The talking was done, so was the training. The Mt. Rainier trip was on! I headed Northward via Alaska Airlines. Seattle bound. Our objective was the Emmons Glacier route.
I made a trip to the outdoor gear Mecca. Seattle's REI. Huge doesn't describe it. A city block is more like it. A 90-foot indoor climbing wall will tell you how big the store really is. I picked up a few last minute items and fuel cartridges for my stove.
Supplies in hand I returned to the Hotel to recheck my stuff before meeting the rest of the group Sunday evening. We had an informal gathering for introductions and last minute questions. We met two of the three guides that would be leading us on our journey. We would meet the third in the morning before our departure. We went over group gear and teamed up so we wouldn't have to carry so much stuff.
I teamed up with Mike from Florida. He had a new tent he was anxious to try out so we split that up and I took my stove. I wanted to take my stove because it can be hung inside the tent. This point being very nice when it came down to the hours of melting snow for water. Doing such a mundane task in the relative comfort of your sleeping bag was nice.
There was going to be 9 clients and three guides on this foray. We came from all around the US and Mexico. A father and son team from Colorado. One from Indiana. One from Michigan. Three lost souls from Mexico. One flatlander from Florida and me from California. All our backgrounds where different, but we had gathered with one goal in mind. To Climb the 14,411 foot high Mt.Rainier. I personally had wanted to do this for a long time, but circumstance and lack of partners had squelched this idea for quite a while.
Now everything had come together at the right time and place and I found myself heading toward the slopes of Mt.Rainier.
It was a two-hour journey from Seattle to the park. A stop at the Ranger station to check in and get issued our Blue bags. (More on these later!) We found a parking place. The parking lot is at 4,200 foot elevation. Only 10,211 feet to go! The guides removed all our packs from the van roof rack, depositing them in a heap on the ground. Community gear was dispersed. Ropes, route wands, and hardware were divided up to be taken up on the mountain. My plan was to grab a rope early so I wouldn't have to carry one down. I grabbed a rope and strapped it to my pack. We took one last chance to use a flush toilet, and hit the trail.
They explained that the hike to camp would be about 3.5 miles and a gain of 2000 feet. Pretty easy really. My pack didn't feel huge. I had been training with it loaded with 55# of kitty litter so I guess it was paying off! The hike in was pretty relaxed taking about 2+ hours. We stopped several times to let people tend to hot spots and adjust oversized packs.
Our campsite for this evening would be at Glacier Basin. Elevation 6200 feet A nicely forested area, along side a glacial stream that was running pretty good. That meant no melting snow for water tonight! I brought a water filter and proceeded to fill all my containers, netting me somewhere in the neighborhood of a gallon and a half of fresh cold water! Of course I did share it with Mike. After all I was staying in his tent.
After we all had gotten the tents set up we gathered for a quick refresher course on snow traveling skills. We practiced our self-arrest techniques that would be used in the event of a fall. These skills would allow us to stop each other and ourselves in the event of a fall. Everyone seemed proficient in these areas. So we made our way back to camp for dinner.
On the menu this evening for my dining pleasure. I whipped up some Garlic and Olive oil Vermicelli. Served with cinnamon apple sauce. Delicious!
After dinner we had a short meeting to discuss what tomorrow would bring. We needed to get an early start. Out of camp and ready to go at 6:00 am! These early starts would be the norm for the week. We ended our first evening with an awesome show by 4 huge Elk, silhouetted against the sky high up on a near by ridge!
Mike and I awoke about 4:45 am. Light the stove and went to work dismantling our tent. A quick breakfast of oatmeal, cereal bars and hot chocolate and we were packed and ready to go. Mike had decided the night before that he had way too much food, so he left about 12# behind. He relished in the comfort of a 50# Pig strapped to his back.
A moderate 45 minutes from camp brought us to the 7000-foot level, and this is where the snow and ice began. From here on up we would only move about roped together. Thus eliminating the unplanned exploration of any hidden crevasses! We needed to go about 3 miles and gain about 3200 vertical feet.
My team consisted of myself, Tom from Michigan ,Florida Mike, and Paul our guide. Paul was an ex Army Ranger. He had also spent time in the Special Forces. I figured we were in for a real death march!
As the terrain steepened and the route got more complex, the more comfortable we all got moving together. We settled into a steady constant rhythmic pace, that did not require any reststops.
