DC Update and Emmons/Winthrop Merge Navigation Tips

There are a few notable facts about the DC route in it's current incarnation:

• You hit the 12,400' elevation band 4 times while climbing up and down the route.
• Total distance is almost 8 miles from Camp Muir to the summit and back.
• There is a 300' descent and subsequent climb in the middle.
• You begin the climb heading due North and reach the summit travelling due South.
• You will cross 4 glaciers en route, the Cowlitz, Ingraham, Emmons and Winthrop.

DC Route on 7/30/2017

The trail above the Cleaver is good but the route is quite long. Most of the climbers on the July 29/30 weekend reported that they underestimated the physical effort required to tackle the DC. The climb back from southern margin of the Emmons Glacier to regain the Cleaver seemed to be the area that gave folks the most trouble. Regaining that 300' in the heat of the day can be extremely taxing. You can mitigate this by climbing early on hot days and by maintaining a consistent pace throughout your climb.

The DC route traversing to the north and gaining the Emmons Gl.

Finding the correct descent route hasn't been as much of a problem this week as it was last week but here's a few tips on successfully making it back to your camp.

#1 Carry a GPS and track your progress. You can then simply reverse your path. The rangers do that and it's how we produce the track logs used in this blog.

#2 Check your compass bearings on ascent and descent. The general direction of the DC is SW. The Emmons/Winthrop is NNW.

#3 Use large, obvious landmarks to keep you on track.

Climbers descending the DC and heading towards Little Tahoma.

#4 At the very least note and remember critical points on the trail.

The DC and E/W Merge from above. The path leading straight down heads to Camp Schurman, the path to the right leads to Camp Muir.

Climb safe and have fun!

Inter Glacier

This unusually long stint of beautiful hot sunny weather is melting the snow on the glacier fast. When you get near bottom of the snow line be sure to try and minimize your impact by not hiking on the alpine meadows that are starting to melt out. You can still stay on the snow all the way to the social trail, or you can rock hop your way over to it. Also, beware as you walk where the snow is thin at the bottom, it is easy to punch through and twist an ankle in the rocks just beneath the surface. 

For those of you looking to ski, come in with very low expectations or just don't bring your skis/board at all. There is a fine coating of dirt covering the whole glacier that will clean the wax right off your bases and large sun cups forming near the top half to make the skiing less than fun. But if you are just looking for those 5-10 turns to tell folks you skied July and August, it is possible.

On that note though skiers, hikers, climbers, and glissaders should take care traveling the Inter Glacier. While it is not high on the mountain and as big as the glaciers up above, there are crevasses you don't want to fall into. Some of which are hard to see from above because they are below roll overs. Guided groups travel the glacier roped up and if you are not very experienced with glacier travel, you should consider the same for yourself.  Some of the boot tracks and glissade tracks go right next to large crevasses, right on thin bridges. So don't blindly follow the boot tracks or fly down the glissade trenches. And ALWAYS stay in CONTROL when you are glissading. I recommend just not butt-glissading at least the upper half of the glacier. It's hard to see what's coming up. 

Glissade trench going right over a thin bridge above a large crevasse

As the snow melts out too, take caution as you approach some of the large rock outcroppings in the glacier. It is not uncommon for large moats to form around the rocks from the heat they radiate back at the snow. It would not be good to fall into one.

On the brighter note though. It is really nice conditions right now for hiking up and down hill. Firm in the early morning, easy to kick steps in the softening snow by late morning, and generally by late morning/early afternoon it soft enough to be gentle on the knees on the way down without post holing through. For those of you into boot-glissading it can't get much better.

Glissading 101

The Basic Rules

It's fun, fast, and efficient way to get down, I can't deny it. However, as the rangers patrol the mountain, we've seen a number of golden rules broken. Some with minimal consequences and others with more severe from lost gear to damaged joints. So here's a few basic rules to follow when you are glissading that can make your descent a safe and fun success.

