Back Down

Both teams rested a few hours at Muir and came down to the base Thursday. Jim, Rob, and Tim left Denise a note at Cougar Rock and took off to catch a plane...Veru, Brad and I hiked down to Jackson Information Center and I caught a ride to Cougar Rock as well.

Imagine my surprise when all I found was Tim's note. No sleeping bags...and the neighbors said they didn't see anyone in the last three days!?

We got word at 4:45PM from Phillipe that Denise asked about us, so we knew she, Nate, and HR got down...but we didn't know where they were. Mark, the neighbor, very kindly drove me to Veru and Brad...and then to Paradise Inn. Sure enough, Denise and Nate were waiting there (all day).

They spent the night drying out with HR and his family (below). Thanks again, HR, for taking care of Denise and Nate as promised!

When we finally met up, it was late, we were tired, and a little perturbed. Brad came to the rescue with the "home away from home" chalet...with jacuzzi and all!?

We had some coolers, some dinner, a little more fun (Nate thought it would be funny to spray Brad and me with some rainwater from a tree and got a little "thank you wedgie" in return ;-).

Overall it was an awesome trip and great experience!

 

 
 
 

Summit Day

We left Thurs morning just after midnight, and saw Ashlin, Jim, Rob, and Tim on their way down after a successful summit at 9:30PM and (cold) descent.

The night was beautiful, and climbing above camp Muir incredible. We crossed Cowlitz Glacier, Cathedral Gap, and went around Ingraham Flats due to a large crevasse there.

Then up Disappointment Cleaver and the last few thousand feet to the summit. The winds were blowing hard (reportedly 50-60 mph), but we made it to the top at 6AM.

Veru felt great (Brad and me a little less so ;-), and we only stayed on the top for around 15 minutes. Due to the darkness and the wind, we actually didn't take pictures until our descent.

In the pictures you can see some of the crevasses, Ingraham flats, and the incredible scenery above 10,000 feet!

 
 
 
 

Wednesday

The best time to head for the summit is around midnight, so that you're back at Muir before 11AM when the rock avalanches start, crevasses open, and seracs fall.

The storm ended after midnight, and some (like the Turks) wend for the midday summit (they made it ;-). While Brad and I were drying out, Ashlin, Jim, Rob, and Tim were getting ready practicing anchor placement, tying in, etc.

When it was our turn to practice, we first had a little fun (Brad as Team Crevasse mascot ;-).

Around 2PM, Tim and Rob heard from Phillipe that a "sunset summit" was possible, and they quickly geared up and took off.

We still had to practice our C and Z pulleys, so we opted for the classic midnight departure and "sunrise summit".

 
 
 
 

The Search

Well, we don't have many images of the search mission that Brad and I undertook, but you can say hot liquids were an important part. As climbers were coming in during the storm in the afternoon, they were very cold and we made them hot drinks.

When Phillipe, the climbing ranger, told us that Denise, Nate, and HR did not check out, their car was still in the lot, and HR was not picking up his mobile, Tim, Rob, and Jim set about making 4 liters of hot drinks for us to take. We also had sleeping bags, a tent, dry clothes, and a stove. We set out at 6:45PM with instructions from the Phillipe not to go off the boot path and to keep a visual on one-another at all times.

Within 20 minutes we were 1,000 feet lower, in a white-out, off the boot path, and in disagreement as to where we should go. Brad went to take a look around while I checked the map and we lost visual contact...

We quickly got oriented, regained the visual, and found the boot path. By 7:45PM we found Denise, Nate, and HR camped out as cozy as could be at 7,200 ft. They hunkered down in the storm and were waiting it out a few hundred feet from the trail. We gave them a stove (the only thing they didn't have), and asked them if they want us to stay with them, walk down with them, or head up by ourselves. They were happy to see us, but fine and told us to head back up.

2,800 vertical feet and 2 hours and 45 minutes later we got back to Muir as wet, cold, and miserable as the climbers we helped out with hot liquids. The Turkish team was still up, so they made us hot drinks (what goes around comes around :-). Veru helped us get out of our frozen clothes, hang them up, tuck in to our sleeping bags, and dry out in the AM. Here I am wearing her (slightly tight) outfit...and the jester with baggies on his feet is Brad drying out.

Everyone was great in supporting our little mission and helping us get dry and ready for
our summit bid Wed night!

Tuesday

Muir was beautiful, and we stayed in the stone shelter while some hard-core climbers (like Tim on Tues) stayed in tents.

The clouds rolled in, though, and Nate (pictured smiling right after the vomiting) felt a bit better.

At 11AM we made a decision to have Tim's team take on Ashlin while Denise and Nate would go down with her experienced partner HR (who had some gastrointestinal upset from a recent trip to Mexico).

