WA

Mt Rainier

Washington

Elevation: 14,410'
Vertical Gain: 9,250'

Date: May 31, 2021
Time: 6:40 AM

Weather: Cool, nice
Party: Bob, Kevin, +10 more

Of course we had to see the Space
Needle on our first trip to Seattle.

I had mixed emotions about this being our last highpoint attempt together but I was also
excited to have the 48th state within reach. Towards the end of the Covid-shortened 2020
climbing season I happened to check on the guided trips for this year and was surprised to
see that they were almost sold out already. We had to commit early without knowing what the
Covid situation would be. I secured a late May slot which I thought might be a little early in the
season but there was no availability during the more peak times. It would work out okay.

My flight from Raleigh to Seattle was delayed a day with no other options available on the
26th so rather than eat into my buffer time and have Kevin waiting for me I chose to fly late on
the 25th and pick him up at the airport in the morning the next day. Orientation did not start
until 3:00 on the 28th which left us time to visit the Space Needle and downtown Seattle the
afternoon he arrived, and visit the Museum of Flight where Boeing got started and take in an
evening Mariners baseball game on the 27th. Our first view of Rainier was on a walk to a food
market from the hotel in Federal Way and it was impressive how it loomed over the town.

Our accommodations shifted from Federal Way to the cozy Whittaker's Bunkhouse in
Ashford after a leisurely drive. This is next to Whittaker Mountaineering retail store, Whittaker
Mountaineering rentals, RMI Expeditions, and Rainier Basecamp Bar and Grill (where we
would enjoy burgers and beer several times). We took care of our rentals, mainly boots and
avalanche beacons, and met up with our group for orientation. For the next few hours we
would learn what to expect, introduce ourselves to teammates and guides, and spend most
of the time going through equipment needs. I was impressed with the experience level of the
team and they were likewise impressed that we were aiming to complete our 48th state high
point.

Typical for May, the weather in the Seattle area was not good since we arrived but it was
trending in the positive direction. I was a little dismayed in orientation to hear that due to poor
weather and high avalanche danger teams were turning back and there were no successful
summits in the past week. We trust the guides to put safety first but I was also hopeful they
would decide to continue as we still had time for conditions to improve enough.

The next morning we all took our own cars up to the Paradise lower parking lot and gathered
together for a hike of less than a mile to a sloped area for our mountaineering class. Here we
would learn or (re-learn) step and breathing techniques, and rope handling. Having had a
similar class at Mount Hood I thought it would be easy but there seemed to be a lot of
corrections called out with my name attached to them ... "Hold the axe the other way, Bob",
"Step over the rope, Bob". I also did not instill confidence during the avy rescue simulation
when I was methodically making sure I knew how to use the beacon while everyone else was
already locating our buried "victim". For the record, Kevin got the first "Axe in other hand"
call out but he nailed it from there. I did learn that at least one other person was taking the
class for the third time.

Once again we drove up to the lower lot in the morning and were excited to get going to
Camp Muir on a nice weather day. At this time of year it is snow all the way. It was steep in
spots but ropes were not necessary. We would walk at a pretty quick pace (for me) for 45
minutes to an hour or so and take 15 minute breaks where we would pull on a down jacket to
stay warm and make sure we had a drink and a snack. The hike is about 4.5 miles with nearly
5000' of elevation gain to the camp at about 10,080', measuring from the lower parking lot. It
takes most of the day to get there. I was doing fine with the altitude but was getting some leg
cramps towards the end. These peaked at camp while I was lying in the bunk during a
briefing by the guides so I tried not to call too much attention to myself when the leg muscles
would suddenly knot up. Fortunately, some hydration with electrolytes and some rest
seemed to work to calm them.

The camp had areas for tenting for those who did not like the idea of sleeping in a crowded
bunkhouse with nearly a dozen people. For us, it seemed warmer and it was only for half a
night as the wake-up call would be at midnight for a planned 1:00 start. The guides provided
hot water in the hut for our freeze dried dinner and after yet another gear organization and
check we tried to get a little sleep.

Midnight came quickly and the hour to get ready went fast. Kevin was feeling some altitude
effects but some Tylenol helped and he was good to go. Trudging up glaciers with crampons
on as part of a rope team with just the light from our headlamps and the moon illuminating
our way is surreal. The wind was calm (I was never cold) and it was quiet with only the soft
sounds of steps in the snow and the clanking of carabiners. I enjoyed the peacefulness of it.

The team was assigned to ropes with three clients and one guide on each. Ours was led by
Dominic and I could see that my pace was causing us to fall a little behind the other two
ropes in our group. When a climber has to turn back a guide has to go with them and the
other climbers on that guide's rope need to be moved to different ropes. For this reason, they
want to send anyone else who looks like they are not going to make it down with that group.
Apparently, that was happening at one of our rest breaks where I believe two climbers in
another group were headed back. After talking with me and a quick huddle with the other
guides, Cristina, our head guide, gave me the go-ahead to continue. I was tired but ready to
persevere. Unfortunately, my left calf was not. After maybe another half hour of climbing, at
the top of the aptly named (for me) Disappointment Cleaver, I stepped into a footprint and felt
the sharp pain of a pulled muscle and knew my summit bid was over.

I was glad I had previously told Kevin if I had to turn around I'd be happier if he continued
and I was glad he was still feeling good enough to go on. Dominic became my hero as he
patiently led me as I hobbled back to base camp. I felt bad that he would not get a chance for
a possible summit but he was gracious. The sunrise on the way back down was stunning
and it reminded me that Kevin and I were doing this for the time together and experiences like
this. I was excited to hear from Dominic's radio that the upper slope conditions were good
and the teams were going for the summit.

Back at base camp Dominic let me know when he heard the good news of their success. I
napped and enjoyed the view while waiting. The teams trickled in and Kevin arrived tired but
with a smile. I was choked up giving him a hug and hearing he even crossed the crater to the
true summit on Columbia Crest and put both our names in the register. Congratulations to
Kevin on being a 48-state finisher after our 18 year journey!

We did still have to get off the mountain which was painful and arduous. Dominic again
stayed with me as did Kevin. I made use of glissading whenever I could just to avoid walking.
I finally gave in the last few tenths of a mile on the walk from the upper parking lot to the
lower and let Dominic carry my pack. We made it back to Whittaker Mountaineering just in
time for the final team meeting and handout of certificates.

My recovery would take a few months and involve a few weeks of physical therapy but this is
all a minor footnote to our highpointing adventures which is apparent to me when I go
through the logs on these web pages. Thank you Kevin for your companionship, good
spirits and humor, and occasional encouragement and I hope we have more adventures in
the future. I have seen Denali from a small plane and may someday tag Mauna Kea in Hawaii
but for now this is our conclusion.

Downtown Seattle (during the
Covid pandemic) with Rainier in
the distance.

We also visited the Museum of
Flight and took in a Mariners
game.

This is home base where we
stayed overnight and had our
orientation. It was run by Brent
who holds the record with over
550 successful climbs of Rainier.

Below is mountaineering
school, taught by Brent with
help from Erika.

A nice day for our start of the
climb to Camp Muir (base camp)
at 10,080' - about 4.5 miles away
and 5,000' above the lower
parking lot.

Rest stops were held to 15
minutes.