Josh Lewis

Not enough eye candy for you folks I suppose. Well I'll have to do better in the future.

Are you at least in good shape? That is the very minimum for you to climb Rainier. Any route up the mountain requires glacier travel which it is very much advised that you know that. This time of year has all sorts of crevasses open on the mountain making it a little trickier for beginners. Personally I would recommend the North Cascades area if your wanting to see some of the best of Washington.

Looks intense! Anyways, way to go get it!

No worries. Looked over the report which it looked potentially trouble some but not too bad. I'll have to save that one for another time. As for the CC, you should save it for next year. When it's completely dry it looks kinda boring (not to sound spoiled). During July one can glissade quite a bit of the mountain which is quite enjoyable.

I been wanting to climb West McMillan Spire for a while which is located in the Picket Range. It's no more than class 3 which most people do it in 3 days. I have from now until Sept. 24th. Unlike most peaks in the Pickets, this one has a nice trail to it from what I hear.

Buckaroo is right. I've done the CC which there is a scramble section but most of it is a walk up. I'd be willing to do the Sherpa Glacier.

From now until September 24th I have completely off. After that I have Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday off. So I have a pretty open schedule. I'm a very patient climber. So you'll have to let me know when you would want to do this. By the way, I very much appreciate you doing this. I been wanting to do this for a long time. I've wanted to get into ice climbing, but do it appropriately.

I know this is a bit of a stretch, but it's worth asking. Is there anyone here willing to take me on a ice climbing trip for practice? Perhaps the Baker Seracs or something similar which seem to be getting in season. I have a lot of alpine experience under my belt but have not officially climbed any near vertical ice. I have been on icy slopes that pretty much required ice tools which I own. My friend tough me some techniques to it. I know this is a bit of a request, but it would be extremely well appreciated. I'd be there trail breaker for winter climbs or what ever other things I can help with for future climbs (if wanted).

Looks like I missed the party. I'm free pretty much any time until September 24th for alpine trips.

