Should have packed the rain boots...

Pat and I started out on what we thought was going to be an early Sunday morning snow shoe adventure up to Lake 22 and back January 29th. FedEx had finally dropped off the new shoes I ordered through Costco and my brother Cliff had a pair that I was able to borrow for Pat. Having worked the night before, I felt it was necessary to swing in to the mini-mart that morning to pick up some much needed beverages for the trip. A quick rendezvous at the house and we would be off.

Mountain beverages

With the gear quickly loaded up in the truck we were off to the Mt Loop Highway. A simple 30 minute drive takes you from my front door, through two roundabouts and the only 4 way stop in Granite Falls, over a bridge and past a few random trailers and chalets to the Baker-Snoqualamie National Forest. Its pretty nice living so close to a bad ass outdoor shit.

Not three minutes went by after passing the Verlot Ranger Station that it had become apparent that both Zeus and Jupiter decided to have a water fight over our heads (later found out via Jeff Renner that there was 1.7" of rain that day). Looking at each other with the same "you serious Clark?" look on our faces we both knew we were going to get wet.

We got geared up in the truck and hit the trail head towards Lake 22. The snow on the ground was very wet and we quickly noticed that it couldn't have been any colder then 40 degrees outside. About and hour into the hike, we hit a clearing and met some hikers coming down that were completely drenched (not as if we were dry) and had mentioned that they wished they had snow shoes because it would had made it much easier. What a perfect opportunity to try ours out!

The shoes definitely made a difference. Of course by this time my Gortex boots had met their match and were starting to soak through (Pats leather boots had reached the same point 15 steps past the trail head). Starting up the last set of switch-backs leading to the lake, we realized that this trail just traverses back and forth over 22 Creek. By this point every step we took ended up with our foot submerged in water. The heavy rain and melting snow made the entire mountain face a river with compact snow over it.

Wading through this mountainous pool, we weren't 15 minutes from our destination when Pat noticed his boot had become detached from the sole! In the blink of an eye, Pats leather boots turned into nothing more then house slippers... our trip was over. Good thing he is becoming a medical professional though, because he did have medical tape that we were able to use to secure his boot and sole together for the way down.

Yes, that is a waterfall behind Pat

The way down proved to be even wetter then the way up; although by this point we just didn't care. The snow shoes helped make the trip faster but they didn't seem to keep us from falling into the creek several times. One of the foot bridges we went over on the way up was almost impossible to find on the way down because it to had become a river and was engulfed with running water. By the time we hit the truck our hands had the same texture as they would after 3 hours in a hot tub.

The good part about this trip was it truly tested our gear for water proofing. Trust me when I say there aren't going to be conditions any wetter than this without wearing flippers and a mask. The pants that I had just bought kept me dry for the most part with just some dampness around the zippers and seams. The boots, as I had mentioned aren't meant for all day submersion. However they actually held water out, and on the flip side of that, held water in. I think they got wet because of the water that was running down between my pants and gators. My military issue waterproof coat kept me dry. I was very happy to find this out. I bet I could wear that baby in the shower and not get wet (pretty much what we just did). The Marmot Gortex jacket I loaned Pat stopped wicking water after a while on the outside and looked a little damp on the inside. We will have to do more testing on that again to see if the Gortex isn't holding up (it's 15 years old) or if that dampness was from Pats sweat and water running down the neck and sleeves. The skin type long underwear did exactly what it was supposed to and pulled all the moisture off my body and onto my middle layer fleece. The wool socks stayed warm even when drenched.

Pouring the water out of my shoe

All in all a good day. Miserable and wet, but good. Next time we will pack shit-kickers and umbrellas instead of snow shoes and beanies.

Practicing that perfect pose

So lets face it; what would being at the summit of Mt Rainier be without that epic camera shot frozen in time forever and placed somewhere around that house so it can be discussed at every gathering.

Guest: "Hey where is that picture from?" one might ask...

