Jacque Tietjen

TRIP REPORT: Mount Lady Washington, CO (13,281′)

June 5, 2019February 12, 2022 by Jacque Tietjen

Report from 8/20/16

The Overlooked 13er…

I know I wasn’t planning on any cool peaks during my week off, but it happened anyway! After all, what is a vacation without a massive mountain to climb? *winky-smiley-face*

Mount Lady Washington is located in Rocky Mountain National Park. It stands front-right of Long’s Peak which is the park’s only 14er. This little pile of rocks constantly gets overlooked since a large majority of the people who hike this trail go to hike Long’s Peak.

L to R: Mount Meeker, Long’s Peak, Mount Lady Washington

However, MLW has literally the most sunning view I have ever seen in my life. It is one I highly reccomend if you are visiting RMNP. (See what I did there? I got lazy and just used letters…) Anyway, Mount Lady Washington, also known as “MLW”, “Lady”, “Lady Washington”, or “#5 in the Grand Slam”. It stands at 13,281 feet above sea level. It’s not nearly as impressive in size as its 14,261 foot neighbor, but it has very understated qualities.

I started my hike at 4:30am however the trail was not scarce. Because of the unpredictable weather the Colorado 14ers create because of their height, anyone wishing for a successful summit of Long’s has to leave in the middle of the night. I passed many hikers who were on their way up to Long’s Peak, and as I asked in passing to each group I went by, not a single person was hiking anything else.

First light on the trio. (MLW is the pile of rocks on the right)

I reached Chasm Junction 3 1/2 miles from the trailhead just before sunrise. I took a break here and waited for the stunning view. Soon after the mountain turned pink, the orange, I headed up the trail less than 1/4 mile more before taking a hard left. There is no maintained trail on MLW and there are basically two main ways people reach the top. One is directly up the front, east face. It is a steep 2,000 foot climb in class 2 tundra/class 3 scrambling mix. The other is to hike to the Boulder Field camping area another mile and a half up the trail (also known as basecamp to Long’s), then to follow the Northwest ridge. I decided on the shorter steeper route for my ascent, and the longer, flatter route for the way down to save my knees. It was steep, slow going, and strenuous boulder hopping that seemed to never end. I was literally the ONLY person on that mountain all morning and I honestly doubt anyone else summited after I did. No one else that I passed on the way down was planning on MLW, and if there was anyone attempting the Grand Slam that day, they would’ve gotten rained out since it’s the last peak in the series and it began to rain just after I made it back to the trail head.

When I finally made it over that ridge, I was immediately in awe. The summit view, like I mentioned before, was absolutely incredible. I have climbed Long’s Peak 3 times, summited twice, and you do not get a better view on that mountain than on MLW. The famous diamond face on Long’s was massive as it stood right in front of me on that pile of annoying, frustrating rocks. It was immediately worth it. I sat, in solitary silence, just staring and the magnificent and majestic mountain standing in front of me. Long’s Peak has always been my favorite mountain and 14er, but I had never seen it like this before… My eyes teared up and I fell in love with Long’s all over again.

The Diamond (pictures do NOT do it justice)

Soon after decending the northwest ridge, I was reunited with the Long’s Peak trail, and the crowds. I enjoyed my solo time on MLW, and it is a peak I will never forget.

My Summit List is growing!! Check it out!

TRIP REPORT: King’s Peak, Utah’s High point (13,528′)

June 5, 2019February 12, 2022 by Jacque Tietjen

Report from 7/25/16

For 5 years, I have attempted to take a trip to the high Uintas to climb Utah’s highest point, and for 5 years, that plan failed for various reasons…. until now!

King’s Peak is a long multi-day trip with long trails and class 2 scrambling at the peak. But what planned on being a 3-day trip ended up being a very long 2-day trip. My climbing partner and I decided we would rather go home and have a day off to rest rather than attempting to go straight back to work. Needless to say, I slept in until noon and my legs are so sore that I fell over trying to stand up out of bed.

We began our adventure Saturday by driving the 3 hours from Salt Lake to the Henry’s Fork Trail Head. (Believe it or not but you have to go through Wyoming to get there.) We started hiking with our heavy packs and managed to burn through 5 1/2 miles of trail in around 2 hours. It was hot, and there were mosquitoes everywhere, and naturally we forgot to pack bug spray. We slowed down after crossing the main foot bridge that spans the Henry Fork River as the trail steepened and we were getting tired.

Henry’s Fork Basin

After another 3 hours we made it to about 11,500 feet and set up camp. After making a quick pasta meal, we attempted to fall asleep knowing we had a long early day ahead of us.

