Rainier Climb Recap

Well... we made it safely to the summit and back! We had absolutely perfect weather (especially by Washington standards) and our guides from Alpine Ascents International (AAI) did a superb job getting us up and down the mountain. Cody put together an excellent play-by-play of the climb, which can be found here. I look forward to the next climb and learning more technical skills (e.g., route-finding, crevasse rescue, evaluating snow-pack). I thought I'd provide a few of my observations and lessons learned from the whole experience. Hope these are of use to future climbers. Keep in mind that the following are simply my conclusions/opinions based on my own limited experience; get out there, experiment, and find what works best for you. Good luck!

Training:

     Physical.

     (Profile: age 28, 150 lbs, 5'9", asthma)

     The two primary concerns I had while preparing for the climb were that my asthma would make me more susceptible to acute mountain sickness (AMS) and that my hiking in the upper midwest (MN) would not be adequate for Rainier. My training regimen is summarized here and was based on information from guide companies, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills and Training for Climbing. Basically, I spent an equal amount of time working on cardio (mostly aerobic) and hiking, with little core strength training, and no flexibility training. How did I fare? Much better than expected. Asthma was not a problem. Aside from a slight headache and nausea at Camp Muir (which went away after taking ibuprofen, eating, changing my socks, and resting a bit), I wasn't affected by AMS. Key factors are likely that I stayed well hydrated (0.5 L per 1-2 hr, while moving, 1-2 L at camp each evening), we spent two nights above 10,000' and I breathed deeply while moving and while at rest. My hiking training was more than adequate for the conditions. I had worked my way up to hiking with 50 lbs for 4 hrs with a 2-3000' gain in elevation a few weeks before the climb. I made one last training hike in WA (Heather Lake, 1.5x, thus 7 mi, 1650' gain) with 60 lbs a few days before the climb and gave myself two days recovery. When we set out from Paradise, our packs weighed ~40-45 lbs and we moved at ~1000' vertical feet per hour. This was much less strenuous than I had trained for. As result, I did not feel muscle fatigue (legs, shoulders, or back) at any point during the ascent. This let me focus on my feet and the rope as we made our way up the mountain.

Hiking in skunk cabbage at Heather Lake, it's one of those things only a true Washingtonian would appreciate

The only painful part of the trip for myself was late in the day during our descent. My knees were very sore by the time we got to Pebble creek and as soon as we left the snow and hit the dirt trail, the plastic mountaineering boots really hurt my feet. No blisters though as I had duct-taped my Achilles tendon and heel earlier that day. Really not a big deal though considering the mileage and elevation change for the day (9 mi total, gain 3000' to summit then lose 9000').

     Mental.

     I'd recommend reading the chapter in Training for Climbing on mental training. Discusses the importance of maintaining your focus while climbing and suggests mental exercises to help get you into your "zone." Also agree with the statement in Training that "the 'no fear' attitude is for buffoons." Climbing is dangerous and you should be on alert for hazards and how to avoid or react to them.

Gear:

         I followed general guidelines for mountaineering gear from AAI, RMI, and Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. Overall, I was happy with the gear I used. The gear lists provided by the guide services gave me an idea of what I was looking for and specific products to start with. With that info in mind, I shopped around at both REI (Bloomington, MN) and Midwest Mountaineering (Minneapolis). I  spent hours trying on different items, constantly comparing and thinking of how (in)practical the different features of each item were and tried to get as much info from experienced sales associates as I could. In the end I was happy with everything I bought. I decided to rent the items I knew I would have little use for in MN (e.g., avalanche transceiver, crampons, mountaineering boots, helmet...etc). Otherwise, only a few comments here:

     - Rent or invest in true glacier glasses. My climbing partners complained of eye fatigue towards the end of each day and had sunburns behind their sunglass lenses. Turns out both were using polarized glasses w/o reflective lenses. I rented glacier glasses and was not squinting or fatigued at the end of each day.

Glacier glasses (left) vs cool shades (right)

     - Leave most of your compression sacks at home. When I flew out for the climb, I had everything compartmentalized into about four or five compression sacks and everything was a tight fit. Guides had us line our packs with heavy plastic garbage bags and stuff everything together. Seemed like I could fit twice as much in my pack. Turns out (obviously now) that stuffing everything together fills all the space, whereas the compression sacks act like hard spheres (recall the atomic packing factor from crystallography, anyone???).

In Ballard the night before the climb, reducing pack weight and ditching most of my compression sacks

     - I brought two pieces of 60" webbing. I've read posts where people didn't have a use for the webbing, thought I'd share my need for it. On the way up, I used one to fix the spike of my ice ax to the top of my pack (REI Mars 85) as there was not any easy way to do this using the pack's factory settings. On the way down, I used one to fix my ice ax, and the other to fix my crampons to the outside of my pack. The only thing I'd change is to bring 25-30" webbing instead of 60".

Food:

     The food AAI prepared for us (breakfast and dinner at Muir and Ingraham flats) was excellent. Hot tasty meals provided a huge boost. I could imagine that any form of MRE or instant/minute-ready type foods would not have tasted all that good. We were responsible for lunches and calories at each break. I brought the following and had no complaints:

Cold take-n-bake pizza from the night before (a few cold Alaskan Ambers would have been nice...)
Bagel/cream cheese/smoked ham sandwiches (very tasty and filling)
Fruit-filled cereal bars (didn't freeze and were palatable)
Cliff espresso shots (used on the summit push... really felt the diuretic effect of all that caffeine that day)
Hershey bars
Powdered Gatorade and Nescafe

Technical skills:

     We spent the morning at Camp Muir practicing the following skills relevant to steep slope and glacier travel:

     Self-arrest
     Climbing with crampons (pied en canard, pied à plat, pied troisième)
     Ice ax grips (self belay vs self arrest)
     Travel as a rope team

The lessons were brief and I know I'll need to practice them again the next time I'm on a glacier.