1. Look at your line. Are you on a glacier right now? Generally a bad idea to be sitting low to the ground, moving fast if you might have crevasses coming up. Even the inter glacier has some good size holes just under a thin bridge or past a blind roll. Just because there's a trench from previous glissades, doesn't mean it's a smart or safe line to follow. Really for areas like the inter glacier (if you have chosen to travel it unroped), you might want to consider mastering the more difficult "boot glissade" technique so you can better see what's in front of you. I think it goes without saying, but don't glissade on the upper mountain and while roped up. Of course, it's good to also check and make sure rocks and alpine vegetation have not melted out in your line as well.

2. Take your crampons off before glissading if you value your knees and ankles. It's easy to catch a point when your going fast and next thing you know you flipped around to be flying down face first with a sprained or broken ankle. 

3. Have your ax ready and know how to self-arrest. On steeper pitches, it's easy to get going faster than you mean to or expect. Make sure you can stop yourself fast so the rocks at the bottom don't. 

4 Keep your pack tight and clean. A lot of gear has been popping up in those glissade trenches. It can leave you rather thirsty when you get to the bottom and find your water bottle gone. Or even worse, when the one strap that was holding your tent (or part there of) to your pack breaks, and you get to the bottom without your $500 shelter. If it looks like you're having a tag sale of gear on your pack, it's likely to become a yard sale on the mountain when you glissade.

Edmunds Headwall/ Mowich Face Route Conditions

Ptarmigan Ridge, Mowich Face, and the route taken up the Edmunds Headwall

On July 25th, two Climbing Rangers set out on a patrol from Mowich Lake toward the Edmunds Headwall.  The routes on this side of the mountain require a long approach and a high degree of self-sufficiency given their remoteness. Rangers were able to establish a bivy at 9,600 ft in between the North Mowich and Edmunds glaciers near the base of the Edmunds Headwall.  The bergschrund is not passable anymore, but rangers found a way climber's left near a twin gendarme that allowed access to the face.  The bergschrund under the central Mowich face appeared to have a similar bypass through a rock band on climber's left.

The Central Mowich Face from the Edmunds Headwall

 Once on the headwall, rangers found moderately firm neve conditions that allowed for efficient movement.  The entire face is covered in penitente from Sunset Ridge to Ptarmigan ridge.  This textured snow provided ample footholds and nearly eliminated the need for front-pointing.

Ranger Hicks surveying the route

After completing the steepest climbing, and arriving at 13,000 ft atop of the headwall, rangers traveled along upper Sunset Ridge towards Liberty Cap.  Here, they waded through 3 foot tall penitente that made travel arduous.  With ice axes wielded like machetes, they spent considerable time finishing this stretch of the route.

Penitente below Liberty Cap

Climbs on the Mowich Face are exposed to rockfall. Climbing in the morning before the sun hits the face can help mitigate rockfall potential, but this will not eliminate the hazard.  Climb with a helmet and bring ample rescue gear.  Always be prepared for an extra night out on the mountain, and don't be afraid to turn back if climbing conditions are not ideal.  Have fun and enjoy the mountain!    -691

Weather Ed- Cloud Caps and Lenticulars

The presence of a cloud over the top of a mountain such as Rainier makes for a great photo op for anyone who happens to see it from below; for climbers high on the mountain however, these clouds and associated winds can represent quite a challenge  In this short overview we want to look at the fundamentals of how these clouds form and what the implications are for climbers.

Aug 2016. Flow is from left to right

There are two basic mechanisms that we will discuss.  Keep in mind that these processes are come with respect to any large isolated mountain or mountain range.  First, we will look at the generic mountain cloud cap which is produced by the forced ascent of air up the windward slope of a mountain.  Then we will discuss the various types of lenticular clouds (lens shaped) which form in the crests of mountain waves.

