Successful Mt. Rainier summit (Jul 2010)

Successfully summited Mt.Rainier(14,410 ft) on Sunday @ 8:30 am as a part of a 3-day climb. The picture shows the route we took. It was a hard at the same time enjoyable climb. Helped me to assure myself how small and short-lived we are compared to other natural creations...

This was my second date with the mountain for a summit bid in 2 months. This time we took a longer and different route because the DC route had a rockfall danger. It means we needed to start from a lower altitude and hence a longer climb.

Day 1: We started from White River Campground (4,300 ft.). An easy trail through the old-growth forest along the White River takes us to the open meadow-like Glacier Basin. From Glacier Basin, we climb snow slopes up the Inter Glacier to our camp at about 8,500 feet.

These shorter days aids in acclimatization and allows us to review knots, crampon, and ice ax skills and roped team glacier travel techniques.

Day 2: We make a short ascent up to Camp Schurman (9,500 ft.) via the Inter Glacier, Steamboat Prow, and the Emmons Glacier. This short day allows us to rest up as possible before our summit attempt starts early the next morning. It also gives us time to review crevasse rescue skills.

Day 3: Summit day. For safety and better traveling conditions on the glacier, we rose early to get us near the summit by sunrise. The summit climb took us approx. 12 hours. The Emmons-Winthrop Glacier route climbs the northern edge of the largest glacier in the lower 48 states, the Emmons Glacier. The 35-degree central ramp of the glacier offers a route by which we access the slopes of the upper mountain. We threaded our way through these toward the summit of Mt. Rainier!

The true summit is on the Northwest corner of the crater, a few hundred feet above what is termed "register rock," where you can sign your name in "the book." I could see mountains in Oregon and Canada; it is almost like standing on top of a map of the Pacific Northwest. The summit crater offers some shelter from the wind and can be quite warm even on a relatively cool day. There were a collection of steam vents around the rim, and mostly snow-free in the summit crater.

The experience and feeling at the top are mesmerizing! A feeling of achievement. I am not sure, If I will do this again, but it was worth the every bit we went through.