Mt. Rainier
As I looked out from our little snow ledge I could see the shadow of the mountain. My 2 other amigo’s and I had made a nice home under Turtle Rock at 9,400 ft and were attempting to wake at 1:00 am to start the push to the summit of Mt. Rainier. I settled in my sleeping bag as I could see the setting sun paint the sky with light rays. My friend Will Fain, started to snore and I wondered if I was ever going to fall asleep.
We had come to climb Mt. Rainier via the Furher Finger. While my teammates had come from Bend and Ashland, OR, I had flown down from Anchorage, AK. While the Fuhrer finger wasn’t technically that challenging it was a definite step up from most of the other Cascade Mountains. The trip was the first official meeting of the Cascade Challenge Expedition. The Cascade Challenge is an expedition to try to climb 15 peaks in the Cascade Range all by human propulsion methods.
We awoke at 1:30 am, late already after about only 4 and a half hours of sleep. I instantly started the stove to top off our water bottles and make some instant oatmeal. The night was dark and as we organized our climbing gear. We could see lights of climber already way ahead of us on the same route. Ryan decided he didn’t have enough energy to make a strong summit push so he decided to stay at our camp. After what seemed like forever, a great friend and longtime adventure partner Will was roped up and ready to roll.
It was a warm summer night and the snow hadn’t really frozen at the elevation we were camped at. Our aching bodies started to warm up we crossed the Wilson Glacier. Crossing a glacier at night is not easy and the pitch darkness gave it a very eerie feel. We stumbled on some tracks and could see that we had started climbing up the Fuhrer Finger. As we ascended the familiar movements of climbing took hold as we found our groove. In about 2 hours we had made it to the top of the finger and could see the Nisqually glacier.
The sun was starting to rise and we took a couple of picture breaks to refuel and recharge. Will and I still had plenty of energy left, and we had caught up to a couple of climbers. As an avid photographer, I took a couple of panoramic shots as the sun shot rays across the sky. It was going to be a warm day as we resumed climbing up onto the Nisqually Glacier. Suddenly, my right foot plunged right through the snow over a gaping 30-foot long crevasse. Luckily, I was able scramble to the left and over to safety. The entrance to the Nisqually required some careful climbing and we had a couple of pitches over a no fall zone. The pitches required some use of snow stakes and took a bit longer but we were approaching the ridge between the Kautz and Nisqually glacier.
The long final slog up past Point Success up to the summit of Mt. Rainier was the next objective. After another refuel and recharge we set out as the sun started to warm the mountain. The long slog to the summit was tough as the altitude really makes you out of breath. Finally at about 12:00, Will and I took the last steps to the summit caldera!!!!
We had made it and, Mt. Rainier greeted us with the, oh so familiar summit winds. We tried to get some relief by crawling next to a rock and we ate a victories energy bar. The winds were making it hard to set up my camera but I was able to get just a couple snapshots. The time was getting late and we were only half way there.
On the descent we had decided to go down a different route via the Kautz glacier. A couple of teams were descending this route and it was decided to stick somewhat together. There was one part of the descent that a party was worried about and thought it would be wise to set up a rappel. I backed up the anchor with my new 36” snow-stake, as I couldn’t actually see the dead-man’s anchor. After what seemed like forever it was our turn to rap down. Although there was one steep section, it really wasn’t that bad. I do believed we could have safely down climbed it. However, when in doubt it is always better to be on the safe side. I was probably just a little mad at myself for burning a brand new snow stake, quick draw, and ribbon.
After getting to the bottom of the Kautz, there was supposed to be a short little hike down to Turtle rock. However the sun had turned the snow into slush and it was some serious plunge stepping through it. Luckily, I had brought my glissading gear and before I knew it I was off to the races sliding down to camp. I found Will and Ryan there exhausted and ready to get off this mountain. We packed up and before we knew it were hauling our un-godly heavy loads down to the parking lot.
All in all it was a great training climb and we learned a lot together. We were all pretty haggard and I had a very wicked sunburn. It was a long drive back to Bend but Ryan drove and got everybody back safely. Climbing Mt. Rainier is no easy task, and I was proud of both my teammates as I felt that they had learned the difficulties of ascending a mountain of this caliber.
This trip was the first time the Athletes from the Cascade Challenge came together as a team. Together were learned some of the many difficulties we will face on our 1,200 mile journey next year to climb the entire Cascade Range. It was a victory for our small team and we handled the biggest and hardest mountain of the expedition like pros. I am excited to continue training and working with my teammates Will Fain, Ryan Manies, and Rex Shepard in order to complete the epic journey of the Cascade Challenge.
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