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| Hike & Climb | 15.48 Miles |
9,451 AEG |
| | Hike & Climb | 15.48 Miles | 3 Days | | |
| 9,451 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Mount Rainier via the Disappointment Cleaver
May 17 - 19, 2014
3-day guided adventure with Alpine Ascents
The afternoon before our trip we did a gear check at the office of Alpine Ascents. We exploded our packs and then went thru the gear checklist item by item. If our gear wasn't adequate then a rental piece could be secured. When we confirmed we had everything we lined our packs with a trash compactor bag and filled them up.
Our team consisted of 8 clients and 4 guides, with that ratio we'd get personalized attention. Besides us two Tucsonans, there were two guys from Chicago, a girl from Denver, two guys from the Seattle area, and the token Canadian guy (his words). It seemed that there were many levels of fitness in the group.
That night I practiced peeing without lowering my pants into the toilet using a Freshette. I was able to get myself to do it after a bit of concentration, so I figured all was good. Compared to the Go Girl I felt more confident that I wouldn't have a accident and pee my pants!
We got to bed early but I found that sleep alluded me. Was I nervous about the trip? Maybe, but I knew I was physically fit due to all our training. At one point the weather scared me but having cold temperatures and a small amount of snow in the forecast was actually better than having sunny days. An earlier group went during the warmer, sunny weather and the snow/ice was soft causing major post holing. Plus, the warmth caused crevasses to open. Parties had to turn around. Really, I had nothing to worry about. But still no sleep.
In the morning, we met at 5:45 AM and got on the road shortly after. We stopped at Whittaker's Cafe for coffee and breakfast. Then we met all the guides and talked about our objectives. The main objective was that everyone returned from the trip, regardless of summitting, without injury. Overall, they seemed very capable, competent, and safety conscious.
We piled in the van and drove to Mount Rainier National Park. The scenery on the drive from the park entrance to trailhead as very scenic. We saw dense forest where the downfall was decomposing and more trees were growing on top of the partially decomposed remains. We saw Nisqually River with a wide girth due to flooding. The riverbed was full of grey rocks of all sizes and was a sharp contrast to the green of the trees and then blue of the water.
At the trailhead there were a few patches of trees amongst the snow that layered the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier. The day was cloudy so we couldn't see the massive volcano above us.
We changed into our kits in the visitor center. The guides showed us how to secure our ice axes and crampons to our packs. Then we talked about the travel to our day's destination, Camp Muir. We wouldn't worry about the summit as that was still a couple days off. One day at a time was their method for success.
We would have to travel about 4.5 miles with 4500+ feet elevation gain from the trailhead. Right out of the gate we were walking on snow. Therefore, we started learning how to walk a certain pace that would get us to our destination with minimal effects. We also learned to kick step into the snow with our double plastic boots to set the tread to minimize slipping.
Almost every hour we stopped for a break. I was monitoring our progress on my GPS and saw that we were barely doing a mile an hour! That was such a contrast to our training hikesnwhen we carried 40-50 lbs packs about 2 miles an hour.
During two breaks, I tried to pee standing up with my Freshette - FAILURE!!! I then swatted in front of everyone (no bushes to hide behind) and found that I still couldn't complete the task...
As we continued to climb higher, we incorporated the Rest Step in our walking. This was to help muscles rest even when traveling. You briefly rest with your back leg locked so that the bones are stacked and holding all your weight instead of working the muscles.
While we hiked up the Muir Snow field, we were in a cloud. The sky was white. The ground was white. The people ahead and behind were spots of color that were dulled by the clouds. Onward and upward we traveled. We traded information about ourselves which helped to break up the monotonous whiteness. We put one step in front of the other and followed the wands marking the trail to camp.
We started to see some volcanic rocks sprinkled amongst white. For me it was a joyous time as hiking without a view is not an easy task. Finally, we getting to the point where we were topping out of the clouds. We started to see brief glimpses of camp nestled in a circle of rocks! However, our day's journey still wasn't over. It seemed to take forever to get there due to the pace that assured that most people would get to camp.
During our last break the mountain began to speak. At first we didn't know what was happening. Then we realized it was rocks falling. At first we panicked, we didn't know if we were safe but one glance at the unconcerned guides told us we had nothing to worry about. The rocks that were falling were far away from us. The tumbling noise would last a minute and then start again a bit later. On warm days this can be a usual occurrence.
When we arrived at camp at 10,080 feet, we dumped our sharps in a pile at the door to our hut. Then we went into claim .our spot on the bunks for the night. Joel and I got spots together on the bottom bunk. After arranging our beds, we went out to enjoy camp amd the views since we were above the clouds.
