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| A Journey in Support of Pathways PA |
| Pathway to Ranier |
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Bob's Blog
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| A Journey in Support of Pathways PA |
| Pathway to Rainier |
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Note: Pictures of the trip can be accessed from my photo page (tab above) or by clicking here.
8/18 – Training
I had intended to start this blog by the beginning of the summer to relate the ups and downs of my training
regimen. Unfortunately, my travel schedule and other commitments preempted this. (It also preempted some
of the training I would have liked to do, but we’ll take what we’ve got.)
As those of you who belong to the MCC Fitness center know, I have been working out even more regularly this
year (when in town) and further cranked up my routine over the last three months. When I got to the point of
coming in with my 40# weight vest, I really started getting some funny looks. I now have a sense of how the
homeless feel when you walk by them, avoid eye contact and basically pretend they aren’t there. It was
basically “hide the women and children” when I showed up with hiking boots and a weight vest or, better yet,
my backpack loaded with rocks. At any rate, I have gotten up to at least 4 hours of heavy cardio (900+
calories per hour on the elliptical or an hour+ on the treadmill ramped up to the max of 15 degrees – that
means I climb over seven football fields in an hour!). In addition, I have tried to do strength training at least 2
hours per week.
The most important part of training is getting out on the trail with a heavy pack. While you can’t simulate the
altitude around Philadelphia, training in the heat and humidity should count for something. I have steadily
added weight to my pack so that for the last 3 weeks, I have been carrying over 50#’s. This has earned me
my new Indian name (“trail name” for the more PC), “Walking With Rocks.”
This hiking became much more enjoyable when Bill Read started joining me in July. Bill, my long time squash
nemesis, is also doing the trip. (See Bill’s website, www.aroundriverbend2rainier.com.) The only problem is
that Bill is much more fit and athletic than me (I know that’s hard to imagine) and is a constant reminder of how
far I have to go. That said, he graciously allows me to set the pace which, I’m sure, is much slower than he
would have preferred. We hiked several times in Valley Forge and once in Wissahickon Park for a change of
pace. As much as possible, we tried to stay on the hills which probably meant we were actually doing up or
down to varying degrees (rather than flat) about 2/3’s of the time.
I have built up to several hours at a time and have done two hikes a week for the last three weeks. My last
serious training hike was Sunday, August 17. I did 7 hours in the hills around Valley Forge with 50+ lbs in the
pack. At this point, I believe rest will be better for me than more strenuous exercise, so that’s it until we start
serious mountaineering training on Thursday, August 21. Note that on summit day, we sill climb 4400’ up and
then back down to the base camp, and then hike off the mountain. That will be a total of 12-13 miles with over
12,000’ of altitude gain and loss carrying 25#’s to the summit and about 40#’s from base camp down.
Another important aspect of my training has been to shed some pounds. Those of you who know my eating
habits understand how difficult this is for me. I have proven over the course of the last few years that a
gluttonous diet can overcome almost any amount of exercise. While I was creeping down very slowly, real
progress was not made until Dottie banned ice cream and cookies from the house. It’s amazing, the pounds
started just rolling off. I am now at my “playing weight” of 220#’s (down from 235+ earlier this year). A few
more pounds off would have been nice, but this is as low as I have been in years.
8/20 – Arrival Day
I flew into SEA-TAC last night to avoid possible flight/baggage problems and picked Bill up when he arrived
around noon. Bill had spent the last several days with his daughter’s family in Colorado doing training hikes at
around 10,000’ and above. He looked fit and ready to go.
Our destination was the Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI) headquarters in Ashford, WA, near the entrance to
Rainier National Park. The drive to Ashford took about 1½ hours through typical Northwest weather – cloudy
with light to moderate rain.
The RMI headquarters turns out to be quite an extensive little operation. It includes the RMI administrative
offices (RMI does excursion all over the world as well as several other mountains in North America.); the RMI
retail store where you can buy anything you would need for a mountaineering expedition; the RMI rental store
(again, anything you would need for an expedition); a grill where you can get sandwiches, hamburgers and
hotdogs (until they run out of propane for the grill), pizza and beer; a lounge for the guides; the Whittaker
Bunkhouse where we stayed until we went on the mountain and a breakfast/lunch/snack counter (with WiFi!).
The founder of this little “empire” is Lou Whittaker. Lou (now retired in his 80’s, but apparently still quite a
character) was a world renowned mountaineer with many summits of Everest, K-2, etc. to his name. There is a
lot of interesting old mountaineering gear and picture of Lou with people like the John and Robert Kennedy as
well as many historic mountain scenes – both local and international.
We arrived in time for our initial orientation which, over about three hours included:
• Getting your rental gear (from RMI rentals, of course),
• A complete check of all your gear by the lead guide to be sure you had everything necessary for the trip
AND to be sure you weren’t taking things you didn’t need. (Weight and pack space would become a primary
concern.)
• Program overview including some incredible pictures of prior expeditions and good information regarding
safety and environmental issues.
• Personal introductions so we could get to know our team members better.
Gear included clothes for all occasions: base layers (long and short sleeved “T-shirts,” lighter pants, etc.)
which you would strip down to when it got really warm, a basic shell jacket, Gortex jacket and pants for foul
weather, a sub zero down jacket (our “puffy jacket”) for cold weather, three levels of gloves, other clothes,
helmet, harness, avalanche transceiver, and rubber double climbing boots (which must weigh five pounds
each!).
Our team was eclectic to say the least:
Paul, our lead guide is a 30+ career mountaineering guide who does high steel work in the off season. He has
60+ summits of Rainier under his belt along with much other experience. He certainly knows his stuff. The
rest of the group fell into three sets:
A father from Texas and his two 20-something sons; three (2 women and 1 man) oriental “kids” from NY, Bill
and me, and a corporate accountant from Portland named Jim who became Bill’s and my tent-mate. Jim has
the benefit of “local knowledge,” has done some of the other Cascade mountains and has worked with a
personal trainer all year to prepare for this climb. In his quiet way, he may want this more than any of us.
After orientation we had dinner at the grill, drove a few miles to where we could get a cell signal to call home
and try the local bar to see if we can watch some Olympics before bed. (There are no TV’s in the Whittaker
Bunkhouse.) The Highlander Inn has three TV’s but all are tuned in to some (minor league) baseball game. It
appears this very local crowd doesn’t have much interest in (awareness of?) the Olympics. We went back,
packed for tomorrow, checked e-mail and went to bed.
8/21 – Mountaineering School
After a breakfast (egg/sausage/cheese muffin, juice and apple – included in our meal plan) at the Whittaker
Bunkhouse, Bill and I pick up our lunches and snacks for the day, fill our water bottles (some plain, some with
Gatorade or Propel mix), grab our packs and gear, and head for the bus. We share the bus with a group
doing a 3-day program (as opposed to our 5-day). Bill and I end up sitting near their leader, Dave Hahn, a
world renowned mountain guide with 10 Everest summits, numerous Antarctica expeditions, other international
expeditions, and around 250 Rainier summits. Dave is a very engaging character whom we enjoyed talking
with, but his whole life begins and ends (very likely literally) with mountaineering.
