Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

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Vaca Russ
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Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by Vaca Russ »

I just got back from my trip up to the summit of Mt. Rainier. I made the climb with Alpine Ascents out of Seattle. We drove from Seattle to Paradise Inn (at 5400 feet) where we gathered our gear and headed up the trail to Camp Muir.
1 Paradise.JPG
There were 8 clients and 4 guides. We slowly made our way up the trail to the Muir snowfield. This is a picture looking down at the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center.
2 Visitor Center.JPG
We finally reached Camp Muir (10,188 feet) after several hours of climbing. There are several buildings at Camp Muir including this five star accommodation for the guide services.
3 Camp Muir Bunkhouse.JPG
These are the wooden bunks used by the clients for their first night on the mountain. This is a picture looking directly in the door of the guide shelter.
4 Camp Muir Bunkhouse.JPG
This is a shot of me standing outside of the guide shelter.
5 Outside Bunkhouse.JPG
Here is a shot of Camp Muir, the Cowlitz Glacier, the Cowlitz Cleaver and the Beehive.
6 Camp Muir.JPG
The guides also had set up and five star dining facility.
7 Five Star Eating.JPG
The gentleman sitting on the right is Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa. I’ll write more on him later.

The next day we climbed over the Cathedral Rocks to the High Camp on the Ingraham Glacier (over 11,000 feet).
8 High Camp.JPG
This is looking up the Cowlitz Glacier and Disappointment Cleaver to our route the next morning.
9 Ingraham Glacier.JPG
Lhakpa is busy setting our dining facility for the day.

We awoke around midnight and set off on our summit climb. Two of the clients and one guide returned to high camp after making it above Disappointment Cleaver. The climb was in the dark so I waited to take pictures while climbing down from the summit.

This is a picture on the summit crater. This is the crescent moon over the Columbia Crest. The sun is just starting to rise over the horizon.
10 Moon Over Columbia Crest.JPG
To be continued…
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"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

Kahil Gibran.
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Vaca Russ
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Re: Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by Vaca Russ »

Six Clients and three guides set off for the Columbia Crest.
11 Summit Group.JPG
We reached the Columbia Crest just as the sun was rising.
12 Summit.JPG
We had fun on the summit but the day was only half done. We had to climb back down to Paradise. I caught these pictures between the summit and High Camp.
13 Path Down.JPG
14.JPG
15.JPG
16.JPG
17.JPG
18.JPG
Rainier is quite a mountain. The size is really quite massive. Pictures do not do it justice.
19 Mountain.JPG
Google Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa. He is one awesome climber. He is recognized by the Guinness World Records as having done the fastest climb of Mt. Everest from Base Camp to the summit.
20 Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa.JPG
I had a great time and would highly recommend the trip. Be sure to train!

Thanks for reading my post.

-Russ
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"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

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Re: Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by maverick »

Very cool Russ. What is the cost of a guided trip up Rainer?
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by The Other Tom »

Very cool. We were there mid May but the mountain was socked in but we caught a glimpse when the clouds parted. You're right, it's massive and pictures don't do it justice. Saw a sign in the visitor's center...record low snow last winter (21 feet). Yes, 21 feet. If only the Sierra could get some of that.....
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Re: Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by maverick »

TOT wrote:
Saw a sign in the visitor's center...record low snow last winter (21 feet). Yes, 21 feet.
:eek: Wow, that is a lot. Sounds like the possibility of a great wildflower show up there this year!
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Congrats! It is a big climb. Rainier was my first big mountain I climbed when I was 17 years old. It was a weekend trip and I returned 1AM on Monday. Next day of school I nearly fell asleep in class and was so stiff I hobbled down the stairs! We did a less dramatic but easier route on the other side. It was my first time at higher altitudes. I felt great going up, but stupidly ate a can of sardines and some mandarin oranges on top and felt a bit sick on the way down. Nevertheless, I became hooked on climbing.
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Re: Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by KathyW »

Congrats on Rainier - that is a big mountain.

I did the same climb with Alpine Ascents the first year they were allowed to guide that route on Rainier. Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa was also one of our guides. He is such a humble man for all he has accomplished. For that matter, all of the guides were very accomplished climbers, but more important they were great guides. That trip was a great experience for me and I learned so much.
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Re: Mt. Rainier (6/8/15 – 6/10/15)

Post by artrock23 »

Very nice TR and photos, Russ. Congrats! :thumbsup:

I'm planning to climb Mt. Rainier (Emmons Glacier route) next year.
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