GRESHAM, Ore. — For years, 28-year-old Gresham climber Abby Nita looked at Oregon’s tallest mountain and thought climbing it was impossible. But after taking up hiking and mountaineering over the last two years, she finally stood atop Mount Hood on May 9, then broke down in tears after safely making it back to the parking lot.
Now, a TikTok video documenting her before and after experience has drawn more than 6 million views, striking a chord with viewers for its raw honesty about the mental toll of climbing the 11,240-foot volcanic peak.
The video follows a social media trend where people record themselves before and after physically exhausting or emotionally intense experiences. Nita’s video begins with a smiling clip of her saying “My I’m Abby and this is me before summiting Mount Hood.” The video captioned “Worst experience of my entire life btw” ends with her visibly emotional after returning from the climb…