Sunrunner

2 weeks ago I shot the shit w/ one of the RNP Climbing Rangers and discussed the solo permit. He had just issued out a ticket to some lady who decided to solo herself and not gone through the permit process. When the Ranger approached her and asked for her name somewhere around 13,500', she gave him something like "Jane Smith" which he promptly radioed back in to learn that there were no solo permit recipients on the mountain under that name. Point is- don't decide to go climbing w/o a permit thinking noone will notice you- you'll actually stick out like a sore thumb amongst all the rope teams dotting the slopes. Two weeks before that, I had a guy at Muir approach me at midnight and ask if he could join my rope team or have me cut off 10' of my rope for $12. He had on trail runners. Wtf!? Where do these people come from. To receive a solo permit, you need to submit your request ~3 wks in advance with a detailed breakout of what you plan on doing: route, dates, bivvy sites. You also need to be able to give the Park adequate warm fuzzies that you know what you are doing and how you are going to deal with problems you have a strong likelihood of encountering up high (Example: A snow bridge you are crossing gives way. What now, solo climber?) From reading this posting thread, I'd recommend a solo climb on Baker or try and team up with a competent group. DC is closed for the season anyway and for a new climber to the mountain the lead around and down to Emmons from Ingraham Flats can be tricky if he's not familar with where the route is leading him. Just my two cents also..

Great trip report! The Marines all made it out safely, thanks for watching out for us.. and for the info you gave us on the trail- came in handy.