Mission Accomplished

Its been ten days now since we got off the summit of Mt Rainier and it is almost sad that its over. Six months of training and buying gear, countless hours on the internet gathering information and blogging is all over now. What a great trip!

The actual summit trip started with gear check at Alpine Ascents International (AAI) in Seattle. We met the other five members of the team that would be going up with us as well as the lead guide. It turns out, Cyrus, Pat and I were the members of the team with the least experience. Two of the other members had already climbed Rainier, 2 more had tried at least once and one guy had even spent a month on Denali and summited! Our lead guide, Matt came off exactly like a mountain guide should... total badass yet very calm and collective. My intuition would later be proven true.

After pulling out all of our gear one by one and getting the ok to climb, we left AAI and went to get groceris. Our menu for the trip would consist of bagels with ham, turkey and cream cheese, cold pizza and random snacks such as chocolate covered almonds and sour patch kids. We assembled our food and went through our packs for the next six hours, making sure everything was perfect. The next morning came and we took a cab to AAI where our gear was loaded into a van and we were shuttled down to Paradise.

After a quick introduction of ourselves and the other guides we started up for Camp Muir. The weather was wet but from rain. The guides kept a steady pace and would stop after every 1000 vertical feet which would take about an hour and fifteen. At every break the packs came off, we drank and ate. Around 8500 feet the clouds broke and the mountain started to come into view. Gorgeous! Soon after we would arrive at Camp Muir where we made camp for the night. The guides told us to relax and get settled in while they made dinner.

Muir Snowfield

The mountain coming out

When we were told that the guides made breakfasts and dinner I figured it was freeze dried meals... Wrong. The dinner call was made and we hoofed it to the AAI kitchen tent where hot chicken quesadillas were waiting with rice and beans and fresh guacamole. After dinner we enjoyed the views, snapped some photos and tried to get some sleep. Excitement kept me from getting a good nights rest. As did the ear plugs in my ears.

The next morning brought a completely clear sky with gorgeous views. Breakfast call was made and we were greeted with hot coffee and chocolate, bacon, scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes. Awesome. We enjoyed our hot breakfast, told dirty jokes and just enjoyed ourselves at 10,000 feet. We were told after breakfast to pack our stuff up and meet by the AAI tent for some snow school.

June 19, 2012

June 20, 2012

Snow school was about two hours and consisted of learned to walk in steep terrain with crampons, self arrest and belay, rope skills and tag lines, avalanche transceivers and glacial safety. It wasn't very in depth but was enough to get us to the top and back safely. After school we saddled up and tagged into each other and started for high camp at 11,300 feet. We traveled across the Cowlitz Glacier, up Cathedral Rocks and onto the Ingraham Glacier where high camp was waiting. We were told to get a couple hours rest at high camp, then we would eat dinner and go back to bed. We were waking up at midnight to summit...

AAI tent next to Cowlitz Glacier. Notice the team crossing under the rocks in the distance

Crossing the Cowlitz

Top of Cathedral Rocks

Ingraham Glacier with high camp in distance. Disappointment Cleaner is to the upper right.

The guides at AAI took excellent care of us. While the team was sleeping they were cooking and even managed to fill everyones water bottle. Dinner consisted of pasta with cream sauce and of course bacon (awesome). We had a summit talk and were back in bed.

The alarm went off at midnight and hot water was waiting for us. Some coffee, a bagel and water was all I needed. My gear was packed and only consisted of food, water and clothing; everything else stayed at high camp. We tagged in to each other and set off in the dark towards what we hoped was the summit. Our path took us up the Ingraham Glacier and across the "flats", then up Disappointment Cleaver. We had our first break there which was brief and cold. We continued up at the same steady pace. The excited kept me going without any problems. My fear of being stricken down in my tracks by altitude wasn't happening. I didnt want to stop for breaks even; Get me to the top!

High Break

Final push

Two more breaks and the final push led us to the east side of the crater. What a desolate world up there. The crater provided a little protection from the elements. We shed our packs and tag lines, through on some warm clothes and grabbed a snack; then we made the 15 minute walk across the crater to Columbia Crest. The only word I can use to describe sitting on the summit of Mt Rainier at dawn is amazing. It was the most amazing thing I have ever done.

Summit with Mt Adams to our back

The trip down went in the exact reverse order and at a much faster pace. We stopped at high camp to get our stuff and fuel up as well as pick up the one team member that had to turn around at the Cleaver. A jog to Camp Muir (literally a jog), some quick lunch and we were off down the mountain. The weather was much warmer so the trip down went slower because the Muir Snowfield was very soft. Each step created a new post hole on already sore legs. After a few hours the lodge at Paradise came into view. I know why they call it Paradise: after descending off the mountain there is no greater site!

The boots and three day old gear came off, fresh clothes went on, the packs were loaded and we were off. Burgers and beers were enjoyed by all after leaving the park and a toast to our trip was made by lead guide Matt. His trip prior to ours brought rain, the forecast for the group going up after us is rain with high winds... We hit the perfect three days for a summit.

