Jennifer's Account of the Rainier Climb: Jennifer Prince's account: The thought of climbing Rainier had always seemed exciting to me since my brother Tim had summited with a college group in 1986. Seems as I approach the big 50, the more physical things on my "to do fun list" are bumped up in priority. Is there ever an ideal time to schedule anything? I don't know; a person just has to go for it whenever they can! My brother Tim, husband Bob and myself, have shared many outdoor adventures. Earlier in 1998, I asked Tim if he would go up again to Rainier in 1999, and he said YES! Tim said he would take care of all of the arrangements and research for our June 1999 trip to Rainier. This in itself was a really great thing; so here's to you Tim. Bob was getting all dreamy about a new outdoor adventure until I burst his bubble. Rainier is to be taken seriously and there are so many more risk factors. I reminded Bob that we still had some affairs to get in order so - how about he goe'th up to the mountain on the next trip. He was dubbed "Sherpa Bob" by the team, our "on-ground" team member. At this writing, I am a 46-year old outdoor "girl" of average fitness level - probably have a bit more poundage that I'd ideally like, but what the hey. I have a minor heart condition which challenges me aerobically; so I knew Rainier would be twice the challenge for me. As the months unfolded - I trained hard in the gym - aerobic lasses, cardio machines, and light weights at high reps and multiple sets for endurance. I hiked around some of our local trails with our dogs. Tim and I shared books on Rainier and we went to an evening with Stacey Allison, Everest mountaineer, at REI. All part of the primer. I had several set-backs in training: a ski accident in January, East Coast viral bug in March, (that was the bug that kept on giving), and 2 weeks before climb date I got 1999's version of the evil ju-ju flu which slapped me down for 1 week. hey, and really, I'm on of the healthiest people around! On a mental level - this just happened to be the year Bob and I were selling our long-time business, AND building a house. HMMM, did I mention earlier on in this account whether there was ever an ideal time to schedule anything?

Account: When we took off for Muir, during the first 30-45 minutes of the trail, there is a section where it is steep and hard. I lagged on this and was so wiped when I got to the top. I was embarrassed and confounded as to my level of physical exertion. I thought I was stronger and better trained than what my performance was turning out to be. I was so close to turning back at this point. My team members buoyed me up. They gave the old dumparoo to a portion of the vast reservoir of H2O I was packing, and then they divvied up my climbing hardware to lighten my load. What great team members! Thanks so much guys! Curt, Dan & Nate pushed on and Tim stayed with me to help me establish my rest step, pressure breath and rhythm. It was slow going up to Muir. I seemed to have 1 gear and that was low and slow - but doable. When the sun did peek out, the heat and brilliance was brutal combined with the altitude and exertion.

The Muir snow field is like a desert mirage. You top one long ridge and then off in the distance is another ridge with ant-size people trekking on the distant "mirage." I have to say for the physical condition I appeared to be in, going up to Muir with my heavy, friggin' pack on was the hardest thing I've ever done. I told the guys, (although they couldn't appreciate it), next to having a baby, it was the hardest thing I've ever done.

Tim and I arrived at Muir as the sun was going down behind the mountain leaving the camp in a bitter shade. The temperature takes a might plunge quickly. We were busy as we could be - changing out of sweaty clothes, setting camp, melting water, making dinner and trying to get rehydrated. Our team members had time to make us a gift of H2O for our arrival at camp - these guys are soooo good! At this point in the day, it is crucial to be able to get rehydrated from the Muir trek/ascent, and fortified with a good supper. Warmth and rest are also key ingredients. Tim and I had maybe 2 out of the 4 of these crucial things. Our supper was less than savory - uh - maybe inedible. At that point, Tim boiled more H2O so we could at least have some cocoa, (which I was so ready for and so was he)! After much anticipation of watching the pot and having it finally boil, Tim filled my cup with hot water. I eagerly added my cocoa pack only to discover there was just a wad of micro marshmallows floating in the water. Ohhh yum, disgusting marshmallow water for supper. Well, that kind of sums it up.

Tim and I shared his tent. We had our waffle Therm-a-Rests & our sub-zero bags. I had a -10 bag and was still cold. I didn't get much sleep - just thinking about everything. When Curt gave the after midnight sometime wake-up call to everyone, I knew I was still wiped and probably wouldn't have made it much further up the mountain. I was disappointed and hated to tell Curt that there was just no way I was going up, BUT, it was one of those sage decisions to make and I had to feel good about it. It was strange, yet intriguing, listening to my team members struggle and maneuver their gear in the bitter morning cold and darkness. I remember hearing their crunchy footsteps fade away into the night and onto the mountain.

