merski
  • Mountain Journal
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Skiing the Cascade Volcanoes
  • Goods

Mt. Rainier! September Turns!

9/18/2011

3 Comments

 
Picture
Jamie and I set off to climb Mt Rainier on tuesday. Our second to last Volcano in Washington,  the highest in the state at 14,410ft. and the most technical.  We sat in the parking lot and debated over bringing our skis.  Of course we want our September turns.  After long deliberation we decided to bring them, which meant climbing in ski and snowboard boots and carrying our skis and boots on our backs for almost 3 miles before hitting snow.  Needless to say, our packs were not light. Looking up at the mountain made up for it.
Picture
Our plan was to hike as far as we could, camp, leave our skis and pick them up on the way down.  We found a great spot just below Camp Muir where the suncups were getting huge and unskiable.  As always the mountains showed us an amazing sunset and an incredile moonrise!  Wednessday morning we woke up and worked our way past Camp Muir to the Ingraham Glacier at 11,100ft. where we set up camp. We hung out here, melted snow for water, ate some food and checked out the view.

Thursday, got up at 5am.  Set out up the Disapointment Cleaver. Crossed some little cravasses and hiked up mostly rock for the first thousand feet.  Then there were some more interesting terrain features and big cravasses with fixed lines and ladders. 

Click on photos for a larger view and gallery. 
As we climbed the weather started to go.  We were climbing into the cloud. We got to the Crater Rim at 14,100ft and couldn't really see anything.  It was really windy and only 10ft.of  visibility.  We found the trail accross the flats to the summit.  Total whiteout!  Oh well,  We summitted Mt. Rainier!!!
On the way down out of the summit cloud the views were great and the wind stopped blowing.
It's awesome to live in a place were you can go from floating the river in 90 degree temps, to climbing a 14,000ft. peak, to skiing in September, to skipping rocks at the ocean!! 

Jamie and I have been trying to ski every month of the year.  This is our twelfth month in a row!  Skiing the Muir Snowfield on Mt  Rainier.  It was so worth it to carry our skis up so we could ski down the last 1500ft.  We had to walk a bit between snow patches, but that's alright.
3 Comments
Eric chase
9/18/2011 09:55:58 am

Damn you gals kick ass.

Reply
Jerry & Susan
9/18/2011 11:27:48 pm

This is amazing! What an adventure. Loved the pictures and account of this adventure! Unbelievable!!!

Reply
Alexa Miller link
9/19/2011 09:34:08 am

Loving your adventures, I hope our paths cross soon!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Michele Manning's Journey Through the Mountains.

    "Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea......teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books."  John Lubbock 
    ​

    Supported By

    FlyLow
    Scarpa 
    ​DPS Skis
    Alta Ski Area


    Articles & Links

    PowderWhore Productions
    Backcountry Magazine
    ESPN
    Icicle TV Project
    The Winter Life
    Kevin Winzeler Photography
    FreeskiingWorldTour
    Alta Cam 

    Summits

    Washington 
    Mt. Rainier 14,410
    Mt. Baker 10,778
    Mt. Adams 12,281
    Mt. St. Helens 8,365
    Old Snowy Mtn 7,880
    Ives Peak 7,920
    Colchuck Peak 8,705
    Dragontail Peak 8,840
    Mt. Stuart 9,415

    Rock Mountain 6,854


    Oregon
    South Sister 10,358
    Mt. Hood 11,239
    Mt. Bailey 8,368
    Mt. Thielsen 9,182
    Broken Top 9,094

    Mt. McLoughlin 9,495
    Middle Sister 10,047
    The Wife
    7,054


    California
    LassenPeak 10,457
    Mt. Whitney 14,495


    Utah
    Mt Timpanogos 11,749
    American Fork Twins 11,489
    Red Top 11,400
    Broads Fork Twins 11,328
    Pfeifferhorn 11,326
    White Baldy 11,321

    Lone Peak 11,253
    Red Baldy 11,171
    South Thunder Mt 11,154

    Monte Cristo Pk 11,142
    Provo Peak 11,068
    Mt Baldy 11,068

    Sugarloaf Mtn. 11,051
    Superior Peak 11,040

    De
    vils Castle 10,920
    Mt Wolverine 10,735
    Flagstaff Mt 10,561
    Hidden Peak 10,992
    Sunset Peak 10, 648
    Kessler Peak 10,403
    Mt Millicent 10,452
    Mt Olympus 9,026

    Archives

    May 2014
    March 2014
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010

    RSS Feed