Me: "Oh, that... That's me being badass and (insert verb here; I prefer throwing) it on top of Rainier."

The only response possible: "Oh" while lowering their head in a submissive manor.

This conversation piece wouldn't be able to take place of course without that shot. But how do Pat, Cyrus and I make sure that we are able to secure that perfect pose when we summit Rainier in June. Lets face it, it's not like we are going to be able to take a weekend trip back or a mulligan if we screw this up.

This can be avoided simply with a well organized plan, a little practice, and some good ole "stratiegery". Although my plan isn't established yet, I thought I would go over some basic thoughts and points to consider. Luckily this isn't a 4th and 10 situation, down by 5 at the Superbowl with 4 seconds left: we will have a chance for multiple shots. This means we can do the individual pose, the individual head shot, the three amigos, the three amigos throwing it shot... you get the point. But why not take this too the next level? Dennis Rodman was on to something with all that ink he rocked back in the day. But if he were smart there would be Coke and Reebok tats on him instead of the garbage he went with.

Taking this idea to the summit of Rainier, I made the recommendation to Pat that he acquire a UW Med flag and pose with that at the top. Thinking more about this and knowing that I will have plenty of bag space (go ahead and laugh everyone), I should do something similar. I'm not planning on taking a Verizon sign up and posing in the fashion of "can you hear me now?" but there are certainly other options. I'm tossing around the idea of forming a picture of Alison into a Flat Stanley and doing a few shots with that. Also thought that a picture of me with a number 12 jersey and the Seahawks flag would be something to send in during the next super fan competition. But which one will go on the wall for all who enter the house of Brooke to see?

Answer: The stars and stripes, Old Glory herself. The American flag!

As I mentioned earlier much more planning must be done with all elements considered for this epic shot forever forged in the beauty of digital photo land. Wind patterns, lighting, matching beanie perhaps? Who knows! The next six months will be filled with General Patton style planning, making sure not one issue is missed, not one possible situation over looked.

But first thing is first... 7.2 megapixels just wont do. Time to go camera shopping.

Gear list

Slowly but surely I'm checking items off the Mt. Rainier gear list. One of my first orders of business was to find some insulated pants, just as much for zipping up as an outer layer during breaks and while in camp on Rainier as for lounging around my cozy Ballard apartment.

The decision between down and synthetic was an easy one because 1) down costs like $200 more than synthetic and 2) my roommate Travis, an avid climber, said I'd be find with synthetic. In his experience, there's no way I'd actually be hiking in them, synthetic does better in somewhat wetter environments and they'll keep me plenty warm especially with a layer or two underneath.

Thus, I went with the Patagonia Micro Puff Insulated Pant size large. At nearly 5'10'', the large is a perfect size and will easily slip on over other layers and the full-length zip will make it so I don't have to take off my crampons on the mountain to get warm. Plus, the price was right, ordered off of BackCountryUSA.com.

Best of all, they arrived the night before Seattle Snowstorm 2012 and I got to wear them in to work today. :-)

Probably my favorite part about ordering things online is the UPS delivery guys. Nobody else knocks on a front door like those guys, like they've got two sets of balls.


-Patrick

Link to Patagonia pants I bought: http://www.backcountry.com/patagonia-micro-puff-insulated-pant-mens

Heather Lake... oops, Ice Caves

Cody and I set out to hike the Heather Lake trail and to test some gear. Thanks to the United States Military, Cody had two practically unused sets of Gore-Tex camouflage. We first made a quick stop at the Verlot Ranger Station to pick up the Discovery pass, where park ranger said we wouldn't have a problem getting up to the trail head.

Oops... nevermind.

A quarter mile up the road to the Heather Lake TH, poor conditions forced our descent; we both felt ill prepared to spend a night stuck in Cody's truck without proper rations of man beverages.

