The first time I got interested in climbing Rainier was about 5 years ago, when I was a summer employee at Hewlett Packard. John, another summer employee, climbed Rainier using the professional guide service RMI (Rainier Mountaineering Inc.). After hearing John's experience I wasn't too excited about the climb. John got very sick, nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, etc. A rather bad ordeal. Even with his high altitude sickness he still managed to reach the summit. Ever since I learned of John's experience, climbing Rainier has occupied the back of my mind. This spring, despite John's experience, I got a strong desire to take on the mountain. I really can't explain why I wanted to climb Rainier. All I ever do is simple day hikes in good weather. Despite having no mountain climbing experience I sign up to climb the fifth highest peek (14410 ft) in the lower 48 states. Mount Whitney in California being the highest at 14494 ft, only 84 feet higher than Rainier. I hear in the summer people "day hike" to the top of Whitney. Rainier is no simple day hike.
I sign up for the Labor Day (1990) weekend climb. The summit climb fee is $230. It normally costs $260, but RMI considers September their off season and charge a lower amount. That money buys you the services of a professional guide and one day snow/ice climbing class. You are required to take the course before the climb, even if you have extensive mountain climbing experience. The fee also includes the use of the climbing rope, seat harness, and helmet, thats it. The rest you either buy or rent. Below is the list of equipment that RMI required.
Stiff boots - Plastic boots are recommended. These boots are like ski boots, but with a hiking sole. Crampons Ice Axe Large internal or external framed backpack Sleeping bag rated to 32 degrees F. Wool or Pile pants (polypropylene or similar synthetic materials) Insulated Parka - Should have an attached hood. 2 garments for the upper body of either wool or pile - One item should be a heavy wool or pile sweater. Raingear - Jacket and pants of Gore-Tex or coated nylon. Pants with full length zippers are highly recommended. Jacket should have an attached hood. Long underwear - Top and Bottom. Capilene, polypropylene etc. NO cotton. Gloves - Wool or ski type Mittens - Wool or pile and water repellent nylon shell. Socks - Two pairs of wool socks Stocking Cap/Face mask - Wool or pile. Gaiters - Knee length Sunscreen/Lipcream - Rating of SPF 15 or higher Sunglasses with side protectors. Headlamp - Extra alkaline batteries required Water bottles - Two 1 quart capacity Water purification tablets Eating Utensils Food
Since this is my first mountain climbing experience, I do not have most of the equipment. This little adventure will cost me a few more shillings than I originally thought. The equipment list was well thought out and you need everything on the list, except the water purification tablets. We never came close to using them, so I don't understand why they were required. Anyway, I purchased the clothing items that I did not already own, and rented the climbing gear.
I had seven weekends to get myself in shape. Before I started hiking, my legs and lungs were already in strong bicycling condition, at least for me. This year I've cycled around 1700 miles with many long rides. Despite all the riding the first two hikes left my leg muscles sore. Below is a list of my training hikes. Although the hikes are not really a part of the Rainier climbing experience some fun things happened on these hikes so I'll include some comments. Besides it helps make a longer story. Elevation Distance Backpack Week Hike Gain Round-trip Weight 1 Mount Si 3100 ft 8 miles ~17 lbs 2 Forgotten Mountain ~4000 ~9 ~15 3 Camp Muir 4500 9 17-25 4 Granite Mountain 3800 8 35 + 5 ankle wts. 5 Sourdough Mountain 5100 11 35 + 5 Mount Si 3100 8 35 + 5 6 Sourdough Mountain 5100 11 35 + 5 7 3/5 Camp Muir ~3000 ~6 ~20 Gateway Valley ~1300 ~3 ~30
Forgotten Mountain was an interesting hike. It was the first time I ever held an ice axe in my hands, and used it to. Near the summit we had to climb 250 ft up this rather steep snow face. On the way down we elected to slide down on our rearends. I decided to start my slide half way down the snow face. At the time I was wearing only tennis shorts. The slide left my behind a little cold, red, and numb for a few minutes. But it was fun.
Camp Muir is a good training hike, because its the exact hike we take on the first day of the Rainier climb. At an altitude of 10,000 ft Camp Muir is a tough day hike. Minutes before my friends and I started the hike, I walked into the RMI building to sign up for the climb. Although I signed up 5 weeks in advance I learned I took the last slot for the Sept. 1 & 2 climb. Climbing Rainier is very popular, you must make your reservations early. The Camp Muir hike went very well. From that day on I felt confident that I was fit enough to reach the top.
