Dan's Account of the Rainier Climb: Mt. Rainier experience June 1999 By Daniel Yaris Nate and I left Wisconsin on Sunday morning the 6th and drove nonstop to Mt. Rainier National park. It was around 2000 miles. We got to Washington about midday Monday. We were tired, exhausted and looked around for a room in the town of Ashford, but the visibility was low and we wanted to see the mountain so we went into the park. From the main gate it was around a twenty minute trip to Paradise. We were still in shorts and a T-shirt and arrived to 20 feet of snow. It was awesome. We went to the Paradise lodge and got a room and unloaded the car. We were going to go to sleep, but instead put on our gear grabbed our axes and did some exploring and practiced some self arrests. It was white out conditions and we could not see much but had a blast. We went back and got cleaned up and ate some good chow and hit the rack. The next morning Nate and I decided to go to Camp Muir(10,080 ft). I put on some light weight poly-pro underwear, my Campmore High-peaks summit shell pants and parka, koflack hunter double plastic boots, Black Diamond super gaiters, TNF shell mitts, and my SMC ice axe. I had my old camptrails internal frame pack with my Gregory water bladder, some snacks and my Simmond makilu step-in crampons just in case. Nate had around the same, plus the rope. We both had our harnesses and pulleys, and rescue gear to do some crevasse rescue practice. It was a long hike/climb. Nate and I both saw the “trail side” climbing Mt. Rainier video and it looked so much different because of all the snow and white out. About five hours later we were at Muir and broke through the white out and it was just the most awesome view I had ever seen in my life. I was above the clouds. We talked to some climbers and I noticed they were all in thick down clothing and I was in sweat soaked poly-pro and a shell over it. Nate and I got cold and ran back down to Paradise. We got back with quite a sun burn and that “raccoon” look from our glacier glasses. The next morning we met our group and what a great bunch of people. We got to know them and practiced more and rested up. Thursday the 10th we set out for the climb. It was an even worse climb to Muir. Our packs were full, very heavy, and the sun was out. We got to Muir about six hours later and set up camp. Nate and I had a Walrus Rapeed XV tent and put it up in a snap. We then had to melt lots of snow for water for the climb. Just doing that made me a little winded. We all ate and got ready for bed. The temperature dropped quickly and soon I was in my TNF superlight down bag. Next thing I knew it was like 1am and we were getting up.

It was cold and I had on poly-pro underwear, fleece top/bottom, shell top/bottom, poly glove liner, fleece mitten, gortex shell mitten, and TNF highpoint hat. We got the fixed lines together and clipped in, put on crampons, turned on headlamps, put on our light packs (snow picket, ice screw,water, snacks, down sweater, face mask, and camera). It was Curt, Nate, Tim, then me on the rope. We then started in the cold silence. We crossed the Cowlitz Glacier and then to Cathedral rocks.

At the rocks we shed some clothing and then kept going. On the Ingraham flats we stopped and Tim had a problem and went back to Muir. My water tube was a little frozen and I chewed the hose to get some water. We were now going to the Disappointment Cleaver. We could see rock fall in our path and if you looked up you could see huge seracs that were about the size of a school bus. Curt and Nate just crossed a small crevasse and then we heard what sounded like a tree branch breaking. Curt yelled “Move!!” and Nate yelled “RUN!!” and I was tugged right over the crevasse by the both of them. Something big fell and I could not see a thing with my cheap Princeton-tech headlamp. We then went to a steep and scary part on the Cleaver, a ledge about a foot and a half wide with a few hundred foot drop off. No way to self arrest. One went down we all went. Thank god for the fixed rope we clipped into. We then went around a very tricky part and Nate's crampon fell off and then his head lamp went out, and then my head lamp went out. What a nightmare. This ledge was pure ice and very narrow. I don’t know how we got past that part, but we did.

The sun started to come up so at least we could see. We then went up a very steep part that seemed almost vertical and we gained altitude quick. We had been climbing for a few hours now and my water was totally frozen. We were in too exposed of an area to get some from a team mate. About and hour later we finally got to a spot for a break and I got some water. We were not thinking too good. It took Nate about ten minutes to put on his side zip shell pants with our help. The altitude was taking its toll. We then climbed some more over some scary snow bridges. I was starting to get a sick stomach, but did not say anything.

About forty-five minutes later I was dizzy, sick and taking about five breaths for every step. I knew this was not good. I told the team and Curt said I could go no more. We made a tough decision to leave me there. I wanted them to summit so we took my ice axe drove it in and I was anchored to the side of the mountain. My pack was clipped in too and I put it between me and the ice for insulation, put on my down sweater, Curt's down vest and Curt gave me a bottle of water. Nate and Curt went on to the summit. They said they would be back in three hours. I just laid there looking at the crevasse 20 feet below me and the awesome view. I don’t know how but I dosed off and another climbing party an hour later was tapping me with an iceaxe. I think they thought I was dead. I was motionless and buried in snow. I told them I was OK, warm, but felt like I was going to throw up. They said they would send the next team down to get me. They left. Ten minutes later a team came to take me down and the altitude was speaking when I told them I would wait for my team. They went down. Ten minutes after that I heard a rumble and looked up, all I saw was a white mass coming at me. I covered my face with my gloves and got into the fetal position and prayed. I thought it was an avalanche, it was a twenty minute white out. I was almost buried in snow, cold, scared, and alone. I then saw three figures in the white. It was a woman leader and two men. They had ice on their face masks and she said”where is your team” and I said “the guy in the bronco’s jersey” she just said “we are getting you down now!!” They clipped me in and down we went. At first I was kinda clumsy and stumbled a little. I made it down and felt a lot better at Muir sucking down lots of water.

It was a fun and awesome trip and I learned a lot and can’t wait to do it again. EMAIL DAN