College Rainier Days

Back in college at Seattle Pacific University I did a lot of mountaineering. Sadly, I haven't done too much since then. And then was in the early 90s!

Now my Dad is going to turn 60 in just two weeks. He also did a lot of mountaineering, but it was more like the late 60s for him!

To celebrate his birthday we've organized a group to climb Mount Rainier, AKA "The Mountain", again. We'll be going up the Emmons/Winthrop route on the eastern side. It starts at the White River Campground to Glacier Basin where we'll stay the first night, then up to Camp Schurman at about 9000 feet the second night. We'll get a very early start and then up to the top (14,410) and back to Camp Schurman. Instead of pushing it all the way down, we'll give ourselves another night at Camp Schurman and then back down the rest of the way the next morning.

Dad climbed this way once, and via the Paradise/Camp Muir to Emmons route the first time. I climbed twice, with one summit, both times via the Paradise route. I'm really looking forward to seeing a different part of the peak. This route starts at Paradise, then up to Camp Muir via the Muir snowfields. Most parties camp there, but both times I went we continued on across the Cowlitz glacier to the Ingraham flats on the Ingraham glacier. This put us ahead of the guided groups and over 3/4 of the parties on the peak wich makes for a much nicer day two. The first time we moved out up the rocks of the Disappointment Cleaver to the Emmons glacier and the summit, the second time was earlier in the summer and we were able to go straight up the Ingraham glacier and curve right to the Emmons above the Cleaver. Much nicer. Sadly the weather turned on us and we found ourselves in white out conditions despite it being a beautiful day and one of our guys had numb hands so we turned back. The weather of course cleared and was beautiful on the way down!

Below are pictures I scanned in from those trips. It will be fun to compare to the pictures I hope to have of the attempt at the end of June!

Just above Paradise, ready to go all the way!

The trail up to Muir is very interesting and beautiful.

Mount Adams off in the distance from the Muir snowfields.

At Camp Muir with the Snowfields below. Days not done yet!

The Ingraham Flats - a great place to camp.

One of the more interesting aspects of camping on the Flats - don't stray too far at night! This cravase could eat a house and it was only a litte ways from our camp. In fact, you can see its end just over my friend's heads in the picture above.

This was looking over the way to the right, you can see a bit of the path there...

Why bother with a tent when you can get a great night's rest under the stars! I'm reading the classic guide by Fred Becky that my then girlfriend (a beauty named Melody!) had given me. She said maybe it would end up on "our" bookcase some day and it did!

Dawn and we've already climbed up the Cleaver by the light of our headlamps. A brutal and tedious climb. The coming of the dawn was a welcome sight.

On the way up!

The Summit! I got sick at about 13500 or so, didn't drink enough water either. I didn't have much energy up top, but started to feel better as we started down. Still, the summit is the summit and I made it!!

I'm pretty sure this was on the way down when I started feeling much better.

At the top of the cleaver, a long way to go down still!

Looking down through Cadaver Gap. Somewhere way down there is Paradise and the end of the trip...

My team (Scott, Jim and Trevor) for climb two. Does it look like it would turn into a white out on top the next day?!

Roping up on the Cowlitz glacier on the way to Cathedral Gap and the Ingraham glacier

Familar digs on the Flats. Amazing sunny weather.

Looking south to Little Tahoma Peak.

Looking up the mountain from just below camp. You can see the faint path on the right of the shadow as it zig-zags directly up the Ingraham glacier. Compare to the picture above as I came down the mountain and you can see how it was possible to avoid the cleaver this time and stay on the glacier. The difference between about a month of climbing season - earlier means less cravasses. You can see some slight plums of snow kicking off the top from the wind we'd run into the next day.

After dawn we took a break at a big bergschrund. We had to kick steps up through this to keep going. It was the most technical part of this climb, and it was about an hour latter that we had to turn back due to the white out and a team members numb-cold hands. It is always smarter to turn back than to go to far...

Taking a break after we got down a ways and out of the wind and white out. Disappointed not to summit again, but still having a great climb. Note the old school wood ice axe I used in those days. It was my Moms! I finally retired it a few years ago and now have a more modern one for this next climb. It is displayed on the wall proudly. Hanging from it just over my elbow you can see my old school helmet that I used - it was Dads. I just replaced that a month ago for the new trip.

Looking through Cadaver Gap, this time with much less cravasses than the picutre from the first climb.

Heading down the Ingraham glacier. No sign of the winds above...

Camp far below on the flats, the path is a practical highway coming up the glacier.

Taking a break. Sunburn on Trevor was pretty bad and is a reminder that the sun off the snow can be killer.

Back at camp. Trevor wearing a scarf to protect his face from further burns...

So, no pictures of cute kids or any recent updates. Quite the opposite as the pictures are all from over 15 years ago! But it is fun to remember those climbs and to look forward to the climb at the end of June. Also, Dustin is such a climber already that it is fun for him to see pictures of his Dad climbing mountains. He is looking forward to doing these climbs himself (maybe even with me and William someday?).