"The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been." -Albert Einstein Jack Mountain is rarely ever climbed due to it's all around alpine difficulty. The Previous year Yem and I made an attempt up Jack Mountain in icy conditions. This time I came more prepared with better mountaineering skills, went in better condition, and brought my ice tool as a second axe. But it still ended up being an epic trip with many exciting moments as well as getting on the edge of my comfort level. This mountain lives up to it's reputation. It has been unusually cloudy this summer making it difficult to obtain a good weather window. When the forecast looked halfway decent, we knew that this would be the best time to make a go for Jack. Yem picked me up from my house on the morning of July 19th. On the way we enjoyed a quart of chocolate milk which is part of my mountaineering tradition. [video:youtube] Day 1: Going into Jerry Lakes Basin We arrive at the Canyon Creek trailhead around noon which meant that the day was already hot. The trail to "Crater Lake" is about 62 switch backs (we counted both on the way up and down) with about 3,900 feet of elevation gain. Crossing the creek this time was not as bad, although we still had to take our shoes off. Before arriving at the lake there were some downed trees on the trail which we had to climb over or go around. At the lake I had to go from tennis shoes to plastic boots due to the wet spots and eventually snow patches. The ending of the trail marked the beginning of the scramble up to the Jerry Glacier Saddle. There was a little bit of loose rock which is why I waited for Yem to climb up all the way until I would go up. I admit climbing in plastics isn't quite as friendly for scrambling as shoes. At the top of the scramble was a large snow patch that took us all the way to the saddle (7,200 feet). At the saddle we could see Jack Mountain and our camping destination below. We took a break and roped up for the Jerry Glacier. The rest of the way was an easy walk down about 1,300 feet of elevation loss. As we were hiking down I could see clouds rising over Jack Mountain making it questionable whether we would make a summit bid the next day. Finally we arrive at the Jerry Lakes which after a little searching we found a flat place to camp. As I cooked dinner I enjoyed the alpenglow on Crater Mountain. After this we got some well deserved rest. Day 2: Waiting out the Storm In the middle of the night it started to rain which is when I had to get up and put on my pack cover to prevent it from getting soaking wet outside. Sometimes I would wake up to the booming of thunder. During the morning was when the thunder was at it's worst which we could hear it crashing though the valley. Both of us were completely unmotivated to go outside which I slept in until about 2 p.m. The rain still continued which even the idea of advancing our base camp soon fell out of the question. Yem told me an amazing story of finding his dog in San Diego and other fun conversations as more hours pass by. Even during evening the sky was foggy making me wonder if the weather would cooperate during summit day. Even though I slept so much the previous night I still managed to sleep great that night as well. Day 3: The Summit Assault We woke at about 6:45 a.m. and made breakfast. Yem figured an early start would actually be a bad thing considering that on our previous attempt the icy traverse was some of the more sketchy climbing that I've ever done. We were on the move by 7:57 a.m. crossing around the Jerry Lakes. Once we were back on snow I took the lead because I was the only one with plastic boots which went though the snow like butter. And besides I love kicking in steps. The Saddle above was not as dangerous this time because of there being less snow. Once past the snow section we had to do an easy scramble section and then traverse to the saddle. At the Saddle we could barely see Jack Mountain though the clouds. Once again we had to drop down the valley and lose our beautiful elevation. As we went down there was a little bit of bushes which I kept my crampons on to make going down easier even though we were not on snow most of the time. At the bottom we finally stepped foot on Jack Mountain. I decided to go left to stay on snow as long as possible. Good mountaineering is about taking the path of least resistance, not the most direct way. I don't mind challenges, but no sense in going though bushes when you don't have to. As we hike up though the snow Jack Mountain comes out of the clouds, our good weather window had finally arrived. We continued on past our old camping spot from last year and got onto the first major snowfield of Jack Mountain. The snow conditions were nearly perfect. Not too soft, but easy to make steps for traversing. I was very pleased that I felt fully comfortable on this, the previous year was so icy that I dreaded every step. After traversing I went straight up the mountain towards our entrance onto the route. The tactic I used was easier because it avoids up sloping traverses. After an hour from when we entered onto the snowfield we arrived on the rocky section. Going up this part was much easier using crampons on the loose rock. We curved around the corner where it starts to become class 3. I took off my plastics and swapped to shoes. There was a cairn or two that ensured that we were going the right way. After more class 3 scrambling I come across a rappel sling and start to think "this route doesn't get any harder than class 3". A few seconds later my attitude changed very rapidly. The route traversed across a very exposed section that required very careful use of hands. I took one picture and put my camera in my pack (I usually don't put it away on scrambles). I admit