Lessons from the mountains Part 2 – My Expedition to Mt Rainier

The journey continues...

Today I want to share with you part 2 of my climbing story, our attempt to summit the mighty Mt Rainier in early Aug 2022.

And, I’ll start with the bottom line – we didn’t make it to the summit of Mt Rainier.

But before you read the full story below, check out part 1 and the lessons from climbing Mt Baker from a few weeks ago.

Here we go:

The Mountain:

Rainier mountain sits on Nisqually tribe land and it’s real name is Mt Tahoma which was given to it by the indigenous people and is a very sacred and special place for the tribe and for the people of the PNW.

Mt Tahoma/Rainier is the highest peak in the PNW region and it’s the iconic year long white snowy peak that you see from Seattle and the surrounding highways.

The mountain and Rainier National Park are truly remarkable, full of alpine meadows, waterfalls, and one of the nicest places I’ve been to in the world! Go check it out.

But... don't be fooled by this cute mountain that smiles at you, it can be a beast and very CRAZY, it plays mind tricks with you. Patcha Mama Tahoma can get angry and furious, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

As part of my training to the summit of Rainier, I hiked up multiple times in the last few months to the summit basecamp called Camp Muir, each of these times was a totally different experience for me.

Condition changed so much that it took me anywhere between 4 hours to 6 hours to go up to Muir each time.

I’ve seen the mountain change from clear blue bird skies to a total whiteout and back to sunshine in 15min.

I seen visibility of 5 feet or watched the peaks of Oregon and all in the same day, I was there alone or there with another 1000 hikers, it has it all.

Hikers are required to have good navigation skills and carry a GPS going up to camp Muir as often you can’t even spot where the trail is at.

And when you hike up there, you hear the ice cracks, and that is one very scary sound to hear when you are on a mountain.

?The expedition begins:

Mountaineers don’t refer to summits, but more to Expeditions and “summit attempts”.

Why? Because you never know what the conditions will be and each day is different. The only thing you can control is your readiness with your mental and fitness level. All the rest you just have to accept and let it go. That was and still is a very strong lesson for me: Letting go, especially when the mountain tells you no, not today!

We started by meeting the team and doing a gear check, that is always an interesting experience and EVERYONE checks out the rest, including the guides, this is how you get to know what to expect out of the climb and the next few days.

Our team was the strongest I’ve ever seen, more than half of the crew already attempted to climb Rainier in the past, we had a woman that attempted a summit just a week earlier and came back again, we had a few marathon runners, an ultra-marathon runner, a person that ran 100 miles in 16 hours straight (that’s a thing apparently!) and many experienced climbers.

Then there was me, the oldest in our team and hearing about all these folks experience freaks you out! Am I ready? Can I keep up with those crazy hardcore folks? OMG, what did I sign up for?

There are thing climbers don’t talk about, which is the feeling of being the long pole in the team. You never want to be that person, it's kind of that bear saying of “you need someone slower than you to escape a bear in the woods to be safe”.

This is when I reminded myself of my training and the lessons I took from them: it is never a competition and the only reference I have is to myself, am I doing better than last time? what can I improve? What worked and what doesn't. How can I bring my A-game and get better?

Day 1, Back to school:

Our expedition was 3 days, starting with the first day of “snow school”, this is where you practice walking in crampons, connecting to a rope team, using an Ice Axe, Self-arrest, Team arrest, and even learning how to walk and breath. Yes, it is a VERY different experience walking on high elevation than walking on a regular trail. Rest steps, Pressure breathing, and other techniques are critical and if you don’t do it right, you will not make it up there.

It was awesome, we learnt, we practiced, we played and we had a blast as a team. Fun way to start the expedition.

Day 2, Climb to basecamp:

Day 2 is the hike to basecamp, we start early from Paradise trail head and hike up to Camp Muir, the cadence is walking an hour, then stop for 10 - 15 minutes, then walk another hour, and repeat.

But before the first step, I stopped to acknowledge all I’ve been through until that moment and asked the mountain to keep us safe and to succeed. This is a common practice mountaineers do and is taken from the Sherpas in Nepal. This was my prayer:

And then we started, oh yes, we did. As I expected, the team pushed hard, we practically ran up that 4500-elevation to camp Muir.

I choose to go first so the folks behind push me up, that’s a mental thing and that worked for me. We did it in 3:30h walking time with a full pack loaded with 40-45 pounds, and it was an amazing feeling, all that practice helped, I knew the route well and did it in a PR time, I felt good, I felt ready, I am part of the team, and I can make it!

Climbers are expected to complete the hike to basecamp within 5-5:30 hour walking time, and as strange as it sounds, doing it faster is actually better as it gives you more time to rest before the summit day, stay off your feet with a large pack and away from that crazy hot sun (there are no trees at this high elevation so you are exposed all the time).

Day 3, Basecamp to Summit:

Day 3 is the day you have been practicing for. This is the climb from basecamp to the summit, and then decent all the way down to the trail head and parking lot.

The guides wake you up anytime between 9:30PM to midnight, depending on the weather conditions and how strong the team is. You practically want/need to be at summit at sunrise, so you can decent back down critical areas before the ice melts which makes it dangerous to pass.

We woke up at midnight, but don’t be mistaken, none of us slept. It’s hard to sleep at high altitude, stress, excitement and few folks had cramps, all those kick in. You pretty much rest with eyes close but don’t really sleep.