Although our trip was perfect for us tragedy did strike the mountain. While we were coming down from high camp to Muir, there was a group that went missing and fell into the Emmons Glacier. We saw the Chinook helicopter get launched but didn't know what was going on. Later we found out that a Park Ranger fell to his death trying to rescue the stranded climbers. RIP Ranger Nick Hall.

Weather moving in

If anyone wants to climb Mt Rainier I recommend getting a guide. I never once felt that I was in danger and the guides at AAI couldnt have made our trip any more enjoyable. It was worth every penny, and the experience is one that I will never forget. We are already looking at our next course with AAI next year; The 6 day Cascades training course. While we were on the summit, we also were able to see our next project in the world of mountaineering and climbing: Mt Baker.

MSP to SEA

Because I can't simply throw my gear in the car, jump on I-5 and end up at Paradise, I thought I'd show how I packed my gear for the flight from St. Paul to Seattle.

Knowing that I would fly in for the climb, I decided to rent a fair bit of gear. This allowed me to travel light and I packed the following:

Frame pack
Soft-shell jacket/pants
Hard-shell jacket/pants
Base layers (2x)
Gloves, balaclava
Headlamp
Water bottles (2x), water reservoir
Sleeping bag w/ thermolite liner
Sleeping pad
Socks (and liners) (3x)
Camera + otter-box
Pack rainfly
Trekking poles
Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

I also knew that I would go on one last training hike (Heather Lake) and then relax at Suncadia Resort after the climb, so I packed my convertibles, hiking boots, reefs, some casual clothes, and my trusty MacBook Pro.

All of these items fit into my REI Mars 85 and North Face Surge daypack. Couldn't have done it without heavy-duty compression sacks. Also, my business unit approved casual Fridays for the summer (as though we needed anyone's blessing). Using this to my advantage, I wore my hiking boots and casual wear to work to cut down on my luggage.

Sent a flurry of emails to wrap up loose ends, set up my away message and snuck out of work @ 3 pm. Got a ride to the airport from a friend (Thanks Mary!) and avoided paying for parking. I used my North Face bag as a carry-on and checked my frame pack for $25. I put the frame pack in a military surplus duffel; I didn't want the straps or belt to get caught in any of the baggage handling equipment. Drank coffee on the flight and re-read the chapters on glacier and snow-field travel. Unfortunately, I had an isle seat and I was sitting between the wings so I wasn't able to see Rainier on the flight in. However, I did get a nice view from Sea-Tac, and even from US 2 in Everett. Always amazing just how big that mountain really is. Can't wait to hit the trail.

Now I'll be watching the Rainier recreational forecast....

Gear check #1

A whirlwind 36 hrs has brought me from AK to Ballard, by way of my younger bro Will's HS graduation, in order to pack for Mt Rainier this week!!

Hard to believe the time has come; seems just last week we were talking about Spirit Quests and Lime Kiln Trail.

Here's my state of living:

-Patrick

Forecast: Promising

Let's hope Jeff Renner is better at forecasting the weather than congress is at forecasting the budget

Want to Climb Something?

Well, I don't mind if i do!!!

When this whole venture started, Pat and I thought that the information about climbing, gear, Mt Rainier, weather conditions and mountaineering was way too scattered across numerous websites. We wanted a single source for climbing information specific to what we were doing: Summiting Rainier in early Summer.

And Climb Something was born.

We bought the website shortly after and decided we had to come up with a logo, as well as what we wanted to achieve with this project. Luckily Pat is talented with Photoshop. We put our heads together and formed our new logo. We decided to order a flag, the first product of our barely established organization.

Cant wait for the picture at the top with this!

Dreaming of the summit

The lead guide for our trip next week, Matt Hegeman, led a group of climbers up the Emmons glacier to the summit yesterday. The Alpine Ascents website said that they did so in adverse conditions. This has me excited because I'm glad we're going to have a guide with the cojones to make a strong go at it.

We should make a Build A Sign with just the word "Cajones" on it for the summit. Badass.

Found this link awhile back, it shows all the Mt. Rainier Paradise webcams in one convenient page. Plus, you can link out to all sorts of other webcams from Stevens Pass to Old Faithful in Yellowstone. Unfortunately the Muir cam is still out, but it sure is interesting seeing Paradise now compared to when Cody and I went snowshoeing in the winter.


-Patrick

One Week Out

This time next week we will be spending our first night at 10,000 at Camp Muir. Last minute details are getting worked out and I know I've personally packed and unpacked my bag at least 5 times already, trying to cram everything in like a puzzle piece.

The weather hasn't been favorable lately but I have faith in the mountain and ourselves...

See you at the top!

Mt. Rainier Snowpack (update)

Looks like the wind and precipitation from last week increased avalanche risk on the upper mountain. Most guides have been reluctant to venture up above 1200'. Recently, however, it's been drier so that top layer of garbage should be either melting or making its way downhill (as I predicted earlier). Hopefully things stay nice and dry through the next two weeks.

--Patrick

Flattop Mountain, Chugach State Park, AK

Flattop is probably the most popular local hike out of Anchorage, particularly because it's only 20 minutes outside of town.

Flattop Mountain to the left, Chugach State Park, Alaska

I decided to pack light, bringing only my trusty ice ax. Most of the trail was dry, but there were some spots of snow, slush and even some ice, and I was happy to have the ax as I ascended toward the summit because it made for much quicker travel than trying to hug the large boulders.