The Granite Mountain hike was a confident builder. On a hot day I played tag with these 3 guys I met on the trail. When I took a break they would pass me, when they took a break I would pass them. This went on for 1.5 hours all the way to the top. This was a confidence builder because these 3 guys were physically stronger and younger than myself. They looked fit and probably all in their early 20s. And all they carried was small day packs or fanny packs. Despite all the weight on my back, I beat them to the top. When they reached the top they were out of water, so I gave them one of my two gallon jugs of water. On the hikes when I carried 35 lbs. I carried 2.0 - 2.5 gallons of water. I carried this large amount of water because if you get thirsty you can drink it, and at the top I pour it out so my knees and ankles will have less stress on the way down.
I received my largest ego booster while hiking up Mount Si. A lady was hiking down and as she passed me she noticed I was wearing ankle weights. She commented, "And this guy is a masochist." That made my day.
I know you don't give a damn about all these hikes. but this letter also serves as my personal journal. My diary of my Rainier experience, which includes the preparation. Anyway, the second Sourdough Mountain hike help remind me that I'm in good shape for a normal human being. About an hour into the hike a couple of hikers blew by me like I was standing still. During my other hikes people have passed me. The reason why I remember these two hikers was because they were carrying large heavy looking backpacks, and one was, should I say it ... a WOMAN. I sound like a chauvinistic jerk, don't I? I knew I could be one, if only I try hard enough. Anyway, at the top of the mountain we introduced our selves and talked for a while. I learned they arrived around 40 minutes earlier and were carrying 30 - 35 lbs each. The lady looked like she was fit, but there was nothing that would indicate the strength and endurance necessary to hike this trail at their pace. I was impressed. This was yet another reminder why I don't make my living in athletics.
The snow and ice climbing class was fun. The first thing we did was a short hike called Gateway Valley. The RMI guides maintained a moderately fast pace. They wanted to check our fitness. If in their opinion, you are not fit enough for the climb they won't let you go and refund your money. Of the approximately 25 clients only one lady decided trying to climb Rainier was not such a good idea. It turned out not to be a question of fitness. But her body just doesn't handle being at high altitudes well. And the hike ends at only 6700 ft. We hiked up to a snow field where our lesson began. We learned self-arrest, walking in a rope team, how to strap our crampons on, plus more. One of the more interesting items we learned was pressure breathing. Due to the lower air pressure at high altitudes your lungs have a tendency not to fully exhale. When pressure breathing you restrict your exhale by puckering up your lips. When you exhale you make a "whoosh" sound. By restricting the exhale you fool your lungs into believing they are at a lower altitude (higher air pressure) so your lungs achieve a normal full exhale. Of course restricting your exhale means more work for your lungs, and more energy is used for breathing. They say at high altitudes the benefits of pressure breathing out weighs the cost. I'll find out soon whether that theory is true or not.
Enough of this boring preliminary stuff, on with the main event. After work, Friday August 30, 1990, I drive to Paradise Inn. I reserved a single room for the night. It was a nice room, but for $50 you would expect to have a private bathroom. But at this inn rooms with bathrooms cost more dollars, and they were all taken when I made my reservation. At least the showers and restrooms were only a short walk down the hall. Despite the lack of personal conveniences I managed to get a decent night rest.
The first day of the two day climb began rather peacefully. Got out of bed around 7:00 AM, packed everything into my backpack and went to the dinning area for breakfast. Naturally I had a high carbohydrate breakfast, pancakes drown in maple syrup. Everyone was to meet at 9:00 AM at RMI's Guide House building, a stone throw away from the inn. But I had one last detail to take care of at the inn. I decided it would be smart to go to the restroom. I didn't really need to go, but I thought it would be in my best interest to get everything cleared out. As they say, a clean ship is a happy ship. Well anyways, I spent a good 20 minutes in the john forcing every last little piece of (insert your favorite noun) out of my body. I know I'm grossing some of you out, but its all true, and finally this story is getting a little more interesting.
