Overview
Fourth of July brought favorable conditions to Mount Rainier and climbers found sunny days and overall great weather for summit attempts. Friday through Sunday was quite busy with a full camp at both Muir and Ingraham Flats.
We are still in a transitional period here at Mount Rainier and any type of conditions can exist at any time. Always be prepared for wintery conditions even if just day hiking up the snowfield. Main hazards associated with this time of year include:
- Rapidly changing and unpredictable weather including winter snowstorms
- Overhead hazard from rock and serac fall
- Thinning snow-bridges over crevasses
Disappointment Cleaver
Hiking to Camp Muir:
On the way up from Paradise, please stick to the summer trail if it is melted out/snow free. If the trail is still buried, please follow NPS wands (markers) through the snow until gaining sections of melted trail. Please avoid trampling the fragile alpine wildflowers and vegetation.
The Muir Snowfield itself is starting its transition to a summer texture with suncups lining the entirety of its length. Skiers take note, do not expect smooth snow surface conditions if skiing/riding from Camp Muir.
Always be prepared to navigate to/from Muir in wintery whiteout conditions.
Above Camp Muir:
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The National Park Service does not maintain the route; however, guide services on Mount Rainier do significant work to keep the climb maintained and marked with reflective wands. Several areas along the DC have significant exposure to overhead rock and icefall hazard. Remember, if you look up and something can come off the mountain and down on your team, do not take a break there. Continue moving until the overhead hazard is no longer present.
Above Ingraham Flats, guide services established a small ladder across high crack. Gaining entrance to the Cleaver is still relatively straight forward. Remember, Significant serac fall and icefall exists in this zone. To reiterate from above, do not break here. Appropriate break spots exist once your team is on the "spine" of the Cleaver.
From the top of the DC the route follows a well-established route to roughly 12,800ft. The ladder at this location still exists and from here the route splits. One is the "older" route travelling fairly direct to the crater. The alternate route travels further climbers-right and gains the Emmons Shoulder to rejoin the existing route at roughly 13,400ft.
The more direct route still is in use by independent teams and guide services at the time this blog is written. It is important to remember that now with summer temps gaining consistency on the upper mountain, crevasses can open, and snow bridges can collapse. The direct route has several snow bridges that teams will travel over, and climbers should use their discretion when crossing. Beat the heat of the day by climbing early and descending early to alleviate some risk of collapsing bridges.
The Emmons Shoulder route will traverse out climbers right where teams will cross another horizontal ladder just below 13,000ft. This route overall has less crevasses parties will travel over but the advice remains the same to minimize exposure in warming temperatures.
Remember, Mount Rainier is a dynamic environment and can host winter storms any time of year. Always check the weather forecast before your climb and never completely rule out the possibility of severe weather/winds affecting your climb.
Additional Information
- The Public Shelter at Camp Muir is now closed for maintenance since July 7 - September 30. Climbers camping at Muir should plan on bringing and sleeping in tents.
- Remember, practice Leave No Trace principals throughout your entire visit to Mount Rainier National Park. Rangers went through the Public Shelter prior to its closure after the holiday weekend and collected 30 pounds of garbage left behind by climbers. Do not litter in your national park.
- A climbing permit and payment of the annual climbing fee are required to climb Mount Rainier. More information can be found on the Mount Rainier National Park's Website. The Paradise Wilderness Information Center (PWIC) is open for the season with hours of operation between 7:30am - 5pm.