We hung out and waited for the storm to pass to see if we could make a summit bid...until at 5:30 PM the ranger informed us that Denise, Nate, and HR have not made it down.

The last picture is of us deciding that Brad and I will go look for them.

Monday

Monday was beautiful, and we got as geared up as possible to protect ourselves from the sun (although noone outdid Tim ;-). We carried heavy loads (children 30, women 40-45, and men 50-65 lb). The hike was tough, but we kept our spirits high. Once at Muir, we made dinner and turned in (Nate was feeling a litle altitude illness :-(

Arrival

Saturday, Jul 26th Denise, Veru, Nate, Brad, and Jakub (subsequently named team Crevasse ;-) arrived in Seattle. We stayed with Jason and Michelle (who with Ava and Xander were great hosts!). Veru came on a separate flight, and Brad decided to ride his Ducati over 1,100 miles from LA!? In the pictures, you see Rainier from the plane, Nate with Mucluck, Ava, and Xander, and all but kids under 10 on the porch.

Sunday we got up, hit Trader Joe's and REI Flagship store in Seattle...and headed for Rainier where we met Tim, Rob, and Rob's brother Jim.

Here you see our campsite at Cougar Rock Sunday night, the brothers, and Tim reading the map.

Food for thought...

Here is the final menu for team I (5 people):

breakfast drinks: instant coffee and/or hot chocolate

all other drinks: water (option with tang)

July 27 (Sunday) at Cougar Camp
breakfast: bagels
lunch: turkey & cheese sandwiches & fruit
dinner: chicken chili with cheese, bread and salad (modification from previous menu)
(inviting team II - 8 people total)

July 28 (Monday) at Camp Muir
breakfast: oatmeal with dried fruit/nuts
lunch: peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
dinner: tuna pasta with corn

July 29 (Tuesday) at Camp Muir
breakfast: danishes (thanks for the idea Rob!)
lunch: salami & cheese sandwiches & soup
dinner: cous cous with sundried tomatoes & pepperoni

July 30 (Wednesday) at Camp Muir (SUMMIT DAY!)
breakfast: oatmeal with dried fruit/nuts
lunch: peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
dinner: pesto tortellini with cheese (optional) & bread

July 31 (Thursday) at Camp Muir (or Seattle) (RESERVE DAY FOR SUMMIT)
breakfast: oatmeal with dried fruit/nuts
lunch: peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
dinner: indian food

August 2 (Friday) in Seattle
breakfast: muffins
lunhc: pizza
dinner: restaurant in Seattle :)

Snacks

*Everyone will receive to following for snack*
2 ziplock bags of gorp (one salty & one sweet)
6 bite size candy bars: snickers, almond joy & reeses
3 granola bars
1 cliff bar
cheese stick (except Nate...he gets an extra candy bar!)

Additional snacks include: beef jerky, dried apricots & dried prunes

July Update

All right, this is it. The last blog before the climb. Everyone is set to arrive, with Brad riding his motorcycle from LA, and Steve aleady on the mountain. I spoke with the rangers at Longmire Wilderness Information Center last night, and they confirmed our reservations.

They said not having beacons is up to us, and given the time of year and the route, we're not taking them or wands. They did inform me that even though Denise and Nate will not be climbing above 10,000 ft, if they plan to play on the glaciers and near the crevasses, they need a climbing pass.

We'll still decide whether we want to have crampons, harnesses, axes, and helmets for everyone or if we will have parties taking turns leaving Camp Muir and going to the glacier.

The food and gear is pretty much set. We'll have dinner together on Sunday and need to check in at Longmire on Mon mo0rning for climbing passes and registration. They open at 7:30AM.

Veru found a nice site that gives relatively opdated info on conditions, regulations, etc. It may not be a bad idea for everyone to check it out: http://mountrainierclimbingregistration.blogspot.com/

Stay healthy and fit and see you all on Sat or Sun.
Jakub

June update

Hello everyone:

I've spoken Denise, Veru, Nate, Brad, Tim, and Steve, and it looks as though we are right on schedule. Tim, Jim, and Rob will meet us at the base on Sun and may try for the summit as early as Tues.

Denise, Veru, Nate, Brad, and Jakub will meet in Seattle on Sat, spend the night at the Nitz-Weiss residence (friends we met in India) and will also come to the base on Sun.

Steve may drive or fly, and depending on his workout schedule in the next month may try for the summit or hang out with Denise and Nate.

We'll take a nice easy approach with Muir on Mon, rest (and playing in crevasses) Tues, summit bid Weds or Thurs. No plans have yet been made regarding Friday in Seattle, and we have Muir reserved Thurs and base camp Fri just in case.