Instead we checked out the Hemple Creek picnic area, one of my favorite places along the Mountain Loop Highway, before heading further east up toward Big Four. As always, the pleasant trek up to the Ice Caves did not disappoint. Neither of us had been up there during the winter and the absence of 10,000 tourists made it much more enjoyable than during the crowded summer months.

Towards the end of the trail at the base of the caves we encountered a park ranger who warned of numerous avalanches, and as we stood looking up at the mountain for 45 minutes or so, the thunderous sound of sliding snow and ice became apparent. We stood and watched a group of 3 hikers playing in the snow at the base of the caves - which weren't visible this time of year - preparing for an almost certain avalanche rescue. Luckily, a dramatic snow dig was unnecessary.

The snow was at least a foot deep at the top of the trail and in an attempt to test the water resistance of the camo pants and Gore-Tex jacket Cody lent me, I made my first snow angle of the year (insert joke here). Other than the absence of insulation in my leather boots, all the gear worked perfectly, even though a pair of gaiters would have been nice.

Check out some of the pics I snapped during our adventure. Particularly cool are the trees at the base of the caves, which showed the effects of wind, snow and sleet swooping down the mountain.

-Patrick

Base of the Big Four Mountain

Quote of the day: "You won't be able to see me because I'm camouflaged."

Awesome

Hemple Creek Picnic Area

Snow Angels!

Dude, the mountain's the other way.

Lime Kiln Trail

Cody and I set off for our first joint training "climb" this afternoon at the crack of 2pm. We found ourselves beneath the towering canopy of old-growth cottonwoods and maples draped in hanging moss along the 5.2 mile round trip trail leading up to the historic limekiln in the Robe Canyon Historic Park.

After an exhausting 625 feet of altitude gain, the 20-foot-high kiln stood before us like a priapistic erection, uncanny and immovable. I know what you're thinking, and the answer is yes, it is.

The trail was clear, except for an occasional mud hole and the big pile of shit that Cody's Boston Terrier, Rosco, so generously bestowed upon us. Not to mention the dribbles of urine he deposited every 25 feet, marking the trail like the Seagulls from Finding Nemo, "Mine. Mine. This is mine."

Overall, it was a enjoyable 2 hour hike. The best part, we were only 25 minutes away from Ixtapa burritos.

-Patrick

Spirit Quest

Found this nugget of wonder tucked away inside a stack of papers while cleaning my room today. It's an early draft of bachelor party ideas after some serious brainstorming.

My favorite is Spirit Quest, which is, of course, a slight variation of the Native American puberty ritual called a vision quest, only with less fasting and more peyote (they say).

Looks like we're settling for Alpine Ascents and the 14,410 feet of Mount Rainier.

Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide

My knowledge of mountaineering is like in asymptote, it's not zero but it approaches it. Prior to setting out for REI, Cody did what Cody does best: kicked ass. Cody's got a bag for every occasion; he's got a one-hour bag, a two-day bag, even a drink-beer-and-pass-out-on-your-couch bag. Today, from out of his The North Face book bag he pulled Mike Gauthier's Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide, 2nd Edition fresh from Amazon.com. I tossed it on the back of my toilet, and viola, within 3 days I'm already 72 pages into it.

Apart from our noobie trek to REI, where we didn't even try on books, other than going on a few hikes in my youth the only thing I knew about climbing Rainier can be found on a few of the online articles I had read:

--http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-to-climb-mt-rainier/507227
--George Dunn's Gear Tips http://www.outsideonline.com/blog/the-top-10-climbing-gear-tips.html

Since safety is a big concern of mine in our adventure up Mt. Rainier, I immediately glanced at the Health chapter written by Jim Litch, MD, who is a faculty member at in the UW Departments of Family Medicine and who has climbed both Mt. Rainier and Mt. Everest. Dr. Litch's vivid introduction describes the physiologic effects that 14,410 feet of altitidude has on the human body. Written like a doctor's note, his descriptions of high altitude sickness, HAPE and HACE provided quick evidence that this book was written by experts.

I shall enjoy reading it. One BM at a time.