ASHFORD, Wash. — With nurture like the one Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI) provides, nature comes easy.
It's guidance from a guide service that's up there with Gates and Griffey.
"Climbing royalty is how it's been described to me," one climber said.
A group of mountain men hope to stand on Washington's highest peak. To get there, they'll be standing on the shoulders of a legend.
"There's been a guide service on Mt. Rainier since the early 1900s," said Peter Whittaker, the oldest son of Lou Whittaker.
Lou launched RMI 50 years ago. The company is designed to make the mountain manageable for outdoor enthusiasts, such as those attempting to summit last week.
Conditions are still winter-like, so if successful, they would be the first to do it this year.
The program is a four-day process to more than 14,000 feet. For New York native Joey Percoco, it's a first-time, long-time experience.
"The first guy who climbed Everest, his quote was, why did he climb it, he said, 'Because it's there.' Kind of the same drill here."
The drill master is Dominic Cifelli. He's the RMI guide at the head of the rope, leading the line.
"It's not always a guarantee that we get to the top," he said.
Dominic also knows he's following in the footsteps of a family of guides who blazed a trail.
"Whittaker is synonymous with just mountaineering in Washington or Pacific Northwest," he said.
Lou was born in Seattle and was always drawn to the snow. He summited Rainier over 250 times.
He never personally summited Mt. Everest, but he did guide a teammate to the top 40 years ago.
It was the first time an American had gotten there from the north side. Lou described the joy after the adventure in 1984.
"We hugged each other and patted each other on the back because it was a team effort and we helped get him there," he said.
That's how the Whittakers are wired — helping others climb high.
"You can be the best climber in the world, but that doesn't make you a good guide," Peter said. "You have to have empathy, patience, really like people, and that was my father."
Lou was a larger-than-life figure, who grew his company into the largest expedition service in North America.
"Before he died, he wanted to know not just what it was to live, but what it was to fully live," Peter said.
Lou lived a life so full that his legacy lives on.
RMI gives 3,000 people a year a core memory, a peak experience on Mt. Rainier.
The guide group now runs 60 deep, including his son, Peter, who has guided professionally since he was 16 years old.
"We're kind of the portal to the mountain," Peter said.
Peter is also the CEO and he's helped the business boom. The gear is top tier and the customers are treated like kings.
"We make their experience as best as possible through tricks for conditioning, techniques for climbing, the gear that you need and just the whole overall experience," Peter said.
Lou set the foundation, and Peter's taken it into the future.
It's an evolution not just happening under the shade of the trees in Ashford. The Whittaker family tree touches further to Lou's nephew up north.
"I take Pete Carroll's wisdom to heart and just try to be positive, be supportive," Leif Whittaker said.
Leif is into his coaching chapter as well, not as a guide, but as a fitness guru. He helps people develop a well-conditioned base before they get to base camp.
"I want to build people up and make them believe that they can go climb this mountain," he said.
The real work happens at his parents' home in Port Townsend, where he's connecting with clients around the world.
He's taking special interest in a group of his climbers currently on Everest, including a woman from Seattle.
"The mountains around here in the Northwest are ideal training ground," Leif said.
Leif himself has been to the world's highest peak. In fact, he one-upped his uncle Lou.
"I may have climbed Everest twice, but I would say it was twice as easy.. at least," he said.
The technology is better with heart rate tracking and the understanding of aerobic thresholds. In more simple terms, the path is paved.
"It was so much damn harder back then," Leif said. "Like everything was harder back in the day."
Back in the day feels like yesterday to the eldest member of the Whittaker family. Leif's dad is Jim Whittaker. His love for the outdoors was identical to Lou's, and so was his DNA.
"They come up and say how sorry they are that I lost my twin brother," he said.
Jim said he and Lou were wombmates for nine months, then bunkmates for 1,140. They spent their 95th birthday in February together with family.
"Celebrated that with a rum and coke. What the hell," Jim said.
They had earned it. They raised a glass to feats like six decades ago, when Jim raised the first American flag on the summit of Everest. More importantly, they raised a glass to the sons they raised.
"I think you can't really have grown up as the son of Jim or Lou Whittaker and not feel some sense of responsibility," Leif said.
"My uncle and father are these huge mountaineers and they've done so much for American mountaineering. How am I going to outperform them or even meet the level that they got to?" Peter said.
"All we can do is try to meet that and do our best to carry that on in our own way," Leif added.
With fathers who were scaling summits, Leif and Peter had no choice but to look up to them. They've found looking out for others is even more rewarding.
"You're not only doing good things for your family, but you're beginning to do good things for other people and the world," Jim said.
Nature always came naturally to this family. But it's nurture that's become the next step.
"My dad up there right now is pretty happy that the legacy is continuing on," Peter said.