Camp Muir consists of several rock structures which includes a historic public shelter, a ranger hut, a hut for guide clients, and a few smelly toilets.
We assembled in the guide tent for dinner. They made us chicken and bean burritos with all the fixings. The guides also melted snow for our water.
After dinner, we enjoyed the views some more including the sunset. We could see Mount Adams off in the distance poking out of the marine cloud layer. It was an awesome site to see especially with the muted colors of the sunset. I was so happy that we were above the clouds! The day had been a real mental struggle moving one foot in front of another in a white winter wonderland. The sunset, while not an Arizona sunset, was a nice way to end the day.
Thanks to earplugs, we slept until almost 7 AM. We packed our gear and headed for breakfast: Cheesy eggs, blueberry pancakes, and bacon!
The day's agenda was to do snow school and then move up to the high camp at Ingraham Flats. We learned to duck walk and French step. Then we added our crampons and did the same drills being careful not to stab ourselves! Soon, we added the ice axe. After a break we went over how to self arrest if we were to fall or if someone around us was falling. While dropping into position we had to yell 'Falling' to alert those around us of potential danger. The last of the training was to see how we'd be roped together: short roped when it was steep andor dangerous and long roped when things were somewhat safer. Then we were set off in our rope teams to hike to high camp. While we did our different steps, I thought about how similar they were to what I use in bushwhacking! How was I to know that I had been preparing myself for mountaineering!!!
The trip to High Camp was about one mile adding an additional 1000 feet gain. Camp at Ingraham Flats was several tents, a pee hole, and a poop wall. We were instructed not to wander off because we were surround by dangerous glacial features. We had some time to relax before our early dinner so I tried out the Freshette again.... Ugh! I decided that later I'd get out my caving pee bottle and hide behind the poop wall.
Dinner was a chicken noodle soup. Since people lose interest in food at high elevations they prepare simple foods to help encourage people to eat. It was pretty excellent considering it was prepared with canned chicken!
After dinner, the lead guide gave a briefing about the day to come. He said that the weather forecast sounded like it was most likely going to be accommodating, unless a thunderstorm set in. He didn't spare anything when he talked about the difficulty of the climb up to 14,410 feet (a gain of at least 3,300 feet) and more so the difficulty of descending ~10'000 feet to the trailhead. He reminded us that it was more important to complete the hike by arriving safely back at the trailhead then it was to summit. Later, I heard someone tell him that they weren't up for the journey to the top especially since he had been there before and knew he wasn't in shape for it. I heard the guides then discuss the plan for rope teams, putting those who were in best shape with the lead guide since he was required to go to the summit if any of the clients were able and the mountain was willing to let them up.
Before retiring, I decided to try to take care of my bodily functions. A High Camp you are required to package your solid waste into blue bags and then carry them back to Muir Camp to deposit in bins. So I got my pee bottle and blue bags and hid behind the 3 foot high poop wall. Since I had no luck peeing in full view, I was happy to have my pee bottle and some privacy. I filled up the bottle and still had more to go. Oh no! What do I do? So, I used one of my blue bags. In all I think I had stored up 1.25 liters of pee! Next I took care of other matters, which was interesting as you had to hold the blue bag while filling it. Anyway, I'm sure that's enough detail for all to understand... i dumped out my pee in the hole. I got back in the tent and told Joel my story. I laughed so hard I cried!
All evening, I laid in my sleeping bag awaiting the wake up call from the guides. It used to bother me that I often don't sleep before a big day but I know that I can perform just fine by resting for a few hours. Finally, the call came and we got up. I put on my helmet with headlamp, avalanche beacon (required by the Park Service), and then finished layering. We had our oatmeal and tea/coffee.
We tried to attach frozen crampons to our double plastic boots. The straps were so stiff there was no way I'd be able to do it myself so I was happy to get assistance from a guide. After what seemed like hours we finally were able to go! It was about 1:30 AM. We were long roped together into 3 teams. Joel and I were in the first team. We were all told if we left camp we would not be able to turn around until above the Disappointment Cleaver.
We started off on a relatively mild slope using our headlamps. The trip upwards was a mental exercise because I couldn't see much except the new tracks in the snow, the individual snow flakes catching the light of our lamps, and the rope I was tied into. We changed to short roping and the terrain changed considerably as we approached the Disappointment Cleaver. The trail in the snow, which had been maintained by the guide services, was about a foot wide and traversed a slope that was probably 75 degrees. One wrong move by someone on a rope could mean severe consequences to all on the rope. Luckily, there was a fixed line in which the guide clipped into which would arrest us if we fell. After the traverse, we turned and started to go up steeply. As we climbed, it got colder and colder. My hands were so cold they were starting to hurt. Finally, it was break time at the top of the Cleaver! We put on our puffy parkas and tried to eat and drink. I fished out a hand warmer and my big mountaineering mittens and tried to get my hands warm. Another client decided he shouldn't continue to the top, so rope teams were adjusted and a guide took him back.
