Curt Remington's Blog

Mt Baker, Washington state’s second most active volcano, is a hulking mass of rock and snow that towers over anything around it. Those of us living in Whatcom county look up at it regularly, as you can see it from miles away. In June of 2005, four friends and I made our way up the Coleman Deming Glacier route, to the top of the mountain. Having stood amongst the seracs and crevasses, looking down on the clouds below, gave me a whole new perspective on Mt Baker. Since our route is visible from much of the county, I’ve looked up many times, remembering.

Mt Baker and Wiser Lake, Washington

The mountain is thickly covered with glaciers, holding the world record for snowfall. The nearby ski area got 96 feet of it in the winter of 1998/99. With all that ice and snow, climbing the mountain required specialized glacier gear & techniques.

Climbing route w/our camp and crevasses in lower right

One of the most serious dangers is crevasses, cracks in the ice that can be as deep as 100 feet. Many of these crevasses are covered with snow bridges, which have the potential of breaking as you cross them. To avoid plunging to the bottom of a crevasse, we roped together and carried climbing harnesses, prusiks and other rescue gear like snow pickets and pulleys. For traveling on ice, we also used mountaineering boots with crampons and carried ice axes. Along with all the climbing gear, we carried a lot of backpacking gear for camping on the mountain.

Actually climbing the mountain turned out to be an intense mixture of misery and euphoria. Most of the misery came from carrying all that gear through snow, trudging step after step up 7100 feet of elevation gain.

Our camp, high on Coleman Glacier

Euphoria came during the moments that I stopped, took a few deep breaths and turned to see the incredible views. By the first afternoon, we climbed high onto the glacier and set-up camp at an elevation of 8500 feet. The sun dropped beyond the mountains and San Juan Islands stretched out to the west of us.

The camaraderie of my climbing partners also added immensely to the trip. We worked well together as a team, and all us remained in good spirits, picking on each other just enough to keep things light.  

I woke up that night, having slid towards the opening of our steeply sloped tent. That got me to thinking about the snow outside, which was freezing into slippery ice. I also realized that we’d never staked the tent down. What if it starts sliding toward that crevasse field below us? I could feel that the snow wasn’t freezing directly under us. Whew! My next thought was that I really had to pee, and two other guys were blocking the exit. I sat up in my sleeping bag and pondered whether I should wake them. Instead, I laid back down to think about it some more.

Sunset over the San Juan Islands

Before long, 2:30 AM arrived, and it was time for everyone to get up and start climbing. In the early morning hours, snow bridges and the loose snow would be solid, safer and easier to cross. After a quick breakfast, we strapped on our gear, roped together, turned on our headlamps and started up the glacier, carefully watching for crevasses in the dark. And yes, we came across a few. On one snow bridge, we looked down into a hole where someone’s leg broke through. A number of crevasses required jumping over. On the far side of one, Kerry caught his crampon and did a spectacular flip, while the rest of us plunged down onto our ice axes to pull the climbing rope tight and prevent him from going deeply into the crevasse. He landed clear of the crevasse, got up and brushed the snow off.

By sunrise, we climbed over a ridge, opening up stunning views of the North Cascades. Mt Rainier glowed orange, 100 miles to the south of us, and the early sun just lit up many of mountains between us and Rainier. It felt like nothing but clear, thin air separated us and heaven. Next, I looked up at our last obstacle, the Roman wall, a thousand vertical feet of steep, icy terrain. We slowly made our way up in a line, stopping regularly to catch our breath. We used the “french technique” or “flat-footing” to keep our crampons in contact with the snow, walking sideways with ankles bent at peculiar angles. Occasionally, I looked down on the crevasses far below and realized that if we all started sliding, they would be the only thing to stop us. With that thought in mind, I placed each step, and each thrust of my ice ax, very carefully.

Eventually, the slope lessened and we reached the massive top of the dome. What a wonderful relief. We strode across with pride to stand on the knob that is Mt Baker’s true summit. I was elated! This confirmed what I had wondered most of the way up, that I could do it. We were on top of the world. My next thought was that it’s all downhill from here.

Curt, Kerry & Andre on top of Mt Baker

The downhill felt worse than the climb up. We were tired, sore and started breaking through the soft snow on the way down. But the long trudge down gave me plenty of time to reflect on our trip and to contemplate the big plate of pasta I planned to eat at Tino’s Restaurant that night.

