The Puyallup people and other Native American Nations referred to Mt. Rainier reverently as Tahoma, which translated from Lushootseed has been hypothesized to mean ‘mother of waters’. As the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 contiguous United States she certainly is the mother of waters with glaciers giving rise to lush forests, endless wildflower meadows, and rich salmon spawning grounds. As the most climbed peak in North America, Mt. Rainier is known not only for its beauty and legacy but for the challenge and fun of pushing personal limits that looms in the distance of the Seattle skyline.
Climbing Mt. Rainier takes technical climbing expertise to do safely, and every year thousands of people hire a guide to accomplish this goal. Still hundreds more successfully guide their groups to the summit themselves. Long a goal of mine, I had planned climbs two previous years only to have weather not cooperate during our windows. July 2020, finally work schedules and weather cooperated and the climb was on! Carefully coordinating your climb with the weather is essential on Rainier, and even in the best planned circumstances weather can dramatically change for the worse and even become life threatening. On mountains like Rainier its important to remember this fact and that the Mountain is in charge, you just have to be prepared to respond.
Day 1: Depart Seattle for the 2.5hr drive to paradise which at 5400’ elevation is an alpine wonderland all year long. This year found paradise still majority covered with snow with wildflower blooms just beginning to poke through.
Hiking from the parking lot at Paradise up to high camp on our climb took us through the Muir snowfield in a whiteout of clouds. Hiking up softened snow on this permanent snowfield we have to be incredibly careful of meltwater underfoot and potential snow bridges, as well as navigation as we could not see the route. Using a combination of GPS, map + compass and experience we guided ourselves up the 4600’ hike to Camp Muir with our 40-50lb packs stuffed full of camping and climbing gear.
At about 9000 feet we finally poked above the clouds and got our first glimpse of our objective looming above us! Reaching camp after about 5 hrs of hiking we used my shovel and our ice axes to make level sleeping platforms, build a wind wall (necessary if you want any sleep), and dug out clean snow to melt for water. During this time we got a route briefing from the National Park climbing ranger which gave us a report of great conditions on the disappointment cleaver route! After cooking and eating dinner it’s time for bed which for us happened at about 8:30PM. Just because your climbing doesn’t have to mean you eat crummy food. At Camp Muir my meal consisted of Patagonia Provisions smoked mussels (Savory Sofrito is the best), a Mountain House Pad Thai dehydrated meal pack and Oreos for dessert. Pad Thai, Chili Mac, and Beef Stroganoff are my go to. As with any hiking or camping trip bringing extra food is essential so I had a backup Chili Mac with me just in case.
Day 2: star lit wake up for summit day occurred at 12:00AM, and after cooking, making coffee, gearing and roping up we were on route by 1:30AM under a clear black sky lit only by the stars with the silhouette of our objective looming above us. Head lamps bouncing around you in the distance, the Milky Way bright overhead, the crunch of ice under your crampons, and the thrill of the adventure of being on your climb – there is nothing quite like summit day, the definition of type 2 fun that awakens something inside of you, that ever present desire to feel completely alive.
First crossing the Cowlitz Glacier under starlight we then scramble the Cathedral Rocks ridge to gain the Ingraham Glacier and cross the Ingraham Flats. Here is a second popular high camp for climbing parties that puts you about an hr closer to the summit at 10,500’.
Getting to the Ingraham glacier early on both ascent and descent is crucial as it is here you cross a large crevasse field and walk past the Ingraham Icefall with its many looming Seracs overhead. As the day warms up the risk of falling through into a crevasse or having ice come loose above you increases dramatically which is why glacier travel demands such early alpine starts.
After safely and quickly crossing the icefall we finally gain the Disappointment Cleaver (DC) at roughly 3:30AM. Here is another section of scrambling for which we unrope, remove crampons and start climbing over rocks and boulders using both hands and feet at times. This area is really more of a ‘scramble’ which basically references the non vertical nature of the climbing where using rock anchors and rope is generally not necessary and can even be more dangerous. In the dark, and at high altitude (11,500’) route finding and travel slows as our lungs adjust and we take care with each foot step to not kick rocks on our friends or other parties below – this is such a risk on the Cleaver that part of the route here is nicknamed the ‘bowling alley’ perhaps as a constant reminder to always look out for rocks. Moving judiciously over this section we managed to not have any incidents at all.
