This is the story of my birthday trip. On August 15 of 2005 I will turn 50. It really doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me but my wife felt it important that I have a party or some such. I resisted and she kept on about not letting it go by without doing something to celebrate. Well, here is what I decided and will try to journal here as it plays out.

In 1976 my father Dave Rahm was killed in an airshow where he was a performer. As well as being an airshow pilot he was a very well known geologist so when he died there was a mountain named after him. Coming from a flying family I have flown my plane by it several times but never been there on the ground. I decided that for my 50th birthday I will climb it and sit on top that day. It has been mentioned to me that I don't know much about this but that hasn't really deterred me much in the past so off we go. I designed an airplane years ago called a Vision and have many builders all over the world. Two of them are kind enough (crazy enough) to accompany me on the venture. There are some spectacular sights from all accounts I have read about the approach and I will add lots of photos when I get back. Here is a general idea of what it looks like, where it is, and the route plan.

Mount Rahm is in the very center of Washington State right on the Canadian border - less than a half mile into the US.

It is on Silver Lake and is an individual peak among a couple surrounding on a ridge. The lake is at 6700' and the mountain is near 9,000 ft. It isn't a real technical climb but with altitude and a ton of scrambling required it is taking some training. I have been walking with packs and swimming regularly.

The best approach is from Canada. The plan is to fly into Seattle on the 13th. Drive to Canada that night and hike into Lake Ouzel in the morning from the south end of Chilliwack lake. You can sign into the National Park there. We should be at Lake Ouzel on the 14th then climb the mountain and be back to Ouzel on the 15th, then out of there so I can catch a flight back to the flatlands of Florida on the 17th.

This is a satellite photo of the approach. Wish me luck and I will fill in the photos when I get back.

OK, We're back and alive. For anyone interested in how it went.... Click HERE