Camp Schurman Update

There's some exciting news to announce from Camp Schurman - as of this morning, we now have two functioning toilets up here.  The construction of this second toilet started last fall, and it's in an operational status this week. We still have a few finishing touches to finalize over the rest of the season, so expect some ongoing upgrades. Here are a couple photos of the new building and some general reminders for toilet procedures at high camp.

The interior of the new toilet. 

This new toilet is much roomier inside than the older toilet. It uses the same urine diverting system as all the other toilets at the high camps. We don't have a urinal installed yet, but that will be coming before the end of the season. If you prefer to pee standing up, tough.  Definitely sit down when your using the toilet so there's no chance of ruining a dry toilet seat for everyone else in camp.  If you really want to stand up, get a partner, rope-up, and walk out on the Winthrop Glacier below camp where other climbers are not collecting snow for water, and pee there. 

New hand sanitizer holder and coat hook

These new hand sanitizer holders are much more economical and don't need to be replaced as often as the previous system. The coat hook to the right is a handy place to hang your clothes, helmet, headlamp, or any other accessories you might take into the bathroom.

New toilet on the left, old on the right. Both are open for use. 

Both of these toilets are open for use. If you have a blue bags from your trip up or time on the mountain, deposit that in the barrel between the two toilets. The flap in the middle of the green lid opens for easy deposit. Just remember, only human waste should go into these barrels. Please do not leave trash, food, dirty clothes, or anything else that isn't human waste in a blue bag.

Only put blue bags into this barrel. 

A simple message. Please don't leave your trash behind.

When you are finished using the toilets, please remember to latch the door from the outside. It gets quite windy at high camps and unlatched doors can catch the wind and cause significant damage. If the door is latched from the outside, that is a good indicator that the toilet is empty and ready for your use. If there happens to be someone in the toilet and it's latched from the outside, they'd probably appreciate being let out.  We're excited about doubling the toilet scene at Camp Schurman and hope you get to enjoy the new toilet scene too!  And, as always, if you're not sure about any operation at high camp, swing by the ranger hut and ask!

Disappointment Cleaver Update 7/24/2019

Sun rays over Little T

Spring weather in July! Unusually cold wet weather has changed snow conditions. A week ago mixed snow and rain coated the upper mountain changing conditions to slick ice. After several days of warm weather and trail maintenance from guide services, travel conditions have improved. Climbing teams  are reaching the summit via a fairly direct route, relatively unchanged, and well wanded up high. 

Across the Cowlitz Glacier, the trail traverses above several small crevasses before traveling at a 
lower angle than last week onto the rocks at Cathedral Gap. This makes for faster transition times 
and thus less risk for climbing teams in that hazardous rockfall zone below Cathedral Gap.

Photo of both routes onto Cathedral Gap, Red is the old line, Green is the new route being used

On the back side of Cathedral Rocks is Ingraham Flats and a great place to take a break. Please 
remember to use the blue bags and bring those bags to the collection barrels at Camp Muir. Don't 
leave any human waste on the mountain.

After leaving Ingraham Flats, the route gains elevation and traverses east onto the cleaver. Currently  there are no ladders in this zone. There is very little snow travel left moving up the cleaver. Climbers  can expect slow progress with loose rock and soft volcanic pumice, only broken up by the occasional  scramble across knee high boulders.

Above the Cleaver expect to cross several snow bridges with possible delays during busier nights at  these choke points. At 13000’ a horizontal crevasse and 'wall' blocks the route - an 8’ vertical ladder  was put in place and spans this obstacle. After summiting, use caution on the descent. Passing other  parties off of the boot pack can be extra risky because the firm conditions. Use your patience (a key  skill during this busy season) and pass parties in less consequential terrain.

Ladder across crevasse at 13000'

Weather going into this weekend and next week is improving with a brief low pressure system passing
through Washington to the north of Rainier. A chance of lower level clouds and precipitation are
possible late Friday into Saturday, with high pressure prevailing over the extended forecast.

Check out the weather resources page for more information.

Disappointment Cleaver Update 7/16/2019

Dynamic weather has impacted the mountain this week making for colder, windy, and sometimes low visibility climbing conditions. While clouds have been hanging over the lowlands the last few days, Camp Muir and the upper mountain have seen a mix between sunny and cloudy weather.

The snow remaining on Disappointment Cleaver continues to melt and snow bridges on the upper mountain continue to sag and slowly collapse into the bigger crevasses up high. Generally, though, the route remains in typical mid-July condition.

