Entries from Mount Rainier
Like most good climbing plans, I was told that the idea for the Climb for Five was hatched in a pub a while back. Already involved in the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a volunteer charity that raises money for childhood cancer research, the three climbers came up with the idea of tackling serious mountaineering objectives in an effort to raise money and awareness for St. Baldrick's by using the metaphor of climbing to illustrate the challenges and trials children go through while battling cancer. Hence, on Sunday September 18th, Patrick, Eric, Jon and I gathered under a thick layer of grey and drizzly clouds hanging over Rainier BaseCamp to tackle Mt. Rainier over the course of a 5 day Expedition Skills Seminar - Camp Muir.
The days of near fifty degree temperatures and rain, coming down in sheets at times, did not do much to instill confidence in the conditions above. Yet within a half an hour of leaving the trail head at Paradise the clouds thinned and by the time we reached 7,600' on the Muir Snowfield we were standing in the sun above the low-lying maritime clouds. Above us Mt. Rainier stood proudly with a fresh layer of snow from the recent storm blanketing its' slopes. During the rest of the climb to Muir, Patrick further explained the concept for Climb for Five to me: St. Baldrick's chooses five Ambassador Kids every year, representing that for every 5 children that get childhood cancer only 4 survive. The Climb for Five honors those Ambassadors; each day of the climb is chosen to honor one of the kids and the climbers carried keepsakes from each of the kids with them throughout the climb.
After a full day of training, learning the fundamentals of safe climbing and glacier travel techniques, exploring the Cowlitz Glacier outside of Camp Muir, and preparing ourselves for the climbing above, we set off on our summit bid under a beautifully starry sky early Wednesday morning. The new snow on the mountain smoothed over the rocky sections of the mountain and we made good progress across Cowlitz and Ingraham Glaciers and onto Disappointment Cleaver. Just before sunrise, breathing hard from the exertion at those altitudes, we reached the top of the Cleaver and added more clothes to fight the biting predawn winds. Continuing above the Cleaver the sun finally began to break above the horizon of eastern Washington and gave way to one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen on the mountain. The unsettled layers of clouds filtered the light such that shades of pink, red, yellow, orange, green, and blue were simultaneously covering the mountain's glaciers and the surrounding landscape below. The array of colors around us contrasted sharply with the traditional monotones of high alpine environments of rock, ice, and snow. Unfortunately, those same unsettled clouds soon overtook the sun and by 13,500' we were enveloped in a cloud cap, covering us in a thick layer of rime ice and blowing just enough to add to the challenge of making the final 900' of climbing to the summit.
Standing on top, buffeted by the wind and precipitation, Eric and Patrick unfurled the St. Baldrick's Banner and then pulled out a few keepsakes in memory of Arden, the Ambassador Kid for whom we were climbing that day. We then turned back and set our sights on descending. Like children battling cancer, reaching the summit is only half of the battle - the road to recovery once defeating the cancer is as long and as challenging as retracing one's route back down the mountain. We carefully picked our way back down Mt. Rainier's flanks, weaving our way amongst the seracs and around the gaping late-season crevasses that cover the mountain back to camp.
The winds from higher on the mountain descended not long behind us and continued to blow for the next several days while we finished the rest of the Seminar: building snow anchors, practicing the rigging systems needed for crevasse rescue, and ice climbing on the Cowlitz Glacier before descending back to Ashford on Friday. Taking part in the Climb for Five was a special experience for me and I feel fortunate to be involved. Having lost a sister to cancer as a kid, I share the same with the climbers of the Climb for Five and the entire climb struck a chord with me and I look forward to future climbs with this team. Thanks to Patrick, Eric, Jon, and St. Baldrick's for pursuing this endeavor, RMI is proud to be a part of it.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Posted by: Casey Grom, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,060'
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer and the Five Day Summit Climb led by Casey Grom checked in from Camp Muir this morning. Due to high winds, blowing snow and poor visibility the climbers were unable to leave Camp Muir this morning to make their summit attempt. The telemetry at Camp Muir and the guides state that wind speeds were consistently 70 - 80 mph with a high of 102 mph during the 1 am hour. The teams are safe and warm in the hut enjoying breakfast and hot drinks at 10,000'. They will be starting their descent from Camp Muir at 9 a.m. PT.