We ride about 45 minutes to the Paradise Inn, an historic but recently renovated inn next to the Paradise
visitors’ center, about 5500’. The Inn is an impressive rustic wooden structure with a “great hall” lobby
including many seating areas, a huge fireplace at each end, a large dining room with white cloth clad tables
and, I’m sure, much more we didn’t see. The are very hospitable to climbers arriving in their midst, traipsing
through the lobby to use the rest rooms and parking in one of the many seating areas to eat their snacks or
bag lunch. I guess it adds to the ambiance of the place. It closes in September because of the tremendous
amounts of snow they get – it is common for the snow to accumulate up to the third floor windows!
The weather is lousy – rainy and windy – so Paul suggests we put on our Gortex for protection. We change
the outer layer, then grab our packs and begin a 1½ hour hike to where we will have our training. The initial
part of the hike to the snow field where we will do the training is on a finished trail which would have been quite
pleasant except for the weather. After a short time the rain turned to sleet and then snow as we gained
altitude. Once we arrived at the snowfield, we began training which included
• various ways to walk on snow both up hill and down
• Rest stepping which can be used on any surface.
• Pressure breathing (deep breathing which helps you adjust to the lower oxygen levels at altitude)
• Use of ice axe
We also practiced “self arrest,” stopping and securing yourself if you fall down a steep hill or crevasse as well
as “team arrest” if one of your rope team mates falls. All of this is taken very seriously, but the weather is so
bad, Paul decides to cut it short and plans more extensive training on our “rest day” at Camp Muir. We come
back down to the Paradise Inn at a much faster pace and enjoy some time resting the “great hall” until the
other team gets down. (They don’t have a rest day to catch up.)
Once back at RMI, Paul goes over tomorrow’s plan including everything we need to bring (and not bring as the
case may be). He re-emphasizes the need to have lots of water (close to a liter an hour) and snacks. You
must eat constantly to replenish the energy you expend climbing with the weight and at these altitudes and
inclines.
After that, Bill, I and several others find a laundry mat to dry our clothes (conveniently part of the Highlander
Bar “complex”). We then go back to our room to pack, unpack and repack several times. Always discarding
more and reorganizing so the things we need for tomorrow’s climb will be relatively handy. Once again I find
myself being Oscar to another Felix. (Sound familiar, Dottie, Heywood, others?) Seriously, Bill’s organizational
skills from sailing prove to be a great help to both of us. After another trip down the road to make cell phone
calls, we get to bed relatively early. (There ain’t much to do in Ashford.)
8/22 – Off to Camp Muir
Today the real work begins. I awoke early to un/re pack my pack one more time, discarding a few more items.
My original intent was to take my D-80 camera and accessories up to Camp Muir to take some great pictures.
This scheme was nixed very early in the process; any pics you see from this trip will be from my or Bill’s pocket
cameras. By the time we were leaving I was down to one pair of pants (I could zip off the legs to make shorts if
desired.), one set of underwear, etc., but LOTS of snacks and three water bottles.
On the bus ride to Paradise we were joined by the two other guides who would work with Paul and our group;
Gabriel (Gabby), 36 year old pro from Argentina and Eric, 22 year old recent Miami of Ohio grad (finance and
economics) who is probably doing this for 2-3 years before going out into the real world. Both were very
engaging and proved to be EXCELLENT and accomplished mountain guides. Gabby is married and wrestling
with the issue of having children. His wife isn’t sure she wants to be a mostly single parent as Gabby is gone
so much of the time on various expeditions around the world… The mountaineering life has its price. Eric is
quite a neat young man. He had gotten into motocross as a kid, had a terrible accident which left him with two
severely broken legs and the loss of one of his heals. During the nearly one year of reconstructive surgery he
could not walk at all. He learned to get around with a rope system he and his parents built in his basement.
By the time he got his legs back, he had build up incredible upper body strength doing the equivalent of 500+
pull ups a day. He discovered rock climbing accidentally, found he was good at it, expanded into serious cliff
and ice climbing and then into mountain guiding. He is very mature for his age and will be a great asset to
some firm when he stops this business.
Once we arrive at the Inn, we “refresh” ourselves one more time and then load up our packs for the 5 hour
climb to Camp Muir. While the actual distance is only a bit over four miles, the altitude gain is about 5,000’, so
this is a very steep climb. The biggest problem at this point for me is the weight. I had expected the pack to
weigh no more than 40#’s which was less than what I had trained with. In fact, it was at least as heavy as my
50-55# training packs.
The weather has cleared, and we have a beautiful day. For the first hour we are on the finished trail and most
of us wear light day hikers. After about an hour we break and change into our “plastic” boots for the balance
of the climb which is across the Muir Snowfields. By the second break we are well onto the snowfields.
Yesterday’s storm has left the mountain with a fresh coat of snow (a few inches to a couple of feet depending
upon the location/altitude) and everything is beautiful. Paul reminds everyone to keep their glacier glasses on
at all times. The sun is so bright, even a few unprotected minutes can really damage your eyes. With the sun
and the effort, I am quite warm. My next problem is that I find I am drinking my water too fast and will run out
long before Camp Muir if I don’t start rationing it. (Not like Valley Forge or Wissahickon where you can find a
water fountain within a mile of most places.) While the view is incredible, it is becoming truly daunting.
Looking down to the Paradise Inn, I wonder how I got this far, and looking up, all I see is endless snowfield. No
Camp Muir in sight. It is now time to use a technique that helped me on Pikes Peak. I don’t look up, down or
sideways at the scenery, only at the feet of the person in front of me. My technique works, and we make it to
Camp Muir shortly after 3:00. I am exhausted and look back to see I have probably accomplished a greater
physical feat than I ever have before.
While I expected Camp Muir to be tough, this is beyond anything I have ever experienced or even imagined on
a first hand basis. On one side of the “platform” are three outhouse structures each tied down very securely.
(The wind gusts here can be incredible. Guides said that yesterday they were over 75 miles per hour, and
that was a very minor storm.) There are also a stone “fortress” looking National Park Service building (only
about 15’x20’ in size), the RMI “bunkhouse which is used for climbers and the guides, and another couple of
outhouses. We climb up to the “platform” where the “structures” are, and then Paul shows us our tents which
are on a nearby glacier! Getting to them requires a trek down a very steep, rocky, icy hill on this side and
then up a slippery, snow hill to our tents – another 20 minutes for me! I called the space between our tents
and the main Camp platform “Independent Valley.” It is where private groups (“Independents”) who would be
attempting to summit could pitch their tents. It turns out that the guides don’t like the independents because
they are generally ill prepared and often require bailing out by the professional guides which can jeopardize
their teams. (The guides also have little respect for the park rangers who live up here because they do little
but sit on lawn chairs and pontificate. Ahhh, the politics of the Mountain.)
In seeming isolation on the glacier, there are three tents for our group. Each is smaller than a king sized bed
but is to hold three people (whether we like it or not). The Texas group is now down to two. (Dad had
problems shortly after the first break, and Eric took him back to the Inn and onto a bus back to Ashford. Eric
then caught up to our group before we reached Muir – the conditioning of the guides is incredible.) The three
Asian “kids” took one tent – they seemed a bit awkward about the mixed gender group, but that quickly
dissipated as the primary thoughts here were for survival. Bill, Jim and I share the middle tent. Our three
mummy sleeping bags actually overlapped on the ground mats. We unpack our sleeping bags and some key
items (mostly inner clothing) to stash in the tent - yet another chance for Oscar to show his stuff! Our packs,
about half full, stay outside. There was room for two of them between the tents, and they became our seats.
