Upcoming overseas travels.. And more!

Photo: Goofing around on my birthday Mount Shasta climb last month-- Story and photos from our climb, and other recent outdoor expeditions, are coming soon!

Mushroom Rock, 12,800 feet

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 31, 2015 at 12:31pm PDT

Baby Levi's U.S. passport should arrive any week now.  Now that the spring/summer hiking and climbing season is slowing down, it's time once again to get the Hamiltons out and about.  And of course, that includes our occasional quick trips overseas!

Studying for my "Big Church" sermons has kept me too occupied to update this blog recently (or participate in the annual Triple D hiking event with NW Wilderness last weekend!).  I'll be back after my preaching to blog about some about some of the recent outdoor events that I've lead.


But for now... not in any chronological order, here are just a few upcoming trips on the horizon for us in early fall:

1. Destination unknown: Europe, South America, or Asia

Lena's very first overseas trip, to Spain

Whenever Levi's passport gets here, his first international journey will be ready for him.  And lil' Lena is way past due for her next overseas jaunt.  Her 4th birthday is next week!

2.  Waterfall rappelling, Take 2  (Undisclosed location)

In search of waterfalls to #rappel down off of, with the Mountain Hamster for my birthday yesterday... Mount Shasta climb is tomorrow!

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 13, 2015 at 8:35pm PDT

Both caution and a tight timeline got the best of Katya and me when we trekked out and geared up for this last month.  Once again, we'll need to commit to the entire canyoneering route after rappelling the first of the waterfalls... With no escape options until we complete the circuit, the first rappel will mark a point of no return.

If I can finish enough of my sermon prep this week, we may head out into the wilderness again on Friday for a second shot at this canyoneering thrill ride.  Rope and harnesses ready!

3.  Australia

Several years have passed since we last went Down Under for hiking, caving, and surfing.  And it just so happens that my parents will soon be exploring Australia for a few weeks.  Hmm, I wonder if I'll run into them?

4.  Banks Lake, WA- camping/boating

Was there any doubt we'd be making an appearance at our family's annual Banks Lake camping trip this month?  Wakeboarding, waterskiing, and tubing are much more enjoyable in those warmer waters.

5.  Salt Lake City- Delta Airline's Velvet 360 event

It was an honor to be asked to represent PDX at Delta's upcoming two-day event in Utah.  According to previous Velvet 360 guests, it looks to be quite a unique opportunity.

6.  Italy-France-- Mont Blanc climb

My recent daytrip to Italy was only long enough to visit a couple of friends.  I'm hoping to string together a few days soon for another, more extended weekend.  But like fall, Mont Blanc's weather conditions are a wild card so late in the climbing season.

If not a climb, then we'll just throw one of our usual Italian get-togethers.  This overseas trip will be another quickie, but those are always worth it!

7.  Middle Sister climb [New! Added 9-15]

Some of our mountaineering crew from last month's Mount Shasta climb are headed south again, this time to the relatively local Central Oregon.  The date is set.  We're still working out the details, but it's looking like a drive-camp-climb-summit-descent... all squeezed into two days.  Only Sam.

Mexico mission, Day 7 (previously unpublished)

My birthday Mount Shasta climb over the weekend was a great way to cap off an exciting week of birthday adventures with family and friends!  As usual, I'll try to blog photos and stories from a few of those recent hiking and climbing outings when I get a chance.  There have been so many recent outdoor adventures! 

This previously unpublished post from Mexico was a snapshot of our mission trip earlier this month, from the morning of Day 7.  WiFi was down on the Thursday morning when I originally attempted to upload this post from Vicente Guerrero for our home Churches of God in the U.S.  Since this post has been stuck on my PC until now, I've also added some more recent Mexico photos for this release.

For a throwback, last year's blog update from Mexico is here.  Check back here later for an upcoming look at this month's entire Mexico trip, from guest blogger Kathy!

Garth, Kathy, Tim, Patricia, Vi, and Harry outside Welcome Home Outreach Ministries headquarters in Vicente Guerrero, Mexico 

Hello, loving church families and supporters in the U.S.!   It's Day 7 of our mission trip here in Vicente Guerrero, Mexico. Working with Welcome Home Outreach Ministries, God has allowed our combined group from Aloha, Fresno, and Tigard Churches of God to accomplish much so far.



At the beginning of this week, we completed rebuilding a roof for our new friend Victor and his family.