that the class 4 section made me nervous, had to carefully plan out exactly where the steps were and test the holds. The rock was loose and crumbling away, looking down I could see rocks tumbling thousands of feet down the mountain in high speed. But I managed to feel fairly comfortable on this terrain. And I know I shouldn't be! Once I arrived at the second rappel sling, I could look directly down on my partner which was an amazing perspective. After a little while I set down my pack and climbed down to make sure that he was doing ok with the class 4 section. Once we both arrived safely at the rappel sling we were past the crux of the climb. But we still had a ways to go. I decided to take the ridge looking route up which was usually class 2 with a few class 3 spots. Eventually it ended which Yem told me that we had to get over to the snowfield on the left. To get there we carefully traversed over and slightly downward. Then the rest of the snow climbing was upwards. This part of the climb was an amazing experience for me. We used both axes at this part for speed and control going up the slope. Looking down was still exposed, but I didn't feel one bit nervous. I was excited as I kicked in each step saying to myself "This is Climbing as it should be". Yem and I joked back to each other saying random "Touching the Void" quotes. One of them being that "Climbing makes you feel more alive". The adrenaline was pumping and I knew that I was in my element. It had taken us about an hour and a half to climb the snowfield when we arrived onto the summit ridge. The ridge was quite pleasant, the rock was good for the most part and it was much safer than all the other climbing we did that day. Looking behind us was the West Ridge of Jack. The clouds were divided right at the ridge making it have a neat atmosphere to the place. There was one snow patch that I had Yem lead because I was in my tennis shoes. With a little more scrambling and a walk up "The Ramp" we arrived on the summit of Jack Mountain! On the summit I celebrated by having a pack of Oreo's with some milk (we used powdered milk). I promised Yem some which I was enjoying them so much that by the time I had only 3 left I realized I had to share. The views were quite incredible, but after about 30 minutes we had to make good time down the mountain. A Scary Descent I had not fully realized the gravity of what we had climbed. Going up I felt fantastic, but it wasn't until we started to go down that I realized that we had a situation coming up. We quickly scrambled down the ridge and got to the snowfield where I once again swapped to my plastics. As we climbed down the snow I was amazed at what we had gone up, but I was still feeling relatively comfortable. Going down took a lot of kicking in steps and ice ace placements. It was getting late in the day making it important that I down climb as fast as I safely can. At the bottom of the snow I carefully fill up our water bottles. It was a precarious spot to place my pack, but I knew that I had no choice. I was becoming very thirsty from all the kicking steps and could start to feel cramps coming on. From here we went slightly up and were soon off the snow. The down climbing had taken us about 2 hours. I swapped back to my shoes fast (every time I did this, to save time I kept the crampons and gators attached and put it in my pack) and was back to scrambling down. Every now and then one of us would send a rock down which we had to be careful about how we were in position of each other. I was surprised how fast we managed to get down to the second rappel sling. This is where things got scary. We got the rope ready and put it though the rappel ring, my biggest worry came true. It didn't reach. Looking down I dreaded the idea of having to get off the rope and down climb the last section. I knew that if there was anyone to go down first, it would have to be me. Looking around I said aloud "there's gotta be another way". We both knew there wasn't. This was the only way down. The rappel position was the worst I've ever seen. The people who put up the webbing couldn't have done much to fix this. With the slightest tug the webbing moved which worried me. We secured it on as best as we could. I said a prayer and got on with the rappel. To start out I had to go over to the right where there was a minor ledge. With one hand I held on to the brake and the other I held the rock. I had to traverse more towards the webbing to get it in motion. But as I got closer it became increasingly more over hang like. My arms were exhausted from the climbing and were starting to give way. I could not figure out a safe position to get to. If I fell, I could majorly swing and pull the sling in a bad direction. I was starting to shake from how scary it was and how strenuous it was. I was getting so tired that I couldn't grip my brake. If I fell it would be fatal. I was terrified. I was almost to the point of tears wondering what I could do. Yem could see that I was not having a good time and finally said "I'm going to have to ask you to take a leap of faith". My heart was pounding, I was trembling, but I knew that I could no longer stand idle. As hard as I could, as careful as possible I managed to brake in a awkward position and I fell back. The rock held and I continued to rappel down. I was breathing so heavy by this point, when I reached the bottom I was still breathing heavily in disbelief of what just happened. But we still were not down. I unclipped my device and looked for a way down. I made sure the ropes were even and called up that the rappel was as good as it can be. I suddenly heard the whistle of a rock coming right by me shattering into pieces and sailing down the mountain. I immediately hurried to an overhang spot, ducted