Alumni Spotlight: Andrew R. Woltman ’06
Associate, McGuireWoods, LLP
Back in law school, Andy Woltman took two classes with Professor Rick Garnett: criminal procedure and First Amendment law. They were demanding, but not as tough as the task the Notre Dame grad and his former professor set for themselves in July: attempting the 14,411-foot summit of Mount Rainier.
Woltman has hiked and climbed in Washington State’s Cascade and Olympic mountains for years. Garnett grew up in Alaska, trekking there and in South America. At Notre Dame, they would swap stories and photos from their adventures. “A couple friends and I would regularly get together with Professor Garnett outside of class and just talk about the world—everything from his experiences to politics, to the law as it plays out in the world to climbing mountains in Alaska.”
The two kept in touch when Woltman became an associate at the Chicago office of McGuireWoods, a large commercial litigation firm. Both had summited Rainier separately before, but when Garnett suggested they try a harder route with a small group of experienced climbers, Woltman jumped at the chance. “The opportunity was just what I was looking for,” he says, “so we picked a date and we committed and we went.”
With more glaciers and snowfields than any peak in the continental United States, Rainier presents both weather-related and technical challenges. “We had great weather and beautiful bluebird skies for most of the trip,” says Woltman, “but then we got hit with a pretty substantial wind and ice storm. Our camp was on an exposed rock face, so we weren’t sheltered from any of the elements. It was an experience,” he says.
“It was terrifying,” laughs Garnett.
They hunkered down in tents for 18 hours at 11,800 feet while the storm raged, with winds reaching 75 mph and temperatures hovering around zero. When the weather broke, Woltman was able to summit successfully and descend safely. Garnett decided to stay behind in camp. “It was disappointing, and a hard call,” says the husband and father of three young children, “but the right one.”
Woltman believes that since Garnett had reached the summit before, the decision to stay behind this time showed good judgment and a healthy respect for Rainier’s power. “Standing on the summit of that mountain—it’s an accomplishment in every sense of the word,” he says. But both student and professor agreed that the best part of the climb was the time they spent talking together, meeting other climbers, and simply enjoying the outdoors, far from the distractions of work and city.
“We all went to law school looking for significant careers,” says Woltman. “A lot of times we become very personally and emotionally attached to our work, which in some respects is healthy and in others, is not. To have the opportunity to step away for six days and really reset your focus on what you’re doing and why—without question, that’s the most rewarding thing I took out of this trip.”
