i’ve been talking about getting climb scheduled to summit mt. rainier this summer, which will probably be one of the greatest physical and mental challenges i’ve had in a while and is well over due. earlier this year i began to question its feasibility after attending at ‘prep for rainier’ seminar at rei back in march. the main reason for doubt–the cost involved with obtaining the equipment and getting the proper guide to take you up there. there’s no way in hell i would venture up there alone or with friends who have never climbed it at least several times! luckily i have two friends who have also been wanting to summit it and we’ve had ongoing casual discussions about getting the climb setup for this summer. nothing was ever firmly set in place though, which increased my doubt. however, i later learned that they had a friend who was a guide for climbs on mt rainier and offered to take us up there! woohoo!
so i ran into my friends again at a bar one night where we talked about the climb, you know since we are already in june and summer is here (although it doesn’t feel or look like it here in seattle). they were meeting with the guide one day the following week to discuss the potential trip and try to get some dates setup for the best times to go. i was stoked, and told them to let me know what information they gather from the guide afterwards. this was probably two weeks ago. then, the other afternoon (monday i believe) i was sitting here working… you know just the typical buzz of work. suddenly an email came in through my inbox titled “Rainier”. oh my god, it was good news. basically it was information my friend forwarded to me from the guide regarding scheduling of the climb etc.
but when, you ask? we have a tentative date set for june 25-27th (takes about 3 days to climb up to the summit and get back down) which means we need to get our asses in gear and start doing some more intense hikes near seattle with weighted packs. i’m not really concerned about conditioning or training for rainier as we’re all in good shape and do a lot of cardio, so endurance should not be an issue (well, until we reach the higher altitudes with less oxygen). from what i’ve heard, the thing that gets most people is having to carry all of that weight on their backs which should amount to less than 50 lbs if you pack appropriately. usually it’s closer to 35-40 lbs. so now we need just need to schedule some climbs with our packs weighed down either on the weekends or after work since there are so many great possibilities near seattle.
we won’t know for sure if our climb will take place later this month until we get closer to the start date and observe the weather forecasts. three climbers where stranded yesterday, one of which died, when the strong late season spring storm blew through with blizzard conditions and 70+ mph winds on the mountain. we don’t want that to happen! if the weather turns nasty during our planned dates, then we will move the climb to mid-july sometime.
i’m totally excited, and i can’t help but think about and anticipate the trip!
some info:
Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is the highest peak in the Cascade Range, with a topographical summit of 14,411 feet. The mountain and the surrounding area comprise Mount Rainier National Park. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states at 35 square miles of snow and glaciers. Heat from the volcano keeps areas of the crater rim on its summit cone mostly free of snow and ice. The geothermal heat has also caused the formation of glacier caves in the twin summit craters.
Mount Rainier was originally known as Talol or Tahoma (not to be confused with Tacoma), from the Puyallup word tÉ™qʷúʔbəʔ (”mother of waters”). It has a topographic prominence of 13,211 feet, greater than that of K2. It can be seen prominently to the south from most of the Seattle Metropolitan Area. On clear days, it can also be seen from as far away as Portland, Oregon. Because of its scenic dominance, Seattle/Tacoma-area residents often refer to it simply as “the Mountain.”
Mountain climbing on Mount Rainier is difficult; it includes climbing on the largest glaciers in the U.S. south of Alaska. Most climbers require two to three days to reach the summit. Climbing teams require experience in glacier travel, self-rescue, and wilderness travel. About 8,000 – 13,000 people attempt the climb each year, about 90% via routes from Camp Muir on the southwest flank. Most of the rest ascend Emmons Glacier via Camp Schurman on the northeast. About half of the attempts are successful, with weather and conditioning being the most common reasons for failure. About three mountaineering deaths each year occur due to rock and ice fall, avalanche, falls, and hypothermia associated with severe weather.