Josh Lewis

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.

I usually don't read trip reports. But when I do, they are usually of pretty cool routes. Good work folks.

Looks like fun. Any shots of the gully or summit pyramid up close? Thanks for the beta on this.

Thanks for the heads up. Was considering this route tomorrow but disappointed that the road is still closed.

My brother went to Icicle Ridge today, says the road to Colchuck is still closed. I wonder when the gate itself will open. With all the avalanche danger I don't think the rangers are in any hurry to open it.

Awesome pics! Any news on how the road is?

If it wasn't all the way down in Portland, I would totally want to go! Hope to see an event of Mr. Scurlock in the Seattle area some day.

I decided to feature it on the SummitPost page: http://www.summitpost.org/ruth-mountain/150890 (and yes I plan on fixing up the page)

On the South Side you can drive up until 2 to 2.5 or so miles from the trailhead of the Easton Glacier.

I should get myself a copy of the Becky guide one of these days. Been living too long on internet beta. ;-) In a trip report I was reading it seems as though both routes (North Face to Boston) require a repel as seen in this report: http://cascadecrusades.org/SkiMountaineering/buckner/nface2010/nface2010.htm Here is the map of this: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4461597855_299f04d96e_o.jpg Any idea how the South Side would be at this time of year? As for the Enchantments, that's a pretty sweet area. It wouldn't be a bad alternative.

The suggestions are very much appreciated. Buckner: Buckner sounds quite appealing to me. I was wondering if it's better to climb the North Face or the Southwest slope? The North Face seems decent at this time of year, but I'm not sure which face is best. Boston Peak: I saw it late last September which it was covered in rime ice. Sounds scary to be doing at this time of year. Has it been climbed in winter? J-burg: Sounds like quite the climb. I love going on sweet adventures, but isn't that one very avalanche prone at this time of year? Mix Up: Sounds like a fun one, but like Boston I assume it gets hard to protect during the winter. (I could be wrong) Magic and Hurry Up: I don't know much about the approaches or the climbs, but have seen the peaks many times in person. Are they rock technical? I'm just trying to get the best out of this weather window which I have until around 9-10 a.m. to figure out where exactly to go.

Ugggggg...... Anyone know of a cool 2day alpine climb in the North Cascades that is accessible right now? I suppose I could climb Eldorado for a 3rd time (the fs says it's open to mile marker 21). Thanks for the heads up.

Does anyone know the road conditions for Mount Baker via the Railroad (Easton Glacier) side? Or the Heliotrope Ridge side? I looked up the info on one of the forest services website which the information seems quite old: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mbs/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5150500

It's only 15$! Dude, now I'm seriously considering it if I don't buy a passport soon. @Sebas: Thanks dude, I'll keep your offer in mind. If I go, we would have to do something very fun. :-D

When I can afford a passport. Perhaps I could make this one of my new priorities. Especially considering I don't want to be limited to adventures in the US. How are things going for you Sebas?

Thanks for the pics and beta.

:tup: Thanks for the report! Looks nice right now!

Your welcome. I figured someone would appreciate it. It was a beautiful day when I went up. Thanks for the South Face beta.