Mount Rainier Trip

In mid July my cousins Zac and Ben, my brother Jeff, our buddies Mike and Paul, and myself successfully summitted Mt. Rainier. I kept meaning to write a post about it, but put it off until now...

Day 1: Paradise to Camp Muir

After spending the night at Mike Tull's house we woke up early and drove up to Paradise.

View of Mt. Rainier from Paradise.

Group shot at the trailhead (Paradise) moments before beginning the climb.

Back Row: Mike, Greg, Zac, Ben, Jeff

Front: Paul

The first couple of miles were on a well groomed trail. There were all sorts of day hike trails in the area and lots of wildlife and cool vegetation (we even saw a Marmot).

After a bit, the trail became a bit more rugged, but was still a well-defined trail.

(Note: you can see the trail winding up and over the green ridge in the center).

Despite having a decent trail, the climbing was still pretty slow going due to our 60+ pound packs and stiff mountaineering boots.

Jeff and I pause for a quick photo with the mountain looming overhead.

The snow and high altitude also made the climb somewhat slow going. On the upside, this gave us plenty of time to take in the incredible view.

The climb to base camp continues.

After a couple hours of good climbing we decided to stop for a healthy lunch consisting of cliff bars and beef jerky.

Zac (left) managed to pound down about 4 Cliff bars a day during our trip (as per usual). Mike (right) supplied the group--as always--with endless amounts of jerky (since he works for O'berto).

Some of us also took advantage of the lunch break to apply mole skin to hot spots and blisters.

Then we were off.

Crossing a stream just before getting up into the snow line. From here on out it was nothing but snow and rock.

Water stop.

Near the final stretch to base camp we found a small stream bubbling out of a group of boulders. We had to dig down a little bit to get a deep enough puddle to pump water out, but it was a lot faster than boiling snow. Plus, after about 7 hours of uphill climbing we were almost out of water (despite the fact that we were carrying about 4 liters of water each).

Finally, after about 8 hours of climbing, we made it to Camp Muir (10,080 feet).

Arrival at Camp Muir.

In the background you can see two hut/cabin things that the park rangers (as well as some guided groups) sleep in.

The view from Muir.

Shortly after arriving at Muir we found a spot for our tent and began to set up camp.

The group pauses for a quick breather before beginning to set up camp.

Leveling out an area for our tent.

Zac originally made a reservation for us to rent two three-man tents. However, upon retrieving them, he discovered that they were flimsy summer tents. Judging that these tents would probably not be able to keep us warm or withstand high mountain winds, Zac opted to get a big sturdy six-man tent instead. Since we were camping on a pretty steep incline, and most tent areas only fit little two-man tents, we had to dig in to the side of the mountain in order to clear a larger area. In the end, it was a lot more fun having everyone in the same tent anyway.

Overlooking our camp area from in front of Muir's illustrious outhouses (outhouses not pictured, but definitely smelled by the photographer [Zac] and myself).

The sun begins to set on Camp Muir.

Sunset over Muir.

Jeff and I were feeling pretty sick this first night due to the high altitude (probably in conjunction with the heavy exertion of the day's climb and the intense sunlight being reflected on us from the snow all day long). However, the other members of our group let us rest while they melted and purified snow for drinking, and boiled water for dinner. I honestly felt like there was no way I would feel good enough to summit the mountain the next day, but decided to just concentrate on hydrating myself and trying to rest as much as possible. Thanks to the help of the other members of our group, by the next morning both Jeff and I were good to go.

Day 2: The Summit

We didn't get to bed as early as we would have liked, so we decided to sleep in a little later than we had originally planned. Thus, while most groups leave base camp for the summit between midnight and about two o'clock, we did not make it out onto the trail until about five a.m. This gave us extra sleep and allowed us to have more energy and be more alert. However, it also meant that the snow was a lot softer since our ascent took place much later in the day. The softer snow made crossing snow bridges more dangerous and also meant a greater likelihood of rock falls. We were very careful though, and fortunately didn't have any problems with either of these potential hazards.

Leaving Camp Muir (tent in background--second from left).

Looking down on a pretty menacing field of crevasses.

Note: the steep peak on the right looked huge as we were walking past it, but seemed tiny--to the point of almost being unnoticeable--from the summit.

Our first glance of Disappointment Cleaver (rocky cliffs on right). Only moments later we would discover that its name was no misnomer.

Note: to get a sense of scale, the tiny dots in the center of the picture are tents.

The trail passed over the rim of this ominous crevasse just before we reached Disappointment Cleaver. Of course, the picture doesn't do it much justice since there is nothing to give a sense of scale. Let me just say that it was huge and very deep.

Just before taking on the Cleaver we paused to catch our breath and take in the view behind us (we had just skirted around the outside of the peak on the right).

Approaching Disappointment Cleaver.

Although it may not look like much in this picture, Disappointment Cleaver (right) was by far the most technical--read "most dangerous"--leg of the journey. We didn't get any pictures of it since the Park Rangers warned us not to stop at all until we made it all the way through (due to the possibility of rock slides). However, just to give an idea of what it was like, imagine creeping along a steep cliff face of rock and snow on a skinny--at times almost non-existent--trail. Below you is a steep drop which ends in a gaping, abysmal crevasse . Above you is a rock face made up of boulders which could come crashing down at any second. Rock falls could be heard and seen in the distance.

