Hi, this…. Is Dad
First I want to thank our kids – Grace, Christina, Katie and Steve – and Kathy for helping me to realize a dream to climb Mt Rainier. I also want to tell each of them how proud I am of their character and ability. I literally put my life in their hands over the past few days and nights and I would do so again without hesitation. Our goal was to climb as high as we could safely, return safely and have fun. We achieved our goal. The stories of this incredible experience will flow in the next few weeks but for now I am grateful to them for their love and support.
DYD
Friday, August 31, 2007
My Job Here is Done
Everyone's home, and in one piece (excepting the skin on and around the feet). They're feeling good, for the most part, and have bellies full of hamburger and orange juice. I hope that in the coming week or so we see posts on here from the climbing team filling in the details of what was obviously an exciting and memorable trip.
I've already heard a bunch of the stories, but all our 4s of readers out in cyberspace have not, as yet. So Fred, Steve, 'Lil Steve, Katie, Grace, and Stina, it's time to fire up the old desktop and start typing.
Seacrest out.
I've already heard a bunch of the stories, but all our 4s of readers out in cyberspace have not, as yet. So Fred, Steve, 'Lil Steve, Katie, Grace, and Stina, it's time to fire up the old desktop and start typing.
Seacrest out.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Sacked Out at Glacier Basin Camp
What an epic day. Just when ya thought the climb was over, another very different one began.
We headed down the ingram glacier from camp schurman and had to wind through a maze of seriously deep, wide and scary crevasses. It would have been puckery enough on its own, but I was in lead with most of my family in tow. Steve was a big help but even so...
Anyway, a dozen crevasses a handful of leaps of faith and we were back on solid land so to speak if you call a chossy rubble pile of a prow solid land. I was actually was glad to be wearing crampons on the rock.
And they came in handy once we crested over camp curtis and headed down the inter glacier which appears to have completely changed since we went up it just days ago. The snow slope we practiced self-arrests on is now a sheet of ice and crevasses have opened midway up (though
nothing like what we saw on the lower ingram). It took a long time to pick our way through.
When we got to the base we finally unroped and put away our ice axes. And then we hiked a mile down through glacial rubble before finally making it to the treeline and the trail back to glacier basin camp.
Whew!
I am so impressed at what Dad & Fred accomplished on the mountain. This was an epic adventure. Glaciers, crevasses, snow bridges, ice bridges, travel on very steep terrain over snow, rock amd ice. And by Steve's account the night we spent on the snow ledge was the worst
night out he's ever had. Except for maybe that one night at that bar... Oh nevermind
Well done everyone. Well done. And I can't wait to see the pictures mark took as he flew over our high camp yesterday. Was that just yesterday?!?
Wow. I've got to get some sleep.
Sent from my iPhone
We headed down the ingram glacier from camp schurman and had to wind through a maze of seriously deep, wide and scary crevasses. It would have been puckery enough on its own, but I was in lead with most of my family in tow. Steve was a big help but even so...
Anyway, a dozen crevasses a handful of leaps of faith and we were back on solid land so to speak if you call a chossy rubble pile of a prow solid land. I was actually was glad to be wearing crampons on the rock.
And they came in handy once we crested over camp curtis and headed down the inter glacier which appears to have completely changed since we went up it just days ago. The snow slope we practiced self-arrests on is now a sheet of ice and crevasses have opened midway up (though
nothing like what we saw on the lower ingram). It took a long time to pick our way through.
When we got to the base we finally unroped and put away our ice axes. And then we hiked a mile down through glacial rubble before finally making it to the treeline and the trail back to glacier basin camp.
Whew!
I am so impressed at what Dad & Fred accomplished on the mountain. This was an epic adventure. Glaciers, crevasses, snow bridges, ice bridges, travel on very steep terrain over snow, rock amd ice. And by Steve's account the night we spent on the snow ledge was the worst
night out he's ever had. Except for maybe that one night at that bar... Oh nevermind
Well done everyone. Well done. And I can't wait to see the pictures mark took as he flew over our high camp yesterday. Was that just yesterday?!?
Wow. I've got to get some sleep.
Sent from my iPhone
Grace Update
We are back to lower camp. All tired, sore but well. We will be to the parking lot tomorrow by 11.
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Nana Speaks
After we left the hikers at Glacier Trail, we (Arlene, Seamus, Elizabeth and Stephen) drove up to Sunrise Lodge at Rainier. From there we could look down at where we had left the hikers and could see the glacier above them. For Arlene and I it was beautiful but the dangers were evident. We have been blessed with clear blue skies and each day can see the top of the mountain as we drive about. Today when we woke we could see small clouds clinging to the side that our hikers were on. Throughout the day we have seen increasing cloudiness on that face of the mt. which the hikers are coming down.
Both Arlene and I are amazed at the technology that allows us reassurance of where they are. Yesterday I was amazed when I called Mark and he said he was about to go up in his plane and make a pass at the mountain with his high definition camera. Grace and Katie have even called Matt from their lower camp as they awaited for the other climbers to come back down. We pray for a safe return for everyone and are anxious to hear their stories. We are in awe of Matt's blogging and all this technology. Isn't this better than "American Idol"?