Sunrise on Henry’s Fork Peak and Mt. Powell

After waking up at around 5:15 am, we watched the sunrise, ate breakfast, and began getting ready for our day. We climbed to 12,000 feet to Gunsight Pass where we left the main route to follow a well known shortcut route that would shave 4 miles off our total distance. As much as everyone praises this shortcut, I beg to differ. it was well cairned for the first 1/3 of a mile but after the trail flattened out into a field, the cairns were incredibly far apart and hard to keep track of. However, even getting a little off track wasn’t bad because it was very easy to see where to go since the main trail went up the far side of the field. (but, I found snow! ..I love snow)

The scrambling and boulder hopping on the ridge was nothing new to me, however there was A LOT of it. A full mile and 1,000 feet of elevation gain was full of rocks, rocks and more rocks. Knowing my own personal pace, I assumed that last mile would take about an hour…. because of the scrambling and boulder hopping, it took nearly 2 hours instead to reach the summit. Finally, we arrived to 13,528 feet, and what a relief.

The way back down was exhausting. Stepping ever so carefully from rock to rock, controlling every move (which is why my legs are so sore) and trying not to worsen my blisters that had formed the day before. By the time we got back to camp we were already exhausted; my ankles bruised from trying to manipulate the rocks in high-top hiking boots. We talked about staying the second night anyway but the nearest water source was a mile down the hill and we were out of water. We decided to just take it slow, stop to refill water bottles at the stream down the trail, and even wear flip flops on our way down. it was 9 miles back to the car… and yes, I did it in flip flops. My ankles were so bruised and my blisters had popped despite my best efforts, so it was actually more comfortable to hike down without boots on. it was slow going and we were completely exhausted by the time we got back to the car since we spent 15 hours of our day on foot.

I am glad I finally got to cross this one off my list, but it was definitely the hardest climb, physically, that I have ever done. Will I do it again? probably not, but who knows. I have bigger and better mountains planned and this was a good test of my physicality to see what I specifically need to train better in the future (and its apparently my calves).

TRIP REPORT: Mount Evans, CO (14,265′)

June 5, 2019February 12, 2022 by Jacque Tietjen

Report from 6/24/16

Right now, I am sitting in my grandparents living room in Littleton, CO. About 12 hours ago (it is now 4:00pm) I woke up for an “early bird” hike.

Tomorrow my cousin is getting married in Estes Park so I decided to come a day early and play! An old friend from summer camp was supposed to meet up with me to go climb Greys and Torreys Peaks this morning. However, about a week ago she messaged me and said she was unable to get the day off. This meant that my only option left for a hiking partner would be my husband (who is not exactly a fan of hiking). We talked about it and he agreed to do something “easy”. (There is no such thing as an easy fourteener) So my plans to do G&T were scratched and we decided to climb Mount Evans since it is a bit closer to Denver and the hike is a lot shorter.

We woke up at 4:15am (which, believe it or not, is pretty late by 14er standards.) For those who have climbed in Colorado before or live there, they understand that those mountains are so high they create their own weather as the day heats up. Any hike you do must start early enough that you can summit and get below treeline before the thunderstorms kick in, and this is why we wake up at ungodly hours of the morning….

Since this hike is so much shorter, I knew that if we started at sunrise, summit by about 8 and returned, we would have plenty of time to spare. So, we took the hour and a half drive up to the trail-head at Summit Lake (12,800) where we saw big horn sheep and watched the sunrise and began our hike at about 6:30. We were originally planning on taking the West Ridge route which was an estimated 2 1/2 hours. But I knew a lesser known route up the Northeast face that would shave an entire hour off that climb time (and would make my husband a lot more inclined to climb the mountain). This was an incredibly direct route where you basically just go straight up the side instead of up and around Mount Spalding and the ridge-line.

We were only a tiny bit slower on the uphill than I predicted. We reached the 14,265 foot summit at 8:15am. The skies remained clear enough we hung out on the summit for about an hour and a half enjoying the views (and mountain goats) before heading back down.

When we got back down we enjoyed one last view of the lake and headed out. Clouds formed from nothing within about 20 minutes and the rain kicked in just as we were getting back onto the freeway. (proves just how fast things can change in these mountains.)

Overall, it was a fun little peak with spectacular views and I am super proud of my husband for climbing his first fourteener!!! He still thinks I’m crazy, but after the views he saw this morning, I think he might finally be beginning to understand why these peaks become my happy place. Now it is time to shower and get ready for a wedding!

