Harsh, unyielding winds blast frigid air at 100 mph. A weary climber is forced to turn around and head home as he is hit head-on by a blizzard.

If he had reached the top, he could have been killed by an avalanche, if the snow clinging to the mountain had been released, causing chaos for miles.

These are only two of the deadly events that can occur when climbing Mt. Rainier, “the toughest endurance climb in the lower 48 states,” according to science teacher Mike Bernarsky.

Bernarsky knows the dangers of Rainier firsthand-he attempted to reach the summit, or top of the mountain, about 25 years ago, but didn’t make it. Only 40 percent of everyone who attempts to climb succeed in their quest.

From July first through the sixth, he will attempt the deed again. In a two-day expedition to Mt. Rainier standing 14,410 ft. tall, which is second in height only to Alaska’s Mt. McKinley.

Jumping on the bandwagon is Principal Mark Collins, Poquessing Principal Ronald Sayre, science teachers Mike Hoy, Henry Oppenheimer, Brian Suter, and Phys. Ed. teacher Dave Cole. The teachers’ friends and family will also accompy them.

Strategically positioned in Washington, Mt. Rainier is a semi-extinct volcano, and is overdue to blow its top, a phenomenon that should not occur this summer.

“I feel lucky just to be one of the few people able to go [on the climb],” Hoy commented, adding that only a few amount of people are allowed to even attempt to climb each year.

Perhaps the man most anxious of the results of this trip is Oppenheimer, who will be attempting the climb less than a year after knee surgery. However, this mishap doesn’t lessen his dreams in any way. “I’m going to see the world and get to the top,” Oppenheimer exclaimed.

The teachers, not satisfied with merely challenging themselves, are challenging their students as well. Bernarsky reflected on this, saying, “We’ve been preparing for a whole year, training together, organizing it, and we invite all students to challenge themselves in their schoolwork. We’re still willing to challenge ourselves, we challenge ourselves just teaching everyday.”

“It will be scary,” Cole mused, “I mean, we’re going to be walking at night time, but I really hope that every now and then I get to glance around and, take time to at least appreciate where I’m going, because how many people really get to do that, right? Not too many.”

Even if all the climbers do not reach the top, they’ll be rooting for the ones who will.

“Taking on a challenge, whether we complete it or not, to me, that is living life to its fullest,” Collins said thoughtfully, “[It is the] journey that gets you there that is the most unique.”