Rainier (Emmons) Women's Climb (July 7-10, 2010)

An amazing trip with remarkable women under spectacular conditions! Sally hatched the plan last winter, gathering a group of 7 women from Washington, Oregon, and New Jersey. Meanwhile, two photojournalist Friends of Mike talked about heading up Rainier as well and Mike connected the groups. We met for the first time within a week of the climb.

Janet, Mindy, Risa, Lynn, Nancy, Sally, Lisa, Bonnie, and Melina.

We walked up the White River valley trail to Glacier Basin, then followed snow up the Interglacier. The weather had literally just broken from its winterish pattern two days before, so the entire mountain was covered in fresh snow in perfect conditions. The slog up the Interglacier was hotter than ever, as the Lowlands sweltered in 80- to 90-degree heat.

Bonnie and Risa working their way up the White River valley "trail."

We had a late arrival at Camp Schurman and probably overwhelmed the hut filled with the park's ranger higher-ups. They were kind enough to give us first dibs on the stove and waited patiently for us to finish. If they had business to do, I doubt they could hear themselves over our noise.

Camp Schurman with rangers

Unfortunately, Risa came down with altitude sickness and spent the next two days in her tent. Yet somehow she had a smile on her face when she made it to an upright stance. Meanwhile, we relaxed and stayed fed and did a little basic mountaineering refresher on the slopes above Schurman-- pickets, deadman anchors, ice axe arrest, walking in crampons, glacier travel. Bonnie decided not to climb the following day, a second unfortunate event. We went to bed early even though the International Space Station was making a pass as the brightest light in the sky a little later.

The temperatures stayed pretty toasty, especially in our 3-person tents. 3:00 am came way too soon. It was such a treat to have the stove available in the Schurman hut for coffee and breakfast burritos! We finally took off just before 5:00 am as the light was bright enough to lose the headlamps. Janet tied in with Eric and River to leapfrog our two ropes. Sally led off with Nancy and Lynn followed by Lisa and I as the second rope team. I'm not sure how Janet found the energy, but after a few leaps we decided to just walk together. Sunrise high on a mountain is my favorite place and time of day, and this climb didn't disappoint.

Janet working up the Emmons route just following Sunrise.

Lisa on the Emmons route, with Camp Schurman in the background.

We kept a pretty good pace and only took one snack/potty break around 12,000 ft. The snow conditions were perfect-- hard snow for crampons. There was no sign of Mike and Melina who had left Schurman after us.

Sally, Nancy, and Lynn on the Emmons route.

Crossing the bergschrund was the easiest I had ever found it, and River said these were the best conditions he had seen on the route. What a treat! And great luck to have a late-season snowy May/June and the first sign of sunny weather just days prior. There were a few steeper steps and sastrugi right above the schrund but still phenomenal conditions. Finally the summit crater starting getting closer and closer, and we crested out a little after 10:00 am. Nice to be off the glacier for the last bits, so we dropped the rope and headed off for the true summit. Which we had entirely to ourselves-- not another soul in sight! We summited around 10:25 and spent well over an hour on the summit celebrating and savoring the view. So much happened so fast that we just couldn't aborb it all! Melina and Mike caught up to us, completing the extended group.

Mindy, Lisa, Sally, Nancy, and Lynn

Melina, Mindy, Nancy, Sally, Janet, Lynn, and Lisa, arranged to avoid clashing green jackets...

And that somehow led to a can-can dance...

A note for Risa and Bonnie

The only way to improve that moment would have been for Risa and Bonnie to join us on the summit. I sent them an M&M message (then dutifully collected the bits and pieces, which left an abstract scene best described as Clown Faceplants on Summit).

Mike in ninja black

Janet with her rope team of River (left) and Eric (right)

It was a pretty luxurious stay on the summit and it was hard to believe no one else was there on such a gorgeous day. We could see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, the Olympics, and Puget Sound-- finally! This was my 4th summit but the first time I had such a view and the time to just look around. Grudgingly we left the summit around 11:30, roped up, and headed off. Janet resumed her photojournalist role and River and Eric staked her out in the bergschrund.