At first things are a little hectic at the Guide House. People signing in, renting equipment, the guides performing an equipment check on the clients. The guide just call out items on the required equipment list, and I say, "yep, got it". It would be too much of a hassle to unpack everything and show them you brought every required item. But all the clients are given this pseudo equipment check. Just before we embark on todays hike to Camp Muir, we start around the room everyone saying a few words about themselves. Its interesting to find out that 60% of the clients are from out of state, many of them from the East coast. We have a newlywed couple from Boston. This Rainier adventure was one of their wedding gifts. This summit climb is lead by Arnold. This was his fourth or fifth year with RMI. He told us some interesting statistics. RMI has around a 60% success rate. This means 60% of their clients make the summit. Many times, especially early in the climbing season, the entire party is turned back due to adverse weather conditions. Adverse weather can also be a hot sunny day. If the temperature gets too hot the snow begins to melt, which increases the chance of an avalanche. This was the case a few years ago for one of our clients who was turned back. And now he is back for a second try. When people do make the summit they have a 70% success rate. The other 30% don't make it due to lack of conditioning, high altitude sickness, etc. I asked, how often do people get high altitude sickness on Rainier. They said its very rare. We go up and down the mountain so quickly high altitude sickness doesn't get a chance to develop. When people get sick during the climb its usually due to a lack of conditioning. At least thats what they said. One last tidbit, of the clients who summit about 10% are female.
We start hiking at 10:30 AM under perfect weather. Blue skies, temperature in the lower 50s. I'm wearing a tee-shirt, tennis shorts and a 43 lbs pack on my back. Because the first 2.5 miles is on an asphalt trail I elect to wear tennis shoes. My hiking boots joining the load on my back. I rented a large pack and its stuff full. At least most of the volume is taken up with relatively light clothing. We take a 10 - 15 minute break after each hour of hiking. During the breaks Arnold would say a few words. He would fill us in on the schedule, and give us what-to-do and what-not-to-do tips. For instance, when we take a break immediately remove your pack and sit down. Always drink and eat some food, even if you don't feel hungry. The main idea during breaks is to save and replenish your energy stores. Energy which we will need on the second day, the summit attempt.
Pebble Creek at 7200 ft marks the end of the asphalt trail and the start of Muir Snowfield. From Pebble Creek to Camp Muir its all snow travel, so everyone puts on their boots. Arnold takes the lead and all the clients form a long single file line behind him. Everyone walking in the foot steps of the person in front. Another energy saving action. The other five guides spend much of the time along side of the client line. Because these people are fit and have done this many times, they know they can expend a little more energy and still make the top. They are also performing a job walking besides the clients. They are evaluating their clients looking for the strong and weak people. They need this information to determine which rope team you will be on. I wonder how they evaluated me?
The pace was a little slow, but thats fine with me. I want to save energy for the second day. It takes us about five hours to reach Camp Muir. Twenty minutes before our arrival the nice beautiful day turned ugly. I watch in amazement as a cloud moved along the mountain, which in a couple of minutes enveloped us. What was a nice partly cloudy windless day suddenly turned into a cold windy day. Weather in the high mountains can change very quickly indeed. At the last break we all put on a jacket, but I'm still in my tennis shorts. When we arrive at Camp Muir the weather was very cold. Camp Muir is located on a ridge where the winds were blowing at a consistent 20 mph, rather blizzard like conditions. At least it wasn't snowing. I don't know what the temperature was, but I haven't felt this cold since living through a Montana winter. RMI has a small dark grey building for their clients to spend the night in. But unfortunately the people on todays summit attempt were not yet back to clear out their belongings, so we could not move in. For the next hour we tried to keep our butts from freezing off. We also had a lecture and practice putting on our seat harness. I don't know why they did not unlock the building so we could stand inside and get warm. Maybe they were afraid someone would steal the belongings inside. Eventually they unlocked the door, the rope teams arrived back and cleared out their junk so we could move in.