After the break it was nice to get going because we knew we'd warm up a bit. However, it was also tough as our muscles had cooled down. Even so, I didn't find it too hard to keep moving ahead concentrating on the placement of each crampon with each step. Since it is usually coldest right before dawn, the temperature continued to drop. We estimated that it was probably 5 degrees.
At the High Break, the sun rose! However, we left our parkas on and started to climb. The section was probably the mildest in the climb, however, it seemed like the toughest because we had been climbing for hours after not having slept.
Soon, we saw the edge of the crater! Excitement overtook fatigue! We had made it (well almost)! We stopped for a break in the crater. Rejoicing that we were the first on the crater that day and that with the fresh snow we were going to be making fresh tracks across the crater. We could see the steam rising from the fumaroles along the crater's rim.
We left our packs and started across the crater. What a beautiful day! What a beautiful place! The sun shone brightly across the snow! The sky was bright blue! Along the rim, we found crystalized steam formations that were just amazing! We climbed the additional 400 feet to the Columbia Crest and we were treated to views all around. What a way to feel really alive! Our our group of 8 clients, 6 had summited, which is good compared to a statistic I heard of a 50% success rate.
The weather was so perfect that we didn't want to leave! Thankfully, we had one more break back at our packs before we had to start our major descent. On this break we saw a site that we'll probably talk about for the rest of our lives! A guy was pooping into the provided blue bag in plain site of all and practically right in the midst of his group! Someone even handed him some toilet paper!
After having gone up, we had to have a reminder of how to step down. Then we started our descent which was a lot faster than our ascent. One party we passed on the way down had a few people that looked totally wiped out. Their guide had pushed them fast and hard and they probably should not have summited. It made me happy that our guides were realistic and coached everyone appropriately.
We only took one break between the rim and high camp above the Cleaver. I thought the Cleaver was going to be very scary. However, with the short rope and concentration it was probably easier than the other sections for me. On the traverse, I felt a crampon coming lose. I knew that losing it was not an option. We stopped and the guide came over to secure it for me since we were on the part of the trail with the steep drop off. Joel had to step off the trail (scary!) to let him get to me. Since I caught the problem before the crampon came off it was an easy fix and we continued on our way. After that we had a section where we were encourage to go fast as it was a dangerous area. I saw huge crevasses that I hadn't seen in the dark. It was amazing to see and it brought to light the dangers of the glaciers. Later in the season, the crevasses open up over the trail and ladders are installed to mitigate the risk of crossing them. I was very thankful at that point that I had not had to cross over ladders!
Back in camp we had to pack up. On the upper mountain, you aren't able to have any bio breaks without being in plain site of others. Since we weren't back at Muir Camp yet, I was happy to be able to hide behind our 3 foot high wall of snow! Then we packed up and headed back to Muir Camp.
It was only a mile and 1000 feet back to Muir Camp. We filled up a liter of water, used the facilities, and then headed back down the mountain. From there we were able to travel sans crampons and ropes. I was happy for the freedom that we're given!
The going down was taxing. We worked to try to plunge step when we had softer snow. At times we post holed or slid unexpectedly. The real fun was the times we glissaded! Not having to walk a few sections was pure heaven!
Throughout the trip, I was thankful for all the training we had done in advance: carrying 40-50 lbs packs on T-Hill, Rincon Peak and Mt Kimball on one weekend, and 24-mile/6500 ft gain day hike loop to Cathedral Peak followed by carrying a 40 lbs pack up Mt Wrightson the next day. At the time it seemed extreme, but it was the recipe for success. I can't imagine how others felt that didn't train as much as we did.
As we neared the bottom, the bright sun shining up off the snow was beginning to take its toll. I had a raging headache even though I wore glacier glasses. I couldn't wait to be done. Maybe the world of all white on the trip up the Muir Snow Field really wasn't so bad.
Looking back at the Mountain was amazing. It's sometimes hard to comprehend what we as humans can do. Looking back at the glaciers, hearing rockfall near by, and remembering the ropes, crampons, and ice axes tells me that if I make up my mind to do something anything is possible! Not bad for someone who just over 10 years ago couldn't hike more than 3 miles due to severe asthma and 5.5 years ago conquered breast cancer! |
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