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To a rock climber who is accustomed to exposure while climbing mountains, Pacific's west ridge is probably no big deal. To a hiker like me, it was frightening. The sun was rising directly over the summit, which made scoping the route difficult. I would not recommend this route to anyone but hard core seasoned climbers. Having done it, I would never do it again. Beyond a certain point, I couldn't turn back because it seemed more dangerous to go down than to climb up. I was still 500 feet from the 13,950 foot summit when I saw the three climbers who passed me earlier reach the top.