Worshiping en español at the local Calvary Chapel church on Sunday, before beginning the week's projects

Rebuilding a roof for a family in need, in Mexico last week

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 14, 2015 at 7:12pm PDT

Victor and the boys standing on the finished roof

The second roof we had hoped to rebuild was far too deteriorated for us to work on.  Rather than miss an opportunity to help that family, we decided to finance the materials for an upcoming group to build with.

Project 2: Neri points out the structural damage and unsafe deterioration of the second roof.

Our third and current project, pictured below, was brought to our attention completely unexpectedly. Eternal Anchor, an orphanage organization for disabled/special needs children, has been in need of a temporary structure to store some medical equipment for the upcoming school year. Thanks to some previously donated building materials, the only things missing were some willing and available laborers!

Since we were looking for a replacement followup project anyway, we started building a shed for Eternal Anchor on Wednesday.

Project 2, Day 1: Mixing mortar and cement, and laying the foundation

Our final Mexico project- Building a storage facility for Eternal Anchor, an orphanage/ therapy center for disabled children

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 20, 2015 at 12:12pm PDT

Project 3, Day 3 (Day 7 in Mexico)

Almost done!  Breaking for lunch on Day 7, with only some final roofing and a coat of paint remaining

Finally, here are some shots of the children served by the ministries we support here in Mexico:

Mexico: Train of local kids being served by Welcome Home Outreach Ministries at our home base

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Aug 17, 2015 at 3:08pm PDT

Austin introduces a few of the special needs children that he, Deborah, and others care for at the Eternal Anchor orphanage

We expect to finish construction of the shed for Eternal Anchor by this afternoon, allowing us to drive back up to the U.S. border tomorrow morning. Thank you for your support and continued prayers!

Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, Take 2

Posted from Vicente Guerrero, Mexico... I hope to blog some of our church's current work projects down here in Mexico soon!

"I love the tutu!" Vine video:  Click the unmute button to unleash the full craziness of this clip, filmed as I neared the "Finish Swine" of this year's Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon

Rank: 22nd in Cincinnati this morning/ 20th place overall! Mt Hood climb Thursday hobbled me to a 7:54 pace this year. The tutu strikes again!! @delta @runflyingpig

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on May 3, 2015 at 8:16am PDT

The last time we tried this...

Before we get to this year's race, let's face it... Last year, a couple of us PDX Delta Airlines employees showed the world how NOT to run the Flying Pig Marathon.  Jackie and I (along with plenty of other runners) missed a crucial turn-off, unknowingly bypassed our baton hand-off point, and accidentally followed the marathon runners all the way to the "Finish Swine."  Fortunately, the remainder of our PDX runners performed wonderfully.

Before reading about our 2015 race below, feel free to re-live last year's hilariously embarrassing (and well publicized) debacle in my earlier 2014 blog post here.

Butchering the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (2014 link)

Moving on to this year's race... I'm happy to report that there were no mass diversions this year.  The event organizers who did such a fantastic job last year worked even harder to work out the kinks for 2015.

I had just climbed Mount Hood with Katya three days earlier, and my toes and feet were in really bad shape.  My podiatrist had forbidden me from ice climbing for eight months, and I was banned from running forever.  In other words, I didn't exactly have a doctor's note for this one.

The day before the race

Since I was the sole runner selected to represent PDX airport this year, I flew to Cincinnati without any local teammates this time.  I was looking forward to meeting the rest of my Region West team for the pre-race festivities.

Studying this year's race route on the plane ride, avoiding last year's mishap

Checking in at the Millennium Hotel, registering, and picking up our team's race swag from the Flying Pig Expo 

Pre-race party at the Via Vite Italian Bistro:  My teammate Ingunn (on the right) and I (before I cut off my wild curls) mix it up with the other relay teams, and indulge in Delta's generous hospitality.  Ingunn was an Elite-status runner in the Boston Marathon! 

Race Day

Long, early morning walk from the Millennium to the relay shuttle bus

Pumped and waiting for my baton hand-off for the final leg of the relay 

Vine video: Hit the unmmute button to hear the crowd cheer for the lead marathon runner as he races past the final baton hand-off point.

More runners ran past as I anxiously waited, stretched, and bounced to the rock music on my running song playlist.

Finally, I spotted Ingunn running down the hill towards me.  She yelped and enthusiastically thrust the baton towards me, as though running past. I grabbed the baton from her and started thundering down the final leg.