Both Arlene and I are amazed at the technology that allows us reassurance of where they are. Yesterday I was amazed when I called Mark and he said he was about to go up in his plane and make a pass at the mountain with his high definition camera. Grace and Katie have even called Matt from their lower camp as they awaited for the other climbers to come back down. We pray for a safe return for everyone and are anxious to hear their stories. We are in awe of Matt's blogging and all this technology. Isn't this better than "American Idol"?
The Way Down: Another CB Update
12:07 pm
We picked our way down the mountain following Dale's team's tracks and made good time.
The sucker crevasses that were soft when we crossed yesterday were more solid this morning. We passed the one that got me yesterday and were making our way down the next set when the snow started falling.
The wind had been kicking smatters of ice at us all morning. This wasn't a smattering. It was noisy. Steve hollered, I turned to see snow and ice directly above. We all ran downhill.
The ice went into a crevasse and didn't hit us. The crevasse I took three minutes navigating Steve took in two bounds. Fred lept, dad dodged & slid, I dove to the side. We all made excellent self-arrests.
By the time we made it to the last set of crevasses just above Schurman. Dale's team's tracks were pretty faint - the sun doing its work on their trail and the ice.
The last few crossings were pretty sketch. Fred and dad made excellent leaps of faith. They were awesome - even on very little sleep and even less food.
We're packing up now to head down to glacier basin. A few more crevasses to cross on lower Ingram, a rock prow to climb, then on down the inter-glacier to the treeline and more of that sweet sweet O2.
- cb
Sent from my iPhone
matt's note: the photo is taken from google...but is of a Rainier climb.
Back At Schurman: CB Update
11:42am
We made a good decision and called our summit at 12000ft at 6:30 this morning. Grey clouds at the summit, the aforementioned ferocious wind and varying degrees of altitude sickness on the team... Prompted us to stop and take in the sunrise.
The sun rose behind clouds an rain in the yakima valley. I could see the rain falling in front of the red sky. To the north the sun lit up the top of Mt Baker in a peachy glow. And above us the mountain was spinning off little wave-form venticulars. An all the while the wind was blasting.
So we made the smart decision and headed back to more oxygen.
Sent from my iPhone
We made a good decision and called our summit at 12000ft at 6:30 this morning. Grey clouds at the summit, the aforementioned ferocious wind and varying degrees of altitude sickness on the team... Prompted us to stop and take in the sunrise.
The sun rose behind clouds an rain in the yakima valley. I could see the rain falling in front of the red sky. To the north the sun lit up the top of Mt Baker in a peachy glow. And above us the mountain was spinning off little wave-form venticulars. An all the while the wind was blasting.
So we made the smart decision and headed back to more oxygen.
Sent from my iPhone
Update From CB
Sent at 1:34am:
The wind is ferocious as though it's trying to blow us off the mountain.
The flapping tents are deafening - even with earplugs - and the
shuddering makes sleeping difficult.
I just ducked outside (pee bottles are not so simple for girls) and
there are clouds racing down from the summit.
I'll try to knock off another hour of sleep before Dale shows up.
- cb
Sent from my iPhone
The wind is ferocious as though it's trying to blow us off the mountain.
The flapping tents are deafening - even with earplugs - and the
shuddering makes sleeping difficult.
I just ducked outside (pee bottles are not so simple for girls) and
there are clouds racing down from the summit.
I'll try to knock off another hour of sleep before Dale shows up.
- cb
Sent from my iPhone
Stina's Goodnight Update
We're hunkered down on a ledge carved out of the ingram glacier at 11200 ft. Eating dinner and melting snow for water with a stunning view. We're waving g'nite.
We hope to summit early tomorrow and be back at least to camp shurman by the end of the day.
Fred and dad are doing great. Steve and I are feeling strong.
Oh, and I punched through a snow bridge this afternoon. It was the most minor crevasses fall imaginable - except for maybe when dads axe punched through another little bridge yesterday - anyway I hope its the most I ever see of the inside of a crevasse. And it was pretty cool.
Steve's buddy dale will be joining us early. So off to bed now.
Xoxo
- cb
matt's note: photo snagged from google images. sunset on rainier.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Matt's Reply to a Comment
-
- Correctamundo, Paul. Tuesday was long and grueling, and there were some scary times kicking their way up the glacier. Katie had a fall before they were roped in, during which she slid thirty feet or so before stopping herself. Grace and Katie are worn out, there's some altitude sickness, and I think they're a little scared too.
So they decided to stay at Schurman and await the return of the group.
There is a yellow plane flying back and forth over up. We think it's Mark! Hi Mark!
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Matt's note: it was indeed Mark. He and pals went up with long range photo gear to try to get some good pictures.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
G'nite from camp schurman: Stina's Update
All tucked in for the night at Camp Schurman 9400 ft. From here the view is to the east and the full moon rising. To the north we can see clear to mt baker. To the northwest the view is spectacular... The Olympic mountains, all of puget sound and the lights blinking from Olympia Tacoma Seattle and on northbound to Everett.