My biggest problem at this point is that there is no flat space anywhere, so I am constantly tense just trying to
keep from sliding down the hill. This is one issue I will not overcome even after three days.
By the time we get “settled” the guides bring thermoses of hot water for our dinner which consists of cup-o-
soup and freeze dried beef teriyaki. Tomorrow I’ll have the spaghetti with meat sauce. At this point, anything
tasted delicious. After dinner, Paul comes around and outlines tomorrow’s training program. We then sit on
our perch and watched the beautiful sunset. Before dark, I make a trip to the outhouse – a half hour excursion
which leaves me further exhausted and out of breath when I return. We turn in shortly – very cozy!
8/23 – Rest and Training
Bill snores and Jim is a restless insomniac! Actually, I got more sleep than I expected. The sleeping bags
were incredibly warm. I had clothes hanging from the roof of the tent (<3’ high) and some in my sleeping bag
to keep warm and further dry somewhat. The potentially life threatening trip to the outhouse also helped me
discover a whole new level of bladder control! Somewhere between midnight and 1:00, I heard commotion
outside and realized it was groups(s) leaving for their summit climb. I’m sure others were awake as well, but
protocol was not to talk on the oft chance someone else was actually sleeping. Even though our training
doesn’t start until 8:30 or so, everyone was fully awake by about 6:00. The sunrise is also spectacular, and by
8:30 it feels quite comfortable. It only got down to around freezing last night, but the wind made it feel much
colder. As always, we are reminded to keep on our glacier glasses and a heavy layer of sunscreen. After the
guides bring another batch of hot water, I had a “delicious” breakfast of oatmeal, cold pop tarts, cocoa and
miscellaneous snack bars.
By 9:00 we are off to more mountaineering training. Originally, the guides had planned to take us part way up
the summit trail, but they decided there is now enough fresh snow around the camp and we need the rest. I
actually feel pretty good given what I did yesterday. For this training, we don our plastic boots, leg gaiters and
crampons, and of course bring our ice axes. We start with a refresher on walking up hill, down hill and
sideways in snow; rest step; self and team arrest. As on the two previous days, the guides are watching and
evaluating our ability to attempt the summit. No one “flunks out” here. We then start practicing working as
rope teams. This gives me yet another thing to think about and watch our for – It requires real concentration
for me to avoid tripping over the rope, and the consequences here are much more drastic than at home!
Finally, they take us up to a very steep rocky cliff which we are expected to climb in our rope teams. This is
the same cliff we watched some of the guides climb last night and remarked what a feat it was and how
impossible that would be for us. Well, they actually teach us how to do it! While not comfortable, we all make
it to the top AND back down. From the top of this peak, we have am awesome view some spectacular
crevasses in the glaciers that we could not see from Camp Muir. We also found a tent an independent hiker
had pitched at the top. If he rolls too much it will be a certain disaster.
After the training, it’s back to Camp Muir to prepare for tomorrow’s summit attempt. It turns out that Bill’s back,
which has been everything from a minor irritant to serious problem for many years, did not react well to heavy
pack on the climb up to Camp Muir and really started screaming at him (in spite of heavy doses of Advil, etc.)
after the rock climbing and descending today. Bill decided it was best to not try to summit tomorrow. This was
not because he was worried about his personal comfort but because he felt he could become a real liability to
his team. I know it was a tough decision – particularly given the amount of preparation he had done and the
great shape he had gotten himself into. Of all of us on the trip, I felt Bill was probably best prepared for the
summit attempt. After we had all retreated back to our lair on the glacier, Bill went back over to talk to Paul
about his decision. I know it must have been very difficult.
Meanwhile, back at the tents, I continue my ongoing battle to maintain my balance and keep from falling down
the hill, and we all start preparing for tomorrow’s summit attempt. Instructions included making sure our “puffy
jackets” were at the top of the pack so we could get them out almost instantaneously when we stopped, wear
light layers because of the heat we would generate while climbing, put our glacier glasses in our parkas so we
wouldn’t forget them when we left in the dark, put our snacks in our puffy jackets so they would be readily
accessible when we stopped, bring enough water for at least six breaks, lather up with sun block before going
to bed so we would have some on when it came up during the assent, etc. After coming to grips with his
decision not to climb, Bill soon morphs back into the quintessential team player, helping Jim and particularly
“Oscar” prepare for the next day’s ordeal including packing as well as mental preparation and
encouragement. Dinner (hot water to mix with our freeze dried) is served about 5:00. Paul comes by shortly
thereafter to give final instructions for tomorrow and urge us to go to bed by 6:00. Given we were all nervous
and edgy, that is probably the best place to collect our personal thoughts and wits for tomorrow. He will not tell
us exactly what time he will be waking us for the climb, but we know it will be early – the weather was starting to
change and getting off the mountain before the next storm hits is important.
I exercise my new found control and postpone my trip to the outhouse until we get up for the climb.
8/24 – Game Day
Paul wakes us at 11:30pm for the summit attempt. Actually, no one needs to be awakened, just told to get
moving. There wasn’t much sound sleep last night, although I did doze/sleep more than I had expected. Our
wake-up call is accompanied by hot water for “breakfast” (another round of oatmeal, pop tarts and cocoa). Jim
and I get dressed, find our gear and prepare to go. Bill was again most helpful to Jim and especially me as we
get organized, dressed and out of the tent. There isn’t much talking as each of us focuses on the task at
hand. The wind has really picked up by now and will continue to get stronger as the day progresses and the
new front moves in. After my last outhouse trip, we all meet at the edge of “Independent Valley” to get roped
up and ready to go. It is quite a sight: three guides and seven very nervous novices with helmets, headlamps,
harnesses and ropes, and crampons and ice axes. We are organized into three rope teams, each with a
guide. Jim and I are on the rope with Paul who is setting the pace for the entire group. Before we start, Paul
reiterates the difficulty and risks of the task at hand and reminds us that we can not stop in between breaks
which will be 1 to 1½ hours apart. After Jim and I had finished in the tent, Bill dressed and came down to send
off the group with much encouragement and good will. It was appreciated by all. By 12:30am, we start off,
quickly turning becoming a string of lights heading into the darkness up the steep snow covered glacier. It is
very exciting to be a part of it.
The first part of the climb goes across Cowlitz Glacier, up Cathedral Gap and onto the Ingraham Glacier.
Although Paul’s pace is very slow (his goal was to cover the 4+ mile route in around six hours), the difficulty is
more than anything I have experienced before (including Friday’s climb to Camp Muir). The glacier parts are
really steep, but the rock parts are REALLY STEEP! Fortunately, each time I feel I might be “hitting the wall,”
the angle of ascent decreases for a bit and I catch my breadth enough to continue. As usual, Paul had been
right when he advised me not to wear a long sleeved under layer even though I was freezing before we left.
Within five minutes I am sweating with only a light pair of pants, T-shirt and light long sleeved shirt.
