skiinggiraffe Posted August 28, 2012 Posted August 28, 2012 Trip: Mt Rainier - DC Route - ctc Date: 8/25/2012 Trip Report: Steve and I wanted to get out there over the weekend and decided to go for the most mountain we could do in one day; Rainier DC (cleaver north face indirect variation), car-to-car. We started out from Paradise at 9pm Saturday night in perfect cool clear conditions. 11pm had us at Camp Muir where we roped up, got some food and water then headed out across the Cowlitz. This is the latest in the season I've climbed Rainier and was surprised how broken the Cowlitz is, even right at Muir. Still very passable, but definitely a few steps over gappers on the way to Cathedral Gap. By 12am we had negotiated the heavily broken traverse over the Ingraham to the base of the cleaver (well worn track straight up from the flats, then two ways to pick through 20+ foot cravases, one up and over, one following a narrow bridge a little lower), then promptly followed a path too far right and ended up on the North 'face' of the cleaver. From here we needed to get back on the crest through the fairly loose blocks and gravel, so we carefully picked our way up by scrambling 4th class in the dark. Finally at the top of the cleaver we were feeling the elevation and getting pretty tired so we sat down for a good 25-30 min break. At about 2am we took off for the summit, reaching the crest at 5am. With the wind already high (~30mph) and building, we started our descent maybe 15min later. Ladder at ~13,000' [img:center]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3OPDmwJ0Uyk/UD1FQOID9aI/AAAAAAAAF8s/4Pu6fo2m_cE/s576/Rainier%2520ctc%2520%252712%2520007.JPG[/img] Traffic jam at ladder, luckily we were going the other way... [img:center]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_Mx_7_XulAo/UD1FQLFADCI/AAAAAAAAF9E/x_vf_cra8kI/s800/Rainier%2520ctc%2520%252712%2520008.JPG[/img] About an hour into our descent the sun crested the horizon and we witnessed the formation of a lenticular cloud just above us as the winds picked up. [img:center]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2TnDusn7bBo/UD1FRUTlriI/AAAAAAAAF9U/lDk8WWx3IoU/s800/Rainier%2520ctc%2520%252712%2520049.JPG[/img] [img:center]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GdgwKx_a4bw/UD1FQEoiSfI/AAAAAAAAF8o/3orRG5F490E/s800/Rainier%2520ctc%2520%252712%2520010.JPG[/img] [img:center]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4jwEAWVgVpM/UD1FRJbY-uI/AAAAAAAAF88/7pJhZ1zvD6c/s800/Rainier%2520ctc%2520%252712%2520016.JPG[/img] [img:center]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-d-kVoXCb9BY/UD1FQy5vr6I/AAAAAAAAF80/teM5wOE61JQ/s800/Rainier%2520ctc%2520%252712%2520015.JPG[/img] By 9:30am we were back down to greenery and were able to better see how much the weather deteriorated up high [img:center]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DlCcsQP72Wc/UD1FRXH_bTI/AAAAAAAAF9M/Buj-xXd0rh0/s800/Rainier%2520ctc%2520%252712%2520048.JPG[/img] On our way back down several guided parties and other groups had bottle-necked at the ladder, hopefully they were all able to get the summit and back out before the wind got too uncomfortable. As we passed back through Cathedral Gap, gusty winds kept knocking us over, making the going pretty slow and difficult to see with the blowing dust. All in all, a long night and a lot of gain, but a good time after it's all said and done. Gear Notes: -Standard glacier travel/rescue gear -Can-Do attitude Approach Notes: Timeline: Leave Paradise - 21:00 sat Camp Muir - 23:00 Base of DC - 24:00 sun Columbia Crest - 05:00 Paradise - 10:00 Quote
denalidevo Posted August 29, 2012 Posted August 29, 2012 FYI - Last Sat a new route was established to bypass the ladder. It's now quicker to traverse north from the top of the Cleaver to the Emmons shoulder and back than wait at the ladder, which likely won't last much longer... Trip: Mt Rainier - DC Route - ctc On our way back down several guided parties and other groups had bottle-necked at the ladder, hopefully they were all able to get the summit and back out before the wind got too uncomfortable. Quote
TofuTodd Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Nice TR and pics! I popped out of my tent at the flats and chatted with you 2 on your descent. Holy f*ck 2 hours from paradise to muir??!! Nice work!! I'm glad we slept in the wind was horrendous just an hour after you left. Quote
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