Why Climb Mt. Rainier?

Why Climb?
Ryan and I LOVE the outdoors.  We love hiking, backpacking, kayaking, just being outside.  We are totally in love with the Pacific Northwest and all it has to offer.  Each trip we take results in amazing pictures we get to send to our family, all taken within a short drive from our home.  Climbing a mountain is just another way to get higher and get a better view of the area we love so much.  Not only are we in it for the views, but for the challenge.  We have read several adventure stories like Touching the Void, A Life on the Edge, 3 Cups of Tea, Backpacker Magazine's monthly stories,  and many more.  Each of these stories aren't just about the climb, but about life.  They are about about perservering, taking the challenge head on and succeeding.  We know there is a possibilty we may not summit, but we are going to try our hardest and we are going to enjoy every step in preparation to that summit.
Why Mt. Rainier?
Since first seeing Mt. Rainier we each had separate goals to be on top of Mt. Rainier. When we committed to join as a team (in marriage), we put it on our dream to-do list. Living in Seattle and loving the outdoors, equates to climbing Mt. Rainier as a must.  People come from all over to climb Mt. Rainier in preparation for other amazing peaks like Everest and Kilamanjaro.  Mt. Rainier is just a two and a half hour drive south from our house, we need to take advantage of that luxury. 
Why Now?
Why not?! If we keep waiting for free time, an unscheduled summer, a more convenient work schedule for training, etc., we will just never do anything on our dream list.  My Dad (living in NJ) is going to do the climb with us and he didn't even think twice about signing up when I told him about the adventure.  What an awesome attitude! 
We have been inspired...
-My Dad is awesome and has been truly inspirational this last year and half.  He is my hero, and with his refreshed outlook on life its going to be awesome doing this next adventure with him.
-We are big fans of the Ron and Don Show-KIRO FM 97.3. Don climbed Mt. Rainier July '09 for the American Lung Association. We heard all about his preparations, Ron kept the listeners up to date while Don was climbing, and then we heard all about the climb afterwards.  We hung onto every word mentioned about the experience.  Overall it sounded life changing and we want to be a part of that.
-Lou Whittaker is a legend along with his brother Jim; they are a huge part of what Mountaineering is today. They are from the Pacific Northwest and are advocates for being outside and enjoying what nature has to offer. Lou has been supporting Climb for Clean Air since its start 23 years ago. He and his brother had asthma as children and they found being outside in fresh air cured a lot of their ailments. The outdoors for them means the same to us - Freedom and endless possibilities for fun.

So Ryan, Dad and I are going to fundraise and train for the next 8 months together(via long distance in some cases), and then put forth our best effort plus some to summit Mt. Rainier together. 
So cool!
-Katie