Cascade Glacier School

June 5, 2019February 12, 2022 by Jacque Tietjen

Report from 1/8/16

WHAT A WEEK!

Where do I even begin?!

I guess I should begin by introducing the man behind the scenes: Dan Mazur. Dan is the owner and founder of SummitClimb and is an amazing climber and expedition leader with a variety of high peaks under his belt. He offered his home to us and welcomed us with open arms. I was the first to arrive with two others on my team that I arranged a carpool with from the airport. One other team member arrived just before dark and the five of us hung out around a backyard bonfire getting to know each other. We all felt star struck as we talked to Dan and asked him questions about all his climbing and experiences. Questions like: “Did you know Rob Hall and Scott Fischer?” to which Dan would reply: “Oh yeah! I was actually their lead up K2.” to which we would squeal like little girls.

That first morning consisted of a breakfast meeting going over logistics and the itinerary for the week and getting to know each other. We totaled 10 team members including Dan. There was John from Lebanon, Akash from New Jersey (originally India), Ben from New Hampshire, Andreas from Germany (originally Canada), Shankar from Seattle (originally India), Steve from Seattle, Akib from Ohio (originally Bangladesh), and Lindsay, my tent-mate who is from Virginia but living in Dubai for work. We then spent the day checking gear, getting groceries, and preparing for the mountain.

The next morning we work up at 5am to head for Rainier from Olympia. We arrived at Whittaker Mountaineering around 8:30 to pick up snowshoes and any other gear people needed to rent. We then headed up the mountain to the Paradise Visitor Center to get our permit for winter camping on the mountain. After a quick lunch and putting our packs together in the parking lot, we finally started hiking up the hill. The snow was deep and the snowshoes were a new experience, especially with 70lbs of weight on my back. A storm began to kick in just as we were arriving at our camp location. it was roughly sunset and the storm kicked in hard and fast. We had to pitch our tents as quickly as possible in the storm as it was getting dark. After situating ourselves, my tent-mate and I made a quick dinner and got ready for a long night in the storm.

Akash digging out his tent after the storm

We received 13″ of snow overnight. It was incredibly dense and we actually woke up to rain making the snow on our tents even heavier. We had a slow morning waiting out the storm in hopes of learning some mountaineering skills after the rain would subside.

The best moment of the whole trip was when the storm dissipated enough to allow the mountain to come out for a short moment. Because of the snowy forecast, we were all concerned we wouldn’t receive the chance to actually see Mount Rainier because everything was so socked in; but we got lucky and that moment was glorious. As soon as the clouds moved away, the view was so spectacular and the mountain was incredibly majestic. Because Mount Rainier stands alone with such a high prominence, it looked so massive! Even though we weren’t going to get to attempt a summit bid this trip, I KNEW I needed to plan on a quick return to climb this glorious mountain. After staring at that colossal peak in all its glory, I have to come back this ASAP…. Rainier is calling my name.

The magnificent view didn’t last long. Within about 20 minutes the clouds returned and enclosed the peak. We spent the day learning glacial rope travel, and applying ice anchors. We worked until after sunset before heading back to our little basecamp for dinner and another long night. The unfortunate reality of winter camping is the short days. The sun would set by 4:30 and we would spend upwards of 16 to 18 hours in our tents.

The next day we experienced snow all afternoon. We went for a hike down to the Nisqually Glacier just to try to get a look at the mountain but the snow was so heavy that there was very little visibility. Our trek took us through trees on a steep hill, and down a steep pitch that required a rappel.

Despite the lack of visibility, the ridge we stopped at still had view enough of the massive rock formations hiding in the fog on the other side of the glacier to make us feel so incredibly small in comparison.

We returned to camp by sunset but a decision was to be made. Due to the weather conditions, we could not spend time learning crevasse rescue or ice climbing on the mountain. If we were to camp one more night in the snow, the plan the next morning would be to pack up and head back to Olympia. However, leaving that evening would give us the opportunity to spend the next day at a local climbing gym learning what we needed to. We decided to hurry and pack up camp and head down in the dark where we would then pack up the cars and head to Olympia.

Last moment on the mountain (LtoR) Akib, Akash, Me, Shankar, and John

A couple local team members went home to sleep in their own beds, but the rest of us stayed at Dan’s and woke up to go play at the Warehouse Rock Gym in Olympia. We learned how to tie prusik knots and climb out way up the rope in the event of a fall into a crevasse. We also practiced using ascenders as well as creating pulley systems for helping someone who is injured out of a crevasse. The rest of the afternoon was spent, just enjoying the gym and getting in some climbs.