At the top of the cleaver we get back on glacial ice at approximately 12,300’ where we rope up once more, and re-don our crampons because from here on out we are back on ice. This is where things get truly spectacular as sun crests over Washington state as we are positioned with a view of the southern and eastern sky. Alpenglow illuminates the horizon as familiar landmarks become visible slowly. Little Tahoma looms immediately below us as the 3rd tallest peak in Washington state, and other PNW peaks slowly become visible including the Stuart range, Glacier Peak, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, and countless others. The scene is quiet, cold, contemplative, and magical – a view that must be earned in our state.
From this point on the climbing is arduous, relentlessly up, and demanding of our sea level conditioned red blood cells as we get higher and higher. Crossing crevasse fields, snow bridges, and using running belays we safely gain the summit ridge at about 8:10AM. By 8:45 we’ve crossed the football field long summit crater, past the fumaroles pumping out sulfuric acid fumes, the steaming rocks, and the endless maze of ice cave tunnels under foot to gain the true summit!
Standing at 14,410’ atop a mountain that has captured my imagination since 2014 was the realization of a 6 year long dream. Successfully and safely self guiding our group to the summit of Washington’s most mighty peak is a feeling that words cannot adequately describe.
The climb is never over at the top, as the most important objective remains: getting home! On this climb however there was one more very special task to be accomplished. Standing together atop Rainier for the second time, at 9:04AM on July 25, 2020 Matt bent the knee and asked Julie to marry him and she said yes! While there’s is not my story to tell, this special moment is a memory I will always cherish and cannot thank these two dear friends enough for including me in.
Diamond tucked away safely in a sock inside an empty Nalgene the descent started. Crossing the Ingraham icefall at 12:00pm we moved quickly. Roped up to Ned, a 6’7” ball of mountain fire we short roped and I was essentially drug through the crevasse field bounding after Ned’s huge steps. Made for quick, intense travel! After passing the icefall we saw a microwave chunk of ice fall across our trail, and one of us uneventfully stepped a full leg through a snow bridge! Pushing our luck on warming snow we pressed on to cathedral rocks ridge, where we encountered our major hazard of the day: rock fall. Walking with Ned about 30 yards behind Matt, Julie, and Randy I heard a crack above and to the right and saw a refrigerator sized boulder come crashing down the snow free section of crumbling mountain. With better eyes on the rocks than the three below Ned and I screamed “ROCK!!!!” and thankfully our partners stopped in due time to watch the boulders safely roll past about 20 yards in front of them. It’s hard to know what caused the rock fall, but two main possibilities come to mind 1) melting ice in the cracks of the rocks that expanded and pushed the boulders loose 2) tiny earthquakes triggered by the ever shifting magma chamber. Whatever the cause we hurried past this zone and once safe and clear we made it back to our tents at camp.
After a 20 minute power nap, snack, and packing we descended the 4600’ on the Muir Snowfield back to our cars at paradise by 4:00pm. Exhausted, and craving salty snacks we destroyed about 2 bags of salt and vinegar chips and changed into some fresh clothes. Mt. Rainier still looming above us, still dominating the sky, the weather, and all life it touches remained as it always will as we drove away.
On climbs like this, there are a few things I really love to bring along. Here is a short list:
- MSR Hubba Hubba Tent – its light, tough, and awesome
- Scarpa Charmoz – Mountaineering boot made just barely big and wide enough for my boot size 16 feet.
- Patagonia Men’s Simul Alpine Pants – light, tough and quick dry
- Patagonia’s repair program makes their gear last forever – I’ve sent these pants in twice for free expert repairs after I’ve gotten rips in them while climbing.
- MSR windburner stove
- Patagonia R1 half zip hoody (its always done in an R1)
- Patagonia Triolet Jacket – GoreTex and pit zips (also have had repaired numerous times for free)
- Garmin InReach satellite communicator
- Sun Bum mineral SPF 50 face stick
- Leukotape – this tape sticks well & protects sweaty feet from blisters
- Spring Energy Gels
- Skratch Labs drink powder packets
- Sony alpha 6300 camera with my super wide 10-18mm lens mounted on a backpack shoulder strap with a Peak Designs capture clip
- Suunto 9 Baro GPS watch
Title photo for this post was taken by our wedding photographer, Lindsay Ramdin of L.A.R. Weddings during our engagement photo shoot in Mt. Rainier National Park. She’s awesome, check out her instagram.
For a trip report with more route planning details, check out this post.
GPS track of the route to Camp Muir