my head, and hoped that I wouldn't get pelted by a rock. I heard more coming down as I waited on my insecure spot. One foot was being held up by a small hold, while the other I felt slowly sliding down. I was still terrified. As I look over I see the mountains glowing gloriously with orange and red colors. Normally I can take photographs on ledges and strange place, but not this time. Finally Yem arrives down which we had two options for going down. Both of them looked bad. After making careful observations one of them looked outright awful and would be a serious mistake. The one on our right however was possible but not pleasant. Yem came up with a fabulous idea of girth hitching a sling to another sling to the rope. This would give me just enough length to get to the class 4 section. I carefully down climbed this section and on to the class 4 section. Yem mentioned the idea of leaving my rope, he could tell right away that although I might say yes, he knew I might possibly go back for it. So he saved my rope by soloing that section which I very much appreciated. Epicing on the Side of the Mountain The sun had already set which we now had to make best of the remaining day light left. We some what quickly scrambled down the class 3 section and around the corner came back to the snowfield. Going up this class 2 section with crampons was much easier than hiking down in shoes because of the loose rock. I swapped back to boots and we got our headlamps out. It was back to kicking steps and ice axe plunging. By now it was officially night. The snow was solidifying making every step and axe placement more difficult than coming up. Eventually we reach the bottom and can faintly make out our tracks. The sun melted out our steps for the most part making it hard to see where exactly they were. I told Yem "When you get to my house, you can have all you can eat ice cream". It took a while to cross the snowfield which once we were on the other side I could finally start having thoughts "I think I'm gonna make it out alive"! When we got onto the rock it was hard to make out exactly where we were. "I can't see Jack's eastern high point" I said to Yem which was a sign of us not traversing enough. I kept my crampons on because I was too tired to bother with them, plus they helped with the scree. We had a rigged idea of where we were, but could not find enough evidence of places we been. So we decided to go to the snow and find the bowl which would lead us back to our tracks. "Found the trail" I said with a smile. A few minutes later I announced "lost the trail". Our route up went to the right of where we were, but unfortunately we turned too early. It was steep down below as we traversed on snow. Finally it was time to turn around and back track. Back at our newer tracks we cut right though the bushes. Yem mentioned "You don't mind if we sleep here on the mountain?". At first I didn't like the idea which we did a little more exploring and found a creek. With it was two okay spots to sleep on. "I admit, I'm pretty beat myself" I said. So I approved of the idea and filled up our waters. Unfortunately I had forgotten my shell pants back at camp which I only had shorts for my legs. Yem had some thin long johns he let me borrow. Camp was still a long ways away, and if we were to have tried it we had a bit of elevation gain as well. Oh how I wished that my -20 degree bag that was at camp was with me. I managed to get perhaps 3-4 hours of sleep that night. But every time I woke up I felt very cold and was shivering. Those parts of the night felt very long. I felt so thirsty yet I did not want to move and lose heat. During the early light hours Yem and I were not getting anymore sleep which we were both shivering. Finally we got up, and started the hike down. Day 4: The Long Haul Home We did a little bit of traveling though bushes but were down at the bottom in decent time. Looking behind us I could see steams of clouds coming in which I figured meant a storm. We hiked back up to the saddle in about an hour and was able to see our camp down below. Carefully we hiked down to the lake and back to camp. After a good breakfast I took a half hour nap. Yem woke me up and said we had to go. All sorts of mosquitoes were buzzing around the tent. I felt unmotivated to go outside, but knew the sooner we got out, the better. As I packed my gear I had to keep circling the camp to reduce the chances of getting bit. This made packing take longer. The mosquitoes were getting quite bad which is why I was happy to leave the camp spot. Slowly we slog up hill toward the Jerry Glacier. By the time we arrive the clouds had fully come in making it low visibility. I had Yem lead this part because my legs were tired from all the snow kicking the previous day. Hiking though the fog we missed the saddle. Fortunately it clears for a short spell and we see the way we need to go. At the edge of the glacier we unrope and take a short break. The rest of the way down was easier going with good visibility. With a little bit of navigation and staying to the left we arrive at "Crater Lake". Before long were on the 62 switch back trail making great time. After hiking down for a while we arrive at the trailhead. As compensation for kicking in steps Yem buys me dinner at Marblemount which I was very pleased. And of course I had to get chocolate milk for the way home. This was a very exciting trip with many experiences on the way. Anyone climbing this mountain I urge you to know that it takes years of mountaineering and is quite an under taking. I want to thank my partner Yem for his research, driving, and good company on this trip. This trip filled my adventure cup for a while, most mountains don't even come close. This trip takes place from July 19-22, 2012.

