This episode of Big Blend Radio shares the story of Fay Fuller, the first woman to climb Mount Rainier in Washington. She first reached the summit on August 10, 1890, and climbed the mountain again in 1897. Read by Big Blend Radio host Lisa D. Smith, from this story: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/climbing-above-paradise/
This episode is featured on Big Blend Radio's "Big Daily Blend," "Women Making History," "Way Back When," and "Parks & Travel" Podcasts. Check out the Big Blend Radio Network of Shows, here: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork
Welcome to Big Blend Radio where we celebrate variety and how it adds spice to quality of life. Welcome to Big Blend Radio's Big Daily Blend Show where we honor holidays and observances as well as our Women Making History podcast that celebrates women of the past, the present, and the future. This show will also be shared on our Parks and Travel channel because it is about a national park and an incredible woman, Fay Fuller, who on this date August 10th in 1890 first climbed Mount Rainier in Washington State. This is a story we wrote from our first visit in 2012, one of the very first national parks on Nancy and I's Love Your Parks tour. I'll never forget standing in a field thick with wildflowers and staring up at Magnificent Mount Rainier. I was in complete awe of this prominent 14,410-foot peak in the Cascade Range, an active volcano that last erupted about 150 years ago. It was at the Longmire Museum where we learned of Fay Fuller, the teacher and journalist known for being the first woman to ascend Mount Rainier. Coupled with her introductory visit to Paradise, an area known for its abundance of summer wildflowers and spectacular views of Mount Rainier, it was PB Van Trump, one of the first climbers to ascend Mount Rainier who inspired Fuller to make the big climb. Her initial attempt was in 1887 and she made it up to around 8,600 feet. Her second and successful attempt was in 1890 with PB Van Trump's climbing party. Apparently her outfit raised a few eyebrows because back then there wasn't climbing gear made for women, so along with covering her face in charcoal, wearing goggles and a small straw hat to protect her face from the wind and sun, she wore flannel underwear, a flannel bloomer suit, woolen hose and boy's boots. The adventure was challenging, climbing steep slopes of ice and snow, fuller battled altitude sickness along with falling rocks, intense winds and burning sunlight. She made the ascension and at her request were almost no assistance from the men in the climbing party. As she says, "It was a heavenly moment. Words cannot describe the scenery and beauty. How could they speak for the soul?" She was around 20 years old at the time when she wrote that and when she reached the summit of Mount Rainier, again this was August 10, 1890. She climbed the mountain again in 1897. Now she's known for her historic ascent of Mount Rainier, but she also became quite the advocate for women climbers and mountaineering in general. She was a founding member of the Washington Alpine Club, the Tacoma Alpine Club, as well as the Portland-based Mazamas Mountaineering Club. She traded her teaching career for journalism and as the first female reporter for the Tacoma Ledger wrote the column mountain murmurs and it covered local mountaineering events and climbing stories. Faye Peake overlooking Moich Lake in Mount Rainier National Park is named after Fay Fuller. Mount Rainier National Park is an incredible destination to put on your National Park travel adventure bucket list if you have not gone. If you have gone, I know you're going to be like me and Nancy and want to revisit the park. It's home to approximately 382 lakes, 470 rivers and streams and climbs to 12,800 feet in elevation. It provides habitat for diversity of plants and animal life and there are five main regions to explore. You can learn more by going to the National Park Service website which is nps.gov/m-o-r-a or just go to our website nationalparktraveling.com and type in Mount Rainier. You're sure to read Faye's story there as well as learn more about Mount Rainier National Park and all kinds of other amazing parks. Thanks for listening. Thank you for listening to Big Blend Radio. Keep up with our shows at bigblendradio.com.