John, Ben, Me, Dan, Lindsay, Akash, Andreas, Akib

That evening we said goodbyes to most everyone on the team and it was just Akash, John and I left to keep Dan company on our final night in town. Akash and John were the two I carpooled with from the airport and we arranged to carpool back the next morning. We spent that final evening listening to more of Dan’s amazing stories around one final bonfire and just enjoying each others company. The next morning it was off to the airport, where we said our last goodbyes and parted ways not knowing when we might see each other again. As a team we all became good friends and saying goodbye to everyone was difficult.

Overall, this trip was an amazing learning experience! It was an incredible way to build a foundation for my mountaineering skills. I have been rock climbing since I was a toddler, but mountaineering is an entirely different beast!

Solo Trekking

June 5, 2019February 12, 2022 by Jacque Tietjen

Finding myself in the woods.

Report from 10/7/15

Over the summer, I struggled through some life bumps in the road. After 6 years in therapy, I was finally getting to the bottom of my deepest darkest inner demons that had resulted in my depression as a teen, and my eating disorder during adolescence. This was that stuff no one ever wants to look at, let alone work on. As the school year began to close in on me, I decided I desperately needed some alone time in the mountains and not just a hike by myself, but an overnight trek into a quiet place where I could decompress, de-stress, and get in touch with that nature-linked spiritual side. I had hiked alone plenty sure, but I had never slept out in the wild alone. It was sure to be an interesting night.

Life delayed my solo trip for a few weeks, but once school started I knew I needed to make it happen before my brain felt like it was going to explode. A few weeks ago in mid-September, I embarked on my night alone in the wild. I picked a beautiful spot, in the saddle between Devil’s Castle and Sugarloaf Peak Utah; a saddle between two peaks that I had been curious about camping in for years.

I made it to the saddle just after sunset. The hike itself only took me two hours, but I had a much later start than I had hoped that day. I pitched my tent in a small wind shelter built out of slate, cooked my food, and went to lay down in my tent.

That night was NOT a quiet as I hoped…. The weather forecast was calm and clear, but just after dusk the wind picked up. Sleeping at 11,000 feet, I knew there was a chance of wind, but the normal wind pattern for this area of Utah has southerly and westerly winds which the shelter was built to block out. What I encountered were winds from the North winds which would blow into the doorway opening of the shelter and swirl around in my small little nook. My tent was SO LOUD, and the wind didn’t die down until after midnight. I felt myself digressing to my childhood ways of hiding under my sleeping bag from the wind as I slept alone, on a mountain, in the wind. At around 2am I was awoken by howling in the night. The saddle I was located on straddled 2 valleys with great acoustics and full of wildlife. I could hear the howling and laughter of coyotes but I couldn’t tell which valley the sound came from or how far away they were. I continued to hide in my sleeping bag wishing for the sun to come up. It was a new moon, and with a thin layer of cloud cover, the night was dark and empty. I had never felt more alone in my life. Not a star in the sky, no one to comfort me but myself. It was a test of strength of mind and a test of self.

I woke up the next morning just before the sun rose. It was calm, cool and the most refreshing feeling in the world (despite my lack of sleep). Every dark, lonely feeling from the night before was immediately washed away with the sun’s morning rays. I sat on the ridge overlooking the Albion Basin below me. The Autumn colors were glowing at first light and I felt that indescribable feeling of awe as I watched the sunrise. After about a half hour of just enjoying the view, I decided to greet the sun in the best way I could think of that had been inspired by a wandering friend… 😉

Something about that moment was awe-inspiring. (I don’t know what it is, but if you have never gotten naked in nature, I highly recommend it.) You feel completely free in every way imaginable. No worries, no stress, nothing to constrict you both mentally and physically. You really can embrace the world around you and truly become one with nature.

After my hippie moment, I finished off my morning by trekking up Sugarloaf Peak. It was a short hike from my campsite and it was a great way to finish off my experience. I had climbed these mountains countless times over and over but had never seen them quite like this. It was exactly what I needed and left me feeling rejuvenated for everything that was still in front of me. The greatest lesson learned in the whole experience was that despite whatever darkness or challenges you may come across in your life, you can make it through it and will be greeted with light on the other side.

~Sometimes you just have to get out there and get lost in the world~

Pre-Ski Season Workout

June 5, 2019February 12, 2022 by Jacque Tietjen

Get your legs ready for fresh pow!