Nice photos, glad to see you and Adam made it up there. Wish I could have been there. I assumed it was an overnight trip which tomorrow I have a trip to the Ptarmigan Traverse.

For those interested I have a page dedicated to this route: http://www.summitpost.org/south-face-via-crater-mountain/804167 [img:center]http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/804220.jpg[/img]

Thanks Dave, I certainly have. I still have a ways more to go, but now it's safe to say I'm well rounded with mountaineering. Definitely, the people of CC have always been more respectful with my trip reports.

Thanks.

Nice report. I climbed the South Face myself a while back. Personally I liked having more snow on the face. Dry loose rock is not as much fun.

Nice time lapse. I decided to add it to the Eldorado Peak page as seen here: http://www.summitpost.org/eldorado-peak/150316#chapter_14

Another great trip report! I admit after seeing this report I'm already wanting to return to the Picket Range. Good job you two!

Awesome tool! Very useful. Works fine on my end.

Yeah... my buddy was crossing his fingers before we went on this side of the mountain. There is always next time.

"Do not wish for easier lives, wish to be stronger men" -John F. Kennedy "I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate." -Vincent van Gogh This was quite the undertaking. The previous year I climbed Mount Rainier in two days which was a little bit tiring, but not a big deal. This time it was both physically and mentally challenging due to the high altitude. We would be heading up from Sea level to 14,411 feet in about 14 hours which I had never done anything like this. Though out the summer I had been climbing so many mountains that you get to a point where nothing is hard anymore, you find yourself wanting a new challenge, something completely new. On this trip I got more than what I bargained for. My buddy Eastking introduced me to his friend Jordan who turned out to be a nice guy. Jordan called me up asking if I wanted to climb Rainier, his work had his free time limited which I purposed the idea of doing it in a single day. My brother Michael decided to join on this trip making us a solid 3 man rope team. The weather at first was looking quite questionable, but every time I've been on Rainier I was above the clouds. This was perhaps the hardest climb I did all year. I started off my adventure hiding multiple buses to get to Jordan's house in Seattle. From his house we took off towards Paradise for our Rainier climb. Although it was misty, I was pleased that it was not raining on us when we first stepped out. The snow had been long since gone in comparison to my previous attempt. On our way to Camp Muir I saw some Lupine Flowers, Marmots, and some nice clearings though the clouds. As we near Camp Muir we get above the clouds just in time to see the alpenglow of sunset. It was quite rewarding just getting to Camp Muir. At camp Muir we decided to take a rest and have dinner before we got up into the higher altitude. My brother noticed that he was running low on head lamp power which he was forced to ask the ranger for extras. The ranger then told us all about the mountain conditions and was nice to us. After getting tried in we were ready to cross the Cowlitz Glacier. Crossing the Cowlitz was easy as expected, the altitude was not effecting me so far. The Cathedral Rocks were a bit of a hassle because the rope would get caught in the rocks making us have to slow down and whip the rope out of them. As we got near Ingraham Flats Michael was starting to feel the altitude which I kept in mind but did not think much of it. As we got higher breaks became more frequent, but still at a decent pace. When ever I went to get a drink of water I would have ice chunks making it less desirable to get a drink. But I forced myself to because I knew it was necessary. As we got onto the Cleaver I started feeling sleepy. I've always heard about warnings against headaches, dizziness, and other sick feelings when at high altitude. But rarely do I hear about people complaining about getting ridiculously sleepy. I was feeling strong in my legs and in the lungs, but the altitude was starting to get to me. There is a point where we should have turned around sooner, but the ambition and that strive for pushing a challenge compelled us to continue. It wasn't about making the summit. Both Jordan and I have already summited before. Michael's physical condition was deteriorating quite rapidly and I silently nodded knowing that we wouldn't make it. Jordan wanted to see at least how far we could make it. This was now beginning to be a challenge because you just become so tired that you look at a pile of rocks and think to yourself "That would be so nice if I could just for sec lay down and sleep" but I knew how dangerous that would be. You tell yourself things like "Get a hold of yourself, we got a climb to do". After pressing on for what seemed like hours we were near the top of the Disappointment Cleaver. Michael finally announced that he cannot press on anymore in the condition that he was in. So we finally decided to call it quits and save this for another time. Going down was a bit frightening. I was so sleepy that if we even as much as stood there for a few seconds idol, I would instantly fall asleep. The scariest moments are when you wake up to plunging in your ice axe and feeling like you could have slipped just then down the steep icy slope below. Staying awake was not easy to do when the altitude is effecting you more than you had anticipated. I would end up having to do everything I could to maintain a focus on what I was doing. When we got down lower it was a big releaf. After crossing the Cowlitz Glacier we rested for a while and watched the sunrise. The weather now was nearly perfect. The snow was a bit icy on the way down but manageable. After an hour or so we were back to the car. This was quite a tiring trip. But my Rainier goal was not complete yet, a few weeks later I returned. From my previous day attempt I knew this would be a challenging climb. This time my brother did not come in knowing that it would be too much for him. For the approach Jordan invited a friend who had little mountaineering experience. I was fortunate enough to get a hide from Jordan this time which meant no hours of busing and waiting which was nice. Like the other times, the weather was not looking so good, it was raining on the ride in which I was starting to estimate that we had between a 10-33% chance of making it. "What food will I need for the trip?" asked our driver. Jordan replied "Oh just a subway sandwich" which I laughed at this comment. "What would say say for a winter ascent of Rainier?" I asked. "Perhaps a second subway sandwich". When starting out on the trail my boots felt quite tight making my feet have a pulsing feeling. This worried me, but fortunately this went away after a while of hiking. This was once again the usual hike up through Panorama Point, Pebble Creek and up the Muir Snow field in the fog. Near Camp Muir the fog started to clear up some revealing Rainier although some of it still lingering and rising. This time we made it to Camp Muir at about 3:20 p.m. which we rested for about an hour and started the crossing of the Cowlitz Glacier. Scrambling the rocks during the day is much easier considering that you don't go off route. During the night some of the rock looks similar to the trail making it sometimes slower going. When we got above Cathedral Rock we were officially above the clouds. I suddenly became a lot more optimistic about us making it. We were making great time, from Camp Muir to Cathedral Gap in about 20 minutes. But just as the weather was getting nicer above, as we cross over to Ingraham Flats the winds start picking up. At this time of year the