. A course at Rainier Mountaineering Inc. prepared him for his trip up Denali. The class reviewed important climbing techniques, such as avalanche training and avoidance.
“It was really just honing skills I had already known,” Dickinson said. “The week I was up there (in March) was an insane week on Rainier in general. There was a white out and a blizzard.”
Rainier’s snowy terrain provided a good test run for Dickinson. On Denali, he typically wore six layers of clothing to protect against the unpredictable Alaskan weather. He and his teammates, each carrying 60 pounds of supplies and towing an additional 60 pounds on sleds, were roped together to protect against falls. This strategy saved the life of one of his teammates.
“When we made our summit attempt, you go from 17,000 to 20,000 feet,” Dickinson said. “At 19,000 feet, we stopped. There were 60-plus-mile-per-hour winds.”
On their descent, a woman in his group had a near-fatal experience.
“A gust of wind swept her off her feet, just before she was about to clip in,” Dickinson said.
Because the woman was tied to her other team members, she pulled three people down the side of the mountain with her. The group pulled out their ice picks, using a method called “self-arrest,” and sank their picks into the glacier’s cold surface. Their quick thinking saved the whole team.
Another woman in the group also put the team at risk, but in another way. Dickinson said she was not prepared mentally or physically for the expedition.
One night, the woman decided to go out on her own and try to climb Denali.
“She would have died for sure,” Dickinson said, explaining how some people get “summit fever” against their better judgment. The guides had to confront the woman and escort her down to base camp.
A man from another climbing party was not so lucky. He popped inside Dickinson’s tent, before heading up to the summit on his own. Dickinson advised him against it, but the man went anyway and was never heard from again.
“It’s definitely difficult, because you’re working hard every single day and you’re pushing your body to its full limit,” Dickinson said. “You’re carrying a lot of weight and you’re freezing. You’re working as a team, but not everybody on the team is on the same level.”
Dickinson did not want to take any unnecessary risks on Denali. Before he left for his journey, Dickinson made a daily scavenger hunt for his wife and two children, having a friend text them with clues for how to find various videos he had left behind of himself. He used a satellite phone to call home when he could, as well.
After three weeks of climbing, it only took two days for Dickinson’s team to descend the mountain.
“I was especially motivated to get back and see my family,” Dickinson said.
He might make a family vacation out of his next adventure: the 18,510-foot Mount Elbrus in Russia.
But first, he’ll take a break from his momentous Denali trip.
“It was an eventful trip,” Dickinson said.
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