The cheering crowds provided course-side refreshments and encouraging shouts.
"Looking good, Delta!"
"Love the tutu!"

Considering my pain and soreness from that week's Mount Hood climb, it was satisfying to pass so many runners as I ran my segment.  My feet were already injured, but a preexisting numbness in my toes (from a previous Mount Hood climb) strangely offset the pain.

Though the pain began to lag my pace, I decided to pull out all stops for the final mile.  Check out the Vine video at the top of this post to get a feel for the moments as I was about to enter the final stretch.  The crowds got much louder and even more intense as I neared the Finish Swine.

An all out sprint to the Finish Swine brought my overall pace up to a 7:54 minute mile.  Not anywhere near as fast as I expected, but respectable.  According to an infograph texted me by a teammate, I ranked 22nd (In my leg? I'm not sure how that works) and 20th overall, and our Region West team took 5th place among all the Delta teams!

After crossing the Finish Swine

Victorious!

Post-race festivities, refreshments, and freebies

Live music and dancing at the after party

And finally, I'll throw in one more flashback from last year's Flying Pig Marathon.  Delta's running teams are unforgettable, year after year!

Here in Cincinnati tomorrow, we race again. Photo from #running last year's #flyingpigmarathon for @delta.

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on May 2, 2015 at 3:01pm PDT

Just read: The Adversary, by Reece Hirsch

P.S.A. -- Today is the long-awaited release date for Go Set a Watchman, a newly discovered earlier novel from Pulitzer prize winning author Harper Lee!

I was excited to buy this "new" book on opening day this morning, but our book budget is a little short this week.  Instead, I'll be binge re-reading Lee's unforgettable American classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" (purchased Sunday at Powell's City of Books with one of my favorite people) in honor of this historic literary event.



Disclosure:  The book reviewed below was a free selection from Amazon Kindle for Samsung's monthly book deals.  That's why I read it.  And this review will soon also be featured on my Goodreads page.

The Adversary (A Chris Bruen novel, Book 1) is a knowledgeably written tech thriller about a lawyer/ former D.O.J. cybercrimes prosecutor trying to thwart a massive cyberterrorist attack that could cost thousands or even millions of lives.

The good:  The trace bit of tech geek inside me enjoyed author Reece Hirsch's attention to credibility as the master plan of sinister cyberhacker Enigma is slowly uncovered by protagonist Chris Bruen. Cliches and gaps in logic are to be expected in novels such as these, but at least the technological aspects of the story seemed reasonably plausible.  And there was enough non-digital world action to balance it all out.

The okay:  The Adversary's engrossing plot makes up for protagonists Chris and Zoey occasionally feeling more like functional than sympathetic characters (though Chris eventually gets more fleshed out as his deeper backstory explains his quest for redemption). And author Hirsch has a tendency to repeat information in dialog at length that's already recently been revealed, as though spoon feeding it to readers who weren't paying attention the first time.

My take:  Ultimately, I enjoyed this story. A significant (and underused, in my opinion) twist at around the halfway point turns the plot on it's head, and the novel picks up plenty of steam as Enigma's villainous scheme sees its execution.  But reader be warned, a fondness for techno jargon may be required to enjoy this mystery-thriller.  I was all over it.

Throughout the final chapter, Kindle for Samsung kept reminding me that Book 2 in the Chris Bruen novel series has already been released.  Should I ever discover an opening in my reading list, I'd be game for checking that one out as well.

Coming this weekend on Garth's Blog, after our youth group camping/ rafting trip...

Here in Cincinnati tomorrow, we race again. Photo from #running last year's #flyingpigmarathon for @delta.

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on May 2, 2015 at 3:01pm PDT

...The 2015 follow-up to last year's Cincinatti Flying Pig Marathon!

Hiking Nesmith Point

Note:  Updates to the previous "Upcoming Climbs" (link) entry are at the end of this post, including a catch-up on some other recent hikes/events I've organized.


The Nesmith Point hike I led a few weeks ago for NW Wilderness was originally suggested by my friend Kaitlin as we hiked Katya's Rudolph Spur loop (itself a descendant of an earlier, hilariously disastrous scouting session with Katya) a couple weeks earlier.

Kaitlin's suggestion paid off!

The crew and me on our #hike up to Nesmith Point a couple weeks ago; This weekend's hike is gonna be insane!

