Dissapointment on Rainier Part Deux - May 25-26, 2012

We had the highest of hopes going into the group-climb portion of our time on Rainier. Everyone was ready. everyone was stoked. It was time. We finally had an open weather window for our first two days: partly cloudy skies, just a subtle, subtle chance of precip -- there was no way it could be anything like it was earlier in the week. From talking with the ranger at Paradise: there's already a ton of people up the route, the guide companies are going full-steam, we've got a really good shot on the route.

We would later come to find that the rangers between Muir and Paradise aren't necessary on the same page regarding the latest conditions. Aye.

Mount Rainier. Starting elevation: 5420 ft. To the top: 14,411 ft.

"Rob, please don't anger the volcano." Photo: D.Emerson

Day One - Hiking up to Camp Muir

 Lane Peak on the left... Tyler and I are going to climb that via the really hard coulior
on the left (left of Zipper). And on the right, the legendary volcano on unpredictability!. Photo: M.Emerson

Dave unloading gear at Paradise. Don's ready to move. Photo: Tyler

The team (minus Ace). Photo: M.Emerson

Hanging out, prepping our packs, and getting them situated one last time before heading up. Photo: M.Emerson

 Rachel calls this "shooting the s". Totes.

Ace! What do you mean you forgot your water??? Hurry up buddy! hehe :-D
No rush, we'll just continue doing some yoga. Top Photo: Elliot

And there's our final comrade, Ace! Now a full group shot. Photo: Tyler

 Why hello there. WAAAASSSAAAAP. Photo: M.Emerson

 First steps out of the parking lot, enroute to Muir. Photo: M.Emerson

Gaining Alta Vista. Photo: M.Emerson

Tyler on the ridge overlooking Edith Creek

Yeah, this ridgeline was pretty fun. Photo: Elliot

 I'm trying to do a cornice drop test on the suspect slope below.
Hooray! Enroute to Panorama Point. Photo: M.Emerson, D. Emerson

Left Photo: D. Emerson

Snaking along the scenic ridge of Alta Vista, gaining great elevation with each step. Photo: M.Emerson

Can we break yet? Photo: D. Emerson

Let the slog begin! Don fearlessly kicking in steps.

A great shot of the whole way up to Muir. Follow the trees on the ridge, then up to Panorama Point. McClure Rock is seen just behind PP. Anvil Rock is the sharp rock left of center. And finally Camp Muir rests in the saddle just below Cowlitz Cleaver at the far left, enveloped in clouds.

Photo: Elliot

 Looking out east over to Mazama Ridge. Look at those crazies
behind me trying to climb this in snow shoes. Oye.

Always great to have you alongside, Don! You fit so well out here in the mountains.
Top Photos: Tyler, Bottom Photo: M.Emerson

Dramatic Photo: Tyler

Everyone still in "high" spirits. Drew, Laurell & Elliot. Photos: Tyler

 Some more scenery. Photo: Elliot

Our single-file stair case conquering crew. Photo: M.Emerson

Climbing up the only steep section of the Muir snowfield, up to Panorama point. On our return trip down, we helped rescue some stranded snowshoers that camp up this, but were afraid to go down. Although extremely rare, we actually used the rope on the snowfield!

 My tribute to the Stanley Cup. Mark's tribute to his home town of San Francisco.

 Hanging out at a rest stop. Photo: M.Emerson

Elliot throwing up the finger to point at our objective (wrong finger!). Photo: M.Emerson

Pensive Dave.

Some more shots of us standing/sitting around. I swear we only did this less than 5% of the time. Photos: Drew

 Drainin' the lizard. There's our first glimpse of Anvil Rock in the distance.

During our first trip, we camped right there! just above the right edge of the shadow, beneath the ice falls, smack dab on the glacier. Climbed right up the slide path of a recent avalanche in the shadow.

Got to keep on movin'. Photo: Tyler

 . Photo: M.Emerson

Photo: D. Emerson

Breaking for lunch. On today's menu: goldfish, one bite of beef jerky,
and maybe a swig of water. Exquisite stuff. Photo: Tyler

There's no rock left un-climbed while this man is in crampons.
Behold, the legendary Markie Mark and his cloudy funky bunch!

How do I get down?

By the end of the trip, I had one of these fellas eating gold fish right out of my hand.

Tyler and Ace putting the mileage in, climbing away.

 The "money trains" heading up to the luxurious guide huts. Drew's just working out
that kink in his spine from the wonderful cabin beds the night prior. Photo: M.Emerson

Dave and I trudging along, headaches and all. Wonderful. Photo: M.Emerson

 There were some spectacular clouds above and around us for the trip up

Argh, why is it that Camp Muir gets further and further away?

What a slog! Enduring and mostly uneventful for 4800 ft! Photo: Elliot

Elliot catching some rays, relaxed and at ease. Photo: Elliot

A stoic Drew amidst the harsh landscape. Photo: Elliot

Ace loving every minute of it, minus the backpack issues of course.

The clouds begin to move in, and with it the winds and snow. Photo: M.Emerson

The final push up to Camp Muir. Headaches blazing away. Snow and wind stinging exposed skin.

The Tatoosh Range, now well below us.

 Finally we arrive at the toe of the Cowlitz Cleaver. Muir is on the right.
In the left photo, the Nisqually ice Cleaver looming in the clouds behind Cowlitz.

Clouds enveloping Gibraltar Rock as we enter Camp Muir. Beehive at the far left.