The day progressed quickly and it was evident the clouds were building for a thunderstorm. The wind picked up, keeping it quite pleasant. As the sky darkened our pace quickened. None of us had any waterproof, or wind proof clothes on. The first booms of thunder didn't seem to be so worrisome. As they got closer and more frequent it was obvious by the vicious uphill sprint we were maintaining that the weather was going to be a problem. As the temperature plummeted we found safe haven in a rocky outcropping. At least we weren't the highest objects any more. We quickly put on the Gore-Tex clothes. We decided to adopt the wait and see attitude. We had moved at a pretty good pace so we had plenty of daylight.
The storm seemed to weaken after about an hour. Although we never did directly get any rain you could see it all around.
Our upward progress stopped after quick 15 minutes. We now faced a 250-foot descent to our next camp. The rock was loose and crumbly. Making for some interesting travel. I could look right down onto where we were going to spend the next two nights. I eyed the campsite carefully. Since we were in front of the rest of the group, that meant we got first pick! Lucky for us!
It took about a half an hour to descend to Camp Schurman. Elevation 9450 feet. This was going to be home for the next two days. Mike and I carefully set up his tent, taking great care to secure it properly. It was obvious that the area we were at got blasted by the wind. I didn't want to have to get up in the middle of the night to resecure the tent. We would find out the next night that our diligencepaid off!
After the tents went up the next important task was water. It was all around us, only it was frozen. Time to melt some snow. A key to doing well at altitude is to stay well-hydrated. I think we melted and filtered about two gallons of water. This probably took a couple of hours.
After drinking enough water to make me feel like I would burst. We gathered for more skills review. This time it would be crevasse rescue skills. How we would get our teammates out of a crevasse in the event of a snow bridge collapse or fall into a crevasse.
We probably didn't go a 100 feet from camp to find an ugly gaping crevasse to throw some hapless victim into! Only we didn't have to throw anyone anywhere. Paul, the Wildman, decided he would just jump right into one and we would hopefully haul him out. That was the plan.
We got everyone into position and Paul took a look over the edge into the blue mouthed monster. He asked one last time if everyone was ready and he just jumped in! Well I'm telling you it was like playing tug a war with an elephant! We all went into self-arrest to stop his fall. He probably went a good 15 feet down. Our Latin American contingent worked themselves into position to haul our crazed victim from the refrigerator. After a few minutes getting organized and coordinated they settled into the task at hand. Our victim was up and sitting on the end of the crevasse laughing and joking.
Our walk back to camp was short. We met again to discuss the plan for tomorrow. That meant Summit Day! A very early wake up call and we would be roped and moving at 1:00 am! That meant get up at midnight! It was 6:30 p.m. We had to melt some more snow, enough for the rest of the night. Enough for the water bottles, and leave a little in the tent for when you get back.
We cooked dinner and tried not to think about how long the next day was going to be and how little sleep we were going to get. For dinner tonight I had Chicken flavored Rice a Roni. Lots of good carbs! A little applesauce for dessert and I was set.
About 8:30 p.m. I pulled my jacket over my head to make it dark and tried to get some rest. Sleep is really out of the question. It's more like just lying still to rest. I had to get up at around 11:00 to wee. The sky was clear all around the mountain. There was lightening north up by Seattle. Another hour and the real climbing begins!
We get a tent rattle at midnight. Clothes on, boots on, harnesses on, headlamp on. We heat a little water have some oatmeal and HoCho. We gather outside. Not to cold, but way too early! We put our crampons on, tie into the ropes, and we're on our way at 1:15 am!
From Camp Schurman to the Summit is about 3 miles. But it's 5000 vertical feet! To say it was going to be steep would be a gross understatement! We have headlamps on. You can't really see much except what's illuminated in your headlamp beam. Although we did have a half moon low in the sky which did provide some light.
Climbing very early in the morning like we were gives you lot of time to think. Basically your world revolves around a 12-inch diameter circle of light reflecting in the snow, watching the rope move. Making sure you're not moving too fast or too slow. Trying to coordinate your breathing with your progress uphill.
The route was well-marked early on, making crevasse avoidance easy. The crevasses are even more omminace when it's dark. No real way to tell how big or small the are. Just stay the hell away from them!
We had been going for about an hour when we got the wagons ho. Not a lot of talking going on, just a lot of movement. One of the other guys on a rope was having problems with blisters acquired on the trip up. He was done! He and one of the guides were going back down to camp.
We transferred one guy onto each remaining rope. So we had one team of 5 and one of 4. It got pretty cold while we were stopped so I was glad to be moving again. We progressed slowly and steadily upward.
It was starting to get lighter. I think it was about 4:30 am. There was some more rustling and unsteady movement on my rope. Florida Mike was having problems with his hamstring. He had stumbled and fallen twice. He massaged and rubbed and stretched every which way. It was not meant to be for Mike. He said it felt like a twisted rag in his leg and he couldn't get it loose. He too was done. His summit shot gone in the mere blink of an eye. We juggled the ropes once again. Mike and Derek our other remaining guide descended.
