Brent Okita did something recently that’s not likely to happen again.
The 55-year-old Enumclaw, Wash., resident became the second person to make 500 trips to the 14,411-foot summit of Mount Rainier. Okita, who has guided for Rainier Mountaineer Inc. since 1986, joined International Mountain Guides’ George Dunn in the exclusive 500-summit club.
Okita celebrated by pouring himself a bowl of cereal, mowing his lawn and playing with his dog, an Australian shepherd named Foster.
“I think it might be a bigger deal to other people than it is to me,” Okita said last week. “I just want to let my feet mellow out.”
He reached the summit with friends at 2:02 p.m. They celebrated quickly then, to make the trip even more memorable, they skied down via the Edmunds Headwall. The route has pitches as steep as 55 degrees and at one point requires a short rappel.
“It’s definitely a no-fall zone,” said Okita, who helps managed the Crystal Mountain ski patrol. “It was one of my highlights. I will definitely always remember it.”
Okita and his friends hiked back to their car to complete a 14-mile day and he was home by 2:30 a.m. His wife, Julie, greeted him with celebratory bacon and eggs. As news of his landmark summit spread, Okita received congratulatory messages from fellow climbers.
“He is so consistent,” Craig Van Hoy said by cellphone from Camp Muir, situated at 10,188 feet on Mount Rainier. Van Hoy was the senior guide on Okita’s first climb in 1986. “He’s not turning around unless it’s unsafe.”
Van Hoy figures Okita will likely be the last person to reach the 500 mark. He should know. Van Hoy, a 58-year-old guide for Alpine Ascents International, appears the mostly likely next candidate. He was working on his 425th summit this week.
“I have no desire to get to 500,” Van Hoy said. “I’m aiming for about 450 and getting back into the top three.”
Phil Ershler of IMG is currently third with 447 summits, but he has retired from climbing.
Reaching Columbia Crest 500 times requires climbing 9,000 miles and 4.5 million vertical feet. That doesn’t include hundreds of trips in which he didn’t reach the summit.
Okita goes back soon and will lead a trip that could result in summit No. 501. Dunn’s record current record is 515.
Okita, whom RMI owner Peter Whittaker said keeps the “pace of a 20-year-old guide,” could attempt the summit 20 times this season. In May, shortly before a trip to Alaska that resulted in the summit of Denali for the 24th year in a row, Okita took time to field a few questions about his life in the mountains.
———
Q: Was 500 a goal or was it just a byproduct of a long career on Mount Rainier?
A: It’s something that just came my way from staying the course and being fairly lucky in finding a career and an endeavor that I love doing. I’m fortunate to have longevity and good health.
Q: So, most of the guys with huge numbers on Rainier, slowed down by the time they were in their 50s, or spent more time climbing elsewhere. What keeps you still so active on Rainier?
A: I made a conscience decision back in my early years. I didn’t want to go the way of owning my own guide service. I wanted to keep my life simpler, I guess. I didn’t want to be buried in administrative stuff. I enjoy climbing and my love for guiding has increased over the years.
Q: What about climbing the same route so many times as a guide, did that ever get boring?
A: Certainly when I was young and full of myself and doing all of these other things like guiding in Europe, there might have been a part of me that had that same sentiment. But as you get a little older you start realizing it’s not just the route you are on. It’s the experience you have with so many people. It’s a really positive thing and it’s kept me going.
It’s always different.
Q: How often do you climb on your own compared to work trips?
A: I don’t do it on my own very much anymore. My first 10 years, every day off I was scrambling to find partners to do another route on the mountain or go rock climbing or do another peak in the Cascades. But after having done this for so long, I have developed other interests like cycling.
Cycling allows me to keep on that edge of fitness that I want to be on without destroying my knees like running might do. And it’s super fun.
If I get in a climb per year with a friend, I’m doing well.
Q: So George Dunn has 515. You climb more than he does these days. When do you think you’ll catch him?
A: I’ll probably get there at some point, but it’s definitely not something I’m trying to do. I’d be happy if George had the record forever and ever. He’s a real close friend of mine and was one of my mentors when I first started guiding. I worked for him back in the day.
Q: Do you think anybody else will ever catch you and George?
A: A guide told me once he didn’t think anybody would ever catch us. People don’t climb Rainier anymore the way we used to. But, we’ll see. Never say never.
Q: How many times does somebody need to climb Rainier for you to think that’s an impressive number?
A: For guides, that first big milestone is 100 and that’s huge. You have to be working on the mountains quite a bit — six to seven years — to get 100. You have a lot of guides with 40, 50, 60 and they are great guides who know the mountain super well, but that 100 mark is a testament.
I remember when I got my 100th, I thought I got this mountain down. That being said, even at 500 if you go into it thinking you have this mountain down pat, it’s probably going to spank you. I always keep a healthy respect for the mountain.
I play by the rules and stay conservative as much as you can.
About the Author
