medicsandy

forgot....I found my leathers at sierra trading post (online), with their 30% off and an extra 25% off deal....i got them for a great price.

if money's a factor, check out the monsoon sale at whittakers website. they sell some gently used plastics for a good price.

My daughter & I did the south side last summer as our very first climb. We went the second week in July and used our crampons from around 6500 feet up. We also used our axes and thought our poles were invaluable. The glissading was great. Something we'd never done before. We got pretty beat up doing it, but it was worth every bruise. We did hire a guide, as we wanted to be able to ask a million climbing questions and learn basic climbing skills. We learned alot up there. You might want to consider seeing if someone with some experience on here would want tag along with you so you can learn as you go. The training and experience made me more comfortable for our upcoming plans to attempt Rainier. Even though Adams isn't full of glaciers like Rainier, it is still quite a climb. As you drive up to the approach the first time and are staring at it, your heart will start pounding and it will look really big that first time! Have fun and please post about your climb. Oh, and yes there were other climbers up there, but it never felt crowded. It's not like you see on other mountains, where you have to all be single file, waiting your turn. We met some of the neatest people...and two black labs. The dogs summited faster then we did!

Being a new climber also (I did Adams last summer as my first), I don't know why you'd want your first climb to be without a guide. We hired a guide to do Adams, because we wanted to learn. In my opinion, you're cheating yourself out of learning tons of valuable information on climbing and on climbing safely. I'm planning on attempting Rainier next July and am looking forward all we'll learn from the guide. It makes the experience so much better when you have someone that knows the ropes, will do everything to keep you safe, and will answer the million and one questions that you have. I also agree with trying Adams or Baker first. One last opinion since I'm a Medic...don't be stupid and get in something over your head. Stop and realize that if you get into trouble on the mountain, you're also putting other peoples lives in danger by having to come and save your ass. Lots of people don't stop to think about that. My vote...hire a guide.

Went to Muir last summer and had cellphone coverage all the way. We use Verizon.

Since this has totally fallen apart, in the picture of the two guys that Bronco posted....the guy on the left is really hot!!

awesome pictures....thanks! wish I was there.

Being a flatlander also....we take our packs and climb stadium steps a few times a week.

Being a "flatlander" I wondered the same thing. Training in Ohio isn't ideal for climbing. My goal is to summit Rainier. To get an idea of how my training was going, I flew out last summer and did the south spur of Adams, took a day off and then did Muir. I came home realizing that I was definately not training enough! But I had a blast!! The climb to Muir is awesome. Ivan's idea isn't a bad one either!! LOL! Best of luck!

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone that has actually answered my question and for the climbing encouragement! I've decided to take the "Ohio" comment as a compliment. I think it says a lot when a 48 year old woman decides to start climbing mountains, while having nothing more then a 4 foot hill to train on, while all the other women in the neighborhood are only worried about their next manicure! I'll be sure and post a pic of me and my tent at Muir! You guys are the best (with one little exception)!!

wow...just read my last reply. I'd taken a sleeping pill and I guess it must have kicked in while I was typing! Sorry about that!

Have never been up Baker. I think it would be a good blimb before Rainier. Would you recommend doing it through a guide service? We've got all our equipment except for harnesses and ropes. We've have to to with someone that know how to train us on that stuff.

Denalidevo you've pretty much answered my question. Hmmm..without being a smartass too! THanks! Here's all it is: My daughter and I just simply wanted to trek up to Muir and spend the night in our tent. Simple. We have been getting confused in the maze between the Park Service and our other google serches. We understand that you need a climbing permit above 10,000. We understand there are climbing companies that take over the bunks. That's fine with us. We have our tent. We just want to hike up there and spend the night. Do we need any piece of paper from anyone telling us that it's ok to be there. Summitchaser obviously didn't take my advise on getting laid, as he's here again on a Saturday nigh.

Thanks nhuhlr! Love ya Grandpa!

That's why I'm in the Newbie section. I'm NEW to this! Why are you feeling the need to give me shit??? Maybe you shouldn't climb this weekend & concentrate on getting laid instead. It helps me not be so crabby.

google is where I found all the conflicting advise on this, so that's why I came here. I thought that's what this site was for. Thanks.

Ok, we've read several conflicting reports on whether or not we need a reservation to camp overnight at Muir. Anyone have any info? We're coming out late June and wanted to spend the night up there. Thanks!

Thanks for the in put. We are new to climbing, we did Adams last year and were turned around at 10,000 due to wind. We are also driving up to Rainier after Adams and going up to Muir. I love Rainier....it's so beautiful. Our plan is to attempt a summit of Rainier in July of next year.

Ok, going to throw this one out there for those of you that live out that way and might have a good guess for me. We are planning to climb Adams the last week of June from the Trout Lake side. We're getting ready to finalize our plans in the next few weeks and get our airline reservations. We want to make sure that we can drive to the trailhead, but are hoping to climb on some decent snow. We're hearing that the snowfall out there has been way down this year. What are your thoughts on us moving our trip up a week, to the third week in June??? We didn't want to move it up too much, as the road might not be open. Thanks for any input!

The guide service you choose will have a gear list on their website for you. Buffs are great!

Wow....awesome! I'm training for my very first climb of Rainier in the summer, and worried about being strong enough. You just kind of hiked right up there and skied down. You're my new hero! Thanks for the great pictures. Do it again and take video!

Ok, so I'm bored at work and just ran across this old post. Does anyone have any idea if this guy ended up taking his son up Mt. Hood??

I wear The North Face Apex climbing pants and love them. Very comfortable!

check out the used plastics at whittakermountaineering.com click on their monsoon sale. they sell off their rentals for a great price. I got a pair that appeared to be barely used. since the price was so good, I was able to buy a pair of leather boots too. google the Mt Rainier guide services for all the info you need.

I carry the lightest pack I can and make my husband carry most of my stuff in his heavy pack! Hmmm....is that cheating??