The first break comes somewhere some where on Ingraham Glacier below “Disappointment Cleaver” –
between 11 and 12,000’. We are 1-1½ hours out of Camp Muir. We quickly don our puffy jackets. With the
wind and cold, I can literally feel the heat start to dissipate in seconds as I dig the jacket out of my pack and
hurriedly put it on. The wind has picked up even more now and all are wondering what it might be like as the
night wears on and higher elevations are reached. I drink water (actually Gatorade or Propel), eat snacks (I’m
really getting tired of granola bars!) and try to recover from the previous climb. As planned, Paul comes to
each of us to inquire how we were doing. My initial reaction is “OK” as I seem to be getting a second wind.
Paul then informs us that the next leg will be longer, steeper and at a faster pace. It will go through areas with
serious potential for ice/rock falls, and he cannot stop for an individual without seriously jeopardizing the entire
team. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that now is the time for me to stop. If it were just Paul
and I, I would have continued and, as Paul later said, found a way to reach the summit even if it was on hands
and knees. My concern here, not unlike Bill’s yesterday, is that I could jeopardize the entire team. Once the
decision is made and announced, Paul reorganizes the rope teams a bit and leaves Eric to take me back
down. I feel badly as I watched the group continue into the night, but shortly after we begin our decent I realize
my decision was definitely the right call. Even if I had made the summit, I do not believe my knees would have
been able to get me back down that treacherous route give how they feel right now.
Because of my knees, the decent takes almost as long as the ascent. A couple of interesting items: Although
it was still dark and I was focused on the “trail,” I discovered that much of the route we had covered was a
pretty narrow space between a steep wall on one side and an immediate, long drop-off on the other –
sometimes not knowing is better! At one point Eric stopped – I assumed to give me a chance to catch my
breadth. As I approached him, he got a “panicked” look, ordered me to freeze and quickly ran back up the
path away from me. It turns out that, at a split in the path, he had followed some footprints from the previous
day rather than our group, and these led to a crevasse that had opened up in the old trail. Another one to
three steps and I would have been practicing the self/team arrest techniques from the previous day! Rule
#???: Keep your distance on your rope line unless you are a ABSOLUTELY positive you and the person you
are nearing are both on solid ground.
Eric and I arrive back at Camp Muir somewhere between 3 and 4:00am. At that point I climb (literally) up to
“bed” and Eric starts some of the many unseen chores required of the RMI guides. Bill welcomes me,
congratulates me on what I have accomplished and seems genuinely glad to see me in tact (as long as I don’t
snore). A short time later, we hear Chang come back to camp. He too has succumbed to the Mountain. I try
to go back to sleep but find I was tossing and turning more than usual and just can’t get really warm as I had
before. After a couple of hours, I realize my sleeping bag somehow got inside out. (Could this have been a
dirty trick by Bill? I guess we’ll never know for sure.) Once this problem is corrected, I am able to fall back into
a somewhat restless sleep in spite of the increasing wind. Finally, the noise of the wind and the sense that it
might just blow the tent off its mooring drives us both out of bed. By 8:00, we were again sitting outside out
tents, but this time we keep looking at the summit and wondering if some moving specs we see are our team
mates. By mid morning, word has been radioed down that the remaining team members did reach the summit
in spite of increasingly strong winds (gusts probably up to 60 mph at the top) and are on their way down. Eric
and another RMI guide come over to re-secure the tents in expectation of a serious storm coming in later
today. Bill and I pack and prepare for the hike back to Paradise after the others return. With the weather
coming in, the guides will want to leave as quickly as possible.
Around 11:00 we see the summit team arriving. They are moving very slowly into Independent Valley, each
still connected by 25’ of rope to the climbers in front and behind. Bill, Chang and I cheer each one as they
arrive and Paul unhooks their ropes. There are high fives and a sense of elation, but all are clearly physically
and mentally exhausted. The walk up the hill to our tents is very difficult for them. Paul informs all that there is
no rest for the weary. Because of the incoming weather, he wants to leave as soon as possible – within the
hour. Bill and I help Jim change from the climb and pack for the last leg – back to Paradise. Jim is pretty much
shot, but finds a way to get it together within the hour. He tries to explain how incredibly hard the summit was,
how he was ready to “punt” about 500’ from the summit, and how Paul “forced” him to finish rather than turn
back. At this point, he is still too exhausted to fully appreciate his accomplishment.
We start down the snowfields sometime after noon. Paul tells us the return trip will be rather chaotic and that it
didn’t hurt any more to go fast than to go slow, so we should try to get it done as quickly as possible. He
expects us to get down in two hours. (It took us 5+ coming up.) We start out following Paul and Bill who were
almost running and “shoe skiing” down the snowfield. Even with my new knee braces, I find the process
increasingly painful and, try as I might, just cannot “let go.” After several falls and a couple of knee twists, it
becomes a pretty slow march for me except when we get to areas where it is safe to sit down and slide
anywhere from 10 to 50 yards at a time. A cold butt never felt so good! At one point, Paul and Bill stop, I
assume to wait for others to catch up. It turns out that Paul has found some dangerous holes in the snowfield
and needs to be sure the rest of us avoid them. With Gabby and Eric bringing up the middle and rear, we
continue down the snow field. Once at the end of the snow field, most of the group changes into their light
shoes for the final hike down the more finished path. I opt to keep my plastics on. It is a good choice because
on more than one occasion they save me from severely twisting an ankle. By now I am at the back of the pack
with Jim and Eric. My left knee had gotten to the point that I can not take regular steps where they exist. I
have to go one foot at a time, relying on my right leg to lower me to each next step. This becomes very slow
and tedious. As we get to within a mile of the Inn, Bill is waiting for me. He stated that, “We started this
journey together and we might as well finish it together.” It was one more, much appreciated example of the
great teammate he has been through this entire effort. By the time we reach the Paradise Inn, most of the
others have had a chance to recoup. We take a very quick “personal” break, load our packs and board the
bus back to RMI just as the rain starts to really come down. We all imagine what the weather must be like up
on the mountain and are glad to be down. The bus ride home is almost silent as everyone is still recovering
and contemplating what he or she has accomplished over the last three days.
Once back at the RMI headquarters, we turn in our rental gear, get a snack and Paul gathers the team one
more time for our “closing ceremony.” He and the other guides have very thoughtful comments about each
team member’s effort and success, present each with a certificate of accomplishment (mine reads “participated
in the summit attempt”) and confirm email addresses so we can keep in touch. While sitting here, I begin to
more fully appreciate not only our individual accomplishments, but the unique opportunity we have all had to
meet, work toward a common goal, and bond with a very diverse group of people. As quickly as we had come
together as a team four days ago, however, we all disburse and head our separate ways. Bill and I drive to
Tacoma for the night and repack for an early flight back to Philly.
8/25 – The End and Thank You
Upon reflection, I now very clearly appreciate the difference between “hiking” and “mountaineering!” The
former can be a wonderful lifetime activity for almost anyone. The latter is definitely an endurance sport for
the young. That said, I am very pleased with the effort I made in preparing for and undertaking this
“adventure.” It was an incredible experience personally, and I certainly achieved my number one goal of
raising awareness and money for Pathways. To date we have raised over $5,000, and the total
continues to climb. I hope some of you will find Pathways to be an organization you wish to support in the
future.
