Mount Baker season is here! We met at Bingham Park and got right into it. We framed our climb around team work and risk management, so we spent our morning setting that up with a thorough gear check and packing lesson. We laid out our plans and previewed how each segment plays into our team risk management strategy. The first day would be all about learning the pace and self-care we would need on the upper mountain. We quickly found a pace that could only be described as relentlessly moderate. After a couple hours of hiking in the cool temps we got to our rock outcrop at Sandy Camp. After a brief break to take in the views of the Sisters Range and the Puget Sound, we made a robust snow camp. Snow camping, we determined, is a craft best learned in the warm temps and long days near the Solstice. 

The following day we used our Snow School to fill out our risk management plan by learning the skills to handle moving through snow and ice. Our morning hours were cool enough to provide the firm snow that makes school most rewarding. We learned to walk like French mountain guides (upright with a baguette in hand) and to climb in the heavy metal style of German technique. In the afternoon we roped up and learned to stop each other from falling down the mountain. A small, steep roll in the terrain provided the perfect place to develop trust in our teammates by flinging ourselves down the slope.  

In the wee hours, we awoke and prepared for the climb ahead. We put our plan into play and began the climb uphill with the same group pace we learned on the way to camp. Our team was at the front of a line of 50 or so climbers. While some would pass us for a moment here and there, we managed to keep astride of all comers with our diligent, steady pace. After two of our comrades ended their climb at the crater rim, we carried on up the Roman Headwall. This final steep step tested our new cramponing skills as the boot track was crawling with people. We decided to step out of the track and were rewarded with perfect Styrofoam conditions for cramponing. At the summit, which we had to ourselves, we had a group dance party and took all the pictures. 

Motivated by thoughts of Steak Fajitas and Margaritas, we descended swiftly through punchy snow, and down sandy trail to our cars at Park Butte TH. A short hour later, we shared a final meal at the ever-classic end-of-trip spot Lorenzo's. 

- RMI Guide Joe Crawford