Another busy July morning above Disappointment Cleaver

The major changes to the route have occurred on The Cleaver and above. On the lower half of The Cleaver, climbers can expect to travel on rock. Halfway up, two options exist. Climbers can either stay on the spine (ridge crest), or travel a little climber's left onto the shoulder. The shoulder is a mix of snow and rock, while the spine is all rock. Climbers will find wands on both paths up the cleaver.

The route above Ingraham Flatts (Green), the spine of the cleaver (Red), and the shoulder of the cleaver (Blue)

Above The Cleaver, the route heads through a heavily crevassed section of glacier. At 12,800' a hand line has been placed along a steeper section of the route. While it may not be of much use on the ascent, the hand line may provide greater security for teams descending this section.

The hand line at 12,800 feet

At 13,000 feet climbers will encounter a large crevasse bridged by two different ladders. The ladder to climber's left has been in place for a couple weeks. It is anchored with pickets and has a hand line to aid in crossing it.

Another ladder.

To climber's right, a new ladder was placed by guides recently. This ladder is oriented vertically and climbs the steep uphill wall of the crevasse. The vertical ladder has a hand line near the top to aid in negotiating the top of the crevasse wall. The hand line extends to the right above the ladder for 30 feet and is anchored with a few pickets. This line allows climbing teams to perform running belays to protect a fall while traveling up or down this ladder.

The ladder to climber's right at 13,000 feet.

Both ladders are viable options for negotiating this crevasse. Naturally, climbers stack up at these ladder crossings because they take extra time to negotiate. Always check the stability of ladders on the upper mountain and use the anchors for a belay, or running belay if your team wants to up your level of security. Ladders can add fall potential and consequence to crevasse crossings, so they should be negotiated carefully.

The DC route on 7/16/2019

Above 13,000 feet the route continues up before traversing to the Emmons shoulder. At 13,700 feet, the route traverses back to the south before continuing up to the crater rim.

Snow showers at Camp Muir Monday morning 7/15

Weather Outlook:

Showery weather will continue this week. Winds ramp up on Wednesday to 40-55 mph on the summit as a large low pressure system moves closer to Mt. Rainier from the NW. Winds will continue to be severe on the upper mountain Thursday as the low stalls out north of Mt. Rainier before exiting the area Friday night. Expect wet, windy conditions with little visibility on the mountain through Friday. Sunny and warm weather is forecast for Saturday and Sunday. Check the Mt. Rainier Recreational Forecast for updates.

Emmons-Winthrop Route Update 7/14/2019

With the recent mild weather conditions the Emmons-Winthrop route has stabilized and remains largely unchanged from recent reports. It is in 'classic' configuration much as described in guidebooks and the Route Brief published by the NPS.

A recent track of the Emmons-Winthrop. Note that small route variations are possible.

The route climbs out of Camp Schurman, ascends through Emmons Flats and traverses onto the Corridor at roughly 10,000'. There are several large crevasses that must be negotiated right out of camp and caution must be observed from the start.

Climbing the Corridor is fairly straightforward, however there are more crevasses opening there as well. At the top of the Corridor the route traverses to the Alpine Meadow and then switchbacks up to the start of the bergschrund at 13,100'. Along the traverse and through the switchbacks many more crevasses must be negotiated by either stepping across or end-running.

The theme of the route is lots of crevasses.

At 13,100' there are two options for overcoming the bergschrund. The main path (pictured below) traverses blow a jumble of seracs and crosses several large crevasses. There is an alternate solution that involves climbing another 100' uphill over the seracs before traversing to rejoin the other route.

Either variation is viable at this point. The lower is the most heavily used at this point but is slightly more risky.

Climbers utilizing running belays below the jumble of seracs.

Once the two variations join back together the route climbs to the northwest and after several steep false-summits gains the west crater. from there it is less than ten minutes to the true summit at Columbia Crest.

All in all it is an enjoyable route and with the forecast cool July weather it should continue to climb well for several weeks.

Emmons-Winthrop Route Update July 8th, 2019

The Emmons-Winthrop route is in similar condition to the last post.  That being said, with the warm sunny weather as well as rain, the crevasses are opening up.

When departing Camp Schurman on your climb, there are two routes that leave camp.  The climber's right route takes climbers through a zone which has hollow bridges over crevasses, where the climber's left route avoids this hazard and maneuvers through a relatively benign crossing over a  small crevasse.

Climbers will have to manage a number of large, hollow crevasses when crossing from the football field to the base of the Corridor.  Move through this area with caution and spend adequate time assessing the condition of these crevasse bridges.

Once climbers reach 13,000', they are faced with a right hand route and a left hand route.  The left  hand route takes climbers directly under the burgshrund, then traverses to liberty saddle.  The left hand route also avoids weaving through hollow crevasses.

