Preparing for July Mt. Rainier Climb

[ADKMan]

I will be attempting a climb up Rainer in Mid July along with a few other East Coast climbing partners. Unfortunately, as a group we only have 3 days to do the climb. We all have extensive experience with winter climbing in the Northeast but I have never climbed above about 7500 feet. Because I have a few extra days I was looking at the possibility of doing some pre-Rainier acclimatizing by taking a trip up Mt. Hood or Adams prior to the Rainier climb. Any thoughts? Any better ideas to do some acclimatizing to higher altitudes?

[DPS]

July may be too late for Hood due to rock fall concerns, and this is shaping up to a low snow year. Mt Adams is a good choice. The South Spur is little more than a walk up (take crampons and axe, though) and you will get up high without having to do glacier travel since it sounds like you will be solo. I would give myself adequate rest days between finishing Adams and starting Rainier, at least two days with the first one being very relaxed. I'm a big believer in active rest, so short, easy day hikes in the Tattoosh or Goat Rocks will help you recover (nothing strenous!) as well as getting more exposure to altitude, not to mention getting to see more of the sights.

Edited January 13, 2012 by DPS

[Water]

I'd 2nd the Adams route but if hood is still in shape (really just depends on the weather/snow both this spring and acutely during the time you'd be here in July) then that could be a go. Hood being marginally more technical but personally I think less of a gruel to hit than Adams southside. But my vote would be for solo Adams south spur. easier to spend time at elevation (you can hang out at pikers at 11k till sunset even. I'm no expert on acclimatizing but I'm not sure going up adams 2-7 days before rainier actually will help your blood chemistry and all that to an appreciable degree, but, will certainly tell you if your fitness, packweight, etc is dialed in--its an excellent 'am i capable of this?' primer without much skin on the line.

[DPS]

Good points regarding pack weight. You will have a better understanding of what clothes and gear you can leave behind and what you wished you had brought.

 

I personally think that spending several days yo-yoing, if done right (enough days spent climbing high and resting low) can significantly improve acclimatization. Five to seven days would be optimal.

[obwan]

To a lesser degree of commitment to time and travel, a couple of recon trips up to Camp Muir to 10,000ft with a heavy pack would be helpful.

[DPS]

To a lesser degree of commitment to time and travel, a couple of recon trips up to Camp Muir to 10,000ft with a heavy pack would be helpful.

 

Agree with yo-yoing to Muir, however, I would peronally do it with a light pack. A heavy pack is only going to wear you out, it does nothing to change your physiology of adapting to altitude. If you aren't strong enough by the time you get here, its too late to train, but certainly not to acclimate.

 

Other thoughts:

 

Drink lots of water. Before, during, and after. More than you think you need.

 

If you do SS Adams or Hood, the town of Hood River, Oregon is a great place to spend a rest day. World famous for its sail/kite boarding on the Columbia River, this town has great brew pubs, restaurants, art galleries, and shops.

[ADKMan]

All good stuff. Thanks for the feedback. I never thought of the Muir option - something else to consider. In any case it sounds like I wasn't too far off base with my original thoughts.

[DPS]

Welcome,

 

The Muir option is a good one. The Adams/Hood option lets you see more of the Cascades, more 'ticks' if that is your thing. For optimal acclimatization, you need to have enough time to ascend to altitude 2 -3 times, allowing plenty of rest before attempting Rainier.

 

Dan

[ScaredSilly]

How many days do you have? Most take two days to do Adams via the south side. Though I know some who have run up it a couple- three hours. Add in a rest day and you need three days. I would suggest some other day hikes around Rainier that would get you up high - especially if you have go pick up your partners back in Seattle. If that is the case think about a hike to Camp Sherman or St Elmo's Pass on the north side. Even something around Sunrise might be good.

 

One suggestion for the trip to Muir. While technically verboten, think about bivying on the sly around Paradise the night before. Even a night at 4500 feet will make the hike to Muir easier when coming from sea level.

[obwan]

How many days do you have? Most take two days to do Adams via the south side. Though I know some who have run up it a couple- three hours. Add in a rest day and you need three days. I would suggest some other day hikes around Rainier that would get you up high - especially if you have go pick up your partners back in Seattle. If that is the case think about a hike to Camp Sherman or St Elmo's Pass on the north side. Even something around Sunrise might be good.

 

One suggestion for the trip to Muir. While technically verboten, think about bivying on the sly around Paradise the night before. Even a night at 4500 feet will make the hike to Muir easier when coming from sea level.

 

This is good info - it really depends how much time/travel you have. Camp Muir would put you in the best frame of mind and getting stoked to complete your adventure, just seeing The Mountain up close helps.

It takes me back to a time when I went down to Crater Lake to run the 26.2 marathon at 6-7,000 ft. I thought, no problem - then being a sea-level slug I got my ass kicked. Then tried running up the Mt. Kuealua (not the spelling) in Hawaii - same issue. Then I studied it further and found out that I would have needed 7-10 days to properly adapt, and that 1-2 days before the event was a better way to go with the proper rest and hydration. I also think staying over night at altitude is very helpful.

Good Luck!

[ADKMan]

I will probably be in the area 4-5 days before the rest of my climbing party. I'm not necessarily a "peak bagger" so my original Hood / Adams idea was just to get some altitude. I like all of the other suggestions being made and this has all given me a lot to consider.

[DPS]

I will probably be in the area 4-5 days before the rest of my climbing party.

 

Here is a possible itinerary

Days 1-2: Climb Adams spending a night at the Lunch Counter

 

Day 3: Chill in Hood River, rehydrate, eat, relax.