Heading up to the summit, I stayed in the snow to the right and practiced self-belay with the ice ax.

I have a confession. In all the time I've trained for Rainier I have not actually summited a single mountain. Breathtaking, I know. Thinking back, there is no summit at Lake 22 but the lake never even came into view due to the shoe debacle. Mt. Pilchuck was a joke, having to hike from the Heather Lake trailhead; there was no way we were going to summit, without a tent at least. Kalcema Lake was beautiful, but again no summit. The Muir attempt was just that, another attempt. Although, white-out conditions contributed to that failure. On Bird Ridge, my slippery Romeos make getting up the snow impossible. Even in Denali up Sable Mountain, we stopped at the first summit peak below the actual summit (due to a combination of wind, snow and the fact that I wasn't sure if it was allowed because we were flirting with the wildlife closure and I didn't want to get us kicked out of the park).

It's a good omen, nevertheless, to get my first summit only a week before the real deal. 1.5 miles and 1280 feet of elevation gain ain't too shabby either.

Finally, a summit shot!!

The way down was considerably more fun. I traversed the large snow field leading up the the summit, practicing my footwork while using the ice ax. I was able to practice kick-stepping, glissading and self arrest skills even earning a "Wow, that was awesome," from a couple of hikers after I made it all the way down.

 The picture on the right shows the snowfield that I came down. Can't wait for the real thing next week!!!!

-Patrick

Which way we goin' again?

A combination of rain and warmer temperatures early in the week allowed for snow consolidation from Paradise to Muir. This should make for more efficient travel in mountaineering boots. There has been some lighter snow more recently, with temps at Paradise warming up to the mid 30s. It has remained freezing up at Muir.

Although things change quickly on the upper mountain, it appears that over the past few days climbers out of Muir have started to favor the Disappointment Cleaver route versus Ingraham Direct, where a few larger crevasses have opened up around 12,000 feet.

Here's the full report on the Ingraham Direct route: http://mountrainierconditions.blogspot.com/2012/04/ingraham-direct-2012.html

And the Disapointment Cleaver route:
http://mountrainierconditions.blogspot.com/2012/04/disappointment-cleaver-2012.html

-Patrick

Summit reports

Rediscovered the Alpine Ascents Rainier blog today. It provides updates on all the teams making summit runs up the mountain.

http://www.alpineascents.com/rainier-blog.asp

June has brought brutal weather, but four teams made it up in May!

Holy Moses it's getting close. Time to start praying for good weather!! Come on baby!!!

-Patrick

Mt. Rainier Snow Pack

As the climb approaches, I've been trying to learn more about snow packs in general and the Mt. Rainier snow pack specifically. 


Here's what I know:

--Year to date snowfall at Paradise is definitely less than last year (530 vs 913 inches), but not terrible (http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMONtsnf.pl?wa6898)

--Here is an excellent blog written by one of Intern Ranger Carrie Tomlinson (http://mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/). It ROCKS!! It has a ton of great info, including why the Muir camera has been out of commission. Her lastest snow pack analysis actually on the mountain - that I could find - is located here (http://mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/2012/03/friday-pit-profile.htmll). It comes from a pit dug part way up the face of Panorama point. Good news! It was completely stable with no failures (fractures) in either the Compression Test or the Extended Compression Test (MORE INFO BELOW ON THE CT AND ECT).

Speaking of Panorama point, here is a picture that Carrie took (on a clear day!) showing the route that Cody and I took. 

The route Cody and I took was past the second bunch of trees on the upper left side of the image, where the upslope moves L--> R. 

--All Paradise trails are under snow (http://www.localsnow.org/trailra.htm), although there has been some daytime high temps in the 30s-50s so some of this should be melting... i.e. we shouldn't need snowshoes, thank the fuck Christ (http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl-datarpt.jsp?site=679&days=7&state=WA). This site has the snow pack at Paradise in inches (http://www.skitiger.com/weather/osopvca.htm)

--Specific avalanche updates are no longer occurring but here is an excellent spring avalanche safety synopsis (http://www.nwac.us/forecast/avalanche/current/zone/7/)

--Above 7,000 feet there's been 1-3 feet of snow in the past weekish. Some of this likely melted with higher temps over the weekend with warmer temps and a bit of precipitation. I think this is a good thing in that the higher temps will melt away the looser, more recent snow, leaving the winter snowpack stable underneath. That said, if it starts getting real warm and wet, the water will start seeping down into the deeper layers and create instability in the stable snowpack beneath (http://www.localsnow.org/aval.php?area=crosscou)

--Camp Muir has been cold and there hasn't been much wind in the past coupla days, meaning the snowpack should be pretty stable up there too (http://www.localsnow.org/aval.php?area=muir). 

--Above Muir, all bets are off... 

Here is a link explaining the Compression Test: http://www.fsavalanche.org/Default.aspx?ContentId=22&LinkId=27&ParentLinkId=3

Introduction to the Extended Column Test (ECT):

Purpose is to test the likelihood of both fracture initiation and propagation. In many situations, slabs are initiated by a load (i.e. skier, mountaineer) but do not propagate, the latter of which is necessary to form an avalanche. A compression test is used to evaluate fracture initiation. In other words, the stability of the snow pack. There have been numerous attempts by researchers to test the likelihood of propagation, including testing the shear stability of a column of snow or fracture quality after a compression test. On Rainier, the Intern Ranger has been reporting measurements of propagation with results of the ECT. 

