Dave Hahn, a guide for Ashford’s Intermational Mountain Guides and Rainier Mountaineering Inc., summited Mount Everest today becoming the first non-Sherpa to reach the world’s highest peak 10 times.

IMG director Eric Simonson confirmed the summit today on his company’s website, mountainguides.com.

Hahn lives in New Mexico, but has guided on Mount Rainier with RMI since 1986. Last year he rescued a climber high on Everest. It was his third rescue on Everest’s upper slopes.

Hahn, who has climbed Rainier more than 240 times, is also believed to hold the record for most summits of Vinson

Read more »

Melissa Santos has a good story on our website today:

By Melissa Santos

The News Tribune

Mt. Rainier foothills community leaders have a vision for a new scenic byway that would complete a loop around the mountain and boost tourism.

There are more views of Mount Rainier than drivers can possibly glimpse from the state’s current circuit of scenic byways. Community groups in towns near the mountain want to change that.

They’re proposing to build an extension from Eatonville to Enumclaw, which would complete a route of scenic byways all the way around Mount Rainier.

Read more »

International Mountain Guides put its fourth team on top of the world Friday, according the Ashford company’s website.

The IMG team of Colorado’s Val Hovland, Phunuru Sherpa, Chiropractor Tim Warren, Phinjo sherpa and Passang Sherpa reached the 29,035-foot summit of Mount Everest while two other members of the group turned back just below the South Summit, the website said.

The team has now descended to Camp 2 and IMG’s fifth team, including Dave Hahn, is ready to climb, according to mountainguides.com.

So they say flat tires come in bunches, but this last week was ridiculous for me.

I rode about 100 miles on my road bike and 10 on my mountain bike this past week and got a grand total of 9 flats.

Clearly there’s something wrong with the back wheel on my bike that I could get five flats in 50 miles this morning even with the use of a tire liner. But, for the life of me, I haven’t been able to figure it out yet.

I was the butt of about 100 jokes this morning

Read more »

Justin Merle of Auburn was among a record 75 climbers who summited Mount Everest Thursday, according to the International Mountain Guides’ website.

It was the second summit of the 29,035-foot mountain for Merle, a 29-year-old guide for Ashford’s IMG.

The record for climbers to summit on a single day broke the previous record of 63 set in 2002, a Nepalese official told the Associated Press Friday.

Merle guided an IMG group that included two clients – Dean Smith of Toronto and Jaroslaw Hawrylewicz of New York – and two sherpas – Minga Tenzing and Tsewang Lendu.

Read more »

I was looking through the newsletter for the state’s hunting safety instructors and came across a tidbit about a new phone number for the state’s poaching hotline.

Should you witness an instance of poaching, you should call 1-877-WDFW-TIP (877-933-9847).

The old phone number still appears on some printed materials, but you should use the number above.

Hood Canal sport shrimpers will have two more days to fish.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife just announced that a sufficient quota remains to extend the shrimp season two days between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday and May 31.

The opening is for all shrimp throughout Hood Canal.

Bob Myrick of the Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club says his club will host its free Big Wheels Ride all day May 31 on the 1-year-old Scott Pierson Trail, which stretches from Allenmore Public Golf Course across the Narrows Bridge.

The purpose of this ride is to celebrate the new trail system and draw attention to the June 2-15 CarLess Commute, Myrick said.

Elected officials will be touring the Scott Pierson and Cushman trails during the late morning, Myrick said.

Those who live within three miles of the trail are encourage to ride to the event, Myrick said,

Read more »