I told Mike not to even think about it, and I would bring him a summit rock. The disappointment was written all over his face. Really we had no choice. It was a mobility issue. He had to descend. If he had continued, an overly slow pace could have jeopardized everyone else's summit bids. If he had made the top and found that he had torn something and couldn't get down we all would have been in real trouble.
The sunrises at high altitude are fantastic. Today's was no exception. There were clouds in the sky so it was blazing orange. The weather appeared to be holding for now so everything looked good. Paul said we had a few more obstacles yet to traverse. Our time frame and pace looked good too.
As the last obstacle came into view, I knew it was all or nothing now. The very last highest crevasse on a mountain is called a bergschrund. This bergschrund was a monster! We walked along its edge for a while, working our way toward a rather sketchy looking snow bridge that crossed. As we each took our turn crossing the gaping monster, we paused for a brief instant to look down into the mountain that we were climbing. There was no visible bottom. Only a surreal blue color that eventually went to blackness deeper down.
We took a quick two-minute water break after the bergschrund. Paul said we had one more snowfield, some rocks and we would be on the summit in 45 minutes! The wind was picking up, but the sky was clear so we were doing great.
The sky was very blue. I knew we were getting close as the satellite peaks dropped away. We climbed straight into the wind. A cloud was racing by overhead. We gathered everyone together, coiling the ropes between us to keep from getting tangled.
A few more minutes upward and we were there! 14'411 feet the summit of Mt Rainier! The cloud had dropped down over us and we faced the full blast of the wind. Everyone was trying to run around and take pictures while not getting tangled up in the ropes. We all had our cameras out when the summit cloud lifted for a brief 30 seconds. There before us was Mt.St.Helens and Mt.Adams. The blownout side of St.Helens looked so close you could almost touch it. I snapped two quick pictures and the cloud cap descended upon us once again.
I had brought with me a little flag with a message for Judy. I tried to work as quickly as possible. It was freezing cold. I got my flag mounted to my ice axe, handed my camera to the closest guy. He snapped two fast pictures. I quickly stashed my flag in my pack. Of course we didn't manage to keep the rope tangle free while doing our summit dances. Paul was hollering at everyone to head down into the crater where it would be warmer.
We dropped quick 100 feet into the crater. It was out of the wind but we still couldn't see anything. It definitely was warmer. The ground was actually hot! The steam from inside the mountain vented up through the ground. So your bum and the back of your legs got nice and warm while the rest of you froze. I signed the summit register. Simply adding my name and where I was from to the list of the many that had come before me.
I always pick up a rock from near where I start. Taking it with me to the top. I do this out of respect, and to help the mountain rebuild itself. I pulled the rocks I had brought with me out and placed them on the ground I gave the mountain a quick thanks for letting me visit if only for a short time. I gathered two rocks, one for me and one for Mike, stashing them into my pack.
We stayed in the crater for about 20 minutes. We ate some and drank some water. It was disappointing not to be able to see anything but I was very grateful to be there. All too soon it was time to go. Paul had asked me if I felt comfortable leading on the way down. I said no problem, lets go!
We reascended out of the crater and started down in earnest. We went down for about 15 minutes and dropped out under the summit cloud. What a relief that was! That meant I was going to be able to see the crevasses I didn't want to fall into!
It took us about half an hour to reach the bergschrund and recross it on the descent. We decided to take a short break on the other side.
Paul said nature was calling and he wanted to show us the correct blue bag technique. Mt.Rainier has such a dramatic amount of people using it that we visitors are required to pack everything out with us. Everything! Including human waste! Hence the blue bags. You make your deposit and transport it down to a waste removal station, which consists of barrels that when filled are removed by helicopter.
Once done with the nature call we continued the descent. Quickly we lost altitude. We stopped twice to peel off clothes as the temps rose.
What had taken us 7 hours on the way up took 3 hours on the way down! It was high noon when we got back to camp. Only 12 hours ago we had just started.
Everyone was pretty wired from the climb, so we sat around drinking the water we had left from the night before. Sleep was impossible. The tents were unbearably hot. I cooked myself up some pasta for lunch and wolfed it down.
We spent the rest of the afternoon just lounging around. Visiting with the people that were just arriving. Filling them in on all the details of our summit adventure. As the evening wore on the clouds increased. It looked as though we had hit the weather window just right. It also looked like we were going to get some foul weather.
