While most of us were still in bed at 5 a.m., Lauren Kisser was standing on top of 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier on July 8th.

Kisser raised $5,459 for breast cancer research during the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer effort. She did it to honor her grandmothers, mother and aunt who all survived the disease.

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 178,480 cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed among women and 1,690 among men this year in the United States.

"It hit close to home. That was a source of inspiration to go on the climb," said Kisser.

Kisser took a Mountaineers basic course to prepare for the challenge.

She trained on the steep trails of Tiger Mountain and Mt. Stuart in the North Cascades. Mt. Stuart, at 9,415 feet, is the tallest non-volcanic peak in the state.

The Climb to Fight Breast Cancer team started up the mountain on July 6 and reached Camp Muir.

From there, Kisser took a moment to study the Mt. Rainier looming over her.

"It was overwhelming, looking at the mountain, knowing that is where you are heading," said Kisser.

They reached Ingraham flats via the Cowlitz Glacier the next day.

"It was super windy," said Kisser.

She came down with altitude sickness and felt spaced out and nauseous.

On July 8, the final leg of the climb, others dropped out of the ascent, Kisser thought about the people who helped pledge money for her attempt.

"It made me determined to go for the summit. The only thought that kept me going were all those people who supported me with donations and inspired me to go to the top," said Kisser.

Five of the team members, including Kisser and the guides started the final part of the climb at midnight.

The weather is better at night. The snow and ice are more solid and stable. All the climbers wore headlamps.

"It was tough. I was short of breath. I thought what am I doing here. It's the middle of the night," said Kisser.

She put one foot in front of the other, step by step up Mt. Rainier.

It was so windy it was hard to move her feet forward.

Another climber than turned back with a guide leading her down.

Once Kisser and the others got to the top of Rainier, they rested in the crater.

It was 5 a.m. and the sun was beginning to rise.

"It was awe inspiring, the sunrise over the mountain," said Kisser.

On the way down, Kisser saw the crevasses, steep slopes and seracs she had not seen in the darkness.

"Plus the sheer vastness of the place is overwhelming," she said.

"Coming down, it was breathtaking, other worldly. You see everything you did not see coming up," said Kisser.

Once back at Paradise at the base of Mt. Rainier, Kisser said she ate a well deserved cheeseburger and a blackberry shake.

"I hope to do it again. It was a great experience for me," said Kisser.

She has been a Ballard resident for four years.

Read more at http://www.climb.kisser.org.