A few points for people planning on camping at Camp Schurman:

• Spend time assessing tent sites around camp.  There are a couple large crevasses that are opening up very close to existing tent platforms.  
• Please avoid camping on the rocks directly uphill from the ranger hut.  The National Park Service is trying to keep this area clear due to the proximity of the helipad.

Safe climbing!

Current route taking both Climber's left options.

Overview of current route

Looking up the Inter Glacier near Glacier Basin

Looking down at the approach to Camp Schurman from Camp Curtis

Moving through a crevassed area just uphill from Camp Schurman.

Thin bridge spanning a crevasse above 13k.

Route traveling parallel and directly over a crevasse above 13k. Note: this is taken from the climber's right track (notated in green on the photo.)  We recommend taking the climbers left route to avoid this and features similar.

Assessing to safely maneuver a crevasse bridge above 13k

Kautz Glacier Photos July 9th 2019

The Turtle Snowfield

On July 9th, while en route to Camp Muir, the park helicopter staff snapped some photos of the Kautz Glacier Route. Parties have been successful in reaching the summit via this route recently. The rock step to get onto the ice pitches is reported to be approximately 15ft tall.

View of the Kautz Glacier’s ice pitches

The upper Kautz Glacier

DC Route Update

Sunrise from Muir Rocks 

The trail from Muir is punched in and well defined with all the holiday traffic and beautiful weather. Expect delays in bottleneck areas during the weekends and clear weather forecasts. As the crevasses open more, the trail continues to traverse them - avoiding large steps across where evidence of the old boot pack still exists. Follow the wands and newest boot pack away from the widest part of the crevasse. X'd wands mark old paths. 

Route view from Ingraham Flats

Heading up from Ingram Flats, the trail gains elevation to 11,400’ above a vertical crack before traversing down under the "Ice Box" onto the Cleaver. As you switch back up the Cleaver remember to shorten your ropes and tread lightly to prevent knocking rocks on climbers below.

Trail cut through penitents leading onto the cleaver

There are still some snow patches where the trail narrows considerably due to solar melt and foot traffic. At the top of the cleaver breath taking views are observed as the horizon extends far into eastern Washington. The top of the Cleaver is a great place to take a break. 

View towards Eastern Washington

From the Cleaver follow the trail alongside a 40’ tall overhanging ice wall leading into a short "stair case" chopped into the glacier. 

Traversing snow wall

At 12,900’ a snow bridge crosses a long traversing crevasse. This plug is above a long horizontal crack, where the trail crosses a flat ledge with snow steps on the far side. Use caution as this feature is thin. 

Snow Bridge at 12,900'

From 13,000’ up, there are several snow bridges, but these crevasses have fairly comfortable crossings. The rocky rim identifies the summit. A reminder that this is only half way, ensure there are still reserves for the trip down!

Route above DC

On your decent from one of the most spectacular views in Washington, remember to give crevasses the respect they deserve. Tread lightly on the cleaver and keep a smile on your face.

Muir Snowfield Update

Looking down the Snowfield from Camp Muir. Note the surface conditions.

It's been a slow start to the summer season, the stellar high pressure has yet to arrive and temperatures have fluctuated all over the place. Sadly, the unusually cool temperatures for the last couple weeks were not enough to help the lower mountain recover from the record high temperatures in spring. The snow pack at Paradise is sitting at about 3% of normal for July 5th (about 1 inch instead of the normal 38 inches).

The trails at Paradise are mostly clear until shortly before Glacier Vista. Then the snow gets patchy--and continues to be so until just past Pebble Creek, where it becomes all snow. Please be careful to step off the snow onto trail. Our beautiful alpine meadows easily get trampled during this transition period and Panorama Face is seeing severe erosion from people cutting corners.

And in terms of the skiing...well, don't come with high expectations and maybe consider leaving the skis at home. The sun cups are growing and there is a nice, thin, consistent dirt layer from Camp Muir down to Pebble Creek that will sandpaper the wax off your base. However, boot glissading is in its prime season now. It sure is nice to cut that extra weight off your feet this time of year and go light up to Muir. Don't forget to enjoy the view on your breaks.

Please remember, that weather changes fast up here on Rainier and the snowfield can quickly become socked in. Despite the boot track and things melting out, it is easy to become disoriented and lost on the snowfield when you are in a cloud. Please come with at least a GPS to navigate these conditions.

Full camps!

The high camps (both Muir and Schurman) have basically filled up for Friday and Saturday nights.  Here's how it breaks down: There are 110 people allowed at Camp Muir each night.  There are 48 people allowed at Camp Schurman.