To perform the test (according to the paper I'm reading with other permutations possible), one first cuts out a column of snow roughly 90cm wide by 30 cm downslope (see image on original document: http://www.fsavalanche.org/NAC/techPages/articles/06_ISSW_Simenhois.pdf). One side of the column is loaded like the compression test with 30 taps with increasing force from a shovel, recording the number of taps it takes to both initiate a fracture and subsequently propagate the fracture across the entire cut out column of snow. Also recorded is the depth of the fracture itself. For example, if a fracture initiates at 25 cm deep on the 13th tap and propagates across the column on the 14th tap, the test would be recorded as: ECT 13/14@25. NP indicates that a fracture did not propagate after 30 taps and PP indicates that it only partially propagated, but not across the entire column. Clear as mud? 

The differences between initiation (ECTI) and propagation (ECTP) is important is the key to interpreting the stability of the snow pack. If, for example, a fracture initiates at 15 taps (ECTI =15) and propagates at 28 taps (ECTP = 28) then the column is stable. On the other hand, if ECTI = 13 and ECTI  14, then only a couple additional loading steps (or mountaineering steps) are required to propagate the initial fracture across the entire column. One step fracture, second step slab avalanche. No beuno. 

Of course, the ECT only test one column of snow, not the entire mountain. Plus, these tests - at least in the winter and early spring - are rarely performed at higher altitudes where the risk of avalanche is greater. There are some other limitations, especially when the top layer of snow is lighter, etc. that is beyond the scope of this introduction. 

Hope this helps,

-Patrick

Making out your gear check

Yes, the title comes from the category "Before and After" from Wheel of fortune... So how much does a trip to the summit of Mount Rainier cost?

While going through my gear check list and seeing what items I had left to purchase (because I hadn't already spent enough), I started wondering how much I ended up spending on all this shit that I had to buy.

At first, I thought I made off pretty good. I had accumulated a lot of items from the service and through the years (See prior post "Thanks USAF") and with the help of Craigslist, ebay, REI coupons and Backcountry.com, had managed to find good deals and closeouts on many of the items I did have to purchase.

Still, looking at this list of gear I was required to have I was curious how much I did spend. Luckily, I save all my receipts; both digitally and a hard copy. I was able to make an itemized list of all the things I purchased with their price next to it:

Gloves – 58.95

Crampons – 170.00

Ice Ax – 67.00

Helmet – 50.00

Mountaineering Boots – 53.00

Harness – 80.00

Trekking Poles – 66.00

Snow Shoes – 63.73

Caribbeaners – 15.00

Compass – 37.42

Hiking Pants – 50.00

Lightweight Pants – 68.00

Full Zip Pants – 35.18

Down Coat – 76.00

Hat – 20.00

Baclava – 24.00

Gaiters – 35.00

Nalgene Bottles – 16.00

Stuff Sack – 37.00

Cup/Bowl – 8.00

Spork – 9.00

Rainier NP Pass – 30.00

Freedom of The Hills – 20.00

Rainier Climbing Guide – 14.00

Challenge of Rainier – 15.00

Transceiver Rental - 6.00

Add all that up and it comes to a grand total of 1134 and some change. This doesn't include the price of the guide/course which is 1355.00

I asked my two climbing partners if they had an itemized list of their gear as well. Cyrus immediately replied back with an itemized list that included the item, the brand and the cost. Looking over it I realized he had included all the gear he had collected over the years. He did later tell me "this is my life's investment in gear that will be in some way used for the trip". I added up everything he sent me. Talk about sticker shock: $4616. However, there was 700 dollars of travel related expenditures in his list because he decided to move to Minnesota. 

There are still a few more small items that I will need to buy such as ear plugs, duct tape,, sun screen and some other random essentials like toiletries. I also am responsible for my lunches and snacks but whether or not I'm on the summit of Rainier, or sitting in Lake Stevens, a guy has to eat. At most the rest of my random items will be under 50 dollars. On a good note, my REI dividend should be awesome next year!

So, total price for Cody to summit Rainier: 2539.00

Cost of spending three days hiking through Mt Rainier National Park and hanging out on the highest Volcano in the lower 48 with two badass friends: Priceless

Denali, Sable Mountain via Tattler Creek.

The route I had picked to go up Sable Mountain via Tattler Creek ended up being the same as that described by Ike Waits, in his classic book "Denali National Park: Guide to Hiking, Photography and Camping," even down to the red OR Gortex Gaitors he sports on the cover of the book.

"Welcome to Denali National Park." Overlooking the Teklanika River.

These were certainly helpful, as we tromped through the creek, over snow piles and through the wet brush evading the grizzly bear who I spotted while surveying the land from a rocky outcropping.

Along Tattler Creek, just east of Sable Mountain

The tiny dot in the center of the picture just below the ridge line is a grizzly bear. I swear.

Staying to the right of the creek, I spotted the ridge we'd be climbing just as it's described by Waits: a change in color from red to gray soil. The steep incline was covered in a moss-like substance (not sure the real name) that provided solid footing. Toward the top we encountered a dall sheep trail and followed it south toward the front of the mountain.

From there it was a good hike up toward the summit peaks. We stopped at the first of three summit peaks on the east side of the mountain for lunch. As we started to chow down, Denali came into view way off in the distance. Unfortunately the clouds shrouded the peak, but regardless we got great views of the Polychrome glaciers and the entire Sable Mountain Wildlife Closure, even spotting a gray wolf down at the base of the mountain.

