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| Sunrise behind Little Tahoma from Cathedral Gap |
It's been a busy weekend at Camp Muir and on the upper mountain. Warm temperatures, clear skies, and light winds have made for excellent climbing conditions. Most parties have been starting pretty early for their summit attempts. Rangers found that returning to Camp Muir before 10 am allowed parties to beat the heat and not get too dehydrated.
Lets get into the nuts and bolts of the route above Camp Muir:
Camp Muir to Ingraham Flats
The route heads across the Cowlitz glacier and up Cathedral Gap in a steady, obvious boot pack. On the other side of Cathedral Gap, gaining the Ingraham glacier is icy with lots of rock rubble. Look for wands that will help guide you through this section and onto a good boot track leading you into Ingraham Flats.
Ingraham Flats to Disappointment Cleaver
Follow the trail towards high crack. Here, guides recently put in a handline to aid in crossing a narrow snow bridge. Traverse quickly across the Ingraham glacier towards the cleaver to minimize exposure to objective hazards above. This traverse can become an area of congestion as climbers often slow down as they negotiate leaving the glacier and climbing onto the rock. Take note of climbing parties in front of you and try to allow ample spacing so that you can move efficiently and avoid needing to wait. Another hand line exists where the trail gains the cleaver. Remember, this is only meant as something to hold onto, not something to prusik or clip the rope into.
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| Ingraham Flats from Disappointment Cleaver |
Disappointment Cleaver
The cleaver is all rock. Look for wands marking the route. Loose rock is most prevalent on the lower one third of the cleaver, and care should be taken to tread lightly. Look for parties above and below you and take care to not dislodge any rocks. The upper two thirds of the cleaver is more straightforward. Remember to shorten the rope interval between climbers on the cleaver, so that you don't dislodge rocks onto parties below you.
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| The cleaver from Ingraham Flats |
Upper Mountain
Above the cleaver, the route ascends quite efficiently towards the summit. The boot pack switchbacks steadily amongst sun cups and penitentes. In several places, the trail is very troughed out, making it difficult to pass other parties or step off the trail. Remember that uphill parties have the right of way. If you are descending, step out of the trail to let other parties pass.
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| The ladder at 13,000 feet |
There is a ladder at 13,000 feet over a crevasse. The ladder is at a 50 degree angle, and spans about 8 feet. It is well anchored and has handlines to aid in crossing. Most parties have negotiated the ladder easily using the handlines. If needed, a running belay is possible here. Note that the ladder can create a bottleneck on busy weekend days, leading to long wait times. The best strategy is to communicate with other parties in camp and agree to spread out your start times in the morning. Rangers, guides, and the public have been working together to improve everyone's climbing experience and avoid bottleneck situations. If possible, plan your climb for midweek when the route is less crowded.
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| Looking up the route from the top of the cleaver |
Descent from the Summit to Camp Muir
Save plenty of energy for the descent. Warm daytime temperatures have sapped the strength of numerous parties. If your team brings a stove, you can stop and quickly melt more drinking water on the way down. Getting back to camp by mid morning will make the descent more tolerable.
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| The boot pack has become a deep trough in some places above 12,000 feet |
Don't forget to bring a shovel with you up to Camp Muir. There are lots of flat spots on the snow around camp that become quite comfortable after a little shovel work. Also, snow pickets are deemed required equipment for glacier travel on Mt. Rainier this time of year. The snow is too firm to plunge an ice axe into the snow for an anchor. Practice crevasse rescue with your team before the climb to allow yourselves time to enjoy the alpine scenery around camp.