Ingraham Glacier is quite broken up requiring us to go up a little bit of the Direct Route and then back down in order to get to the Cleaver. There are a few minor crevasse jumpings along the way. Before crossing onto the Cleaver there was perilous section that went over a snow bridge. There was no margin for error here, one one side you have a 50 foot drop below you, if you step in the wrong spot on the bridge it might collapse, and to your right is a very large cliff making this section the second most dangerous part of the climb. Also this spot has rock falling hazard as well. The winds returned making the puffy jackets very nice to have. The sun had long since passed beyond the mountain making the air much cooler and giving the landscape an evening like feel. We had to make the best of our day light situation which is why we rushed up the Cleaver. Once we got above the Cleaver we were back on the glacier which was heavily broken up. We ended up having to curve far over to the right to avoid an impassible crevasse field which for the most part there was a pathway. But every now and then we would come across a section that you would ask yourself "Is this the way?". Darkness came over the mountain, it was time to turn on the headlamps. There were now numerous crevasses that we passed by and step overs that we had to be careful. One of the latters to avoid a crevasse section was out of commission due to the glacier being to broken up. A moment later we came across what I consider the most dangerous part of the route. Most people who climb Rainier won't have to deal with this part as long as they don't climb in late season. The pathway suddenly seemed to have vanished, Jordan and I had to descend in a bowl like section. As Jordan took a few more steps I could head crackling noises and what sounded like we were going to break though! I instantly was in a bit of a panic wondering what would happen next. We spotted a set up rope that crossed over a very precarious crevassed section. It certainly would not be ideal to travel in the same way that the rope was set up. After hearing more crackles and seeing the icicles and the over hang behind us I realized we were on a ice shelf. Fortunately it was so compact and icy that it remained solid. If I recall correctly there was a jump that we had to be very careful about and make a big leap. After the Ice Shelf section and a few mini crevasse crossings things became a lot safer. But at the same time we were gaining altitude. I was becoming very thirsty from the climb, every time I got a drink it was less and less desirable with the fact that the lid and the water was freezing over. It got to the point where I couldn't get the lid off until I banged it on a rock, then I had to use my ice axe to chip out enough ice to get a few sips of water. Looking to the East we could see the moon rising in a bright glorious red color, Jordan asked me "Wow! Is that the sun?" which I found humorous because it resembled it quite a bit. Getting up to 14,000 feet was fairly easy with little obstacles. I managed to find a spot that was out of the winds to capture a 60 second shutter speed shot of the view to the East. But the down side was that it made my hands very cold. I once once again feeling quite sleepy, but unlike last time I felt as though I had a bit more energy in me and by this point we were almost there. Before getting to the crater rim there was a latter that goes over a big crevasse. What made it feel a little worry some was the fact that as you got on the ladder, it slid as you climbed across it. I held onto the provided rope just in case the ladder slid too far and fell in. After the ladder crossing it was a walk to the crater rim. At the crater rim many people unrope here, but we were so tired and the fact that the winds were blowing hard made the idea unappealing. As we crossed the crater rim I started realizing why it might have been a good idea because the rope was constantly catching on Penitentes (ice spikes) making travel a bit more difficult. But soon we were out of the snow and onto the final rock section. I was feeling the altitude more than ever, but with us being 200 feet from the summit we slowly scrambled/hiked to the summit at about 11:20 a.m. I was excited to have completed this challenge. We stayed on the summit for about 2 minutes because the winds were blowing quite hard making us feel quite cold. The night sky was so beautiful, like being on top of the world. We could see distant city lights while at the same time being above the clouds with the moon shining brightly above. Every 1,000 feet of altitude we lost I felt much better and became less sleepy. My headlamp was semi low on power which for much of the way down I turned it off to save power. The moon light was so bright with the reflecting snow that I could see quite fine. The only real worry some parts on the way down were coming back through the ice shelf and getting off the Disappointment Cleaver. It was kinda funny running into the guides and such at 2 a.m. and telling them that we summited hours ago. The way down was pleasant in the sense that the winds stopped and it seemed warmer than before. After passing through Ingraham camp for some reason we got a little lost looking for the pathway. We had to walk over more mini crevasses looking for the right way until I finally decided it would be best to go towards the ridge of Cathedral Rock which eventually brought us to a boot path. I considered taking off my crampons for the rest of the trip, but kept them on for the Cowlitz Glacier. This turned out to be a bad idea on my end. I was so tired that I kept tripping over my own crampons. I became heavily sleepy and was in a state of stumbling, partly because my ankles were giving way. "Hold yourself together, maintain focus" I whispered to myself. A second later I instantly lost focus and nearly fell on my face. This was one of the more miserable moments on the mountain were you start thinking to yourself "I need to take a break from mountaineering for a little while". Or at least those are your thoughts on the mountain when your exhausted. Part way across the Cowlitz Glacier I finally decided to take off my crampons because it was too painful to keep stumbling and nearly twisting my ankle on each step. Seeing Camp Muir ahead was such a teaser because I knew our pace was slowing down to a dreadful pace. A while later we arrive at Camp Muir at about 3:52 a.m. and finally take a rest. I'll admit I was not soar, but was mostly sleepy. We decided it would be best to rest for a few hours before going back down. Just getting into my bunk was challenging because every time I did anything, it made quite a bit of noise which people were trying to sleep. I had to make very slow movements but eventually had myself situated. Then I instantly fell sleep. Waking up 2 and a half hours later we decide to finally to pack our gear and head on down. The Muir snow field was a bit icy. I did not feel like wearing crampons again, so what I did was I used the textured snow field where it dips in to help me slow down as I went down hill in fast motion. After getting out of the snow I ran much of the way down in order to get to the parking lot in time to get an official less than 24 hour ascent and descent. On the way I saw some beautiful flowers and marmots. I made it down with time to spare. I was disappointed that I had no victory treat because my crampons had punctured a hole in the soda can that I was looking forward to. This happened earlier on in the trip. On the way back home I once again had to take multiple buses. When I got home I could finally get some well deserved rest. Doing this mountain in a single day makes all the difference in the world in the difficulty. To see more eye candy and better formatting see my post on Alpine Ascent

