Mount Rainier Trip Report

[Gritter]

I recently returned from my attempt to climb Mount Rainier with 3 of my closest friends. We enjoyed perfect weather and spent 3 unforgettable days on the mountain where we reached 11,000 feet. However we did not make the summit because a combination of injuries and altitude took down half the team.

The experience taught me a lot about mountaineering, myself and my teammates so I have no regrets. But I can't wait to try it again.

If you are interested then please visit my blog for the full trip report with plenty of pictures.

http://www.newenglandoutside.com/2012/07/mount-rainier-trip-report.html

 

[Chugach001]

Good work, you had fun, came back safe and learned a bunch. A success in my book.

 

[Chip]

http://www.newenglandoutside.com/2012/07/mount-rainier-trip-report.html

Great report and pictures. Congratulations.

 

[erugs]

Sounds like you had a wonderful experience. There's nothing like being there to know more about what you need to know. (A complicated way of saying that experience is the best teacher.) So many people don't get to go beyond Muir, which in itself is a great trip. Ingraham Flats has nice views towards Sunrise -- I remember being at Sunrise last summer looking up to the Clever through binoculars and then a few days later looking back toward Sunrise from the Flats and thinking how nice both perspectives are.

 

[Chip]

But I can't wait to try it again.

Normally the consolation would be "It'll be there", but Rainier might not be, so better get on it !

 

[PamW]

Nice! Wow, what weather you had! I'd love to do this some day...

 

[Jay H]

Cool, great pictures, sounds like a great trip, good weather and good friends.

Jay

 

[Gritter]

Good work, you had fun, came back safe and learned a bunch. A success in my book.

I could not agree with you more...any hike where the team gets home safe is a good one.

 

[Gritter]

Great report and pictures. Congratulations.

Thank you!

 

[Gritter]

Sounds like you had a wonderful experience. There's nothing like being there to know more about what you need to know. (A complicated way of saying that experience is the best teacher.) So many people don't get to go beyond Muir, which in itself is a great trip. Ingraham Flats has nice views towards Sunrise -- I remember being at Sunrise last summer looking up to the Clever through binoculars and then a few days later looking back toward Sunrise from the Flats and thinking how nice both perspectives are.

I definitely agree with you about experience. Next time I go back I will know a lot more about what to eat, what to wear, how good of shape to be in etc etc....its hard to really know those things from books. You lugged binoculars up Rainier? That is very impressive!

 

[Gritter]

Normally the consolation would be "It'll be there", but Rainier might not be, so better get on it !

Haha...so true.....it will PROBABLY be there but ya never know ...just another reason to get back there ASAP!

 

[Gritter]

Nice! Wow, what weather you had! I'd love to do this some day...

Yes the weather was as good as it could possibly be! If you want to do it there is no time like the present

 

[Gritter]

Cool, great pictures, sounds like a great trip, good weather and good friends.

Jay

Jay, thank you! I felt very lucky to have found 3 like minded folks to climb with!

 

[Tom_Murphy]

Thank you for taking the time to post such a wonderful trip report. If I ever make the leap from hiking to mountaineering, I will definitely want to have companions as level-headed as you and your friends.

You mentioned the effects of the difference in altitude had on your endurance. What would you do differently? Have more days to acclimate or develop a higher level of fitness or both?

Alos, if it is not too personal a question, could anything been done to prevent your friend's leg injury?

 

[Bombadil]

I definitely agree with you about experience. Next time I go back I will know a lot more about what to eat, what to wear, how good of shape to be in etc etc....its hard to really know those things from books.

+1 on this, all the little things really add up. I err on the side of doing far too much cardio, I think of marathon training as a way to prep for upcoming climbs but I might be in the minority. I don't want my fitness to EVER be the factor that limits a climb. It sounds like you guys really did your homework though on things such as cravasse rescue and getting trained, kudos for that. I bet you guys will do quite well on your next attempt. Good job!

Pat

 

[Gritter]

Thank you for taking the time to post such a wonderful trip report. If I ever make the leap from hiking to mountaineering, I will definitely want to have companions as level-headed as you and your friends.

You mentioned the effects of the difference in altitude had on your endurance. What would you do differently? Have more days to acclimate or develop a higher level of fitness or both?

Alos, if it is not too personal a question, could anything been done to prevent your friend's leg injury?

Hi Tom,

Thanks for reading my report! Let me know if you ever make the leap? For me a few seasons of winter hiking got me thinking of getting into mountaineering.

I don't know that I would do anything differently. This experience really taught me that I need a full day of rest at altitude to acclimatize. After that I felt strong. One thing I would do before the climb is to do 1 or 2 day hikes at elevation but that is hard to do near Rainier.

As far as fitness, I felt great but I may focus on more trail running, heavy pack carrying and less cycling next time.

My friend hurt his IT band, that is a common runner's injury and I don't think he could have prevented it; it was just bad luck.

 

[Gritter]

+1 on this, all the little things really add up. I err on the side of doing far too much cardio, I think of marathon training as a way to prep for upcoming climbs but I might be in the minority. I don't want my fitness to EVER be the factor that limits a climb. It sounds like you guys really did your homework though on things such as cravasse rescue and getting trained, kudos for that. I bet you guys will do quite well on your next attempt. Good job!

Pat

I completely agree that everything adds up. I agree with you that marathon training is a great way to build up endurance. Fitness is so important, there should always be a reserve in the tank to deal with emergencies. I ran a half trail marathon while preparing for the climb and did at least 1 hike a week with 3 or 4 cardio sessions plus weights.

We definitely wanted to be ready to deal with anything up there without a guide. All of that training and education may not have been used on this climb but it will be surely be an asset int he future.

Thanks for reading!

 

[marnof]

Great story, great job, and inspirational to my daughter and I since we've been kicking around the idea of some western peaks in the future. I haven't been around that altitude in years, but being turned back by conditions at altitude had the effect of making me appreciate the great opportunities we have here in the Whites. I can imagine the wheels are turning...thinking about getting out there again to give it another go. I know I am!

 

[Puma concolor]

Congrats on a great adventure, Gritter! I am just returning from an extended jaunt out west that included Rainier. What a fantastic mountain and one of the things I stressed on my trip was that the experience of each mountain was far more important than reaching the top. Sounds like you share my attitude of loving the entire mountain, not just the summit.

 

[Chip]

We did a day hike up and back to Muir from Paradise a couple days before our night at Muir, next night at Ingraham and summit. I'm sure that helped with the altitude. It also helped just to know we knew that section of the mountain, so there was no stress then about the beginning of the main trip.