Its a very small building. Building is too good of a word for this structure. The word "hut" comes to mind. There is just enough space to sleep a full complement of clients, 24 people. I decide to grab a place on the top level. The building is divided into 3 levels, top, middle, and bottom. Its very cramp. I don't have enough space on the top level to get on my hands and knees. The space between the top level and the ceiling joists is around 1 feet 9 inches, a little more than the distance from my elbow to my finger tips. Its amazing how some people want to climb a mountain with 40 lbs on their back, freeze their butts off, volunteer to be stuffed into a hut with 23 other people, and actually spend money to do it! These people must either be crazy or simply stupid. I shouldn't say that because, I'm one of those people. I have a college degree so lets rule out stupidity. Does that mean I'm .... I'm crazy?? An interesting question to ponder, but lets get back to the story. After laying down my sleeping bag I decide it was time to take off my tennis shorts. Of course this means stripping down to my underwear. I look across the room and see a couple of ladies have also decided to sleep on the top level. Oh well, off with the shorts, theres no room for modesty when your mountain climbing. In their place I put on my lycra sport tights. I did notice that I'm the only one wearing "cool looking" black tights with silver and red strips down the side. Ok, maybe their not that cool looking. The fashion show will have to wait, its now time for dinner. I packed 11 Powerbars, 2 Cup-of-Noodles, 2 apples, 2 small containers filled with grapes, and Exceed sport drink power to mix in my water bottles. I wasn't hungry, so for dinner I ate one of my apples and a Cup-of-Noodles. A real hearty meal. RMI supplied us with the hot water. After dinner the RMI guides came by to tell us which rope team we would be on. They try to get a mixture of strong and weak people on each rope. The idea is to keep all the teams even so they travel at the same rate. Basicly you don't want to be the weak link on your rope. If you are too weak you may not be able to keep up the pace and slow your team down. The guide to lead my rope team is named Chris. I met Chris a week ago during the snow and ice climbing class. I wanted to be on Chris's team because I had a few conversations with him and I learned he was a fellow cyclist. Chris is a student at Oregon State University and this was his first summer as an RMI guide. A rather unusual summer job, to say the least.
After assigning the teams it was bedtime, 6:30 PM. Of course I made a mistake when I laid down my sleeping bag. All through the evening I listened to the wind as it whistled by the air vent right next to my head. The vent is covered up, but it lets enough air in so when I want to I can breath in some nice cool fresh air. A small consolation for the higher noise level. It would be nice to fall asleep. But tonight sleep would prove to be as elusive as finding the fountain-of-youth. Due to the lack of snoring I doubt if anyone got a goodnight sleep. I think I remember only one guy snore and only for a short time. In the morning during breakfast the guy laying beside me said he hear me snore once, as in a single snore. He probably mistaken a clearing of my sinuses as a snore. As far as I know I didn't sleep a tweak. Around 45 minutes before we got out of bed I realized I made a second mistake when I moved in. Being on the top level made it much more difficult to get to the little boys room. I listen as a couple of people on the lower levels made their way outside to heed the call of nature. But where I lay such an undertaking would be difficult, and create much commotion. So I decide I really didn't have to go after all. As the minutes tick by my bowels kept reminding me that I needed to go. Finally Arnold came in. It was time to begin the summit ascent. By this time my bowels were not just reminding me to go to the bath room, but were yelling out YOU NEED TO GO, RIGHT NOW!! I quickly put on my tennis shoes and a jacket, climbed down, and was the first one out the door. I quickly walked over to the outhouse and to my amazement found the door locked. I was the first one out of my hut, but the RMI people had their own hut, and it turned out Chris was inside. Unfortunately it was still cold and windy outside. Imagine a man wearing only a tee-shirt, a jacket, and "cool looking" lycra tights. Imagine this person standing in the dark, on a mountain, with their nose right up against an outhouse door, using the outhouse as a shield against the invisible fierce wind. Now imagine this person is about to freeze into a solid piece of ice, and moments latter releasing all the pent-up pressure in his bowels. Ok, Ok, I'm being a little over dramatic. But I was up against the outhouse shivering in the cold, and thankfully, I did manage to conduct my business inside the outhouse.
Arnold got us going at 12:30 AM. Thats right, half an hour after midnight. I ate my remaining Cup-of-Noodles for breakfast. and packed up. Of course I leave behind my tennis shoes and cotton clothing. Today my pack weighs around 30 lbs. Much of the clothing comes out of the pack and onto the body. You should dress on the cool side. If you are a little cold when standing around, you should be just right once the hiking begins. Special attention must be given to the clothing on your lower body. Because of the big climbing boots and crampons changing your pants is a difficult and time consuming task. I decide on my tights, then a light weight polypropylene under garment, and wool pants. If necessary I can put on my Gore-Tex pants. These pants have full length zippers along the legs for easy access without taking off ones boots. For the upper body I also start out with 3 layers, polypropylene, a wool shirt, and my bicycle Gore-Tex jacket. I also wear a polypro face mask.
Outside we turn on our headlamps, put on our crampons and rope up. My rope consists of Chris followed by Gloria, myself, Jennifer, and John brings up the rear. There are six teams, five people per rope. We leave Camp Muir at 2:00 AM, wondering if we will ever make it back. Ooops, more stupid dramatics. We head out onto the Cowlitz glacier. The mountain and glacier helps to protect us from the wind. Finally we get some relief from the wind. I hate wind.