What is heaven like? Where do our loved ones go? Many of us have pondered these questions at some time in our life. My wife and I have learned a great deal about the spirit world, through clairvoyant readings, books we’ve read and through trips to the Akashic Records, the main library in heaven. You read that right, there is an enormous library in heaven that holds records of everyone that has ever lived, every thought, word or action. The famous psychic, Edgar Cayce, got most of his information from the Akashic Records, and many modern clairvoyants access the records regularly.

My wife Mary planned to do some psychic reading and to make a trip to the Akashic Records. She generously asked if I had a question for her to read. After meditating on it, the question, “what is heaven like?” popped into my head. I don’t believe that was a random thought, but rather a well-planned question suggested by an advanced spirit. Angels and advanced spirits would like those of us on earth to become more aware of the spirit world, to help us let go of our fears and to shift our priorities in a more positive direction. These advanced spirits also knew that Mary and I would share this information with you, so Mary was provided with a wonderful tour.

For more information on similar experiences, I’d suggest any of Dr Michael Newton’s books. Through his hypnotherapy techniques, Dr Newton’s helped over 7000 people experience heaven and change their life with what they learned. You can find two of his books on my shopping page,  Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls.You can also find more information in my Science and Heaven article.

Heavenly Sunset Over the San Juan Islands

The following is Mary’s description of her trip:

After reaching a deep state of meditation or trance, my out-of-body trip began. I reached the library which looks like an ancient Greek, marble building with columns in the front and a massive entry. Inside, bookshelves line the aisle and extend a vast distance, to the end. There are offshoot aisles, leading to different rooms. Floating quickly, to the far end of the building, I found a rounded glass atrium filled with exotic trees, plants, flowers, ponds, etc.  I also saw other spirit in the library, doing their own research.  They appeared as lights or energy. I could sense them, and they could sense me. There seemed to be a curiosity about one another. Inside the atrium area, I sat down in front of a small pond to take in the tranquil beauty. Then, I asked my question.  “What is heaven like?”

A beautiful angel with translucent white wings came and offered to escort me on a tour. We entered a place that was very bright, warm and comforting. I couldn’t see much because it was so bright, but other spirits surrounded me and I felt safe and loved. It felt somehow familiar. I then went on to see such things as a sailboat out on the ocean , a canyon, deep and massive like the Grand Canyon, rushing rivers and fields of wild flowers.  Wherever we went, I got a real sense of freedom, peace and love.  There was no judgment, no anger and no resentment, just harmony. It was a place where we all could just be. 

Wherever we went, we went quickly, with no effort. We soared through the clouds, overlooking a castle surrounded by wild horses running free and beautiful tropical gardens. I saw giraffes, zebras and spotted leopards. We then flew into space, surrounded by infinite galaxies, stars and planets. From space, I suddenly began to see glimpses of the lives of loved ones back home, like watching them on a TV screen. I got the sense that we really do stay connected to those we left behind after we pass.

Next, the angel showed me some of the things we do while we are in heaven. Students and teachers gathered in a large courtyard with tables and benches. This place of learning seemed similar to school on earth.  I also saw a large auditorium, filled with small individual viewing screens, where many spirits were gathered. One could preview the potential lives they would reincarnate to on the viewing screens.  It seemed that spirits were working together on this, as if they may take a life together or to help one another choose lives where they could work on lessons they may still need to learn.

We also visited a place with pods (large spherical bubbles) that serve as a home base for different soul groups to gather. I asked to be brought to my pod, and when I arrived, I sensed the essence of many people I’ve known in my life.  It felt like I belonged there. I had a strong desire to stay, but of course, this was just a tour, and that was not possible.  

The last image I saw was that of an enormous, glowing source of energy, similar to the sun.  I saw a steady stream of spirits, one row on each side, entering the underside of this source of energy and then coming out the top on each side. The source seemed like God, or at least a part of God. I was told that they were getting cleansed, renewed. Impure thoughts were being released, to be replaced with pure love. It was an amazing sight. Describing this trip can’t begin to explain how it felt to be there, witnessing it. What I will say is this, Heaven is vast with no borders that can define it.  It goes beyond what the imagination can comprehend and it certainly is a place I look forward to returning to.