Todays climb was difficult. The inter glacier was very steep and we kicked our own trail up it. Thank goodness for crampons. They are
lifesavers.
Once we topped out the inter glacier we scrambled up and around a rocky ridge and steeply down the other side.
The last thousand feet up the lower emmonds glacier to camp started by picking our way between crevasses. We crossed numerous cleaves in the ice, none more than a couple feet wide but all of them terribly deep.
There were a couple of puckery moments, but all in all the team did very well. Glad we were all roped in.
Time for bed.. In fact, sounds like they're all zonked out already.
They sure earned a good nights sleep.
Xoxo
- cb
Sent from my iPhone
note from matt: the photo is one i grabbed off of google. but it is camp schurman.
Grace's Update
Made it high camp around 630 and we are all tired and hungry! It is wicked cold up here and the scenery is amazing. Tomorrow we rest then head for the summit just after midnight. Current elevation9424 feet. 7:39pm 8/28/07
How Are They Blogging From the Mountain?
- Anonymous said...
-
What's with the hat? It's 90 degrees here in Atlanta.
And how are you blogging from the mountain. I think you're just at a luxury resort and keep changing the background.
:-)
Scott
Hi Scott! The mountain updates are coming via this great new technology; I call it the cellular telephone. Meanwhile, as the hikers burn 400 calories an hour, I'm sitting on an exercise ball in front of the computer and adding titles to the posts once in awhile.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Route Information
From what I can tell, the climbers are taking the Emmons Glacier route. This is the second most commonly used route to summit Rainier. You can find information about it and see maps of it here: link
The most common route is the Paradise route, and although I've only done a few hours on the mountain, that's the way we went. As a result, I can do very little of the filling in of details here, and we'll have to hope for emails from the climbers.
I do know this (from bits and pieces during dinner yesterday). Short day today. Long day tomorrow, with the steepest climb of the trip (and with most of their weight from food and fuel still on their backs). Wednesday is mostly a rest day. They'll wake up to summit around midnight on Thursday morning, get up there and back down to camp by midday-ish. The good news about Thursday is that since they'll come back down to the same camp for the night, they'll travel very light. They'll mostly travel with camel-backs and food. So they'll sleep the night Thursday and descend on Friday.
From what I can tell, this plan provides a ton of time so that they can pace it slowly if necessary. It's in the realm of possibility that they'll get down a day ahead of time if things go swimmingly.
That is all, because I really know nothing. Also, I'm painting the house this week, and I've quickly decided that I hate house-painting.
Last Bits of Shopping and The Final Pack
Yesterday we spent a good bit of the day at REI getting all the gear they hadn't yet gotten. Afterwards, back to Tacoma for last minute rentals and the final pack-up.
This morning the plan is to meet at Steve's at 9am and be at the mountain towards noon.
Grace's photos of yesterday's activities: link
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Intro by Dad
Several years ago while visiting Christina in Seattle and Mt Rainier was in full splendor I commented that it might be fun to hike up there some day. Years passed and the sibs became proficient at rock, ice and mountain climbing. Then last Christmas the told me ...this is the year Dad, get in shape.... It's been 8 months and the adventure starts in 2 days. The team consist of the sibs - Grace, Christina, Katie & Steve - Mark, Fred and me. Fred and I are the old guys; least experienced and most apprehensive. The sibs and Mark all have extensive experience. The assent starts Monday, 8/27 from Paradise Lodge at about 5400 ft elevation.
Saturday, 8/25: Today was gear review and rope training. Steve introduced us to ropes, harnesses, knots, biners, ice axes and a variety of other climbing gear. Then we went through a list of clothing, personal and team gear. It's amazing the equipment that you need and the stuff that you don't, like that extra shirt or jacket, extra light or extra knife. I learned that extra is the key word when you consider that you have to carry it all for 5 days up 9000 ft on snow and ice. The highlight of the day was the food; 14 meals each; MRE's..................
Mount Rainier: Read Up
linky
Highlights:
*14410 feet high
*26 major glaciers, and 35 square miles of permafrost
*Originally known as Tahoma, the Puyallup word for "Mother of Waters"
Army Issue MREs
wiki link, if you're interested. my favorite part:
Some of the early MRE main courses were not very palatable, earning them the nicknames "Mr. E" (mystery),[3] "Meals Rejected by Everyone",[4] "Meals, Rarely Edible",[5] "Meals Rejected by the Enemy", "Meals Refusing to Excrete", "Meal, Ready to Excrete", and even "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians"[6] in reference to a country that was gripped by famine at the time. Some meals got their own nicknames. For example, the frankfurters, which came sealed in pouches of four, were referred to as "the four fingers of death."[4] Although quality has improved over the years, many of the nicknames have stuck. MREs were often called "Three Lies for the Price of One"[7] - it's not a Meal, it's not Ready, and you can't Eat it.
this post sent directly from grace's phone.
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