Well, the much anticipated Mt. Rainier is over. And although I didn't bag the summit, it was quite the adventure.
There were 8 clients (including me) in my group and 4 guides. The group dynamic was pretty good. Two of the guys were buddies from Seattle and in their mid 30's, another two were in their late 40's and were doctors, there was a guy probably around my age from Louisiana, and the babies of the group were Alaina and Kevin who were in their early 20's (they both worked for the guide service and got a free trip due to cancellations).
Day OneWe drove up to an area on Rainier called "Paradise" (5,000 ft) and started our hike there. The start of the hike was actually pretty tough. It had me really wishing I would've spent more quality time on the Stairmaster. Our destination was Camp Muir which was at 10,000 ft. I did okay for the first 4,000 ft., but that last 1,000 ft was me basically running on fumes.
Below was a gorgeous spot on the hike to Camp Muir, that's Mt. Adams on the left and Mt. St. Helens on the right (in the way back). You could actually just barely see Mt. Hood from there as well but, unfortunately, didn't come thru in the pic.
We rested up for a while once we got to Camp Muir, had dinner, then slept in one of the huts.
Scenes from Camp Muir...
Day TwoStarted off with a nice blueberry pancake breakfast (which would've been great had I been hungry...appetite and altitude don't play well together). Then we put on our crampons (spikes you attach to the bottom of the boots) and learned all about self rescue. I have to admit, the best part...sliding down the mountain head first trying to catch myself with my ice axe. I'll take that over sipping daiquiries on the beach any day. :-D
At around 2pm, we started off our relatively short (1,000 ft) hike to high camp. And here's where I thought I was going to lose it...
That rocky terrain you see there on the right? Yea, that wasn't so fun. We got to that point and not only was it steep and extremely windy, but in some parts it felt like walking in quicksand and it didn't get any easier as we went up and around that area to find more rocky terrain that I found nearly impossible to navigate through with crampons and a heavy pack.
But alas, High Camp...
We rested up for a bit and had dinner. The head guide then informed us that we would be making our summit attempt that night at 10:30pm. So, it was off to sleep right after dinner...not that anyone really slept...
10:30pm rolls around and we get all geared up, have 'breakfast', and clip into the ropes. We hike through a steep downhill and uphill portion then continue to hike a steep uphill portion for what seemed like forever. We finally get to a stopping point and the guide who was on my rope asked me how I was doing. I told her I was tired but doing alright. She then comments on how tired I look and that I wasn't moving too quickly. I then realize that she wants me to turn around. The disappointment hit me pretty hard since I felt I had worked my tail off to get to that point. So, I told them my preference was to keep going but that I'd go back to camp if they felt that was the best for me and the group. They appreciated my good attitude, which was little consolation for me, and had me head back down.
I have mixed feelings on that decision. On the one hand, I think I would've had an easier time if one of the guides would have stayed with me and climbed more at a pace that was manageable for me (instead of having to keep up with the guys). Had all 8 clients gone for the summit, I wouldn't have expected them to do this but the guy from Louisiana bailed and Alaina got altitude sickness. So, there were 4 guides and 6 clients. But to be fair, they are the ones who climb mountains for a living. Not much I can argue with there...
Day 3I got back to High Camp around 1:30am and slept like a log until the others got back. Four clients wound up reaching the summit. We packed up and started descending at around 11am. The descent was a bigger pain than I had expected. At that point, my boots were killing me, I was still a bit peeved about not reaching the summit, and my guides were bolting down the snow slopes while I struggling just to keep on my feet. But all that went away when we got to the point where we passed the snow fields and I was able to finally put my sneakers on again...it was a beautiful moment. ;)
And that's my Rainier adventure... I do want to go back and climb it, especially now that I know better what to expect. Maybe in a few years. My co-worker was telling me today about some cool mountain climbs in Canada....hmmm.....