Mike/Melina and Lisa/Mindy walk past Janet's roost in the bergschrund

Conditions were still amazingly good, which made for my fastest descent-- 2 hours back to Schurman! It was pretty toasty as we got to 11,000 ft and began to posthole. Coming down the Emmons, Schurman looks so small for so long that it sort of sneaks up you right before you get there. We had one small crevasse to step across and a few other very small cracks, but that was it. Sally wisely scheduled a third night at Camp Schurman. We reunited with Bonnie and Risa and spent the rest of the day relaxing, trying not to get sunburned, and chatting with people at Schurman.

Lisa, Nancy, Lynn, and Sally relaxing at Camp Schurman

A group from Colorado was in camp, and we got to talk with Vivian Underhill, the granddaughter of Miriam (and Robert) Underhill, a pioneering mountaineer of the early 1900s. Meanwhile, Bonnie made an attempt to reach the International Space Station during a few minutes when it was overhead. She made several attempts and we finally heard the ISS commander send greetings to someone else. The people around us were trying to figure out if she was really trying to call the Space Station or just crazy. No, we assured them, she's a retired astronaut. Sort of a new version of Blue Tooth Or Crazy.

Fortunately, Risa was feeling better though still not up to par the next morning, but she walked out on her own anyway. Sally and I roped up with Bonnie and Risa while Nancy, Lisa, and Lynn climbed up the Prow and met us on the Interglacier. My tentmates, Janet and Melina, had left the night before leaving way too much room in the tent, so I grabbed a bunk in Camp Schurman. When else would I have a chance to be there?

Sally, Bonnie, and Risa head down the Emmons Glacier below Camp Schurman.

Glissading the Interglacier was outstanding! How gratifying to zip down something that took hours to climb. And we stayed on the snow right down to Glacier Basin, avoiding the moraine footpath entirely. We took another break at Glacier Basin before heading down the trail. But Bonnie had another treat for us. Right before we got to the trailhead she had another window of opportunity to contact the Space Station. She reached it on the second try, and Commander Doug Wheelock sent greetings to Bonnie and the team on Mt. Rainier. How cool is that! We got a messsage from space!

Lisa and Bonnie (with Doug Wheelock by radio), reaching the International Space Station from a gravel bar in the White River valley

Tired but hungry, we headed off for pizza before heading off to our various corners. I really enjoyed meeting the other climbers and hearing their personal stories. Each has taken on remarkably complicated tasks and pulled it all off with a spirit of adventure. Thanks to all of you!

Glacier Peak Climb (July 15-18, 2010)

A tree gains a toehold on a moraine at 6700 ft (due east of pt 6787)

Scott, Ian, Chad and I set off for Glacier Peak, taking advantage of the last summer with limited access (road repairs in progress). Looking forward to about 35 miles round trip and 10,000 ft elevation gain, we left the N Fork Sauk River trailhead with our brand new Target sleeping bag (long story) but otherwise weighing in at about 40-45 lb packs. Minor bugs on the walk in, but the annoyance was nothing in comparison to the unending switchbacks (OK, 30). The view near White Pass got close to a Sound of Music moment, but the wildflower peak was still a few weeks off. We stood strong against a false charge from a marmot-- pretty pungent aroma. We decided to camp at White Pass and conscientiously excavated a snow platform for the Megamid. Far enough to the southeast on the ridge we actually had a view of Glacier Peak.

View of White Mountain (Left) and Glacier Peak (center) from SE end of White Pass.

Ian at 6500-ft saddle with Glacier Peak in the background

We got a lazy start on Day 2 and began the long traverse to the 6500-ft saddle on the ridge to the east of White Mountain. We stayed high and followed the previous boot path across steep snow slopes for the most part, but we also crossed a few heather ridges. The view from the col was incredible, and just got better. We dropped down steep snow slopes and kept traversing east and north to try to hold our elevation, but it may have been faster to drop to the basin and walk on the flats. We didn't need crampons and the snow was perfect for kicking steps. The Whitechuck Glacier on the USGS maps and in the Beckey guide is no longer, sadly. We climbed up to Glacier Gap for a sweet campsite with ready-made rock walls and a meltwater stream and a killer view. Calm winds overnight and pretty warm.