Very strong winds prevented our Four Day Summit Climb team led by JJ Justman from making their summit attempt today. Camp Muir had reported wind gusts of 105 mph during the night. The teams will be having breakfast, warm drinks and plan to pack up and descend to Paradise at 9 a.m. PST.
Congratulations on a safe climb!
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir led by RMI Guides Brent Okita, Billy Nugent and Linden Mallory reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team was walking into the crater rim at 8:20 a.m. Winds are 20 mph and there is a cloud cap on the mountain this morning. The teams will return to Camp Muir and continue their training of expedition skills. They will descend from Camp Muir to Paradise on Friday and conclude the program at Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to today's climbing teams! Enjoy the rest of your time on the mountain.
Long time RMI Guide and Owner Joe Horiskey may have 235 summits of Mt. Rainier via nearly a dozen routes in forty-two years of guiding, but he was even happier to congratulate his 19 year-old son, Robert, who successfully reached Columbia Crest for his very first time on September 8th! Congratulations, Robert! (And congratulations, Joe!)
The Four Day Summit Climb September 16 - 19 led by RMI Guides J.J. Justman and Pete Van Deventer were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams aborted their summit attempt at approximately 11,300' due to heavy winds and poor climbing conditions. The teams returned safely to Camp Muir at 7:30 a.m. PT. They began their descent to Paradise at 9:00 a.m. PT. Conditions on the Muir Snowfield are making it necessary for the team to wear crampons below Camp Muir.
Congratulations on a safe climb!
The Four Day Summit Climb led by Casey Grom returned safely to Camp Muir at 8:53am. The team left Muir for their summit attempt at 3am, by 7am they had reached their highpoint of 12,000’. Casey reported inches to feet of new snow with drifts, “It’s like winter up here!”
The Five Day Summit Climb just arrived to Rainier Basecamp in Ashford. They are enjoying some breakfast and warming up after a rain and snow descent from Camp Muir this morning.
Despite the change in the weather our Four Day Summit Climb team led by Tyler Jones reached the crater rim at about 8:35am PST this morning. It was a touch and go summit for the team as winds were strong, temperatures were cold, and snow was beginning to fall.
Our Five Day Summit Climb team also attempted the summit today but due to deteriorating conditions aborted their attempt at 13,500’. Both teams are descending back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to both teams for your hard work on the mountain today!
It has been a monumentous week for RMI Guides Paul Edgren and Billy Nugent. Paul reached the Mt. Rainier summit for the 100th time on September 11th and Billy on September 15th!
Congratulations Paul & Billy!
Adam Knoff, Billy Nugent and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir made the summit of Mt. Rainier in the mid-morning on Thursday, September 15th. The team was 100% on top and Billy Nugent completed his 100th summit on Mt. Rainier! The Team also spent the week on the glaciers surrounding Camp Muir honing their mountaineering skills in ice axe use and cramponing techniques, anchor placements, various self and team crevasse rescue techniques, belays, rappelling, knots, route finding and fixed rope travel. The team will finish up their training today and descend to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations team, and congratulations Billy on your 100th summit!
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Great read Linden, I feel that I was there with you. It was fantastic to meet you and the Climb For Five team. Seeing you guys leave for the climb and to see you come back was special. Thanks for looking after the guys.
cheers,
Holdeen
Posted by: Holdeen Cushing-murray on 9/27/2011 at 7:21 pm
As the team leader and founder of Climb For Five , I would like to thank Linden and all the staff at RMI for a well run course. The weather was taxing at times but the whole crew from RMI kept our spirits up and made sure that we were safe and enjoyed the whole experience.
Our experience while climbing Rainier has provided us with a new skill set that will allow us to move forward with our other planned climbs over the next few years. We will definitely be using RMI and hopefully Linden for our next climbs. So thank you RMI and Linden for all that you have taught us, we look forward to future climbs with you guys.
Patrick and all the kids from Climb For Five.
Posted by: Patrick Mc Carrick on 9/27/2011 at 11:13 am
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