Entries By joe crawford

The Five Day Climb team, August 27–30, led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Joe Crawford, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning!

Pete reported a beautiful day overall, with light winds as the team reached 13,800' around 7:30 a.m. Winds increased as they climbed higher, but the team continued upward and reached the summit around 8:00 a.m.

They are currently descending from the crater rim and will return to Camp Muir for a quick break before continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon.

Their patience yesterday in waiting out the storm paid off, as did having two nights on the mountain, which allowed for a more flexible itinerary. The team was able to take advantage of improved conditions and stand on top of Mt. Rainier today.

Nice work, team!

The Four Day climb led by RMI guides George Hedreen and Joe Crawford reached the summit of Mt Rainier this morning around 6am. They reported cool temperatures, but a lovely morning. They are currently on their descent back to Camp Muir and will be returning to Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work up there, team!

The Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise, led by RMI Guide Joe Crawford, culminated its week of training with a successful summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 6:30 a.m.

The team spent four nights and five days training on the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier, developing essential mountaineering skills including glacier travel, crevasse rescue, anchor and belay systems, and establishing and living in a mountain camp. Yesterday, they moved up to Camp Muir to prepare for their summit attempt.

They were rewarded with a beautiful day on the mountain and enjoyed some time in the summit crater before beginning their descent. The team is now making its way back to Camp Muir, where they will take a short break to repack and rest before continuing the final 4.5 miles to Paradise later this afternoon, concluding their program.

Congratulations to the entire team on a fantastic week of training and a successful summit of Mt. Rainier!

The Four Day Climb August 2 - 5 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today.  They were descending from the crater rim just after 7 am.  RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli reported a beautiful day with a little breeze and great route conditions.  The team is descending to Camp Muir where they will take a short break, repack their gear and continue the final 4,500' descent to Paradise. Their program will conclude this afternoon with a short celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.

Nice work team!

The Four-Day Climbs led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Joe Crawford turned around at 11,500 feet this morning due to route conditions. The teams safely returned to Camp Muir and plan to begin their descent to Paradise at 9:00 a.m.

Nice work teams! 

The July 16–20 Five Day Climb team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today under beautiful weather and great climbing conditions.

After spending time on the summit enjoying clear skies and incredible views, the team is now descending back to Camp Muir, where they will spend their second night on the mountain. Tomorrow, they'll complete the final leg of their journey with the descent to Paradise.

Congratulations to all of the climbers and guides on a successful summit. We look forward to welcoming the team back tomorrow!

The Four Day climb led by RMI guides Nikki Champion and Joe Crawford attempted to summit this morning. Shortly after leaving Camp Muir, they experienced lightening which led to them turning around. The lightning continued until 4am. They reported a dark cloud deck below, and a cloud cap above. They enjoyed a sunrise hike to Muir Peak instead. They will descend to Paradise this morning and be back in Ashford this afternoon. 

Nice work up there!

The expedition skills seminar climbed the Emmons glacier and made it to the summit this morning around 10:30am. They reported beautiful weather with moderate winds. They are on their descent back to Camp Schurman. They will return to Ashford tomorrow afternoon. 

Great work! 

RMI Guides Jess Wedel and Joe Crawford led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning, reaching the crater rim just after 7 am.  Jess said it was a perfect day on the mountain with a slight breeze.  Once they enjoy a bit of time on the summit, they will descend to Camp Muir, take a short break and then continue down to Paradise.  Their program will conclude this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to today's climbers! 

After an early morning gear-check in Sedro-Woolley, we arrived at the trailhead to find front row parking. We made last adjustment to our packs and began our hike. Despite the forecast heat, we found pleasant hiking temps thanks to a cloudy sky and light but steady breeze. On the Railroad Grade we were treated to the peak bloom for Meadow Penstemon and Spreading Phlox. We made camp and were treated to a 2-hour sunset light show. 

On School Day we made a short trek downhill to our site, a small valley that overlooks the Demming Glacier Icefall. We spent the morning building skill and confidence with crampons and ice axes. After lunch our focus turned to safety techniques like Self Arrest and Rope Travel. During the rope travel practice time we made our way to an overlook and admired the icefall for a moment. 

That evening we were down before any sunset lights could begin. We awoke at 0100 and started our climb at 0200. Step kicking from camp we made quick time up the snow and rock from Sandy Camp to the Easton Glacier. We donned the rope and continued through delightfully firm slush (contradictory as it sounds). The glacier provided mostly easy travel, with only a 1,000 or so feet of frustrating breakable crust. At the crater we marveled at the constant hissing and rumble; we may have snickered at the accompanying smell. An hour later we were on top, with relatively few others around. The summit views were spectacular, with clear views of Rainier, the Cascades and the Tantalus. After a quick descent, we packed up camp and tromped our way down the trail to our cars. 

- RMI Guide Joe Crawford