Again, I thank each of you all for your support in so many ways and look forward to sharing more
stories/anecdotes with you when we get together.
8/18 – Training
I had intended to start this blog by the beginning of the summer to relate the ups and downs of my training
regimen. Unfortunately, my travel schedule and other commitments preempted this. (It also preempted some
of the training I would have liked to do, but we’ll take what we’ve got.)
As those of you who belong to the MCC Fitness center know, I have been working out even more regularly this
year (when in town) and further cranked up my routine over the last three months. When I got to the point of
coming in with my 40# weight vest, I really started getting some funny looks. I now have a sense of how the
homeless feel when you walk by them, avoid eye contact and basically pretend they aren’t there. It was
basically “hide the women and children” when I showed up with hiking boots and a weight vest or, better yet,
my backpack loaded with rocks. At any rate, I have gotten up to at least 4 hours of heavy cardio (900+
calories per hour on the elliptical or an hour+ on the treadmill ramped up to the max of 15 degrees – that
means I climb over seven football fields in an hour!). In addition, I have tried to do strength training at least 2
hours per week.
The most important part of training is getting out on the trail with a heavy pack. While you can’t simulate the
altitude around Philadelphia, training in the heat and humidity should count for something. I have steadily
added weight to my pack so that for the last 3 weeks, I have been carrying over 50#’s. This has earned me
my new Indian name (“trail name” for the more PC), “Walking With Rocks.”
This hiking became much more enjoyable when Bill Read started joining me in July. Bill, my long time squash
nemesis, is also doing the trip. (See Bill’s website, www.aroundriverbend2rainier.com.) The only problem is
that Bill is much more fit and athletic than me (I know that’s hard to imagine) and is a constant reminder of how
far I have to go. That said, he graciously allows me to set the pace which, I’m sure, is much slower than he
would have preferred. We hiked several times in Valley Forge and once in Wissahickon Park for a change of
pace. As much as possible, we tried to stay on the hills which probably meant we were actually doing up or
down to varying degrees (rather than flat) about 2/3’s of the time.
I have built up to several hours at a time and have done two hikes a week for the last three weeks. My last
serious training hike was Sunday, August 17. I did 7 hours in the hills around Valley Forge with 50+ lbs in the
pack. At this point, I believe rest will be better for me than more strenuous exercise, so that’s it until we start
serious mountaineering training on Thursday, August 21. Note that on summit day, we sill climb 4400’ up and
then back down to the base camp, and then hike off the mountain. That will be a total of 12-13 miles with over
12,000’ of altitude gain and loss carrying 25#’s to the summit and about 40#’s from base camp down.
Another important aspect of my training has been to shed some pounds. Those of you who know my eating
habits understand how difficult this is for me. I have proven over the course of the last few years that a
gluttonous diet can overcome almost any amount of exercise. While I was creeping down very slowly, real
progress was not made until Dottie banned ice cream and cookies from the house. It’s amazing, the pounds
started just rolling off. I am now at my “playing weight” of 220#’s (down from 235+ earlier this year). A few
more pounds off would have been nice, but this is as low as I have been in years.
8/20 – Arrival Day
I flew into SEA-TAC last night to avoid possible flight/baggage problems and picked Bill up when he arrived
around noon. Bill had spent the last several days with his daughter’s family in Colorado doing training hikes at
around 10,000’ and above. He looked fit and ready to go.
Our destination was the Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI) headquarters in Ashford, WA, near the entrance to
Rainier National Park. The drive to Ashford took about 1½ hours through typical Northwest weather – cloudy
with light to moderate rain.
The RMI headquarters turns out to be quite an extensive little operation. It includes the RMI administrative
offices (RMI does excursion all over the world as well as several other mountains in North America.); the RMI
retail store where you can buy anything you would need for a mountaineering expedition; the RMI rental store
(again, anything you would need for an expedition); a grill where you can get sandwiches, hamburgers and
hotdogs (until they run out of propane for the grill), pizza and beer; a lounge for the guides; the Whittaker
Bunkhouse where we stayed until we went on the mountain and a breakfast/lunch/snack counter (with WiFi!).
The founder of this little “empire” is Lou Whittaker. Lou (now retired in his 80’s, but apparently still quite a
character) was a world renowned mountaineer with many summits of Everest, K-2, etc. to his name. There is a
lot of interesting old mountaineering gear and picture of Lou with people like the John and Robert Kennedy as
well as many historic mountain scenes – both local and international.
We arrived in time for our initial orientation which, over about three hours included:
• Getting your rental gear (from RMI rentals, of course),
• A complete check of all your gear by the lead guide to be sure you had everything necessary for the trip
AND to be sure you weren’t taking things you didn’t need. (Weight and pack space would become a primary
concern.)
• Program overview including some incredible pictures of prior expeditions and good information regarding
safety and environmental issues.
• Personal introductions so we could get to know our team members better.
Gear included clothes for all occasions: base layers (long and short sleeved “T-shirts,” lighter pants, etc.)
which you would strip down to when it got really warm, a basic shell jacket, Gortex jacket and pants for foul
weather, a sub zero down jacket (our “puffy jacket”) for cold weather, three levels of gloves, other clothes,
helmet, harness, avalanche transceiver, and rubber double climbing boots (which must weigh five pounds
each!).
Our team was eclectic to say the least:
Paul, our lead guide is a 30+ career mountaineering guide who does high steel work in the off season. He has
60+ summits of Rainier under his belt along with much other experience. He certainly knows his stuff. The
rest of the group fell into three sets:
A father from Texas and his two 20-something sons; three (2 women and 1 man) oriental “kids” from NY, Bill
and me, and a corporate accountant from Portland named Jim who became Bill’s and my tent-mate. Jim has
the benefit of “local knowledge,” has done some of the other Cascade mountains and has worked with a
personal trainer all year to prepare for this climb. In his quiet way, he may want this more than any of us.
After orientation we had dinner at the grill, drove a few miles to where we could get a cell signal to call home
and try the local bar to see if we can watch some Olympics before bed. (There are no TV’s in the Whittaker
Bunkhouse.) The Highlander Inn has three TV’s but all are tuned in to some (minor league) baseball game. It
appears this very local crowd doesn’t have much interest in (awareness of?) the Olympics. We went back,
packed for tomorrow, checked e-mail and went to bed.
8/21 – Mountaineering School
After a breakfast (egg/sausage/cheese muffin, juice and apple – included in our meal plan) at the Whittaker
Bunkhouse, Bill and I pick up our lunches and snacks for the day, fill our water bottles (some plain, some with
Gatorade or Propel mix), grab our packs and gear, and head for the bus. We share the bus with a group
doing a 3-day program (as opposed to our 5-day). Bill and I end up sitting near their leader, Dave Hahn, a
world renowned mountain guide with 10 Everest summits, numerous Antarctica expeditions, other international
expeditions, and around 250 Rainier summits. Dave is a very engaging character whom we enjoyed talking
with, but his whole life begins and ends (very likely literally) with mountaineering.