It stays light later the further North you go. It was pretty light up until 10:00 p.m. About this time I was ready for some serious sleep. Lying in the tent trying to relax, it started to rain at 11:00. The wind had been increasing steadily after the sun went down. A sure sign we were going to get dumped on. The winds buffeted the tent. It started to hail about 11:30. I was lying against the side of the tent when the hailstorm really cut loose. It produced quite a sting. The wind was really howling by now. We estimated a solid 50-mph. With gusts up in the neighborhood of 60! I mean this storm was loud. Rain, and hail and wind.
As I lay there listening to the chaos all around I was glad we did such a good job anchoring the tent. I also wondered if the tent would explode in the wind. I yelled over to Mike who was 2 feet away, that we should probably put our Gore-Tex stuff inside the sleeping bags in case the tent did go. I added my bootliners and felt if the tent did collapse at least I would know where all my important stuff was.
This first freight train lasted about an hour and a half. The hail slowed for a while. It never did get quiet enough to sleep. We just started to relax again when Engine number 9 came barreling down on us again! Same thing - wind, hail, rain. The tent was really rocking. I was lying against the side of the tent to lend it some extra support. The wind gusts were strong enough to shove me away from the side of the tent!
It was very loud again. Any communication was in the form of shouts. This was to each other right in the tent! Forget about talking to anybody else.
We seemed to get another lull in the intensity after about an hour. I figured this was going to go all night and it did. Wave #3 came through about 3:30 am and went on until dawn. As it got lighter we opened the backdoor of the tent and saw marble sized hailstones all over the place. No wonder they packed so much stings! The winds began to subside as the sun came up. We had obviously survived the night. I had hoped the others had too. A quick check showed one tent collapsed due to broken poles. So it wasn't my imagination the wind really was blasting pretty hard.
We never did get any sleep that night. So it was now 7:00 am and we had been awake since midnight the night before. 31 hours with no sleep and counting.
That storm was the worst one I personally ridden out in a tent. We decided it was a small price to pay for having such a great summit climb.
After packing up all our stuff for the last time we had 6000 feet to descend to the van. We had to climb up and out over the loose crappy rock, over which we come. This was fun! Big packs, heavy clunky boots and trying to go straight up! On top of being tired this was a real test piece! We triumphed with brute force and ignorance. Once on top of the rocks we paused for one last look and some group photos.
Once done with these formalities it was beeline time. We quickly lost altitude. Once off the menacing glaciers and back onto just plain snow, we glissaded down. Basically you either sit or stand and slide down the hill. I opted for the standing method. It's a lot like skiing, only with a real heavy pack on. About half way down my thighs were doing the serious flame out. So I sat on my rear and slid the rest of the way down. Talk about an E-ticket ride!
We regrouped at the first camp sight to retrieve our stashed gear. It was all there. Paul had hidden it well. We ate a bunch of food and talked about the beer and steaks we were going to have tonight.
Everyone was real motivated to get down to the car. It took about an hour and a half and we dropped our packs for the last time. There was running water and flush toilets. What else could be better? REAL FOOD!
We quickly threw the packs up on top of the van. Our guide said they knew of a good burger joint close by. We all said will the server us? They said it was the traditional place to eat after coming off the mountain. These burgers were as big as the backpack I had just carried for four days! And man, I ate every bite!
After gorging ourselves we still had the drive back to town. Thankfully it went quickly.
All too quickly though we were departing to go our separate ways, but not before Mike and I stopped in at the bar for the beer we had been talking about all night!
We had made some good friends. Traveling in rope teams will usually do that. I was surly glad I had come up for the trip. It had been all that I could have asked for and more.
Things had happened so fast up on the summit it almost seemed surreal. Now that some time has passed and allowed for reflection. It was truly a great trip. One I'll remember for a long time.
I checked into the hotel and grabbed a nice long HOT shower. It felt great! I went down and soaked in the hot tub for a while. That felt even better! The Three Amigo's came down and we shared stories and a bottle of homemade Tequila. This stuff was SMMOOOTTTTHHH!
After floating around like lobsters we decided it was time to get that steak we had talked about. I had a Filet Mignon smothered in mushrooms. That really hit the spot. We closed down the restaurant. I figured I would be so tired by now that I would just collapse. Not so. I unpacked my pack and repacked the stuff into the travel baggage.
This done I finally lay down to try and go to sleep. It was 11:00 p.m. The last thing I remember was figuring that I had now been on the go for 47 hours with no sleep!
I was just plain thrashed. A good kind of thrashed though. I can't wait for the next trip. Still don't know where it will be. I do know that it will be some place high. Until then I have lots of photos to keep looking at.