Fall is my personal favorite time of year. I love all the Halloween decorations, costumes, parties, all the fall colors, treats, and best of all… the dusting of mountain peaks with snow which means ski season is just around the corner! So, let’s get started!

Follow this 30 minute (approximate) strength workout to get those calves and quads ready for the deep pow while ensuring proper ski stance!

Step 1: ALWAYS start with a 5-10 minute cardio warm up. you can go for a jog, a brisk walk, or even a short hike! Just make sure you get your heart rate at 60%maxHR.

Step 2: Let’s work into the strength training! Follow each of these reps in the circus for 60 seconds with a 15-20 second break in between. Once you finish the last rep, rest for 2 minutes and repeat.

Lunges: Start with your feet shoulder width apart beneath you this will be known as the mid-line. Take an average step forward and bend your knees until you are at a 90 degree angle at your front knee. keep your bones stacked and make sure your knee is NOT over your foot and that your back is straight. Hold for 2 breaths, stand up and return to center position and switch legs.

Skier Squats: using a medicine ball or yoga block, stand shoulder width apart at mid-line and place the object between your thighs just above the knees. Bend your knees into a sitting position keeping your center of gravity on the balls of your feet and back straight. Hold position for 2 breaths, stand then repeat.

Side Lunge Steps: Starting at mid-line, step your right foot out to the side with your left foot following and stepping behind and past your right foot. Step your left back out, and step the right behind and past the left. Repeat back and forth at a quick pace while maintaining full lunge.

Mogul Hops: Starting at mid-line, hop with both feet together side to side making sure to bend your knees into a half squat to ensure soft landing. DO NOT LOCK YOUR KNEES!

Plank Dips: Starting laying in the prone position, place your hands about eye level shoulder width apart. keeping your forearms on the ground press your toes into the ground and lift yourself off the ground. Keeping hips tucked under and core tight, roll your hips towards on side to the ground, return to prone mid-line and roll to the other side. Repeat side to side.

Skier Balance Squat: Grab your ski poles! THIS ONE IS A QUAD BURNER! This can be done with both poles, one pole or none depending on your balance, knee strength, and quad strength. Starting standing in mid-line, lift one foot off the ground in front of you. using your pole(s) as balance, squat into a sitting position keeping your foot in the air out in front of you. You might not go very low and thats ok, you don’t want to blow out your knees. Hold for two breaths, return to mid-line and switch feet. If you decide to use one pole, make sure that pole is on the same side of the body as the foot in the air.

Step 3: DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH! For your 5 minute warm-down, make sure to stretch your quads, hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, as well as anything else that needs stretching while your warming down. this will keep lactic acid from building up in your muscles and will ensure you are a limber skier.

Be sure to encompass this leg routine into your regular workout regime 2-3 times a week, for about 6 weeks prior to ski season for good conditioning.

Conquering Myself

June 5, 2019February 12, 2022 by Jacque Tietjen

A brief history of me and my addiction to high elevation

My first moment above treeline was at the age of 6 months old. My parents carried me to Chasm Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park at an elevation of just under 12,000 feet. I climbed Hallet Peak (12,713ft) all on my own man power at the age of 8 and at that moment, I fell in love with the high altitude air and feeling like being on-top of the world, but I knew I wasn’t high enough, I wanted to be up higher. At the age of 9 I did a report on Edmund Hillary in school, the first man to summit Everest and that is when I realized that’s what I wanted to do.

At the age of 12, I attempted Long’s Peak (14,259ft) for the first time. I made it to 14,000 ft before I got turned around. But the peak was so close it haunted me for an entire year. The next summer I made it and I experienced my first Fourteener at 13 years old and I was at the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park!

After experiencing a variety of traumatic experiences during my teen years, and was left with untreated major depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder, mental illness seemed to have taken over my life. Somewhere along the way I had forgotten how to live life to the fullest and enjoy the things I used to. I attempted suicide on two different accounts as I felt like there was no hope left for me in this world.

After hitting my rock bottom, I finally got help. Through a very long and hard recovery, I learned how to love myself, as well as find joy again in my life through the outdoors. Soon, I had the opportunity to climb Long’s all over again. I was reminded on how much I LOVE the feeling: It is the best feeling in the world!

For me, being on-top of the world is a very personal and almost spiritual experience for me. The overwhelming feeling I get on a high mountain is inexplicable.. I sometimes like to think it is where I feel closest to the heavens, just in reach above me, and the beauty of the Earth below.

I hope that in sharing my journey, it may touch someone who feels the same way I do and find that they can find happiness and peace in doing what they love whatever it may be, and knowing that there is hope to conquer their mental illness.