Mt. McKinley is poking through the break in the clouds, but it's pretty difficult to see without zooming way in. 

View down Tattler Creek toward the Park Road. Note my classmate Hahn Nguyen in her white jacket for scale.

I could write for hours about Denali, and one could spend a lifetime up there hiking, climbing, taking pictures and enjoying one of nature's most precious environment.

Instead, I'll let the summit of Mt. McKinley take it away...

Mt. McKinley (Denali) with the south summit poking through the clouds. 

--Patrick

Mountaineering training sans mountains...

If you'd have told me five years ago that I'd be living in MN, I wouldn't have believed you. The goal was to return to WA, Ph.D. in hand, and start enjoying the PNW lifestyle (i.e., buying a bungalow near Green Lake, biking everywhere, and reading the Stranger while drinking Mac & Jacks). Then again, at that time, I was a naive chemistry major fresh out of UW just about to start graduate school in the midwest. Why would I leave the mountains, salt-water, and mild climate behind? Simple, I went where chemistry took me.

Minnesota: L'Etoile du Nord and Land of 10,000 Lakes

Thus far, MN has a lot going for it: the weather is great, there are many opportunities for outdoor recreation, cost of living is low, and I have a sweet job. However, if one is training for alpine climbing, it is difficult to prepare for Rainier. For example, the highest point in MN, Eagle Mountain, is 2300' and has a topographic prominence of 1300'. Compare this to WA, where there are at least 13 mountains with prominences of > 2000'; four of these peaks have summits > 10,000'. Our target, Mt. Rainier, is the high point in WA (14,411'), has the largest prominence in the lower 48 (13,211'), and is a volcano to boot. How does one prepare to climb mountains in a region without?

I looked for the park with the most significant elevation change in the Twin Cities area and went there often. In my case this turned out to be Afton State Park. The park has 1600 acres, 20 miles of trails -- several of which give a net gain of 300'. After building strength and endurance, I began to work exclusively on hills in order to maximize my elevation gain. I would push as hard as I could up the hill and rest on the way back down.

Topo of Afton State Park -- I try to stick to the steep regions

Afton was also an excellent place to try out cold weather gear and rationing water/food. Hiking in the winter months let me test gaitors, gloves, and layering strategy. Spring hikes let me test my hard-shell layers in hot and humid conditions; the gear is worth the price as I can notice the superior breathability of eVent and Neoshell over my old nylon rain jackets. Was also able to compare base layers in cold and warm conditions -- wool is my preference under both conditions. As for rationing, I would only allow myself to break for water or food at set intervals. For example one 5 min break every hour at first, then one 5 min break every two and so on. As training progressed, the frequency of the breaks and quantity of water/food consumed decreased. I haven't compared this schedule to what will happen on Rainier. Hopefully I am close or am being more conservative.

Trying out gaitors, base layers, and trekking poles

Afton Park in January 2012 -- Training would take me from the river level to the bluffs 200 - 300' above the river

Afton in summer; a good place to try rain gear, pack organization, and rationing water/food for the climb

Thought I'd summarize my training/conditioning routine undertaken in the upper-midwest; we'll see how prepared I really am come summit day. The activities were selected based on suggestions in Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, seminars on mountaineering from local guides at Midwest Mountaineering, guidelines from Alpine Ascents Int'l, and whatever resources were available.

November - December 2011

Eased into a routine during this period. I hadn't exercised really at all while I was in college/graduate school and it showed.

Cardio:
Inclined treadmill 3x per week, 30 min per session

Strength:
Stair climber 2x per week, 30 min per session
Free weights for upper body, 20 - 30 reps, 2 sets

Hiking:
Afton State Park, 2 - 3 hrs w/ 20 lbs 1x per week (0 - 20 F)

January - February 2012

Increased duration and weight used in workouts. Also bought a house, moved, and pushed through important deadlines at work...

Cardio:

Inclined treadmill 3x per week, 45 - 60 min per session

Strength:

Stair climber 2x per week, 50 min per session

Free weights for upper body, 20 - 30 reps, 3 sets

Hiking:

Afton State Park, 2 - 3 hrs w/ 30 lbs 1x per week (0 - 40 F)

March - April 2012

Lost access to the equipment at my old apartment when I moved, so I had to change a few things.

Cardio:

Trail running @ Sunfish Lake Park 2x per week, 60 - 75 min per session

Strength:

Nordic Track 2 - 3x per week, 30 - 50 min per session

Free weights for upper body, 20 - 30 reps, 3 sets

Hiking:

Afton State Park, 3 - 5 hrs w/ 40 lbs 1 - 2x per week (50 - 80 F)

May 2012

Few changes here, mainly increased weight and intensity during the hike(s) (i.e., working exclusively on hills, hiking two days back-to-back)

Cardio:

Trail running @ Sunfish Lake Park 2x per week, 60 - 75 min per session

Strength:

Nordic Track 2x per week, 30 - 50 min per session

Free weights for upper body, 20 - 30 reps, 3 sets

Hiking:

Afton State Park, 3 - 5 hrs w/ 50 lbs 1 - 2x per week (50 - 80 F)

Cascade River State Park, Day 1: 8 mi in 4 hrs w/ 45 lbs, 700' net gain in elevation; Day 2: 8 mi in 3.25 hrs w/ 40 lbs, 700' gain in elevation.