Veru and Denise have agreed to take care of the food for our party of 6 (Tim, Jim, and Rob are sharing our permits but are essentially a separate party). Brad and I are organizing the gear (see list below). I'll still come up with some jobs for Nate and Steve ;-).

There are still a few gear questions - such as whether the climbers should have avalanche beacons and whether Denise and Nate need harnesses, axes, crampons, and helmets to play in the crevasses (or whether we can take turns). Both of these will be answered as we get closer in time and can call the rangers for updates on conditions.

In the meantime, below is our working gear list. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Personal:
Ski Hat
Ski Gloves
Shell
Fleece
Bag – rated 20-40F
Glacier glasses
Pad
Poles
3 underwear
1 long underwear
3 heavy socks
1 boots
1 light shoes
1 waterproof pant
1 shorts
3 T-shirts
1 gators
Headlamp
2 bottles ea
Bowl
Cup
Spork
Sun Hat
Tooth brush
Lip balm with sun protection
Knife
Lighter or matches


Personal climbers only:
Down jacket
Harness with carabiner and belay device
Texas prusick setup
Axe
Helmet
Crampons
2-3 runners each
2-3 carbiners each
1 pulley each


Group:
Shovel – I have
Tents – our 3 season and Brad’s 4 season
2-3 pickets – I have 2, can buy 1 in Seattle
2 stoves – Brad and Jakub (one stays)
GPS – Nate to carry – we have
One standard 10.5 mm 60m dry rope or 15yo 9mm 50m dry rope
Sunscreenx2 – one to go up and one to stay
1 Bivy
2 phones – one to stay and one to go up
Compass – Nate’s
Camera – Veru’s
Pots – have
Food – Denise and Veru to plan
Tooth paste
Extra batteries or charger
Toilet paper
Duct tape
Needle and thread
Gorilla glue

Yahoooooo!

I'm ready for Rainier!

May Update

All right. Let's hope everyone is training more than they're blogging. Get ready for some phone
calls to see where we stand.

Jakub

April Update

Buy your airline tickets...we have reservations! Permit 37539 for 7/28-8/1 at Muir for 9, but only 6 climb beyond Muir. We have two 3 person rope teams#1 is Veru, Brad, and Jakub, #2 is Tim, Jim, and Rob. Steve is also going to be there, and will either take someone's spot or will make his own reservations. Denise, Nate, and Dean will not go above Muir.

I also made reservations in Cougar Rock Campground at the base. Site E14 7/27-8/2 in case Denise and the boys want to come down, and E16 just for 7/27 so that everyone is accommodated the night before climbing to Muir. E14 has one 10x10 foot tent pad and E16 gas two smaller pads. For the base, we'll probably have one big tent that sleeps 6, and two small tents that sleep 2. For Muir, we'll need small tents or bivys.

Our plan is to fly into Seattle Sat, spend the night, and head down to Cougar on Sun. Everyone should plan to be there early afternoon, and we'll discuss plans for the next day. At this point, the plan is heading up to Muir Mon, resting Tues, and trying for the summit Weds with a night at Muir Weds night on the way down. Thurs is a backup day. Either way, we should be down by Friday and can accommodate 6 in Cougar that night.

I'm going to see if I can tour some potential job sites on Friday, which would work out well if we summit Weds, come down Thurs AM, and have one car head up to Seattle Thurs night. This is still tentative, and obviously takes out the backup day for those heading to Seattle Thurs. Let me know if you are interested in that option when you're making flight arrangements.

Also try and coordinate (preferably with your rope teams) your flights and car rentals. The sites accommodate one care each. We'll have to stash at least one car, as Steve will have his, but the two rope teams should each try to come down in one car. We'll probably have one car for Denise, Veru, Nate, Jakub, and Brad. If Tim, Dean, Rob, and Jim can coordinate another car, that would be great.

As far as the workouts go - please post something!? Veru is in the Himalayas and Brad did his training. We expect good pictures from both. I'm currently in Mali for 3 weeks, so the workouts in 104 degree weather are preparing me for the desert more than Rainier. Nonetheless I go to the gym the local paratroopers use and plan to continue the climbing training when I return.

Jakub

March Update

Hello everyone:

It is the last day to post for March and I waited to report on the reservations. We planned to make reservations in April and when I checked last week, they were taking reservations as of March 15th. That means that they will accept faxes as early as March 15th and will take everything received between March 15th and April 1 and then randomly assign. They will let us know in 2 weeks what we got.

As you all know, I stratified by likelihood to go and short of Bill and Steve (with whom I didn’t get a chance to speak), it was confirmed that we will have 2 teams: Brad, Veru, and me on one rope and Tim, Rob, and Gad on the second. Denise will go to Muir with Nate and Dean. The dates we are asking for are Jul 28, 29, 30, and 31 at Muir.