Almost there, Ace! Sorry brotha, you know I use that phrase way too often! Photo: D. Emerson

Once in camp, it was a race against the clock to get the tents up
amidst the snow storm blowing through. Photo: D. Emerson

One of the rangers coming to deliver the news of the snow slopes on the eastern flanks of Rainier. As Dave puts it, the ranger basically stated that "every stability test that they had performed on the snow pack had essentially failed. But while he wouldn't necessarily say it was unstable, he would also not say that the slopes were stable." Ugh. Photo: D. Emerson

Winter camp life, oh how we all missed thee. Photo: Tyler

Mount Adams finally comes in to view as the clouds at far dissipate. Photo: Tyler

 Cold camper... not necessarily an "unhappy" camper. Time to head to the hut to cook. Photo: M.Emerson

Tyler admiring a spectacular alpenglow from the waning sun. Photo: Tyler

Camp Muir Public Huts (aka: "Rainier's Tenement Housing" according to Dave)

Come one, come all. There's plenty of room and we wont turn away anyone! Please, shut the hatch behind you though, we are trying to preserve the naturally "devoid-of-oxygen" state of this bunkhouse with all the burning stoves robbing your lungs of your precious O2. Meh, you don't need to breathe. Now let's all chuckle quietly as we drift off into that sweet slumbering state. Welcome to Camp Muir tenement housing.

 Apparently someone was celebrating a birthday. They even constructed a cake made entirely of snow with some candles. Altitude and lack of breathable oxygen and stove fumes will do strange things to the human mind. Photo: Elliot

We love this, right?. Photo: M.Emerson

The Next Morning:  Conditions are too Sketchy, We're Bailing Again

In the hut the next morning, we all convened and discussed strategy for the rest of the trip. One guided group had left that morning after the sun came up to check out Ingraham flats once again. The story was still the same: unconsolidated slabs with buried weak layers, essentially the perfect recipe for triggering slides. When the reality of the news hit everyone's ears the overall optimism faded and the consensus in the group was if there wasn't a good shot of even getting out to the Flats or the DC in the next few days, it wasn't worth hanging around Camp Muir. As a group, we all decided to head down. Personally, I would have preferred to stay and perhaps try our hand at the Gib ledges with a smaller group of strong technical climbers, but there was no uncertainty or hesitancy in the group's decision to head down. Whelp, I guess that marks yet another attempt at Rainier, putting my tally of 1 successful summit out of 4. Argh, l really need some redeeming climb in the near future to put to bed these strokes of bad luck with conditions.

"Housekeeping, joo need fresh towels, extra blankets?" Photo: D. Emerson

First order of business for the morning: Mark and I desperately trying to get the stoves working again. Aye. Photo: Tyler

Drew, a solid guy, willing to go out of his way for others.
It was great to climb with you, brotha. Photo: Tyler

Shameless promotion of one of my local craft breweries back home. Along for the entire trip.

 Milling around camp, just waiting to crack this puppy open.

Ah, camp life indeed. When the conditions are anything but favorable,
a few correctly-timed libations go a long way. Photo: Tyler

Shots of camp. Some crafty stake-work by yours truly (and Don & Dave too). Photo: D. Emerson

A look down the Muir snowfield with the Tatoosh range in the foreground. Left Photo:Elliot, Right Photo: D. Emerson

Our tent sites, crafted entirely by us! No shortcuts used here! Photo: Elliot

 One of the guided teams heading to Cathedral Gap "for kicks". Photo: D. Emerson

Some scenic shots of the cascades. Photo: D. Emerson

Gibraltar Rock looming overhead. Photo: Tyler

Step outside that door and it's unlikely you'll want to go back inside. Mount Saint Helens in the background. Photo: Tyler

Lil' Tahoma Peak with a party coming back early from the Ingraham glacier. Photo: M.Emerson

Breaking down camp and getting ready to bail early.

Dave and I snuck away early, grabbing a quick head start down into the cloud. Photo: M.Emerson

 View looking down at our broken down camp at Muir.
The looming rock precipice to the east. Photo: M.Emerson

Father and son duo. Photo: M.Emerson

 Glissading down the Muir snowfield. Any fast means necessary. Photo: M.Emerson

Here is one of our only shots of our quick work in rescuing a couple lost snowshoers, in over their heads
on some sketchy terrain. "What do you mean you can't get down? How did you get up here?"
Hehehe, no worries ma'am, it's what we do. Photo: Tyler

Ace perched above the Nisqually Glacier with the Fan in the background.
Several slides from the storm we were in earlier in the week can be seen. Photo: D. Emerson

View of Nisqually bridge down at 3900' from above 7000' on Muir. Photo: M.Emerson

Drew and Tyler. We'll have to do this again. Photo: Tyler

Myself, Ace and Laurell brainstorming for next time. Photo: M.Emerson

 

 Back at base camp, Whittaker's in Ashford. Photo: M.Emerson

Amigos! Photo: M.Emerson
Back: Myself, Ace, Dave, Don, Drew (up high!)
Front: Tyler, Larell, Elliot, Mark.

Ah, dinner for the evening: beer, beer, beer, pizza, beer, and beer. And desert beer.
Overlooking the sound from the Tahoma waterfront. Photo: M.Emerson

Photo Credits: Mark, Elliot, Don, Tyler, Drew.
I tried to tag credit to appropriate photos -- Sorry if I missed one or two or many :-/