We ride about 45 minutes to the Paradise Inn, an historic but recently renovated inn next to the Paradise
visitors’ center, about 5500’. The Inn is an impressive rustic wooden structure with a “great hall” lobby
including many seating areas, a huge fireplace at each end, a large dining room with white cloth clad tables
and, I’m sure, much more we didn’t see. The are very hospitable to climbers arriving in their midst, traipsing
through the lobby to use the rest rooms and parking in one of the many seating areas to eat their snacks or
bag lunch. I guess it adds to the ambiance of the place. It closes in September because of the tremendous
amounts of snow they get – it is common for the snow to accumulate up to the third floor windows!
The weather is lousy – rainy and windy – so Paul suggests we put on our Gortex for protection. We change
the outer layer, then grab our packs and begin a 1½ hour hike to where we will have our training. The initial
part of the hike to the snow field where we will do the training is on a finished trail which would have been quite
pleasant except for the weather. After a short time the rain turned to sleet and then snow as we gained
altitude. Once we arrived at the snowfield, we began training which included
• various ways to walk on snow both up hill and down
• Rest stepping which can be used on any surface.
• Pressure breathing (deep breathing which helps you adjust to the lower oxygen levels at altitude)
• Use of ice axe
We also practiced “self arrest,” stopping and securing yourself if you fall down a steep hill or crevasse as well
as “team arrest” if one of your rope team mates falls. All of this is taken very seriously, but the weather is so
bad, Paul decides to cut it short and plans more extensive training on our “rest day” at Camp Muir. We come
back down to the Paradise Inn at a much faster pace and enjoy some time resting the “great hall” until the
other team gets down. (They don’t have a rest day to catch up.)
Once back at RMI, Paul goes over tomorrow’s plan including everything we need to bring (and not bring as the
case may be). He re-emphasizes the need to have lots of water (close to a liter an hour) and snacks. You
must eat constantly to replenish the energy you expend climbing with the weight and at these altitudes and
inclines.
After that, Bill, I and several others find a laundry mat to dry our clothes (conveniently part of the Highlander
Bar “complex”). We then go back to our room to pack, unpack and repack several times. Always discarding
more and reorganizing so the things we need for tomorrow’s climb will be relatively handy. Once again I find
myself being Oscar to another Felix. (Sound familiar, Dottie, Heywood, others?) Seriously, Bill’s organizational
skills from sailing prove to be a great help to both of us. After another trip down the road to make cell phone
calls, we get to bed relatively early. (There ain’t much to do in Ashford.)
8/22 – Off to Camp Muir
Today the real work begins. I awoke early to un/re pack my pack one more time, discarding a few more items.
My original intent was to take my D-80 camera and accessories up to Camp Muir to take some great pictures.
This scheme was nixed very early in the process; any pics you see from this trip will be from my or Bill’s pocket
cameras. By the time we were leaving I was down to one pair of pants (I could zip off the legs to make shorts if
desired.), one set of underwear, etc., but LOTS of snacks and three water bottles.
On the bus ride to Paradise we were joined by the two other guides who would work with Paul and our group;
Gabriel (Gabby), 36 year old pro from Argentina and Eric, 22 year old recent Miami of Ohio grad (finance and
economics) who is probably doing this for 2-3 years before going out into the real world. Both were very
engaging and proved to be EXCELLENT and accomplished mountain guides. Gabby is married and wrestling
with the issue of having children. His wife isn’t sure she wants to be a mostly single parent as Gabby is gone
so much of the time on various expeditions around the world… The mountaineering life has its price. Eric is
quite a neat young man. He had gotten into motocross as a kid, had a terrible accident which left him with two
severely broken legs and the loss of one of his heals. During the nearly one year of reconstructive surgery he
could not walk at all. He learned to get around with a rope system he and his parents built in his basement.
By the time he got his legs back, he had build up incredible upper body strength doing the equivalent of 500+
pull ups a day. He discovered rock climbing accidentally, found he was good at it, expanded into serious cliff
and ice climbing and then into mountain guiding. He is very mature for his age and will be a great asset to
some firm when he stops this business.
Once we arrive at the Inn, we “refresh” ourselves one more time and then load up our packs for the 5 hour
climb to Camp Muir. While the actual distance is only a bit over four miles, the altitude gain is about 5,000’, so
this is a very steep climb. The biggest problem at this point for me is the weight. I had expected the pack to
weigh no more than 40#’s which was less than what I had trained with. In fact, it was at least as heavy as my
50-55# training packs.
The weather has cleared, and we have a beautiful day. For the first hour we are on the finished trail and most
of us wear light day hikers. After about an hour we break and change into our “plastic” boots for the balance
of the climb which is across the Muir Snowfields. By the second break we are well onto the snowfields.
Yesterday’s storm has left the mountain with a fresh coat of snow (a few inches to a couple of feet depending
upon the location/altitude) and everything is beautiful. Paul reminds everyone to keep their glacier glasses on
at all times. The sun is so bright, even a few unprotected minutes can really damage your eyes. With the sun
and the effort, I am quite warm. My next problem is that I find I am drinking my water too fast and will run out
long before Camp Muir if I don’t start rationing it. (Not like Valley Forge or Wissahickon where you can find a
water fountain within a mile of most places.) While the view is incredible, it is becoming truly daunting.
Looking down to the Paradise Inn, I wonder how I got this far, and looking up, all I see is endless snowfield. No
Camp Muir in sight. It is now time to use a technique that helped me on Pikes Peak. I don’t look up, down or
sideways at the scenery, only at the feet of the person in front of me. My technique works, and we make it to
Camp Muir shortly after 3:00. I am exhausted and look back to see I have probably accomplished a greater
physical feat than I ever have before.
While I expected Camp Muir to be tough, this is beyond anything I have ever experienced or even imagined on
a first hand basis. On one side of the “platform” are three outhouse structures each tied down very securely.
(The wind gusts here can be incredible. Guides said that yesterday they were over 75 miles per hour, and
that was a very minor storm.) There are also a stone “fortress” looking National Park Service building (only
about 15’x20’ in size), the RMI “bunkhouse which is used for climbers and the guides, and another couple of
outhouses. We climb up to the “platform” where the “structures” are, and then Paul shows us our tents which
are on a nearby glacier! Getting to them requires a trek down a very steep, rocky, icy hill on this side and
then up a slippery, snow hill to our tents – another 20 minutes for me! I called the space between our tents
and the main Camp platform “Independent Valley.” It is where private groups (“Independents”) who would be
attempting to summit could pitch their tents. It turns out that the guides don’t like the independents because
they are generally ill prepared and often require bailing out by the professional guides which can jeopardize
their teams. (The guides also have little respect for the park rangers who live up here because they do little
but sit on lawn chairs and pontificate. Ahhh, the politics of the Mountain.)
In seeming isolation on the glacier, there are three tents for our group. Each is smaller than a king sized bed
but is to hold three people (whether we like it or not). The Texas group is now down to two. (Dad had
problems shortly after the first break, and Eric took him back to the Inn and onto a bus back to Ashford. Eric
then caught up to our group before we reached Muir – the conditioning of the guides is incredible.) The three
Asian “kids” took one tent – they seemed a bit awkward about the mixed gender group, but that quickly
dissipated as the primary thoughts here were for survival. Bill, Jim and I share the middle tent. Our three
mummy sleeping bags actually overlapped on the ground mats. We unpack our sleeping bags and some key
items (mostly inner clothing) to stash in the tent - yet another chance for Oscar to show his stuff! Our packs,
about half full, stay outside. There was room for two of them between the tents, and they became our seats.
