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Mt. St. Helens w/ P:Ear!

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In an epic struggle, Post and P:Ear youth Summit Mt. St. Helens

Last Tuesday, Stella and Cellina met up with the p:ear folks Monday afternoon and drove with them to the Marble Mountain parking lot at Mt. St. Helens where they hung out for the evening, made dinner, and camped. Many of us drove to meet them that night but after some navigational hiccups did not make it until very late... We woke up, introduced ourselves to each other, and began hiking. It was a beautiful day to be on the mountain- the sun was bright and spirits were high! We had all reached the summit by 2:00pm and were eager for a long (and well deserved) glissade down the mountain! Unfortunately we slid down the wrong way and had to spend a couple extra hours traversing the mountain to get back to our trail. On the walk back to the parking lot I had a chance to talk with one of the p:ear youth who told me about his childhood and some of the struggles he went through. He expressed that because of what he experienced on the mountain, a myriad of emotions ranging from fear to joy, he was planning to make more of an intentional effort to express his appreciation for the people he cares for in his life, and reach out to those he may have hurt (perhaps a lesson for all of us).  While we came into the parking lot a little later than intended we had a wonderful and successful day of climbing, having fun and getting to know new people!

-Stella Augustine, trip co-leader