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:03pm PDT

When I originally posted the invite for this Nesmith Point hike... which was reportedly pretty steep on its own... I mapped out some options to extend the adventure in the event that those who signed up would want a little more.  Those extra optional miles, waterfalls, and off-trail viewpoints I offered weren't even necessary.


Our group of nine carpooled to John B. Yeon state park in the Columbia River Gorge, and made our way to the junction of Nesmith Point Trail #428.  The adventure was on!

Mylenka, Kirsty, Saurubh, Jodi, Steve, Darren, me, and Li setting out from John B. Leon state park; Amarilis took this photo

Heading uphill, way uphill...

Leading a #hiking group up to one of the highest points in the Gorge last weekend

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Jun 8, 2015 at 12:47pm PDT

...occasionally stopping to enjoy the views

Photo by Mylenka

A brief flat stretch, through the lush forest

Messing around at the summit

View from the top, high above the Columbia River Gorge

After Saurubh and I ran downhill for an alternate summit view, Kirsty and I found the "true summit" (Photo by Kirsty)

Kirsty and I break away from the group for the true summit, obscured in trees

Finding something higher to climb for the TRUE true summit?  Because we're ridiculous.  (Photo by Kirsty)

Lunch break (Photo by Mylenka)

Steve helps Mylenka perform one of his signature summit headstands

Deciding to not make it a longer loop, the group is MORE than content to head back down to the trail head

Here is my brief trip report, as posted on my NW Wilderness event page (that link also has members' post-hike comments and complete photo set):

Great job on Saturday, everyone! Thanks for coming out. You guys were a blast, and we knocked out that somewhat steep trail at a comfortable pace with plenty of time to spare. I'll try to upload my pictures soon (I currently have a bit of a photo backup). Using the GPS unit data I salvaged, I did the best I could to estimate our stats:

Total distance: 11.05 miles
Total time: 6 hours
Moving time: 5:05
Avg moving speed: 2.2 mph
Max speed: 6.73 mph
Elevation gain 3815 feet

And finally, as promised, here are a couple of updates to last month's "Upcoming Climbs" blog post:

1. Our grueling 33.8 mile Mount St Helens circumnavigation went ahead without me. My orthotic inserts badly needed re-repairing, as terrible as the timing was. Organizer Craig and I decided it would be too risky to discover my pain tolerance while trekking off-trail along a remote side of the mountain, with no feasible escape route.

2. We called off our recent post-season Mount Hood climb. Too dangerous, apparently.  But since my podiatrist was able to repair my orthotics in-house, I instead did a family hike with Lena and Levi... and then I organized an easy 10-person foot break-in hike up Old Baldy Mountain for NW Wilderness that weekend. The next day, nine of us hiked up to Copper Spur on Mount Hood.  And then I led 13 people on an exciting hike from Tooth Rock trailhead to Wauna Point on Fourth of July weekend.


Until I blog those trip reports here, check out those various links from NW Wilderness above for photos and post-hike comments from last Saturday.

Coming up on Garth's Blog...

Rank: 22nd in Cincinnati this morning/ 20th place overall! Mt Hood climb Thursday hobbled me to a 7:54 pace this year. The tutu strikes again!! @delta @runflyingpig

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on May 3, 2015 at 8:16am PDT

Running again in this year's Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon!

Upcoming climbs!

2015 has been a great year for mountain lovers.  Despite the low snow levels, I and a record number of my good friends have been following our dreams to climb to the peaks that we've always longed to reach.

Within the past year, I've been blessed with opportunities to summit Mount Hood, Mount Adams, multiple times up Mount St. Helens, and other less famous peaks.  Some are outings that I've lead for NW Wilderness or other local groups.  Family schedule permitting, I'm hoping to squeeze a few more in.

Never before seen photo of Katya and I on the summit of Mount Hood!

Our final Mount Hood climb of the year has been bumped up considerably to chase after the official end of the "safe" climbing season last week.  Time slipped away from us this year.  Don't judge-- I was asked to climb, I didn't volunteer.  But how could I say no?  We promise we'll turn around and descend if we observe that the post-season rockfall or crevasses are too dangerous.


It's up to another, more experienced climbing buddy whether or not we will again pursue my ever-elusive hopes of climbing Mount Rainier (links are in blue) this summer.