Glacier Gap camp

We rose at 3:30 am and took off a few minutes before 5 am, climbing up to the pass above camp on hard snow with crampons on and ice axes out. We traveled north up the Gerdine Ridge to about elevation 8400 ft, where we roped up to traverse northeast across the Gerdine Glacier to the saddle with the Cool Glacier. There was evidence of a recent avalanche off southeast face of Disappointment Peak, and ample rocks littering the glacier so we didn't dally at the tempting rock right in the path of the rockfall.

View across the Gerdine Glacier below Disappointment Peak
As we ascended to the saddle, I noted a few spots where people either deeply postholed or punched through snow bridges on their way down, right where the large crevasses form mid summer at the Cool/Gerdine glacier junction. The Cool Glacier really only had a single obvious crevasse with snow bridge right before the Disappointment/Glacier col, so I skirted to the south, close to Disappointment Peak, and didn't even have to step across any crevasses. Pretty remarkable snow conditions, and a testament to the late-season snow.

Disappointment Peak/Glacier Peak col

At the col we unroped but kept crampons and ice axe for the steep snow climb up the wide gully that led to the summit. A faster group of 5 on one rope hit the col at the same time and they elected to climb the gully roped but placed no pro. Seeing visions of the Mt. Hood climbing accident from a few years back, where a roped team slip clotheslined a bunch of people climbing up, we waited until the team cleared the terrain above us (15 minutes is worth the peace of mind; the leader of that team asked me about it afterwards and was very receptive to new ideas). We kicked steps and remained unroped, thanks to a skilled team comfortable with snow travel. Snow conditions were absolutely ideal for crampons. At the top of the gully, we visited both bumps just to make sure, then basked in the sun.

Near the top of the summit gully, looking down on Gerdine Ridge

The views from the top of Glacier Peak must be the best in the Cascades. The peak is surrounded by mountains, and the fighter jets the previous day were the only hint of civilization. You can't see or hear anything other than mountains, snow, and wind. It's truly spectacular, and thanks to the light wind, we spent over 45 minutes up there taking pictures of Rainier, Baker, Shuksan, Sloan, and all the other peaks you can see.

Descending the Cool Glacier

I checked everyone's comfort level descending the upper gully, and considered setting up a fixed line for a pitch. But, they were a remarkably skilled group and we elected not to rope up. The snow was just beginning to soften, which made for good plunge stepping but with crampons on for security. At the Disappointment/Glacier col we took off crampons and donned ropes for the final glacier travel. Ian led down the Cool Glacier and uneventfully passed over the top crevasse. But, where the Cool Glacier dropped into the Gerdine, both Ian and I punched through snow bridges with a leg so worked our way cautiously to the Gerdine Glacier. We traveled quickly past the rockfall, including the beckoning sun platform rock where another group not-so-wisely paused, and the avalanche debris to reach the snow on the south Gerdine ridge. We unroped and wandered back to our Glacier Gap campsite.

After two hours rest, feeding, and watering, we decided to move camp back to White Pass to make the next day more pleasant. The snow was getting a little soft, but not too bad for the traverse past the area-formerly-known-as the Whitechuck Glacier. The final climb up steep snow to the 6500-ft saddle sapped the last of our energy. In two days, the snow had really melted off the traverse back to White Pass. We passed a NOLS group out for 30 days and for some reason they didn't have ice axes out (but were wearing helmets)-- is this an odd hazing ritual? It would have been a long slide.

Back at White Pass, people were occupying our beautiful snow platform so we dug another one. Though we tried to find a place out of the wind, our Megamid nearly succumbed in the middle of the night. I awoke to a flattened Megamid wall fwapping me in the nose. You could hear the wind getting a running start in the distance, followed by fwapfwapfwapfwapfwag. A few lulls suggested it could improve ... but it didn't. Our middle people slept well but Ian and I had had enough around 6 am.

The walk out wasn't so bad, and we lingered about an hour and a half at the N Fork Sauk River right at the base of the switchbacks. A few bugs were out but little blood was lost. We hit the trailhead at 2 pm and found some lunch back in civilization before the complete reentry.

A few blisters and a little warm at times, but good people, outstanding conditions, and a great trip!