I covered up with Tim's sleeping bag to try and chase away my chills, and then waited for the sun to come up. Seemed like the sun took forever. Since I wasn't summiting, I thought I'd get some Muir sunrise pics for our team. I was inside the tent with the flap up, then I see this guy walking towards me with the sunrise behind him. He was coming right towards the tent and I couldn't figure out who he was, and then as he approached closer, I realized it was Tim. He shared his mountain experience, and I was proud of him. He'd made an excellent judgment call, and besides, selfishly I was happy for the company. We were blessed again with another clear morning, and we readied camp, hung out in the sun, melted H2O, and visited with other Muir campers and mountaineers. We started to count the new people coming up to Muir for the weekend. The next thing we knew, Dan came down from the mountain with another group of climbers. What an experience he had!!! We were all really relieved when Curt and Nate arrived back at camp from a successful summit. What a team effort! They have their own stories to share!

Tim and I took off from Muir while our team members were resting up. It was hot and sunny. The consistency of the snow had deteriorated so it was like sludging through a really bad snow cone going down. There were hoards of people ascending to Muir that day in the hot sun and funky snow. I was thankful I wasn't one of them. It was sloppy enough just slip-sliding down. Sherpa Bob was a true sherpa. He met us at Vista Point, (the first steep pitch that kicked my butt!), with fresh H2O for Tim and me, AND volunteered to carry my pack the rest of the way down. Well okay Bob, if you had to!!!

Our team had dinner together that evening at Paradise Lodge, and we all had time to reflect on our own mountain experiences. I made the guys promise to come back to the mounted when they were 46 - just to see what it would be like for them. Two of our team members are in their early 20's, one in his later 20's and one in his later 30's. Overall, I'd have to say this particular trip to Rainier was like a primer and a learning experience for other Rainier trips to come.

As far as gear goes for women: Be sure you have a big enough pack with lots of lash points and pockets. AND, that you can get a great fit with your pack fully loaded. A most excellent fit is especially important around the front of the shoulders and collarbone areas. Also, most important - get a good fit around the breast area and the delicate areas at the edge of the inside of your armpits. BOOTS: I had leather Merrill Mountaineering boots. My feet are in between sizes right now and I had a heck of a time taking up extra volume in my boots. I added a pair of Superfeet boot liners to my boots and experimented with different shoe laces, lacing techniques, and combos of liner socks and trekking socks. For future snow adventures; I definitely would purchase a pair of plastic, insulated mountaineering boots. These would be a worthy expenditure. Don't skimp on down jackets & vests for Muir and above. It is cold and windy. Be sure you have a hat with flaps. See the picture of Nate. I was going to use my ski poles on this trip, but bought a pair of Leiki adjustable trekking poles as a last minute purchase. In retrospect, I couldn't imagine doing the Muir ascent without them. Count and re-count snacks and meals. As usual, I always pack more food and snacks than I could possibly eat. That equals dreaded extra weight in the old pack. The extra weight also saps crucial energy levels.

Sun. Purchase the best and most comfortable pair of glacier glasses that you can afford. Your glasses are not a place to skimp. Sunscreen. I brought Dermalogica 30, lotion and lipbalm. This is available through doctors and skin care specialists. Hey, this stuff was awesome. It gave Tim and I such good protection and it didn't taste nasty! The sun is so intense on the snow that protection from it is of the highest import. See Nate's story. Make sure you have a sun hat or cap. I used Sequel's sun cap with neck protector flaps. This vented cap also has a mylar top to reflect the sun's heat away from the top of your head.

Training. On a mental level, I would never attempt doing a trip like this again with all the major mental distractions like I have (had) going on for me this year. All this mountain outdoor people we talked to did major cardio for training, mostly in the forms of running, cardio machines and mountain biking. In the future, I'd also drop as much excess body poundage as possible, to be a lean, mean mountain machine. I would also build a bit more upper body strength - especially for women. Last few months before climb date, I'd train with a fully loaded pack, and do as many steep inclines as possible. It seemed to me that acclimating to the altitude and recovery time were/are key factors for me personally. Become familiar using your ice axe for self-arrests. Also for the beginning mountaineer, any rope knots you can practice, any classes you can take, videos viewed, books read, all combine to give you more confidence on the mountain. I know I'm going to be doing more of these myself! The other much used gizmo we took along was a Motorola model 10X walkie talkie. We checked in frequently with Sherpa Bob, who as down at Paradise and we had crystal clear communication. We also took along the old cell phone for emergencies. Curt, our team leader, was able to call his wife in Colorado from Camp Muir after his summit. Technology does have its place - even in the mountains.

Would I go up Rainier again? Well you know, I always like a challenge and if first you don't succeed...well, you know the rest. I hope to have a few more mountains under my belt before I try Rainier again and then - maybe, 2001 or 2002 - mmmm. I'm a beginning mountaineer and an intermediate/advanced backpacker. EMAIL JENNIFER