SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - Capt. Rebecca Bissette, 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) Command and Control executive officer, traded in cake and presents to spend her most recent birthday climbing one of the most difficult mountains in the United States, Mount Rainier.

"I've wanted to summit Mount Rainier for several years," said Bissette, who serves as a Washington Air Guardsman at the Western Air Defense Sector at McChord Field when she's not working at the 618th TACC. "Every year there seemed to always be a thousand reasons why I shouldn't go, but I wasn't getting any younger and knew I should do something memorable."

Although having always loved the outdoors, she started mountaineering in 2003.

"I started mountaineering when I was stationed in California. Then my husband and I moved to Alaska and joined the Mountaineering Club of Alaska," said Bissette, who climbed Mount Hood while training for Mount Rainier. "I just wanted to see the vista and challenge myself, but the mountain views are just as spectacular as the people you meet."

Bissette had some experiences that almost prevented her from reaching Mount Rainier.

"Two years ago while I was climbing Mount Adams, I had a close encounter with a mountain lion, but luckily I escaped unharmed," she explained. "Later that year, I had an accident that messed up one of my knees. It hurt just going upstairs much less a mountain, but I did physical therapy and trained."

Despite the odds, Bissette was determined to commemorate her birthday on one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.

"I flew to Seattle on a Wednesday, and we started climbing the next day," said Bissette. "We climbed to Camp Muir, facing nasty rain, snow and sleet from an electrical storm on the way up. The weather finally cleared enough Friday to do some crevasse rescue training."

It was fortunate that Bissette and four of her colleagues were able to get additional training in before embarking on their climb. As it is also important to rest before performing a physically challenging task, they took a nap at 5 p.m., got up at 11 p.m. and started climbing after midnight.

"It was beautiful, I could see all the stars crystal clear, but the wind was 60-plus mile-per-hour wind, almost hurricane strength. It was piercing," said the captain, who reached the top of the volcano before 8 a.m.

Bissette teamed with several climbers she had met through her Air Force family and noted how much of a group effort it required.

"We were all roped together, so it's not just about you, but how everyone is doing," she said. "Safety was the most important thing. It is important to be willing not to risk your life if the conditions are not right. You can always climb another day."

The climbers unfortunately ran into a little bit of trouble, but were able to recover.

"On our way down, the snow had warmed up so there was no traction," Bissette said. "While descending two people slid down in front of me, like a controlled fall, but when it was my turn I had nothing left to plow against, so I turned over to self-arrest."

"There was not enough friction in the snow and I slid several feet," Bissette continued. "I yelled to the people who were waiting (teetering) on the crumbly volcano rocks above. I remember the snow in front of me and thinking if we didn't get in the right position, all five of us could go into the crevasse below. We were able to set up an anchor and get everyone to safety, but it gave me so much appreciation for life and I'm really thankful for everyday."

After an 18-hour climb, Bissette's birthday adventure was complete.

"Once we got down, it was a huge relief," said Bissette. "A group that we passed on the decent didn't fare as well; one of their members fell, broke some bones, and required a helicopter rescue. I'm glad we all made it to the top, but I'm equally glad that we all made it down safely."

As for what's next for Bissette, she's not sure, but she said she has a sequel in mind.

Photo: Capt. Rebecca Bissette, 618th Air and Space Operations Center executive officer, and a group of climbers conduct crevasse rescue training prior to climbing Mount Rainier. It was fortunate that the group had the chance to practice since it encountered an accident during the descent.