We are going to start our discussion with a thought experiment.  Let's say we have 20 mph west winds at 10,000 ft approaching Rainier (approx. upper Puyallup Cleaver-Tahoma Glacier).  Note that wind direction is the direction from which the air is moving; in this example from west-to-east. What the possible flow patterns once the air reaches the mountain? It would seem pretty obvious that the air can go up, down or around the upper mountain.  Under most circumstances (standard atmospheric properties) this air would have a difficult time moving down because it would be moving in to an area of higher pressure. Computer modeling studies of this nature show that part of the flow will go around a conical mountain like Rainier and some will go up and over (keep in mind that these flows may accelerate as well).  The breakdown of how much goes over versus around depends on a number of factors chiefly, atmospheric stability which in turn is a function of the vertical change in air temperature with height.  Without going into any more detail, it will suffice to say that the portion of the flow that is 'forced' up and over cools as it ascends. It cools because it expands into an area of reduced pressure hence the kinetic energy of the air molecules decreases (there are fewer collisions between the air molecules which is what we measure as temperature).  The rate of cooling various a bit but typically ranges from 3 to 5 degrees F. per thousand feet.

Upslope flow from left to right.

If the air which ascends the windward slope contains only a small amount of water vapor (invisible to the human eye but is in the air nevertheless), then the cooling will probably not be sufficient to produce a cloud (the relative humidity [RH] remains below 100%).  However, if the ascending air is moist to start with, as soon as the RH equals 100% cloud droplets or ice crystals form and we have the makings of a cloud.  It is important to keep in mind that air is continuously moving through the cloud and that the cloud droplets (or ice crystals) are continuously condensing (deposition= vapor to a solid directly) and then evaporating (sublimating= solid to a vapor directly). Even though the cloud essentially remains fixed with respect to the mountain, the stuff that makes up the cloud is in a constant state of flux.  This upslope flow produces a cloud directly over the summit and not above it or downstream.

So what happens as the air moves past the summit? Generally, it will start to descend the leeward slope; as it moves downward it is compressed and hence it warms (kinetic energy increases).  As a parcel warms with no change in its water vapor content the RH drops below 100% and the droplets (crystals) begin to evaporate (sublimate)- this is the trailing edge of the cloud.  The shape of a mountain cloud cap as seen from below is often symmetrical with respect to the leading and trailing edges but they don't have to be (photo above shows an asymmetrical cloud).  Sometimes the edges are smooth and other times ragged.  Flow around the sides of the upper mountain may produce some additional clouds as well.  Cloud caps form and dissipate over the course of a few minutes and their duration (summer) is typically on the order of half-hour to hours.  During the winter these may last for days during the passage of a storm.

Massive outbreak of lee waves.

Lenticular clouds on the other hand are produced when a wave in the atmosphere is generated by the flow of air over the summit of a mountain, ridgeline, or mountain range.  This occurs in response to a fairly narrow range of atmospheric parameters hence they only develop from time-to-time.  In short, energy is produced by air moving over the summit which is then transmitted upward through the atmosphere.  Depending on the change with height of air temperature, windspeed and wind direction, this energy may be transmitted well into the stratosphere (miles above the source region), the result is a single wave above the mountain.  At other times, a 'wave guide' may form in the atmosphere in which case a large part of the upward energy is reflected back down towards the mountain.  If these two waves are in phase they will superimpose creating what we call a standing wave.  Air is constantly moving through the wave yet the wave itself moves very little with respect to the mountain.  One might be tempted to think these are the same as oceanic swells- in fact they are not.  In the ocean case, wave energy moves horizontally while the water is only displaced vertically, hence the swell from a tsunami can travel 400-600 mph in deep water because only the energy is being transmitted long distances not the water.  In the atmosphere the air is primarily moving horizontally while the energy moves primarily vertically.

Gossamer cloud morphed into much larger cloud cap within an hour.

Standing waves are generated individually or in a group; they may form above the summit, envelope the summit or downstream of the summit (standing lee waves).  When they occur as a group the horizontal wavelength is often on the order of 3-10 miles.  It is one thing for a wave to form it is another to be able to see it.  Lenticular clouds form in the crests of standing waves if there is an abundant supply of water vapor.  This is essentially the same process as occurs in upslope flow over the summit; in this case the wave 'forces' the air to ascend and then descend.  Clouds that form in the crests of these waves (lee wave clouds) often have a very smooth appearance, sometimes they are 'stacked' on top of each other leading to some dramatic images if you are in the right place at the right time.  Sometimes wave clouds show some additional smaller scale features within the primary wave- this of course suggest additional processes are in play.  Wave clouds can form over the course of a few minutes and like cloud caps can last for hours or even a day or two.  The vast majority of the time these clouds form over the higher summits of the Cascades but one or twice over the course of the summer conditions are ripe for lenticulars to form for hundreds of miles up and down the Cascade Range (clearly visible in satellite imagery).  Many lenticulars form during the passage of an upper level weather front which in turn produces the aforementioned stability and wind profiles.