View better formatted version on my website. Date: 7/13/2012 This was perhaps the most difficult peak of the Mountain Loop Highway that I have ever done. The trip ranged from bushwhacking to snow climbing and ended with steep dirt near the top. Thunder storms were predicted in the forecast which even with this factor this was our best shot at Morning Star. After getting back from Colorado my buddy Gimpilator invited me on this trip which we had been wanting to do for many years. The weather in the morning was mostly clear with a few scattered clouds. [video:youtube] We started out at the Sunrise Mine trail and hiked .3 miles to the Stillaguamish River. After this the trail began to slowly fade away as we started hiking into bushes. I don't mind casual bushwhacking, but once it gets to the point where I'm constantly getting cut up it starts to get out of hand. As we hike towards Del Campo Peak, the sticker bushes start up as well as the mosquitoes. Eventually I decided to put on gaiters to protect my legs. An hour and a half later we break out of the sticker bushes and cross the Stillaguamish River. We passed by the "House Rock" which is where the entrance gully up Morning Star is. Thank goodness the bushwhacking gets much friendlier on the mountain itself. After a few minutes the gully forks which is when we head left. There was a few times I fell due to the slick rocks and bushes. About 2 hours from when we crossed the river we arrive on the snow which slowly traverses south and marks the end of the bushwhacking. I was very happy to be on snow as well as being able to get views of the surrounding peaks. As we arrive onto "Morning Star Basin" we see a large forming thunder cloud. Gimpilator and I are not quite sure whether to turn around or not. If this was a casual outing I would be totally fine with going back. But we endured quite a deal of bushwhacking and to have to turn around when were almost there... hmmmm. I then proposed the idea of waiting it out. As we wait on a rock we hear the booming of thunder and see dark clouds heading over. A moment later it begins to rain which we throw on our jackets. Not too long later it stops and the clouds pass which gave us an opportunity to proceed for another hour or so until the next storm came in. From here we went up the rest of the basin and up the first "gully" to a saddle. From here we went down a little ways to enter into the second gully. Further up the gully it begins to rain but fortunately no thunder. The snow ended at the top of the gully which we took off our crampons. At this section I used veggie belays to climb up. I got a bit stuck in a tree because of how thick they were and only one spot was safe for crossing them (Gimpilator took a better route here). After this came the crux of the climb. Below us was steep terrain and cliffs making it necessary for us to be as cautious as possible. I decided to put my crampons back on which Gimpilator joined me. There were not very many good holds (bushes) so the crampons into the dirt was most of our traction. I used my ice axe to high dagger the dirt for a few holds at one spot. After we got past the crux it was an easy walk the rest of the way to the summit. After spending a while on the summit we carefully climbed back down the crux which was much easier on the way down. I avoided the tree area to prevent me from getting stuck again (especially with crampons on). The weather was cooperating well by this point. The rest of the way down the upper part of Morning Star was plunge stepping with a little bit of down climbing. Once we were back in the bushes I kept my crampons on to prevent myself from slipping. Once we crossed the river it was back to the bushwhacking though sticker bushes. It went on for what felt like hours which thankfully I had an ice axe to move some of the sticker bushes. There were times were we found the trail and then would loose it again. Eventually we arrive back into the woods and then on trail! Oh how it was so nice to be back on trail. Then it was an easy walk back to the car. Although experiences like this can be a bit miserable at times, it really makes one appreciate the luxury of trails and for the folks who donate there time to maintain them.

