[TR] Mount Rainier - dc 6/22/2007

[Jamin]

Trip: Mount Rainier - dc

 

Date: 6/22/2007

 

Trip Report:

I am sorry for the tardy trip report, but better late than never.

 

After attempting the Emmons in mid-May and failing miserably, I was determined to get on the big R again. After my boss let me have a four day weekend, I decided to give Mount Rainier a try if I could find a partner. I called up my climbing partner, Ryan, on Wednesday to see whether he had any plans for Friday and Saturday. He said that he did. He was planning on climbing Mount Rainier. I was a member of his team in 30 seconds. It is amazing how well things work out sometimes.

 

I met Ryan at Paradise at about 11:30 am. After we filled out the permits and stuff, I sent Ryan alone up to Camp Muir so he could get acclimated, and I waited for his partner, Jim. After about a half hour, Jim, who now has climbed 44 of the 50 state highpoints, arrived. We started heading up toward Camp Muir at about 1 in the afternoon. At first, I navigated by compass, but we soon found a wanded path, which we followed up easily. However, at about 7,000 feet, we were socked in, and it began to get difficult to see the wands. We followed them up to about 9,000 feet and took a break. Jim took off a little before me, and he was soon swallowed up in mist. We couldn’t see each other in the fog, and although we must have been no more than 300 feet apart the entire time, we ended up traveling separately. At about 9700 feet, I encountered a rock formation, which I eventually recognized as the ridge above anvil rock. I heard some climbers below me discussing Camp Muir, but I couldn’t see them in the fog. After telling them that they were on track, I traveled a few hundred feet farther and saw the dim outline of the buildings at Camp Muir. When I reached the camp, both Jim and Ryan were waiting for me. Jim had arrived only a couple minutes before I did. Time to Camp Muir was three and a half hours, my personal record.

 

After we all squeezed into the public shelter along with 20 or 30 other guys, I tried to get a little sleep because I knew that it would be a difficult climb in the morning. The wind had been blowing about 25 miles an hour the entire time we were at Muir. I totally expected low visibility, winds up to 60 mph, and possibly snow.

 

I managed to get about 2 hours of sleep before everyone awoke at 12 midnight. I quickly donned all my warm clothes and stepped outside expecting to be hit by a cold blast of spindrift. However, it was entirely clear, and there was almost no wind. We eventually started out across the Cowlitz Glacier at 12:45. After losing the boot path and finding it again at Upper Cathedral Gap, we passed by Ingraham flats, and it soon became apparent that we had gotten a very early start. There were no rope teams ahead of us. We became slightly lost in the maze of tracks near Ingraham Flats, but I stumbled upon the bootpath fairly quickly. We were soon on the cleaver, where we clipped into some fixed lines protecting only a moderately steep snow slope. We could not see anything in the dark so we figured that the lines were actually there because it was dangerous terrain.

 

Once we topped out on the Disappointment Cleaver (some class 3 along the ridge), we took a break and waited for dawn to come. She came and illuminated a cloud sea below us. Another rope team had nearly caught up to us when we started the rest of the hike. The route did a descending traverse toward the Emmons Glacier, and then it switchbacked around a few crevasses toward the summit. It was cold and windy, but there were few problems besides the large amounts of urine near the bootpack. Eventually, we reached the summit ahead of the hordes, but we were joined ten minutes later by a 5-6 person team. Just like last time, the summit of Mount Rainier was a fraud. It is merely the highest and windiest bunch of rubble in a wide plateau. It doesn’t really even have good views. It was below freezing and blowing 40mph on the summit so we didn’t stay long. After a rest in the natural windbreak of the crater, which has plenty of active steam vents, we headed down the mountain. The trip down was uneventful. My partners refused to let me jump in a crevasse for practice, and we all came home safely.

 

The route is in great condition, wanded, and bootpacked most of the way. It is time to go for it.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/656059761_c990de655e_b.jpg

 

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1394/656060045_f0b4eafb45_b.jpg

 

Gear Notes:

Lots of warm clothes and two pairs of gloves in addition to standard gear.

 

Approach Notes:

Snowshoes would be useless, the fixed lines are a waste of time, and there is plenty of urine on both sides of the trail.

[dbconlin]

Congrats!

 

Just like last time, the summit of Mount Rainier was a fraud. It is merely the highest and windiest bunch of rubble in a wide plateau. It doesn’t really even have good views.

 

?????

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Good job!

 

My partners refused to let me jump in a crevasse for practice

 

Calm down dude... you can go somewhere else safer for practice.

[XXX]

Congrats!

 

Just like last time, the summit of Mount Rainier was a fraud. It is merely the highest and windiest bunch of rubble in a wide plateau. It doesnt really even have good views.

 

?????

 

Must have been there on a hazy day?

[Couloir]

... there is plenty of urine on both sides of the trail.

[Bug]

"The trip down was uneventful. My partners refused to let me jump in a crevasse for practice, and we all came home safely."

Glad to hear you are still alive and that no one was injured.