Five-Hundred and Counting…
So you think you’re a pretty experienced climber, eh? You’ve donned your gear, grabbed your long-lasting flashlight and been up your favorite mountain, what – twenty times? Fifty? A hundred? That ain’t nothin’.
This summer, 56-year-old George Dunn became the first person to climb Mount Rainier 500 times. That’s right – FIVE-HUNDRED TIMES.
Dunn, who is a Mount Rainer hiking guide and director of Ashford’s International Mountain Guides, completed the hike with his wife Nancy, his 16 year old son Jeremy, and his good friend Phil Ershler (Ershler has climbed the summit 440 times himself).
How much mountain climbing is 500 successful climbs, exactly? Well, according to “The News Tribune” Adventure Guys Blog, Dunn has covered approximately 9,000 miles and 4.5 million vertical feet. To put that into prospective, that’s a little over 852 vertical miles. That’s like hiking across the state of Texas.
Dunn started climbing Mount Rainier in the late 60s while he was attending Renton High School. He started guiding hikes in 1975.
“George is a consummate professional and a true gentleman,” Rainier Mountaineering Inc. guide Gary Talcott told The Adventure Guys. “He’s guided, mentored and inspired countless climbers, including some of the best, like Ed Viesturs.” [Ed Viesturs is the only American to climb all of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks.]
So the next time you start thinking you’re the King of the Mountain, think of George Dunn and get back out there. Chances are you have some catching up to do.