But there will certainly be another Mount Adams climb or two in the mix.  If I lead a two-day climb, we would be climbing to camp at altitude before summitting the next day.  The other climb I'd like to participate in, organized by another leader, would be a single day ascent.


I hope to be climbing, rappelling, or doing whatever my favorite friend Katya is in the mood for this week... both today and on Friday.  But great friends are more important than the activities we choose.  And this weekend's insane 32-mile, 7500+ elevation gain circumnavigation of Mount St Helens will be a tough and painful but ridiculously fun scramble over some really rough terrain for us.  I've been looking forward to this one since hearing about last year's notorious expedition that ended on 2:17 a.m the next day.  I feel like I'm in great shape, although this trip will probably deal the final blow to my orthotic inserts before they need to be repaired.  Future Mount St Helens climbs are on hold until this fall season, but Garth's Blog readers can soon expect an upcoming blog post about the most recent climb I led up to the St. Helens rim.


Many more hikes and scrambles are in the works, but I only have time to lead one or two a month.  I'm also excited to lead upcoming hikes for a couple of local churches, as well as rallying some friends in Europe for a Mount Blanc summit bid.


All of these plans are subject to change.  I won't be updating this "Upcoming Climbs" post, as I often do.  Rather, I'll be sharing some of these adventures here on Garth's Blog and Twitter as they happen.  Someone like me doesn't deserve to have these opportunities, or to blessed with such amazing and supportive friends and family... but I thank God for all of this.

**********

Family always comes first.  And our student ministry at Aloha Church of God is also the highest priority, with a special emphasis on growing our ministry and fundraising for our upcoming Mexico mission trip with Welcome Home Outreach Ministries.  Gotta have priorities!

Coming next, after our Loowit 360 marathon scramble...

The crew and me on our #hike up to Nesmith Point a couple weeks ago; This weekend's hike is gonna be insane!

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:03pm PDT

Taking a group on our most recent hike, to Nesmith Point!

Hiking Devil's Rest loop

Yesterday's European daytrip to bicycle with overseas friends was reworked into flying down to Hollywood for lunch with one of my best buds.

I didn't lead a hike this weekend, but instead stayed mostly local for what matters most: Spending time with family, ministry grads, and the amazing friends who make life worth living.

The first of the 2015 hikes I led for NW Wilderness was short, sweet, and not too steep.  I didn’t have time that February day for the longer events that I usually lead or get involved with, so I posted an 8-mile quickie to the top of Devil’s Rest.

Here is the link to my NW Wilderness event invitation, including our post-hike comments and additional photos:  http://www.meetup.com/NW-Wilderness/events/220733223/

I’ll dedicate blog posts to our earlier and bigger 2015 hikes, climbs, and scrambles when I get a chance!

Foggy hike I led up to Devil's Rest earlier this year

A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on Jun 3, 2015 at 12:18pm PDT

Devil’s Rest is what I referred to as the “most effortless” third of our brutal, annual Triple D challenge for NW Wilderness in August: Dog Mountain, Mount Defiance, and Devil’s Rest in one day.

Since I’ve summited Dog Mountain and Mount Defiance countless times since I was a kid, I decided to finally check out this easier segment to complete my familiarity with Triple D.  The actual date of the hike was February 27, 2015.

Wally, Shaun, Garth, Glenn, Francois, and Lou at the Wahkeena Falls trailhead

Clouds and drizzle greeted us at the Wahkeena Falls trailhead.  The weather didn’t brighten up until later on, but our ascent was anything but gloomy.

Wahkeena Falls

Francois makes the creek crossing below

Shaun and Glenn continue up

Cutoff to the Devil's Rest summit

The anticlimactic summit of Devil's Rest

Sadly, the heavy camera gear that poor Francois had schlepped from the trailhead was only brought out once.

In the summit photo above, he is snapping a single picture of... wait, what are you taking a picture of, Francois?

Returning down to the main loop, via the user-maintained Foxglove trail

Back in familiar territory

The sun almost peeked out for our descent as we returned to the Wahkeena Falls trail.  It was the icing on the cake.

Here are our stats (see notes on my event page for explanations of the discrepancies):

Distance: 8+ miles
Total ascent: 2,761 feet
Moving time: 2:14
Avg speed: 2.6 mph
Max speed 10.2 mph (Shaun and I got a little carried away on the descent)

Check back soon for a family update, travel stories, and the types of outdoor adventures that we USUALLY lead!