For the next 4 hours, until sunrise, we walk in darkness our headlamps lighting the way. I step over a few crevasses wondering how deep they go. Through out the day we walk on rocks or snow. The glacial ice is always somewhere beneath the snow layer. After crossing over the Cowlitz glacier we climb on the Cathedral Rocks. A rocky section between the Cowlitz and Ingraham glaciers. When we start to climb on rocks each person on the rope team reels in the person behind them. The team negotiates the rocks with around 4 feet between each member. Each person carrying their section of the rope. Except the person on the end. They of course don't have anyone to reel in, or rope to carry. If a rope team had fewer people there may be extra rope where the end person may have to carry some of it. But in our case John gets a little bonus. When we climb on the snow, we drop the rope, and wait until the person in front has taken out most of the slack, which produces a distance of around 30 feet between each member. We climb with ice axe in one hand and the rope in the other. The ice axe stays on the uphill side. In case of a fall you don't want to fall on a sharp pointed axe. Another important rule is "don't step on the rope." Since we wear crampons, stepping on the rope could put a cut in it. Not a smart thing to do. But probably every client stepped on it once or twice today. At least on snow the rope will most likely not get a cut, it just gets pressed deeper into the snow. When I stepped on the rope I didn't notice any apparent damage. Yes, I stepped on it, and more than just once today. Gotta watch those darn feet.
After Cathedral Rocks we entered Ingraham Flats, a snowy flat area. Here we take our first break. As I was taught yesterday, I removed my pack, laid it down with the straps up, and sat on it. The straps go up because you don't want to get snow on that side of the pack. Of course everyone pulls out their water bottles and some food. I pull out and unwrap a Powerbar. The thing is close to being a rock. These Powerbars really get stiff in the cold. It was a struggle, but I managed to eat most of it. For the next break I stuff a couple of them into my shirt pocket, wishing my body heat will keep them flexible. Its cold and dark, and I can't see far beyond my headlamp beam. The fun has just begun.
Already two ladies have decided they had enough of this mountain climbing crap. We have only climbed a thousand feet to an altitude of around 11,000 ft. Obviously they didn't expect Rainier to be this tough. The guides are prepared for this event. They carry extra sleeping bags to "bag" the people who decide not to continue. A couple of guides pull out their shovels and dig a rectangle into the snow, and lay two sleeping bags beside each other. Right before we leave the women are bagged and given instructions to stay put and someone will come back and lead them back to Camp Muir. Neither woman was on my team.
Ten minutes after the break I developed a problem. My headlamp faded out. Although not brand new, my batteries should not be dead. I can't believe it. I bash the headlamp a couple of times, but nothing. Chris decides to stop and have the team move a couple of steps off the trail. His voice displaying irritation. No doubt this feeling was unanimous throughout the team. With me being the most irritated. I removed my pack and start searching for my extra batteries. Not a simple task as it would first appear to be. I can't see a damn thing! The small top compartment of the pack is stuff with many items. I feel Powerbars, camera, camera film, but where are those batteries? Finally the following rope team has made it to my position and the guide stops and shines his headlamp into my pack. I removed the container containing a "space blanket" and laid it down on the snow in front of me. I then said goodbye to it as the wind blew it down the mountain. Another mountain climbing lesson learned the hard way. No big deal, it only cost ten dollars. I then took out my camera and very carefully handed it to the guide. Now I had enough space in the compartment to find those dumb batteries. In a couple minutes my headlamp was once again probing the darkness. Oh boy, what a relief. I just hope my hands warm up again. Searching around my pack without gloves on had made them quite cold. Days later, back at my house, I checked out those batteries and found they were fine. I have no idea why the headlamp went out. Maybe the cold affected the batteries.
After Ingraham Flats comes Disappointment Cleaver. The Cleaver requires we climb a thousand feet all on rocks. Climbing on rocks wearing crampons strapped to inflexible plastic boots is extremely awkward. Your ankle gets positioned any old way the crampons comes to rest, and you can't do much about it. Even with my limited experience wearing crampons, they do provide very good traction. I never slipped going up or down the rocks.
