In April we went on MT Rainier to train for 3 days, in preparation for a summit bid in late June. In June we hiked each Saturday early for 3-4 thousand feet each time. We also did hard labor in a co-worker's forest removing thorny bushes to raise money for a special climbing rope for the climb. After all the preparation it came down to the 3rd highest mountain in the lower 48 (only 80' lower than the highest in the lower-48 MT Whitney), 3 scrappy Explorer Scouts, 3 adult leaders, and the infamous North West weather. Not an especially good combination if you ask me.
5:30 AM Day 1 250' - Our day started at 5:30 AM when we left Redmond WA to drive three hours to Paradise Parking lot to begin the climb. The climb starts at 5400' and stops at 14,410'. That is 9,000' of climbing to be done in 2 days (back to back).
9:00 AM Day 1 5400' - We arrived at Paradise and no one forgot any gear as had happened on the training climb. We did experience some frustration at no being able to register ourselves with the Park Service since all of the rangers were in a Monday morning meeting.
10:00 AM Day 1 5400' - we began climbing. The first day was mixed weather climbing to base camp. The climb was long and draining, totally draining. After 10 hours of climbing to base camp, I was sure that no summit attempt the next morning could even be dreamed of due to exhaustion. Each person carried 65+ lbs of personal and group gear up 5 miles and 4600 vertical feet. The climbers coming down all were disappointed and long faced as none even got a chance at the summit due to high avalanche danger on the technical sections past base camp at 10,200' (camp Muir). The surface leading to base camp was on a snowfield which means we didn't have to rope up together as we need to on Glaciers, but it was long; very long. Most climbers believe if you can make it to base camp (Camp Muir) you can make the summit. But with the lack of energy and high avalanche danger going past Camp Muir was in great question. After the climb we learned the most amazing things about our climb and conditions under which we climbed. The rangers told us that the spring had been one of the worst in 30 years. We were actually climbing in late winter conditions. Months went by when absolutely no summit attempts had been made attempted and only few had success prior to the recent storm that left the avalanche danger so high.
7:00 PM Day 1 10,200' - So we set up our North Face Himalayan Hotel tent at 7:00 pm and most went to bed but me. I, being the leader of the group stayed up and talked to climbers till 11:30 learning about the conditions and situation. I learned that a very "Kick butt" two man team had just returned from the summit and one other team planned to leave immediately. The night was extremely unique for high on the mountain - totally clear, and absolutely calm; a perfect window for climbing. Too bad my team and I were all dead tired.
5:00 AM Day 2 10,200'- I rallied the troops up to see the most spectacular sunrise of my life. It was everything I dreamed it would be. Fantastic views like I have never imagined and rare calm conditions. We took some pictures, fixed breakfast and then staged ourselves to climb.
7:00 AM Day 2 10,200'- We had to put on crampons, and rope ourselves up in two teams of three. We also had on emergency loops of rope already tied in special knots so we could self rescue ourselves from a crevasse fall.
8:00 AM Day 2 10,200'- We didn't get out of camp until 8:00 with two other climbing teams of two having left an hour earlier. The weather looked great, no clouds and light 15 MPH winds.
9:30 AM Day 2 10,800' - We climbed up past the first glacier and ridge, then came into view the summit and the long technical road to get there. "This is the easy way?" I thought as I realized how under rated this mountain and this route is. From over the first ridge we could see Little Tahoma directly in front of us.
After our climb we learned in the huge visitor's center at the base of mountain Lou Whitiker's recorded voice at a climber's display told that MT Rainier is the mountain of choice for world wide climbers preparing to climb MT Everest because MT Rainier can dish out all the fury of Everest except extreme altitude.
11:30 AM Day 2 11,200' - We traversed the next glacier and started the most technical sections. It was steep and surely felt like we were climbing a dangerous mountain worth of our respect. Lots of energy was expended getting up this section which is appropriately named "disappointment Cleaver". Many teams loose energy here and turn back or are turned back by weather.
12:30 PM Day 2 12,400' - Lunch at the top of "Dissapointment Cleaver". We ate lunch at 12:30 after passing the steepest section. I was pleased, but realized that we were only half done at that point. Before us was a wickedly crevasse section of glaciers that was almost as steep as the section that we has passed.
1:15 PM Day 2 12,400' - We ventured on, now with the temperature down to 20 degrees and winds of 20 - 30 MPH, but still blue skies although we knew that the afternoons are usually bad weather.
2:45 PM Day 2 13,200' - After 1.5 hours of nerve racking and strength draining climbing we had passed the second and last technical section, and our spirits we high as the summit was just 1200 feet away, and we still had the energy to get there. After a rest break the last of the two teams passed us having been to the top and were on the way down. We were the highest team on the mountain and ready to walk to the top. We started moving and suddenly the clear skies turned dark with higher winds, clouds and quickly snow was falling and accumulating at an alarming rate. The trail we had followed would soon be covered, and the avalanche danger would be going back up. We brought some "bivy" gear, which means if forced to we could survive if we stayed in place. What to do? We discussed the matter having to raiser our voices to be heard. It was not a good situation with easy choices. If the weather kept up, going up could be safer than going down since we were much closer to the top, which on MT Rainier is flat, rather than going down steep technical sections where one mis-step could mean disaster. The real question boiled down to how long the bad weather would last. The thought occurred to me that I had brought my cellular phone and the number of the ranger and heard that one could get service high on the mountain. I called and talked to the climbing ranger and learned that the weather would be bad for at least 24 hours. We decided to descend. I thought the mothers of the young men I was in charge of would not forgive me if we had gone for the top and been stranded on the top of the mountain in a bad storm. It was a rough descent from 13,200' in those miserable conditions.
3:45 PM Day 2 12,600' - We stopped in the relative shelter of the two Seracs to let Adam Robinson put on some additional warm clothes.
6:30 PM Day 2 10,200' - We had promised everyone a phone call from the top of the mountain at mid-day but we didn't make any calls and thought mothers would be worried. So when we reached base camp after the longest physical day of our lives we all called home to say we were safe.
The next day 3 strong teams attempted the summit. Two teams turned back well below our 13,200' mark due to exhaustion. One team reached exactly the point we did and turned back for the same reason. No one made the summit. I was very proud of our team and our effort.
In two days we did 7,500 feet of climbing on snow.