My biggest problem at this point is that there is no flat space anywhere, so I am constantly tense just trying to
keep from sliding down the hill. This is one issue I will not overcome even after three days.
By the time we get “settled” the guides bring thermoses of hot water for our dinner which consists of cup-o-
soup and freeze dried beef teriyaki. Tomorrow I’ll have the spaghetti with meat sauce. At this point, anything
tasted delicious. After dinner, Paul comes around and outlines tomorrow’s training program. We then sit on
our perch and watched the beautiful sunset. Before dark, I make a trip to the outhouse – a half hour excursion
which leaves me further exhausted and out of breath when I return. We turn in shortly – very cozy!
8/23 – Rest and Training
Bill snores and Jim is a restless insomniac! Actually, I got more sleep than I expected. The sleeping bags
were incredibly warm. I had clothes hanging from the roof of the tent (<3’ high) and some in my sleeping bag
to keep warm and further dry somewhat. The potentially life threatening trip to the outhouse also helped me
discover a whole new level of bladder control! Somewhere between midnight and 1:00, I heard commotion
outside and realized it was groups(s) leaving for their summit climb. I’m sure others were awake as well, but
protocol was not to talk on the oft chance someone else was actually sleeping. Even though our training
doesn’t start until 8:30 or so, everyone was fully awake by about 6:00. The sunrise is also spectacular, and by
8:30 it feels quite comfortable. It only got down to around freezing last night, but the wind made it feel much
colder. As always, we are reminded to keep on our glacier glasses and a heavy layer of sunscreen. After the
guides bring another batch of hot water, I had a “delicious” breakfast of oatmeal, cold pop tarts, cocoa and
miscellaneous snack bars.
By 9:00 we are off to more mountaineering training. Originally, the guides had planned to take us part way up
the summit trail, but they decided there is now enough fresh snow around the camp and we need the rest. I
actually feel pretty good given what I did yesterday. For this training, we don our plastic boots, leg gaiters and
crampons, and of course bring our ice axes. We start with a refresher on walking up hill, down hill and
sideways in snow; rest step; self and team arrest. As on the two previous days, the guides are watching and
evaluating our ability to attempt the summit. No one “flunks out” here. We then start practicing working as
rope teams. This gives me yet another thing to think about and watch our for – It requires real concentration
for me to avoid tripping over the rope, and the consequences here are much more drastic than at home!
Finally, they take us up to a very steep rocky cliff which we are expected to climb in our rope teams. This is
the same cliff we watched some of the guides climb last night and remarked what a feat it was and how
impossible that would be for us. Well, they actually teach us how to do it! While not comfortable, we all make
it to the top AND back down. From the top of this peak, we have am awesome view some spectacular
crevasses in the glaciers that we could not see from Camp Muir. We also found a tent an independent hiker
had pitched at the top. If he rolls too much it will be a certain disaster.
After the training, it’s back to Camp Muir to prepare for tomorrow’s summit attempt. It turns out that Bill’s back,
which has been everything from a minor irritant to serious problem for many years, did not react well to heavy
pack on the climb up to Camp Muir and really started screaming at him (in spite of heavy doses of Advil, etc.)
after the rock climbing and descending today. Bill decided it was best to not try to summit tomorrow. This was
not because he was worried about his personal comfort but because he felt he could become a real liability to
his team. I know it was a tough decision – particularly given the amount of preparation he had done and the
great shape he had gotten himself into. Of all of us on the trip, I felt Bill was probably best prepared for the
summit attempt. After we had all retreated back to our lair on the glacier, Bill went back over to talk to Paul
about his decision. I know it must have been very difficult.
Meanwhile, back at the tents, I continue my ongoing battle to maintain my balance and keep from falling down
the hill, and we all start preparing for tomorrow’s summit attempt. Instructions included making sure our “puffy
jackets” were at the top of the pack so we could get them out almost instantaneously when we stopped, wear
light layers because of the heat we would generate while climbing, put our glacier glasses in our parkas so we
wouldn’t forget them when we left in the dark, put our snacks in our puffy jackets so they would be readily
accessible when we stopped, bring enough water for at least six breaks, lather up with sun block before going
to bed so we would have some on when it came up during the assent, etc. After coming to grips with his
decision not to climb, Bill soon morphs back into the quintessential team player, helping Jim and particularly
“Oscar” prepare for the next day’s ordeal including packing as well as mental preparation and
encouragement. Dinner (hot water to mix with our freeze dried) is served about 5:00. Paul comes by shortly
thereafter to give final instructions for tomorrow and urge us to go to bed by 6:00. Given we were all nervous
and edgy, that is probably the best place to collect our personal thoughts and wits for tomorrow. He will not tell
us exactly what time he will be waking us for the climb, but we know it will be early – the weather was starting to
change and getting off the mountain before the next storm hits is important.
I exercise my new found control and postpone my trip to the outhouse until we get up for the climb.
8/24 – Game Day
Paul wakes us at 11:30pm for the summit attempt. Actually, no one needs to be awakened, just told to get
moving. There wasn’t much sound sleep last night, although I did doze/sleep more than I had expected. Our
wake-up call is accompanied by hot water for “breakfast” (another round of oatmeal, pop tarts and cocoa). Jim
and I get dressed, find our gear and prepare to go. Bill was again most helpful to Jim and especially me as we
get organized, dressed and out of the tent. There isn’t much talking as each of us focuses on the task at
hand. The wind has really picked up by now and will continue to get stronger as the day progresses and the
new front moves in. After my last outhouse trip, we all meet at the edge of “Independent Valley” to get roped
up and ready to go. It is quite a sight: three guides and seven very nervous novices with helmets, headlamps,
harnesses and ropes, and crampons and ice axes. We are organized into three rope teams, each with a
guide. Jim and I are on the rope with Paul who is setting the pace for the entire group. Before we start, Paul
reiterates the difficulty and risks of the task at hand and reminds us that we can not stop in between breaks
which will be 1 to 1½ hours apart. After Jim and I had finished in the tent, Bill dressed and came down to send
off the group with much encouragement and good will. It was appreciated by all. By 12:30am, we start off,
quickly turning becoming a string of lights heading into the darkness up the steep snow covered glacier. It is
very exciting to be a part of it.
The first part of the climb goes across Cowlitz Glacier, up Cathedral Gap and onto the Ingraham Glacier.
Although Paul’s pace is very slow (his goal was to cover the 4+ mile route in around six hours), the difficulty is
more than anything I have experienced before (including Friday’s climb to Camp Muir). The glacier parts are
really steep, but the rock parts are REALLY STEEP! Fortunately, each time I feel I might be “hitting the wall,”
the angle of ascent decreases for a bit and I catch my breadth enough to continue. As usual, Paul had been
right when he advised me not to wear a long sleeved under layer even though I was freezing before we left.
Within five minutes I am sweating with only a light pair of pants, T-shirt and light long sleeved shirt.