Lookout Mountain near Grand Marais, MN -- 1600' elevation (Lake Superior level is 700')

June 2012


I intend to keep to the May plan and not injure myself so close to our summit attempt.

Denali this weekend

Great post Cody!!

You're definitely kicking my butt in terms of working out... but I've been running, doing P90X Plyometrics and Yoga ("Best downward dog of your life...") and plan to climb Sable Mountain this weekend up in Denali National Park. We're staying at Teklanika campground and I wanted to find a closer hike to maximize my chance of seeing McKinley early in the morning before the clouds move in. Thanks Google Earth for allowing me to scope out the lay of the land before heading up there.

Sable Mountain with Mt. McKinely in the distance. Hopefully I'll be able to add a real photo after the weekend. 

-Patrick

How have you been training?

Now that we are down to the home stretch, I thought I would share my training experience with everyone. No one person is the same so what works for me may not work for you. I feel coming into this I had an advantage over my climbing partners (both very busy doctors). Ive been lucky enough to have a job that requires me to stay in good physical condition. Ive also been a member of the local Crossfit gym now for the past 18 months, which has definitely helped me out in my training to summit Rainier.

I thought I would post my training log just so everyone can see what type of physical training I have been doing. This doesn't include the day to day physical activities that life brings me, like shoveling gravel, painting houses or doing a hose drill at work. I must say I wish I was able to get more long hikes in. That would probably be the thing I would change if I had to do it all over again. On the other end of the spectrum, what I believe has really helped prepare me for this journey (we will see if I'm right in 3 weeks) are all the squats I have added to my workout. I've included squats into every workout in some different form. It could be front squats, which help prepare for the uphill portion while having weight on your back, back squats which strengthen all the muscles in your legs, or overhead squats to really strengthen your core. Other movements that are similar to squats are thrusters, clean and jerks, and snatch. Add these various squat movements in with the rest of the workout you've got a training program that will really help build the strength and endurance you need. Don't forget to target all the pillars of fitness (cardiovascular, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy).

This is my rough training log. It doesn't include warmups, stretching or cool downs which are part of all my workouts.