We were then given an hour to prepare. You start by eating a hot oatmeal breakfast, and I had my coffee as well ?? I usually don’t do instant coffee (I can talk about that for hours), but that was GOOD, it was very good. Mountains give you perspectives even on your lattes.

Oh, and no, you’re not hungry at midnight, and it’s not breakfast at that time, but you eat! you need those 800-1000 calories in your body before you start.

Oh, and yes, on mountain you count calories, but the other way around, you want an intake of about 4000 calories throughout your summit day. You need those!

You then “gear up” starting with choosing the layers to climb with, and 4 more layers in your “summit pack”, those include fleece, jacket, hard-shell and a Parka, the Parka kind you see in those Everest movies. It is huge and it is warm!

A mistake often people do is wear to much layers, because, well… you’re cold and it's the middle of the night…. But once you are in a rope team, you can not change anything. So, you want to be wearing the minimum to keep you going and not too hot while you climb. My trick here is to follow what my guides wear. The saying is: “Don’t be silly, be chilly”

At 1AM, you connect to your 3-person rope team, which is two climbers and a guide, and this is where your heartbeat starts kicking up.

Getting to the top is optional, getting to the bottom is mandatory

The attempt to summit consists of 3 parts: getting to Ingraham flats, then to Disappointment Cleaver, and up the final stretch to Columbia Crest and summit. Totaling an additional 4350 feet and a total of ~9000 feet gain through the expedition.

We turned the helmet flashlights on and started climbing up.

We started with a rope of ten feet between each climber, and in dangerous places such as crevasses passing we switched to a 2 feel rope between us. If someone falls, we do a team arrest with our ice axe and stop the fall and the pull of the rope. A technique we practiced many times, and gladly didn’t have to use it in our rope team.

You do not speak during this critical time, everyone is super focused on their steps, their breathing, the rope, and making sure you place that ice axe in the right place to balance you. I have never been so focused in my life. It is pitch dark, you’re on a mountain, it is silent and it is amazing!

And we climbed, hell we climbed, and we were good!

When we got to Ingrams flats, we took our first break. It’s below freezing temperature and you’re hot during the climb, but when you stop, the first thing you do is wear your Parka. You need it.

You have 15 minutes for self care. And it’s crucial, we practiced this part many times. You need to drink, take a pee, eat 200-300 calories and rest your feet while you’re sitting on your backpack (do not sit on snow!) All that while you are connected with a rope to 2 other climbers. Fun!

During the first break we started feeling the wind and then saw thunders! It was CRAZY, thunders like you see in movies with those big bolts one after the other. One thunder we saw (far away thank God) started a some red dots which meant it started a FIRE! That was a scary moment.

At this stage you don’t know what to expect and you just wait on your guides. They decided to stay a bit longer on the break and see the direction of the thunders, is it getting closer? Luckily, it cleared for us, so it was party time, let’s go.

The 2nd stretch is to Deception Cleaver and that is the hardest climb I did in my life. It consists of ice, narrow snow path, crevasses, rocks, switchback, and steep elevation. That was hard.

But when we got to the top of DC, we all knew that we could do it, we just did the hardest part, and the team did it. We were all excited, and ready to go.

Then… the wind picked up, it was now in the 40+ MPH, it was hard to stand, and it was coming in wind Gusts which makes it worse since it kicks offs your balance, and if that happens when you are passing a crevasse, it is bad.

The guides took longer to consult each other, and they made the right call, we are turning around. No summit for us today ?

This was a hard moment for the guides and for us, but as all mountaineering know, getting to the top is optional, getting to the bottom is mandatory. We still had a rough walk down the mighty Deception Cleaver monster, and now in high winds. From that moment on, that was our new focus.

There were a few lessons and reminders here as well for me: Leadership is not about a popular vote, it's about doing the right thing for the team and project.

Another lesson and reminder is that when you are not the subject matter expert in an area, make sure that you have one in your team and listen well to what they say, they have been there, and they will tell you the truth, even when you don't like it.

Why do people climb mountains?

This is a question I and other climbers are often asked.

The simple answer that every climber will tell you is: “Because it is there”. That sounds silly, but there is a lot to it, and it mean something different for each one of us.

For me, it’s all about my own personal connection to the mountain. Rainier is the mountain I’ve seen almost every day and it means so much to many generations in the west coast.

It is also a way for me to connect to nature, look inward and appreciate all that we have around us.

It is also very much a group effort and a solo experience combo.

I loved reading about the history of Tahoma and the Nisqually tribe, the connection to Little Tahoma, to Mt Baker (Kuma Kulshan) and other landmarks of the PNW.

Being on the mountain, feeling its strength and might is a very emotional feeling for me, and a few tear dropped down the sweaty chicks along the way.

The expedition itself is the final step of a long journey that you prepare for at least 3-6 month before. That long journey is another reason to do it all. It’s fun preparing, getting into the fitness level of your life, covering mental readiness, nutrition, gear research, how to deal with high altitude and really getting to know your body well.

I also feel that climbing teaches me to be a better leader and a better team player, you really depend on your team for your success and your own decisions have an impact on the team.

So, what’s next?

More mountains off course!

And more sunrises above the clouds

Yes, I have a long list of mountains I connect to, and that list will soon turn into a short list, a new training plan and a new journey and experience.

Mt Rainier summit? At this stage I don’t know yet. Yes, I want to summit it, but will the sacred Mt Tahoma call me?

One thing I know for sure after this expedition is that I am ready as much as I will be, I’m Ultra-marathon ready and when the mountains will call, I will come!