The first break comes somewhere some where on Ingraham Glacier below “Disappointment Cleaver” –
between 11 and 12,000’. We are 1-1½ hours out of Camp Muir. We quickly don our puffy jackets. With the
wind and cold, I can literally feel the heat start to dissipate in seconds as I dig the jacket out of my pack and
hurriedly put it on. The wind has picked up even more now and all are wondering what it might be like as the
night wears on and higher elevations are reached. I drink water (actually Gatorade or Propel), eat snacks (I’m
really getting tired of granola bars!) and try to recover from the previous climb. As planned, Paul comes to
each of us to inquire how we were doing. My initial reaction is “OK” as I seem to be getting a second wind.
Paul then informs us that the next leg will be longer, steeper and at a faster pace. It will go through areas with
serious potential for ice/rock falls, and he cannot stop for an individual without seriously jeopardizing the entire
team. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that now is the time for me to stop. If it were just Paul
and I, I would have continued and, as Paul later said, found a way to reach the summit even if it was on hands
and knees. My concern here, not unlike Bill’s yesterday, is that I could jeopardize the entire team. Once the
decision is made and announced, Paul reorganizes the rope teams a bit and leaves Eric to take me back
down. I feel badly as I watched the group continue into the night, but shortly after we begin our decent I realize
my decision was definitely the right call. Even if I had made the summit, I do not believe my knees would have
been able to get me back down that treacherous route give how they feel right now.
Because of my knees, the decent takes almost as long as the ascent. A couple of interesting items: Although
it was still dark and I was focused on the “trail,” I discovered that much of the route we had covered was a
pretty narrow space between a steep wall on one side and an immediate, long drop-off on the other –
sometimes not knowing is better! At one point Eric stopped – I assumed to give me a chance to catch my
breadth. As I approached him, he got a “panicked” look, ordered me to freeze and quickly ran back up the
path away from me. It turns out that, at a split in the path, he had followed some footprints from the previous
day rather than our group, and these led to a crevasse that had opened up in the old trail. Another one to
three steps and I would have been practicing the self/team arrest techniques from the previous day! Rule
#???: Keep your distance on your rope line unless you are a ABSOLUTELY positive you and the person you
are nearing are both on solid ground.
Eric and I arrive back at Camp Muir somewhere between 3 and 4:00am. At that point I climb (literally) up to
“bed” and Eric starts some of the many unseen chores required of the RMI guides. Bill welcomes me,
congratulates me on what I have accomplished and seems genuinely glad to see me in tact (as long as I don’t
snore). A short time later, we hear Chang come back to camp. He too has succumbed to the Mountain. I try
to go back to sleep but find I was tossing and turning more than usual and just can’t get really warm as I had
before. After a couple of hours, I realize my sleeping bag somehow got inside out. (Could this have been a
dirty trick by Bill? I guess we’ll never know for sure.) Once this problem is corrected, I am able to fall back into
a somewhat restless sleep in spite of the increasing wind. Finally, the noise of the wind and the sense that it
might just blow the tent off its mooring drives us both out of bed. By 8:00, we were again sitting outside out
tents, but this time we keep looking at the summit and wondering if some moving specs we see are our team
mates. By mid morning, word has been radioed down that the remaining team members did reach the summit
in spite of increasingly strong winds (gusts probably up to 60 mph at the top) and are on their way down. Eric
and another RMI guide come over to re-secure the tents in expectation of a serious storm coming in later
today. Bill and I pack and prepare for the hike back to Paradise after the others return. With the weather
coming in, the guides will want to leave as quickly as possible.
Around 11:00 we see the summit team arriving. They are moving very slowly into Independent Valley, each
still connected by 25’ of rope to the climbers in front and behind. Bill, Chang and I cheer each one as they
arrive and Paul unhooks their ropes. There are high fives and a sense of elation, but all are clearly physically
and mentally exhausted. The walk up the hill to our tents is very difficult for them. Paul informs all that there is
no rest for the weary. Because of the incoming weather, he wants to leave as soon as possible – within the
hour. Bill and I help Jim change from the climb and pack for the last leg – back to Paradise. Jim is pretty much
shot, but finds a way to get it together within the hour. He tries to explain how incredibly hard the summit was,
how he was ready to “punt” about 500’ from the summit, and how Paul “forced” him to finish rather than turn
back. At this point, he is still too exhausted to fully appreciate his accomplishment.
We start down the snowfields sometime after noon. Paul tells us the return trip will be rather chaotic and that it
didn’t hurt any more to go fast than to go slow, so we should try to get it done as quickly as possible. He
expects us to get down in two hours. (It took us 5+ coming up.) We start out following Paul and Bill who were
almost running and “shoe skiing” down the snowfield. Even with my new knee braces, I find the process
increasingly painful and, try as I might, just cannot “let go.” After several falls and a couple of knee twists, it
becomes a pretty slow march for me except when we get to areas where it is safe to sit down and slide
anywhere from 10 to 50 yards at a time. A cold butt never felt so good! At one point, Paul and Bill stop, I
assume to wait for others to catch up. It turns out that Paul has found some dangerous holes in the snowfield
and needs to be sure the rest of us avoid them. With Gabby and Eric bringing up the middle and rear, we
continue down the snow field. Once at the end of the snow field, most of the group changes into their light
shoes for the final hike down the more finished path. I opt to keep my plastics on. It is a good choice because
on more than one occasion they save me from severely twisting an ankle. By now I am at the back of the pack
with Jim and Eric. My left knee had gotten to the point that I can not take regular steps where they exist. I
have to go one foot at a time, relying on my right leg to lower me to each next step. This becomes very slow
and tedious. As we get to within a mile of the Inn, Bill is waiting for me. He stated that, “We started this
journey together and we might as well finish it together.” It was one more, much appreciated example of the
great teammate he has been through this entire effort. By the time we reach the Paradise Inn, most of the
others have had a chance to recoup. We take a very quick “personal” break, load our packs and board the
bus back to RMI just as the rain starts to really come down. We all imagine what the weather must be like up
on the mountain and are glad to be down. The bus ride home is almost silent as everyone is still recovering
and contemplating what he or she has accomplished over the last three days.
Once back at the RMI headquarters, we turn in our rental gear, get a snack and Paul gathers the team one
more time for our “closing ceremony.” He and the other guides have very thoughtful comments about each
team member’s effort and success, present each with a certificate of accomplishment (mine reads “participated
in the summit attempt”) and confirm email addresses so we can keep in touch. While sitting here, I begin to
more fully appreciate not only our individual accomplishments, but the unique opportunity we have all had to
meet, work toward a common goal, and bond with a very diverse group of people. As quickly as we had come
together as a team four days ago, however, we all disburse and head our separate ways. Bill and I drive to
Tacoma for the night and repack for an early flight back to Philly.
8/25 – The End and Thank You
Upon reflection, I now very clearly appreciate the difference between “hiking” and “mountaineering!” The
former can be a wonderful lifetime activity for almost anyone. The latter is definitely an endurance sport for
the young. That said, I am very pleased with the effort I made in preparing for and undertaking this
“adventure.” It was an incredible experience personally, and I certainly achieved my number one goal of
raising awareness and money for Pathways. To date we have raised over $5,000, and the total
continues to climb. I hope some of you will find Pathways to be an organization you wish to support in the
future.
Again, I thank each of you all for your support in so many ways and look forward to sharing more
stories/anecdotes with you when we get together.