The plan is to fly in to Seattle Sat Jul 26. We’ll probably spend Sat night in Seattle (some friends say we can camp out in their yard), and get any gear we need to rent or buy last minute at the REI flagship in Seattle. We’ll go to the base of Rainier on Sun Jul 27 and up to Muir on Mon Jul 28. The plan at this point is to rest on Tues and bid for the summit on Weds with a backup on Thurs. We’ll camp at Muir on summit day.

Everyone’s training is ongoing. Brad is at his course and will hopefully provide some good pictures when he gets back. Veru is in Nepal and planning to climb partially up Everest with her friend Gabriel. Tim, Rob, and Gad were just doing some backcountry skiing in Jackson Hole and have experience on Denali. We’re still training and meeting with Jerry, Pete, Bill, and Rick going over fixed rope ascents, crevasse rescue, snow conditions, etc. Denise and Nate are carrying loaded-down packs and Dean is prepping with Tim.

We’ve got 4 months left. Keep reading, exercising, and climbing…and post your progress and motivational pics.

Jakub

February Meeting

Hello everyone:

For the February meeting, Bill, Rick, Denise, and Jakub met at our house (Nate sat in on the first half hour absorbing everything for future climbs ;-). We decided to focus on training assessment and to go practice pusiking, C and Z pulleys, and crevasse rescue next time. Since we’re not getting a lot of snow, we’d also like to hit a ski area to practice the snow anchor placement, boot belays, etc.

We assessed each person’s % chance of doing the climb, went over our workouts, and subjectively assessed what % we’re ready to do the climb based on those workouts. Then we went out and did a little VO2 max step test to see if we can objectively compare our subjective readiness. http://www.brianmac.co.uk/stepvo2max.htm

Bill: 5% chance of climbing but staying is shape with 3x/wk aerobic workouts to >80% max HR around 30 minutes (by the book). “70% ready to do the climb”. VO2 max 56 ml/kg/min.

Jakub: 95% chance of doing the climb with workout schedule of biking 16 miles per day to work 3x/wk which is around 70 minutes per ride but only 20 minutes HR>80% max. Weight lifting on and off. Eliptical 30 min per week with 50lb pack HR>80% max. Pretty Boy once a month. “50% ready to do the climb”. VO2 max 54 ml/kg/min.

Rick: 95% chance of doing the climb with daily walk up 10 flights of steps, Elliptical 40 min per week with 35lb pack HR>80% max. Pretty Boy once a month. VO2 max 49 ml/kg/min. “40% ready to do the climb”.

Denise: 95% chance of climbing to Muir Base Camp with Nate, but is planning to train as if climbing to the top. Elliptical machine for 30min, 2 times per week, HR at 160. Climb Pretty Boy steps once per month. Yoga several times per week. VO2 max 39 ml/kg/min. "50% ready to climb to Camp Muir."

Seems another group of friends are also blogging about training, equipment, courses, etc. Take a look at-

climbrainier.blogspot.com

Resources

Mountaineering Organizations

Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK)
http://www.adk.org/home-flash.aspx

ADK's resource links
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/pages/links.php

American Alpine Club
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/pages/links.php

Mountain Culture at the Banff Center
http://www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/

Summitclimb.com
http://www.summitclimb.com/new/default.asp


Mountaineering Courses
ADK Winter Mountaineering School
http://www.winterschool.org/dacks.html

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
http://www.yamnuska.com/index.html

Rainier Mountaineering, Inc
http://www.rmiguides.com/

Mountain Madness
http://www.mountainmadness.com/

NOLS - National Outdoor Leadership School
http://www.nols.edu/

Alpine Ascents
http://www.alpineascents.com/

January update

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

We’ve been plugging along – Brad and Veronika are planning to take mountaineering courses in the Spring while Rick and I are continuing our own training.

We've hit the stairmaster at the gym a few times and did 1500 vertical feet at Pretty Boy Reservoir this morning with 35 lb packs averaging 15 vertical ft/min. We’ve also logged in a Jan meeting (since it has been a month since our first meeting). We went over the chapter on "Snow Travel and Climbing" and decided to cover the next chapter “Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue” before the early Feb meeting.

I've already had the chance to read both chapters, make a snow cave with Nate and Veronika at Wisp (video clip below in Czech and mobile phone quality ;-), set up the C and Z pulley systems in the basement with the kids (picture below), got the Texas pusik system to work (no pictures of that available), and got some pickets and a down jacket for Christmas.



Rick will try to figure out how to post our individual training spreadsheets and will list some of the concepts that we should practice whenever there is snow. We also went over some of the terminology from the chapter and Rick will post some of the definitions of terms that we want to make sure we all know.

Let’s try to keep the posts going to see how everyone is progressing!

Jakub