So what does this all mean to climbers' high on Rainier or any other peak that is prone to generate cloud caps and lenticulars?  Two things should come to mind: wind and lower visibility.  There is not magic windspeed at which cloud caps or lenticulars form: in general minimum speeds are on the order of 25-30 mph.  Let me stress that that figure is a minimum, which you should interpret to mean that in many cases the winds are significantly stronger, sometimes far too strong to climb into.  Secondly, these clouds often produce whiteout conditions due to the production of new snow (occasionally water droplets), or the re-suspension of snow from off the upper mountain.  In the winter and spring it is also not uncommon for rimming (freezing of supercooled water droplets) to occur which will escalate the danger factor considerably.  These clouds are very common in winter however there is so much intervening cloud cover that its uncommon to see them.


Stacked lee wave-July 21, 2017

Are cloud caps and lenticulars predictable? Yes and no.  Don't expect to see predictions for these in your favorite mountain weather forecast or the REC forecast we use here on the hill.  Why? The state of the art is slowly improving however the use of a high-resolution weather model does not guarantee a quality forecast of this nature because the outcome is very sensitive to the initial conditions.  Recall that there is a fine balance between the water vapor content or air and the degree to which it is forced upwards.  If the model(s) is off a little bit in moisture content- it will produce a cloud when it should not and neglect one when it should.

With that being said there have been many modeling attempts in conjunction with field studies that have looked at the generation of lee wave clouds (and downslope windstorms in particular).  The results of these studies have shown there is some skill in forecasting (or hind-casting), however researches have almost always added smaller-scale data which is not readily available in the day-to-day forecast models.  In our specific case, one would be tempted to look at the vertical cross-section (X-Z coordinates) which runs through Rainier from the GFS-WRF model and make a forecast.  That would certainly be a good starting point, however a considerable amount of additional data and expertise would be needed in order to produce a relatively accurate wave cloud forecast each day.  In other words, a forecast is possible but it would take a lot of additional resources ($$) which no one wants to pay for.

July 22, 2017

Cloud caps and lenticulars make for some memorable scenes when viewed from below but at times produce some challenging or even dangerous climbing conditions.  In general these clouds are associated with moderate to strong winds and lower visibility or even whiteout conditions. As noted above, a wide spectrum of cloud types are possible; from gossamer like features wafting just above the summit to monster clouds which envelope the entire upper portion of the mountain to a series of downstream lee wave clouds.  At times one type will transform into another over the course of to 30-60 minutes.  If you're going to climb into one of these clouds give it some serious thought beforehand.  If one of these forms around you give some serious thought to descending before conditions deteriorate. Only you know your own abilities, so choose wisely.

E/W and DC Merge!

The "merge" has occured and has been leading to some confusion on the upper mountain.  Climbers on the Disappointment Cleaver Route from Camp Muir merge with climbers on the Emmons/Winthrop Route at about 13,800 feet.  USE CAUTION WHEN DESCENDING THAT YOU TAKE THE CORRECT ROUTE.  We've already had climbers who ascended from Camp Muir arrive at Camp Schurman wondering where their tent was.  See map below. 

The old DC route that hasn't been climbed in a couple days is in purple.  The new DC route currently being used is in light blue.  The Emmons/Winthrop Route is in Brown.  Again, be sure to notice when the climbing routes split.  It's easy to put it in auto-pilot on the way down and take the wrong turn.  

Both the new DC route (light blue) and the Emmons/Winthrop are still seeing lots of climbers and climbers have been making it to the summit from both sides.  The routes are longer than they were earlier in the season, so be prepared with lots of food and water, plus get an early start.  Ski season on both of the standard routes is over.  See previous posts for more beta.