During the climb on Disappointment Cleaver Gloria started slowing down. As you recall, Gloria is on my rope and the person right in front of me. In front of her is our leader, Chris. It reached the point where Gloria would stop a few seconds to catch her breath. This of course means the entire rope team must stop, including the teams following right behind us. About 3/5 the way up the Cleaver it was the end of the road for old Gloria. Although she wanted to continue she couldn't keep up with the pace that the guides were setting. So the guides took her off my rope. One of the guides volunteered to lead her back down. He would also pick up the two ladies bagged at Ingraham Flats. When the day began there were 6 rope teams, each lead by an RMI person and 4 clients. Now one guide and three clients were making their way back to Camp Muir. I'm not sure how the other rope teams were adjusted, but they added two guys onto my rope team. Since Gloria was gone this means my rope team had an extra person. All these changes provided me with an unscheduled 15 minute break, which was fine with me.
Just before 6:00 AM we where on the top of Disappointment Cleaver and back on the snow. I much prefer climbing on snow versus the rocks. Here we take our second of three scheduled breaks. We are around 12,300 feet above sea-level. As lady luck would have it, our break was just at the right time of day, sunrise. Watching the sunrise from this vantage point was .... it was simply inspirational. Add the near by glacial ice structures, the typical Northwest cloud layer a thousand feet below, and the cool fresh mountain air makes this moment unforgettable. A worthy prize for all of our hard work. But there is much climbing left today. We left Camp Muir 4 hours ago and we are only half way to the top, with about 2000 ft remaining. Placing the Powerbars into my shirt pocket worked. The bars were somewhat pliable. Ice is beginning to form in my water bottle, no problem, just cold Exceed sport drink. During and after refueling I take out my camera and tripod. Yes, I'm the only crazy to bring along a tripod. At least its a lightweight one. The sunrise shots were my only pictures taken with the tripod. Taking the tripod was definitely an error. I don't know how many errors in judgements I have made on this adventure. They just seem to be adding up. It also looks like I'm the only one packing a full SLR. Everyone else seems to have a lightweight point-and-shoot camera. It kind of shows who was the most serious photographer in this bunch.
At the beginning of the break Arnold said we should still feel strong, because as he mentioned more than once in the past two days, "going up is optional, coming down is mandatory." He also said that this was the last turn around point. He said, "if you continue on, you will summit, and we have a good three hours of climbing left." I wonder what happens if someone decides to continue on, but really can't make the summit? I doubt if they would drag the person to the top. I know I would not want to be the person who continues on and then force the team to turn around because I misjudged my strength. I also know I'm tired. We climbed a little more than 2000 feet from Camp Muir and I feel more tired than reaching the top of Sourdough Mountain, and that hike has an elevation gain of 5100 feet. The thought of turning around entered my mind for a brief moment. I also knew I still had a lot left in my legs, so I went about my picture taking, unconcerned about all the rearranging activities going around me. Five clients decided to turn around. Two of them came off my rope. One of the guys added when Gloria left, and Jennifer. I'm surprised Jennifer left, she seem like a strong lady. She never made any hints that she was tiring. It was interesting to listen in on the conversation she was having with her girlfriend. "I'll continue on, if you will. If you go back, I'll go back." What a tough decision to make, especially after putting in all the hard work to reach this point. Arnold tried to console those who decided to turn back. "There are only a small number of people in this country who will ever make the attempt, let alone make it this far." I know turning around so close to the destination would leave me with a rather empty feeling. As Jennifer was being taken off my rope she uttered, "I will be back". I'm sure she will.
In Jennifer's place arrived a new lady. I can't recall the name so lets call her Mary. In front to back order my rope team included Chris, Mary, myself, John, and the last person is Dave, who came on board when Gloria left. So did you follow all the changes? I'm amazed I'm still on Chris's team. This break probably lasted 25 minutes. As usual Arnold's team lead off, follow by my team. We now had four teams. Eight clients and two guides aborting the climb. From this point on its nothing but snow city. At one point we had to go down I estimate 300 feet, and then walk on a small level path in the side of Emmons glacier. RMI had added a safety line to the uphill side of the path, my left side. When a person enters the path they would drop the team rope and slide their hand along the safety line as they traveled along the path. This also means we had to switch the ice axe to the downhill side, which isn't good, buts its more important to have a hand around the safety line. On both sides of the path the glacier slope was a good 50 degree angle. The path we were walking on was less than shoulder width. Now the journey is getting rather interesting. If someone fell off the path they could take the whole team with him. I can't worry about that right now, I just need to concentrate on placing one foot in front of the other. Suddenly I tripped and fell to my knees! I immediately knew what happened. As I my brought my right foot forward the right boot crampon got caught in the crampon straps of my left boot. And down I went, my knees landing right on the path. We were walking slowly so there was not enough momentum to end up on my face, just onto my knees. In one quick motion I was back up and walking, just like nothing happened. The two people behind me never mentioned the incident. I'm sure no one noticed, the whole thing taking at most two seconds. "Shit, lets not do that again".