Camp Muir and the Muir Corridor
Currently, Camp Muir is FULL Thursday, July 4th, and Friday, July 5th.  Even for walk-up permits.  The only chance of getting a permit is if someone comes down early from their climb and checks out at the desk so that we can avail the numbers in the system.  It is likely that permits for Saturday night will all be taken up by early on Friday morning.

Common overflow areas for Camp Muir are the Muir Snowfield and Ingraham Flats.  There are 36 people allowed at each of those spots.  Right now the system shows limited availability for those sites.

Camp Schurman and the Emmons/Winthrop Corridor
Camp Schurman is also full for Friday and Saturday. The overflow area for Camp Schurman is Emmons Flats. There are only a few sites available at Emmons Flats and these are likely to be full shortly.

Single Push Climbers
All climbers are required to get a backcountry permit for their trip, INCLUDING single push climbing groups. If the campsites are all full along your intended route, then you will not be issued a climbing permit. Climbers found on the mountain without a permit will be turned around by rangers.

Resource Protection and Visitor Safety

The current limits on campers at each camp each night has been in place for a few decades.  These numbers represent the maximum limit of people that each area can handle with regards to resource protection and visitor safety.  For example at Camp Muir, when we have more than 110 people camping, the number of climbers on the route gets so large that it becomes unsafe.  Rockfall from climbers above, long wait times at pinch points or technical crossings, as well as lines for the bathrooms (and managing the human waste collection systems) can all reach un-enjoyable and un-sustainable conditions.  When the limits on the wilderness areas reach their maximum visitor's experiences aren't as fun or safe.  Please respect these limits.

Reservations

To make a reservation for the coming weeks and ensure a spot on the mountain, please visit this site.  About 60 percent of the total number of sites are available for reservation.  Please make your reservation two weeks in advance.  

Emmons-Winthrop Update 7/2/2019

Track Log from 6/30/2019

The Emmons-Winthrop route is in good shape as the season progresses, with a few places of note that Rangers encountered while climbing on June 30th.The first is the traverse above the Corridor. The route traverses climbers' right around two bulges of blue ice. This traverse, while not technical, would be consequential if a fall occurred. Parties might consider placing running protection through this section. As the snow melts, it will be difficult to protect this traverse without ice screws.

Possible variations at approx 13,100' on the Emmons Winthrop Route.  To the left is the steeper bergshrund crossing, and to the right is the easy traverse towards the saddle.

The next point of note is around 13,100'. The trail splits and some parties have been going climbers left and directly up the bergschrund. This variation is steep and may require two-tool climbing. The main route branches towards climber's right and traverses through much easier terrain towards the saddle and eventually the summit.

A large crevasse crossing at 13,500' on the Emmons-Winthrop Route.  In this photo the ranger has left the boot-track to utilize a safer snow bridge.

The weather has been changing rapidly on the upper mountain, ranging from thunderstorms to June-uary snowstorms! There has been 3" of new snow at Camp Schurman and up to 10" reported on the upper mountain in the past two days.  The new snow has complicated route-finding somewhat, so be prepared to choose your own adventure should you get the opportunity to re-establish the route!  It's been a good reminder that climbers attempting Mt. Rainier should be prepared for cold temps and decreased visibility regardless of what the month of the year may suggest.

It's beautiful up here, and we expect a busy weekend as folks come up during the long weekend.  Please remember to be prepared, tread lightly, and leave-no-trace during your visits to your National Parks this weekend!

July-uary on the DC

 

Snow on Cathedral Rocks and the Cowlitz Glacier

 

 

Climbing Rangers often say that summer doesn't start on Mount Rainier unitl the 4th of July. This summer it looks like we'll be pushing right up to that date before dry, warm weather moves over the region.

 

The GFS weather model showing accumulated percipitation up to 5:00AM July 4.

 

 

A persistent low pressure over the Northwest has lead to cool and showery weather over the mountian for much of the past week. The pattern has been remarkably similar day-to-day with clear skies in the morning, followed by cloud build up and showers in the afternoon.

 

A stronger pulse of bad weather brought snow showers in the early morning hours of July 2nd. We had three inches of snow accumulation at Camp Muir and guides reported up to six inches on the upper mountain.

 

New snow at Camp Muir 2019.07.02

 

 

This cool weather will keep the route conditions good as we go into the long holiday weekend. We expect large numbers of climbers Thursday through Sunday so please plan on having other climbers on the mountain with you, even on less-popular routes like the Kautz glacier.

 

 

The high camps are at full reservation levels so if you are looking to get a walk up permit please arrive in the Park early and have your climbing fee documentation handy. The will speed up the registration process for everyone.

We are always at maximum levels for our popluar climbing routes during this, the busiest, time of the year. A flexible itinerary will increase the chances of getting the camp of your choice.

 

Thanks and have a safe, fun Independence Day.