 

Day 4: Hike to Camp Muir

 

Day 5: Chill, rehydrate, eat, relax at Paradise.

[akhalteke]

I'd say it has a lot to do with your fitness level. The aforementioned plan is a good one if you are in extremely good shape. It takes a surprisingly long time to recover from these types of activities. I would err on the side of caution and climb the first day or two at altitude and then rest and ram hydrate.

 

Much of the AMS issues can be mitigated by ensuring that you are adequately hydrated particularly due to the diuresis of bicarb with aids in acclimatization. It is hard to get completely hydrated in 1 day.

 

If you are a stud, you will have no issues either way (likely) so I would recommend doing muir, adams as other posters have suggested but do it the first couple days and just chill out and get fat and hydrated before your summit push.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[DPS]

I'd say it has a lot to do with your fitness level. The aforementioned plan is a good one if you are in extremely good shape. It takes a surprisingly long time to recover from these types of activities. I would err on the side of caution and climb the first day or two at altitude and then rest and ram hydrate.

 

Good points.

[dougd]

I'd say it has a lot to do with your fitness level. The aforementioned plan is a good one if you are in extremely good shape. It takes a surprisingly long time to recover from these types of activities. I would err on the side of caution and climb the first day or two at altitude and then rest and ram hydrate.

 

Good points.

 

Excellent points above, I would add that a good aerobic/anaerobic training regime in the mean time will be very useful in preparation for your trip. When I train, I focus on reducing recovery (wind) times between sets in the gym and/or on the trail. Also, keep eating right and working out up to the week before you take off will make a big difference with your (good/bad) experience in the mountains. Oh yeah and not drinking too much beer (whatever that is!...

 

Paying the price below will pay huge dividends in the hills whether we're talking acclimatization, summits, survival or whatever... It'll be more fun if you're really fit.

 

d

[ScaredSilly]

If you have 4-5 days I would suggest like others, hike up Mt Adams. Except I would suggest that afterwards relax and do some hikes around St. Helens or Rainier. And what the hell play tourist, which is why I suggested Sunrise which will give you views on the north side of the park and gives you easy access back to Seattle to pick up your climbing partners.

[Rainierwon]

Not to call out some that recommend a heavy backpack to Muir, IMO it can train you to go slow, if you take a heavy bp to Muir for training take a bunch of water and give it away up ther and save your knees going down. I have a pack with rope dialed down to around 30 lbs that time of year and wonder why some pack 45-50 to climb the big R. Not recommending this but letting you know ther are other options.

[ADKMan]

All of this great info has brought up two moe questions in my mind:

 

1) is there a place (or is it appropriate / accepted) to cache some supplies/ equipment at Muir a few days before our actual climb?

 

2) is there anyplace you can drive to above 8,000 feet within a couple of hours from Rainer?

[Water]

1) someone else more knowledgeable can probably clearly answer but my guess is that is is probably 'not allowed' but if you're sharp with it you can do this, biggest risk probably being another party uncovers it (as you know muir in the summer can be a zoo of people) or an animal (fox or raven) gets into it. a) having a clear note with it would hopefully prevent pillage b) store it securely, well under the snow.

 

2) 6400ft at sunrise is the highest paved road in WA. WA experts can weigh in probably you can get to 7k somewhere but I doubt 8k.

 

From the perspective of seeing more and experiencing more of the NW, hitting South Spur of Adams or doing Hood would be awesome. But the merits of informing yourself about your own climb by doing any pre-hikes going to Muir is probably exceedingly more valuable to your team. You will pick up the week-of beta while there, from a variety of sources, and will gain the beginnings of the irreplaceable first-hand knowledge/experience (and thus confidence) of at least the lower section of the mnt. Just speaking from experience but my first time seeing/climbing any volcano it always seems the most imposing, even if I encounter more challenging conditions on a later climb. Doing the start of it can give a lot of confidence.

[JasonG]

1) Clear it with the rangers if you don't want the cache removed from the mountain.

 

2) No. There aren't many (any?) roads in the PNW that go to 8K. Maybe somewhere in southern Oregon?? Still, not within a couple hours.

[Marmot Prince]

July may be too late for Hood due to rock fall concerns, and this is shaping up to a low snow year.

 

Does anyone have any links or sources to long term snow pack observations or analysis of snowfall from the present into the future?

[ScaredSilly]

1) is there a place (or is it appropriate / accepted) to cache some supplies/ equipment at Muir a few days before our actual climb?

 

Check with rangers but I think it would be perfectly acceptable to leave a small cache at Muir (perhaps in the shelter) for a a few days. Make sure you have your name and date on it.

 

BTW cache robbing in great fun on Aconcagua where lots of caches get left :-).

 

2) is there anyplace you can drive to above 8,000 feet within a couple of hours from Rainer?

 

As said, and why I suggested Sunrise is about the highest you are going to get while driving in the Park.

 

[DPS]

is there anyplace you can drive to above 8,000 feet within a couple of hours from Rainer?

 

I can't think of any road much above 6,500 ft, other than maybe some logging roads perhaps.

Edited January 15, 2012 by DPS

[dougd]

Isn't cold springs over 6k? Might be good to just camp up there for a night. then head up to the lunch counter (9100). That's where you park anyway for heading up Adams' S Side...

 

Not the prettiest spot but good to begin the acclimatization process...

 

It's nice to see folks from outside the area wanting to take the time to learn a bit about these mountains before taking them on... Refreshing...

 

d

[DPS]

July may be too late for Hood due to rock fall concerns, and this is shaping up to a low snow year.

 

Does anyone have any links or sources to long term snow pack observations or analysis of snowfall from the present into the future?

 

This is a good start:http://www.nwac.us/