There were one or two other parts which were a little hard to negotiate. Steep sections that you had to take your time on. Besides the path with the safety line and the steep sections, if you slip there was no possibility of sliding down the mountain. Of course there always the risk that an edge of a crevasse would give away as you step over it. Thats a risk you accept when you walk on glaciers, and thats why we rope up. At one spot we went by the edge of a crevasse and stuck inside was long aluminum ladder. We never used the latter, so I wonder what it was doing there. I probably could have asked someone, but I can't spend time remembering to ask useless questions, I'm too busy and too focused on climbing this mountain.
Our third and last break before the top happened somewhere around the 13,000 ft mark. I'm just guessing, because our other breaks have been near thousand foot levels. There are no rocks or anything else but snow. Each rope team sat facing down the mountain. For the moment the sky was clear, which kind of offered a nice view of Little Tahoma, a near by peak. I said "kind of" because the wind has returned with a vengeance. And, its blowing snow around. There were times before and after this break where the wind would make me stumble. I say some gusts reached 35 mph. As usual I eat a Powerbar and have a drink. My water bottles now contains a fair amount of ice. At least my grapes haven't frozen. Up to this point I have not made any clothing changes. For the break I'm forced to put on my parka. In a little while the party was over. Onward and upward. Despite the harsh weather I put the parka back into my pack, just as Arnold suggested. You stay warm because of the high physical effort required when climbing at this altitude.
The last thousand feet proves the most aerobically demanding. I'm breathing hard but going, oh so slow. I decide its time to check out the pressure breathing technique they taught us; whoosh ... whoosh. I'm not convinced it really helps me at this altitude. The usual deep breathing seems to work just fine. I'm amazed at how much time you spend looking three feet in front of you. You simply look for the place to take your next step, its usually in the footstep of the person in front. You repeat this cycle over and over again. The snow was really blowing all over the damn place, then I noticed Arnold's team were sitting on their packs trying to use a line of rocks they found as a shield against the wind. When I reached the rocks I finally realized these rocks were part of Rainier's crater rim. WE MADE IT! Right now I couldn't care at all. I just wanted to get this heavy damn pack off my back, put on my parka, and sit down to try to get out of the wind. Its now 9:30 AM, Sunday morning. Many of my friends are still at home, laying in bed sound asleep. Those lazy scum bags. Ooops, I'm sorry I said that, I really didn't mean it, really I didn't. The high altitude must have affected my brain.
Now the true Rainier summit is on the other side of the crater. Due to the marginal weather conditions and our late arrival, Arnold decides that we would not cross the crater today. Crossing the crater and coming back would take about 45 minutes. RMI considers this a summit climb. So do I. Our altitude is less than 200 feet off the true summit. No one questioned his decision. Would I have preferred to stand on the true summit? Yes, I would have chosen to make the crossing if Arnold would have allowed it. I know I had enough energy and desire to make it, despite the weather. It was his call. This brings up the one big sore point of RMI. These folks are on a tight schedule. We have to be back at Camp Muir to clear out our belongings, so the next group can move in. This means we don't have much slack. The last rope team contained a client who was 63 years old. He told me latter that he barely made it. He did slow down his team. They arrived a good 20 minutes behind us, I "think" this put us more behind schedule and was a factor in Arnold's decision.
We stayed close to an hour before starting back down. I used 15 of those minutes to tighten up my crampons. During this activity the cold really got to my fingers. I packed a couple of chemical hand warmers. They provide heat when opened to the air and the contents are crushed. Man, I'm sure glad I brought those along. Of course I refueled, and took some more pictures. I stood on the crater ridge and noticed it was very thin. You step one way and start down into the crater. You step the other way and you start down the mountain. The crater looked like a large jagged bowl with snow in it. Nothing to get excited about. Theres not much happening up there. No live music, or anything. The blowing snow also takes away the view below. No wonder why, for the most part, everyone just sits in their own quite little world.
