Six Degrees of Nick Hall

Planning for rainier

Over the past week or so I have been discussing my next adventure, an ascent of Mt. Rainier,  with Gary Dunn, my friend and climbing guide.  We have been getting advice from various people on what type of equipment to use as well as the various methods of ascending.  Some people have used a make shift pedal bike on tracks an others have skied under their own power.  We have been discussing using fixed ropes with an ascender and I would essentially be doing horizontal pull ups on the rope while sliding along on a sit ski.

We have also given some thought to various training routes in the New Hampshire mountains.  As of right now we are possibly going to do an ascent of Mt Moosilauke at the end of February to test out what ever methods we decide might be feasible to get me up Mt. Rainier.

In the process of all this discussion Gary found a sleeping bag good down to -20 degrees for sale and decided to order it for me as it was a screaming deal.  When he ordered he explained to the seller what it was for and she told him a story about the sleeping bag and how it came to be that she was selling it.

The sleeping bag story

Her name is Marcia McCarroll and she told me when I emailed her to thank her for her generosity, that she had held onto that sleeping bag for 7 years.  The reason I wrote to thank her by the way is because she decided to pay the shipping for the bag to help out with my mission.  So back to her story.  She held onto that bag for 7 years because it was her husband who as it happens was also an adventure seeker.  He unfortunately was lost on Denali 7 years ago and was never found and she has held onto that bag for all this time because it was all she had left from that tragic moment in life.  For some reason she decided this past Saturday that it was time to pass it on to someone else and posted it for sale. She said she had over 10 offers for the bag but something told her it should go to me.

I told her the story of what inspired me to go on this journey of seeking adventure, explaining that I had a friend who passed away on Mt. Rainier while performing his duties as a rescue ranger.  For some reason I did not tell her his name though in that email.  She wrote back and asked if my friend’s name was Nick Hall.  Of course I replied yes that we had grown up together and were really good friends when we were younger.

six degrees of nick hall

This is where the title comes in.  She then told me she was on Rainier when the helicopters were trying to rescue Nick’s body from Rainier.  She was there as a way to honor her husband and do something big. As I am writing this it makes me tear up and gives me chills because this is why I am trying to get up Rainier. I want to be able to see what Nick did and in some way honor his memory.

As I have been on this incredible ride I have noticed things along the way that have lead me to believe Nick is somehow steering the trip.  Another instance when I was in Yosemite Valley this fall I met the chief of staff of the park, Mike Gauthier, and we were talking and I also told him the story of what sent me down this path.  He said he was Nick’s boss at Rainier and that Nick had stayed at his house in Yosemite for 2 weeks the summer of his passing.

After my first trip to Yosemite I was doing presentations to raise money to go back.  As I was preparing my presentation I went to Nick’s Facebook page to look at his pictures and I found one of him on Washington Column.  This was another wow moment because that is the rock I had just climbed a month before.

All of this reflection has solidified my belief that things happen for a reason and I can’t wait to find out what else is in store and where this all leads.