Jan 7^th – Lime Kiln Trail with Pat. 5.2 mile round trip, 625 ft elevation gain, 2:45 total time.
Jan 12^th – FRAN @ Crossfit Marysville (CFM)
Jan 14^th – Big Four trail with Pat. Snow conditions approx 2 feet deep. 2.2 round trip, 200 feet elevation   gain.
Jan 17^th – 4 rounds 8-10 reps bench-press (135lbs), followed by 60 seconds of double-unders.
                  12 min AMRAP 9 deadlifts (165lbs), 12 hand release pushups, 15 box jumps (24”)
Jan 23^rd – CFM: 50 wall balls (20lbs), 40 KB swings (70lbs) 30 burpees, 20 pull-ups, 10 man makers (45lbs)
Jan 24^th – CFM: Teams of 3 Row 5000m, Run 4000m, 300 wall balls
Jan 26^th – 7 rounds of 7 OH squats (85), 7 chest to bar pull ups
Jan 27^th – 5 sets of 5 reps back squat (135,155,155,175,185), 4 rounds of 300m row, 15 SDHP (85), 10 burpees
Jan 28^th – 1000m row, 10 rounds of 5 thrusters (105) on the minute. Got a call after 5 rounds.
Jan 29^th – Snow shoe lake 22 with Pat. 5.4 miles round trip, 1350ft elevation gain. Pat broke his boot about ½ mile from the lake, had to turn around.
Jan 31^st – Mazama snow shoe. 2 miles round trip, 800 feet elevation gain, deep snow.
Feb 2^nd – 5x5 front squat (135, 135, 155, 155, 155) 20 min AMRAP in teams of 2, 400m run, 20 KB swings (53), 15 squats, 10 burpees, 5 hand release pushups.
Feb 3^rd – CFM: 5 sets of 2-2-2 clean, 10 sec rest between, 3 min rest between rounds. 3 rounds 100 DU, 30 KB swings (53), 15 box jumps (24”), 3 min rest between each round.
Feb 4^th – 5 rounds of 30 pull ups/burpee box jumps (max out PU then finish remaining of 30 with burpee box jumps.
Feb 6^th – Row 5K 23:55
Feb 7^th – CFM: 4 rounds of 4 min with 2 min rest between rounds. 500m row, 30 KB swings (53), then max pull ups – 21
                  3 rounds of 6-8 bench press (95) and burn out pushups with 1 min rest between rounds
Feb 13^th – Work up to heavy C+J (95, 125, 145, 165, 175, 175, 185).
12 min AMRAP 5 C+J (135), 10 box jumps (24”), 20 double under
Feb 15^th – Row 5K 21:34
Feb 19^th – Snow Shoe Pilchuck. Heather Lake trailhead to Pilchuck trailhead, 5.4 miles each way with 1700 feet of elevation gain, 7 hours.
Feb 21^st – CFM: 3 rounds 10 chest to bar pull ups, 10 burpees, 8HSPU.
                  Split jerks (95, 115, 135, 155, 175, 185)
Feb 22^nd – CFM: In teams of 4 perform a 25 min AMRAP rotating through 4 stations. 400m run, 20 box jumps, 20 burpees, 20 wall balls (20). Don’t rotate stations until entire team is finished with their station. 3 rounds + 2 stations.
Feb 24^th - Stretching. Trial run of burpees (for 12.1 open WOD). 3 min AMRAP burpees: 43
Feb 25^th – CFM: 12.1 open WOD 7 min AMRAP burpees: 88.
                  OH squat 5x5 (45, 65, 95, 95, 115). OH squat burnout (65), OH squat burnout (45)
Feb 27^th – CFM: In teams of three, 15 min AMRAP rotating rounds 3 dead lifts (225), 6 pushups, 9 box jumps (24)
                  Rest 5 minutes, then 15 min AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 burpees
Mar 1^st – CFM: 4 rounds power clean 1-1-1, rest thirty seconds, 15 CTB pulls-ups, rest one minute (135-155-185-195)
                  12 min AMRAP 5 power cleans (135), 10 box jumps (24”), 20 double unders
Mar 2^nd – 1-1-1 snatch (95, 115, 135, 145, 150 fail)
Mar 3^rd – CFM: 12.2 open WOD 10 min AMRAP snatch in increments of 30 @70, 135, 165, 210 (50)
Mar 4^th – 4 rounds 300m row, 30 double unders, 20 wall balls (18), 10 pull-ups
Mar 5^th-9^th – Rest week
Mar 10^th – CFM: 12.3 open WOD 18 min AMRAP 15 box jumps (24”), 12 push-press (115), 9 toes to bar (5 rounds +20)
Mar 11^th – 20 minutes stairs w/ pack (35)
                  5 rounds of 90 seconds 12 front squat (95), max hand release pushups, 1 min rest
Mar 13^th – 20 min stairs (40)
                  3 rounds 10 power cleans, 20 pull ups, 250m row
Mar 14^th – Back squat: 5 (155), 3 (185), 3 (195), 1 (210), 1 (235)
                  4 rounds of 2 min 30 kb swings (53), row for max yards, rest 2 min between rounds
Mar 15^th – CFM: 2 rounds Row 500m, 10 HSPU, 20 shoulder to OH (135), 25 box jumps (24), 30 D.U.
                  Every time you stop in the middle of a station do 3 burpees
Mar 16^th - CFM: 12.4 open WOD 12 min AMRAP 150 wallballs (20), 90 D.U., 18 muscle ups (182)
Mar 18^th – Stairs/400m run/2min rest/400m run
                  800m run, 100 KB swings (53), 800m run, 200 D.U., 800m run, 100 H.R. push ups
Mar 22^nd – Practice 12.5 – 3-6-9 thrusters and pull ups
Mar 23^rd – CFM: 12.5 open WOD 7 min AMRAP 3-6-9-12…. Thrusters (100) CTB pull-ups (68)
Mar 24^th – 10 min AMRAP 5 C+J (135) 10 CTB pull-ups
Mar 25^th – Snow shoe Lake Kelcema. 8.4 mi round trip, 1600 ft elevation gain, 6 hours
Mar 27^th – 3 rounds 9-6-3 unbroken HSPU
                  1 mile run, 150 D.U
Mar 29^th – 3- 6 min AMRAP’s 3 hang cleans (115), 6 front squat, 9 HSPU – rest 4 min
10 toes to bar, 15 HR push ups, 20 KB swings (53) – rest 4 mins
30 DU, 20 air squats
Mar 30^th – CFM: Squat cleans,
                  4 rounds for time (4 min max) 5 wall climbs, 10 med ball cleans, 20 box jumps, 30 DU
Mar 31^st – 50 cal row, 50 pull-ups, 50 ground to OH (95), 50 sit-ups, 50 KB swings (70), 50 cal row
Apr 3^rd – 3000m row for time
                  3 rounds with 2 min rest between rounds 200m sprint, 10 burpees
Apr 4^th – Camp Muir attempt approx 6 miles round trip, up to 8400 feet, 8 hours.
Apr 7^th – Stretch, work up to C+J, 10 rounds of 5 C+J and 10 pull-ups on the minute
Apr 9^th – Squat sets of 3 (95, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 225) Burn out @ 135 (8)
Apr 12^th – CFM: 5 rounds 200m run, 150m row, 20 DU – rest 1 min
                  5 rounds 10 SDHP (70 KB), 10 KB swings (70)
Apr 14^th – Ten 2 min rounds of row 250m, 5 burpees, max kb swings
Apr 18^th - Ten rounds of 2 C+J every minute 155, Row 2k
April 20 – 28 REST/PARTY IN CABO
May 3^rd – CFM: Max Split jerk (205 PR), 14 min AMRAP of 6 STOH, 9 HR push up, 12 TTB
May 4^th - Light squats, Tabata - Box jumps/Ball-slams/Dead-lifts (135)/Push press (75)
May 6^th - Row 3 k, 5 rounds of 10 C+J (135), 20 double unders
May 9^th – CFM: bench press 5-4-3-2-1 (135,155,155,175,185), 3 rounds - 500m row, rest 1 min, 400m run, rest 1 min - 15:38
May 11^th - Squats (135, 155, 185),50 squats for time (95)
40 pullups/20 STOH (85)/400m run - 30 pullups/20 STOH (65)/400m run - 10 pullups/20  STOH (45)/400m run
May 20^th – Row 3K
May 21^st – CFM: Work up to a heavy thruster, 20 min AMRAP 20 thrusters, 20 pull ups, 20 burpees
May 23^rd – CFM: 30 squat clean thrusters for time @115
May 24^th - 1000m row, 5min stairs, Seven rounds 8 back squat (95, 115, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175), 200m run, rest 1 min, 2k row 

OH Squat

Random workout (WOD) at CFM