It was time to get your butts off this mountain. 10 minutes before we started down the weather started rapidly improving. The clouds were clearing out and the wind was dying down. To bad we couldn't hang around. 40 minutes latter the sky was clear blue, no wind, and its rather warm out. Amazing! Going down to Disappointment Cleaver Chris was on the end of the rope. Dave was in the lead. I was in the middle with John in front and Mary behind. Quite often I watched John fall down. More often I felt the rope in my hand get heavy, a signal that the person behind you has stopped or not keeping up the pace. When I look around there was Mary sitting in the snow. John and Mary legs were gone, wiped out, kaput. This got rather irritating. I slipped down a couple of times but I got up right away. Sometimes when their legs buckled they turned it into a mini-rest break. Oh well, the weather was great and the scenery was gorgeous. We take the exact same route going down as we went up. While traveling back over the thin path with the safety line, I momentarily look up and noticed Dave was facing the mountain. The path is a straight line, I should be viewing Dave's back not his right side. It looks like he just stood up? A little latter I reach the location where Dave was facing the mountain. He did slip, not only that he took half of the path with him! Lucky RMI added this safety line.
Still on our way to Disappointment Clever we stopped to remove some clothes. It got so warm I was sweating. I removed everything off my upper body except the lightweight polypropylene garment. It was so nice and we're still above 12,000 feet. Then came the hardest part of the day. If you remember, a part of the trail dropped 300 feet, while making our way up. Now it was time to go back up that 300 feet. I was tired and more importantly my mind was not mentally prepare for more climbing. It really wasn't much of a climb, but my mind was set on going down, not up. It was a bitch.
As usual Arnold's team was laying around the break area, when we finally showed up at the Clever. Some how during all the people switches, he got four strong men on his team, and they traveled at a higher speed then the other teams. During the break I notice I did not drink much on the way up. When you're cold you don't want to drink ice cold water, even though your body needs it. At this break, under the nice warm sun, I drink an entire quart. Hmmm, must have got a little dehydrated. I also notice my lips are getting sunburn. Too bad I didn't bring along any lipcream, although at this point I really didn't care about getting a little sunburn. From this vantage point we had some great views, nice, very nice. The partial cloud layer is still a thousand feet below. I look around and see only 2 of the original 7 women are left. Mary and the newlywed. Of the 24 clients 16 made the summit.
The trip down Disappointment Clever was hard on the legs, because its all rocks. I'm amazed we went through this in the morning darkness. There was one place where they only allowed one team to cross at a time, due to the possible chance of a rock avalanche. In the morning we walked through here without knowing when we were in a higher risk area. Now we know.
After we left the rocks I noticed the rope in my hand continuously had a lot of tension in it, John was not keeping up the pace. I simply drop the rope after my hand got tired, and helped drag John down the mountain, because I was supporting tension in the rope which helped pull John during the descent. We had one more break at Ingraham Flats. The exact same place we had our first break in the morning. The hole where the two ladies were bagged was still around. Here I finished off the last of my water. Two quarts was just the right amount of liquids to bring. By this time I'm getting pretty sick of Powerbars. During the break I told John about the tension in the rope, and for the last remaining part of the journey he did a good job keeping up.
Mark, one of the guides deposited a little plastic bag into a trash can located near by. Somewhere along the way Mark had to take a crap. Its a requirement that no one leaves solid waste on the mountain. With thousands of people climbing Rainier every year. Solid waste would create a real mess that would not decomposed in the cold climate. If you need to generate solid waste, you're required to pack it out. The moral to this story is, clean everything out before the start and eat easily digestible foods. This is one area where I made the right decision.
In less than an hour we were back over the Cathedral Rocks and across the Cowlitz glacier. We made it back to Camp Muir around 2:45 PM. We were tired, but happy campers. The first thing I did was to remove those damn crampons. That was a big relief. The people who turned around were waiting at Camp Muir, except one man who left despite RMI's instructions to wait. The next group to make the summit attempt were also waiting around. Yesterday we nearly froze to death waiting to move into the hut. These wimps are waiting around in shorts and tee-shirts, basking in the sun. Pisses me off, oh well thats the breaks. After stuffing all of my junk into my pack, I ask Arnold if I could start down. He answered, "we came up as a group, and we will go down as a group." So much for getting home early.
We started down around 4:15 PM. Not too much else to write about. After a short break at Pebble Creek we start back down the asphalt trail. We arrive at Paradise around 6:30 PM. Now I know why they call this place "Paradise". Sitting by my car, in the parking lot, I remove most of my clothing and my boots. Man, tennis shoes have never felt any better than this moment. I pick up my "Certificate of Achievement" and start the drive back home at 7:00 PM. I got back around 9:15 PM. I showered, and ate some food, other than a Powerbar. I went to bed at 11:00 PM. I haven't slept in 40 hours. I'm beat.