To see a Better formatted version see the Alpine Ascent Version Date: January 10-11, 2012 Introduction Even though I have already climbed Mount Baker twice, it is such a lovely mountain that deserves another visit. For the longest time I had been wanting to do a winter ascent of Baker because I know how beautiful the North Cascades are during this time of year. An amazing weather window came about just in time before my buddy Steve arrived in Washington. Gimpilator warned me that the avalanche danger could be high on Baker even with the low avalanche forecast. But our luck was in, the snow was incredibly solid. I met Steve though SummitPost once again on accident because of a snow cave picture. At first I could not make up my mind of what mountain to climb. Mount Baker? Mount Shuksan? Eldorado again? They all sounded wonderful. I was warned that Shuksan could be dicey at the end due to snow build up with a lot of exposure. Steve came over to my house and picked me up for the trip with a undefined destination. As we are heading North we missed the turn off to Eldorado and decided that Mount Baker would be the one. [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=4O-dvOwiRj4 Approaching the Easton Glacier We went to the ranger station to ask some questions which we were told that the road was opened either all the way to the trailhead or a few miles maximum. Steve and I were very excited to hear this news, another source we earlier read said 6 miles from the trailhead. As we get closer to the trailhead we see Mount Shuksan glowing brightly looking more beautiful than ever. [img:center]http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/771119.jpg[/img] Further up the road we encountered snow, got into a little bit of trouble (I'll spare you the details), and got our packs ready for the Baker ascent. The hike started out as a road walk on packed down snow. Every now and then a snow mobiler would come by disturbing the peace and making us feel teased for how easy it was for them to go up the mountain. "But where would the fun be in that?" I smiled to myself as I look towards the Southern Mountains. It felt good to once again be back in my element and enjoy the cool of the evening. The trailhead was not as long of a hike as I had feared. The hiking trail was covered in several feet of snow making the snow mobile track the best alternative for finding the railroad grade. Looking up at the ridges I had to decided which ridge was the railroad grade, I saw no cliffs which I remembered the railroad grade having. I finally decided it would be best to take a right which went onto Metcalfe Moraine. As we get further up the ridge I realize that this was the wrong side of the valley, but knew that even if we ended up on the Squak Glacier that it would be a good line of ascent. The moon light made the landscape very exciting looking, the Twin Sisters range to the West was brightly glowing as well as the glaciers all around. We found a flat spot around 5,700 feet and pitched the tent there. Cooking and melting water took a while due to our fuel canisters being cold. I didn't even bother with boiling any water because of how long it was taking. As I was waiting I managed to capture one picture which I would then have to take out the battery and put it inside my puffy until it was warm. I attempted to get many other night photographs, but my camera kept dying on me as it processes the photo. It was becoming too painful on the hands to keep trying. "The things we do for photography" I giggled as I enjoyed some cheesy pasta. Soon it was time for some rest for the next day. Climbing Sherman Peak We wake up around 3:15 a.m. in the morning in hopes for an alpine start. Unfortunately the cooking took much longer than we had anticipated. It took 2 hours to cook up 3 liters of water as well as some water for hot chocolate. Thank goodness that I was able to stay warm in my sleeping bag as I had the stove cook on the outside. I should have put my fuel inside my sleeping bag which I plan on doing in the future. Not knowing exactly where the glacier was I decided to have us rope up after getting out of the tent. Finally we were able to get on with the climb. Even in the dark hours of morning the moon was shining brightly in the sky making the climb all the more exciting. Steve and I took turns breaking trail up the mountain making decent time. The sunrise was worthy of taking a break for, but difficult to photograph due to the cold on the hands and battery. Thank goodness I brought a video camera as well. After passing some crevasse fields I start getting dizzy and exhausted. Leg strength I was feeling fine, but my energy was running low due to lack of food. I had under estimated how much to bring because for a while I had been bringing too much on these mountaineering trips. Each step I felt more and more fatigue until Steve could see it in my facial expression. He handed me a few snacks which within a matter of minutes I was feeling like my old self. For the rest of the climb I did not tire out like before and knew that we could at least make Sherman Peak. Steve mentioned a knee problem that he had making it questionable if we would make the summit of Baker. At the Crater Rim we set down our packs and pushed on the rest of the way up the ridge to the Summit of Sherman Peak. It had the best views of the Mount Baker crater I've ever seen. Looking below we could see fumerals inside the crater making the place smell like sulfur. After resting a bit we went down the ridge towards Baker. On the way Steve finally announced "my knee is giving me a lot of troubles, I could make it up Baker but it would be tough". I replied "Steve, I've already summited Baker twice. I don't think it's a good idea for you to continue on with your knee problem". After Steve gave it a moments though he finally agreed and called it a day. I knew both of us could make the summit, but why take such a unnecessary risk? Even if everything goes well, it could further injure it for future climbs if we continued. Plus the gloomy coming over made it even less tempting. I was very happy to be doing the right thing, and besides Sherman Peak was a great peak by itself. Heading back Down We took a different variation on the way down of the Easton Glacier. Although you could see some off to the side, we never had to navigate around any crevasses. Michael had some medicine that seemed to help the knee pains a little bit. Back at camp as an energy booster and reward I cooked 6 packets of hot chocolate for Steve and I. It was very nice to enjoy the alpenglow as I sip on warm chocolate. I believe it is moments like these that have us coming back and will always be remembered. A few minutes later I packed up the tent and were ready to go. The Twin Sisters had bright red clouds above it making us both looking back as we went down the moraine ridge. Once we got to a good spot we were able to glissade down into the valley. From here it was miles of walking though snow and road. We had many conversations on the way down that made time seem like it flew by, before long we were back at the truck. This was another great winter outing.

Thanks for the replies folks. I didn't try the idea, although when I was there I saw what looked like a way (for early July). Definitely some crevasse crossing though.

I'm planning on heading up Rainier pretty soon via the Emmons Route. I have to wonder if it is possible to do Little Tahoma from this route as well. Perhaps if I crossed from Camp Scherman over the Emmons glacier onto the Flyingpan Glacier. Any advice, trip report links, or what ever would go greatly appreciated. Or perhaps this route is not possible?

Looks like a cool route. I might have to do it one of these days.