Summiting Mt. Baker with SheJumps

2024-07-13

I've never considered myself athletic. I grew up doing things — hiking, swimming, riding bikes — but not in the way that earns you the label. So when I signed up for a guided SheJumps fundraising climb of Mt. Baker, a 10,781-foot glaciated volcano in Washington, I did something that felt harder than the training: I told people about it.

Declaring a lofty intention publicly, working toward it, and then pushing through on the actual day — that arc turned out to be the whole point.

Six months of training

The SheJumps climb required being in excellent physical condition and able to carry 35+ pounds. The recommended training window was 3–6 months. Mine looked a little different from other people's: a lot of hiking with a heavy pack, snowshoeing, outdoor stair repeats in Seattle, backpacking trips, and triathlon cross-training (swimming and cycling alongside the running). I called it "snackpacking" — long days in the mountains with a lot of food.

I'd already done a women's NOLS mountaineering course in Alaska in 2023 and had my Wilderness First Aid certification through SheJumps. Baker felt like the logical next step.

The fundraiser

Each climber had to raise $2,400 for SheJumps on top of a $500 registration deposit. I organized a fundraising party at MoRa, a natural wine bar in Seattle, with help from friends who donated space, DJ'd, and put together a raffle with artwork and experiences. The evening raised over $1K for SheJumps and introduced a lot of people to each other. I ended up raising $2,776 personally. The nine of us collectively raised over $20K.

SheJumps runs 200+ events a year, more than half of which are free or donation-based. I'd been a beneficiary — a Wilderness First Aid course for BIPOC women that gave me a community I still lean on — and this felt like the right way to pay it forward.

The climb

We started the approach on July 12th, camping high on the mountain that evening. At 4am on July 13th, nine women and a team from Alpine Ascents International — 3:1 guide ratio — put on crampons and headlamps and started moving.

Mt. Baker silhouette against a deep blue pre-dawn sky, two stars visible — 4am. The mountain before the sun.

Climbers roped together on the glacier at sunrise, Cascades visible below — Roped up on the glacier. The guides taught us glacier travel, ice axe technique, and crevasse awareness.

Looking down the glacier from high on Baker — snow field, exposed rock, blue sky

The summit was clear. The views were absurd. I stood at the top of a glaciated volcano in Washington and felt the specific kind of relief that comes from doing something you weren't sure you could do.

Saachi at the summit, smiling, blue helmet, red pack, pure blue sky behind — Summit, July 13, 2024.

Nine women on the summit holding a SheJumps flag — Nine of us. $20K+ raised. One SheJumps flag.

After

Two people resting at high camp — tent, rocks, Cascades panorama spread out behind — High camp. Exhausted. Worth it.

The experience of declaring a goal, training for it in your own way, and finishing it surrounded by other women who are doing the same thing — that's what SheJumps is actually selling. The mountain was the mechanism.