Looking back from the top of Disappointment Cleaver.

The group breathes a sigh of relief after making it to the top of Disappointment Cleaver.

Once back on the trail it wasn't long until we came across new obstacles.

Since there was no way around this crevasse, and no snow bridge spanning over it, we had to find the narrowest part and cross it with a running jump. We spread out and crossed one at a time while the rest of the group prepared to dive and dig in with their ice axes (in the event of a fall). In this picture, I am in mid air jumping from the edge of the crevasse onto a small island in the middle of the crevasse. Once on the island (where Jeff is standing), we were then able to step across to the other side of the crevasse.

Crossing a crevasse on a snow bridge

(picture taken by Zac from on the bridge, looking into the crevasse).

Ben and I adjust our ropes as we near the summit.

The higher we climbed the more we began to feel it. Zac was the first to start to feel sick. Ben gradually got a headache which turned into an almost unbearable migraine as we neared the top. Paul's knees were giving him some trouble, but seemed to do okay as long as we took it slow.

Last stop before reaching the summit.

This was the flattest spot we could find to stop, and Jeff (foreground) and I (background) needed a bathroom break. I can't speak for Jeff, but this was definitely the scariest poo I have ever taken in my life. I had to unhook from my primary harness and hook into my chest harness (which isn't quite as secure) in order to get my pants down. At the same time, I had to let go of my ice axe temporarily (although I did keep it tethered to my wrist) in order to drop my drawers and sit back over the hole I had just dug in the snow (all while hoping that my crampons didn't fail me and send me sliding down the mountain face). Logically, I knew that the other guys would have caught me with the rope had I started to fall (since I was hooked into my chest harness and we were all tethered together with climbing rope). Nevertheless, while sitting there freezing my cheeks off on a self-made toilet, I couldn't help but think about the possibility of sliding off the face of the Earth. To further add to the experience, I then had to pick up my disgustingly warm poo (with a bag over my hand) and stow it inside my backpack. On the upside, it was also the most breathtaking view I have ever had while on the can.

Note: I have a pretty sweet picture of Jeff victoriously holding his poo in hand (with a bag over his hand of course), but opted not to post it here to save you all your lunch.

Nevertheless, after about 10 straight hours of climbing, we reached the summit (14,416 feet).

Back row: Greg, Jeff, Ben, Mike, Zac,

Front: Paul

Once we reached the summit, Ben's migraine had gotten so bad that he started to feel a little bit crazy and told us that he was going to need a medevac out. To his disappointment, Zac pointed out that helicopters can't fly at that high of altitude and that he was either going to have to hike down, or we were going to have to drag him down.

Since Ben wasn't feeling well we opted to not spend a lot of time at the summit and instead hurried down to a lower elevation to take a break and boil some snow (as we were all out of water). As we climbed lower and lower Ben began to feel a bit better, but was still suffering from an intense migraine. Unfortunately, because of his food allergies, there is very little that he can take for a migraine and he pretty much just had to suffer through it. We all felt pretty bad for him, but there wasn't a lot we could do besides get to a lower altitude.

So... having conquered the mountain, we then began our descent. Despite being worn out from the ten hour climb up the mountain, it only took us about six hours to get back down to Camp Muir (arriving at 9:30 p.m.).

After roughly 16 hours of intense climbing (with heavy packs, etc) we then proceeded to melt snow for water, make dinner, visit the outhouses and collapse into our sleeping bags. I would like to say that we all drifted into a peaceful sleep known only to those who have experienced complete physical exhaustion, but unfortunately we were just so worn out that most of us felt pretty miserable.

Day 3: Homeward Bound

Although it had taken us about eight hours to get from Paradise up to Muir, the descent from Muir to Paradise only took about three hours since we were able to glacade most of the way (for those of you who do not know what glacading is, basically it is where you slide down the mountain on your butt with all of your gear on while using your ice axe as a brake). It makes for a pretty fun and wild ride (although I did manage to knick my thigh with my ice axe at one point) and is a heck of a lot faster than walking.

Finally, our trip came to an end when we reached Paradise and packed our gear into our vehicles.

As we drove off the mountain I couldn't help but look back one last time at the mountain we had just conquered.

The Aftermath

In the days and weeks following our summit of Mt. Rainier we all carried with us reminders of our excursion. In particular, Paul had ginormous "Bubba" lips (unfortunately I don't have the picture), and my face was literally fried crispy. Both my lips and nose had completely crusted over and I had no feeling in either for at least a week.

Most of us also had some light blisters...

and/or or raw skin as well.

Even today (almost 4 months later) I still have some light scarring on my legs from my boots and a pretty crazy tan on my arms from the intense sun exposure that we experienced.

In addition to these physical souvenirs, Paul also got one for his car when he accidently ran over our ice axes in Mike's driveway (tearing through one of his brand new tires). Luckily, Les Schwab considered the axes a "road hazard" and replaced the tire at no extra charge.

Final Thought

While I doubt that "fun" is the first word anyone in our group would use to describe our summit of Mt. Rainier, it was an incredible experience that I doubt any of us will ever forget.