Anyone ever hike to Camp Muir or to the Summit of Mt. Rainier?

[Smossy]

Whats it like? 

[Fishaholic]

My wife and I made it half way up.  I got pics of it on my facebook. My wife and I went there for our honeymoon.

[clindsayrun]

Been up to both a couple of times. Camp Muir is a little bunk house, also has an emergency radio for contacting the rangers.
I slept in it one January. It works, but I prefer a tent.

Long slow hike up and the altitude gets some people. If you don't do much climbing/mountaineering I'd recommend trying for Muir before you book a summit attempt.

[Smossy]

Been up to both a couple of times. Camp Muir is a little bunk house, also has an emergency radio for contacting the rangers.
I slept in it one January. It works, but I prefer a tent.

Long slow hike up and the altitude gets some people. If you don't do much climbing/mountaineering I'd recommend trying for Muir before you book a summit attempt.

Well I just conquered St Helens 2 days ago and now Im all for getting on all the peaks in the state.

[jackelope]

Camp Muir I think is no big deal relative to St Helens or Adams. I could be wrong there as I've not been up there. Summit of Rainier...depends what kind of shape you're in. My little bro was an ironman competitor, 4:45 mile runner, etc. summited Rainier and said it was a breeze. Once you're above 10k though, if the altitude is going to bother you, it doesn't matter what shape you're in. I'm not in great shape but I can hold my own in the mountains. Adams was pretty hard but not horrible. It's the only time I've been above 10k hiking. I was more bothered at the lunch counter than I was at the summit, or at pikers peak. I had no appetite at the lunch counter(9500').

[pd]

Yes, and yes.

Be forewarned: Rainier is a long slog of a mountain, both going up and especially coming down.  The vertical climb is what you expect, but the horizontal walk is true drudgery--especially the downclimb in the warm summer sunshine, as the snow rots (melts), and each step will sink you 12 to 18 inches in slop.

The climb to Camp Muir is not hard.  The summit attempt above that is also relatively easy, but not to be attempted without either a guide, an experienced partner, or lots of experience on the part of the climber.

You will find valuable information on Rainier (and all of the other major and minor climbs in Washington) at www.cascadeclimbers.com  If you are serious about climbing the peaks of this state, register at that site and make some friends.

[Smossy]

Yes, and yes.

Be forewarned: Rainier is a long slog of a mountain, both going up and especially coming down.  The vertical climb is what you expect, but the horizontal walk is true drudgery--especially the downclimb in the warm summer sunshine, as the snow rots (melts), and each step will sink you 12 to 18 inches in slop.

The climb to Camp Muir is not hard.  The summit attempt above that is also relatively easy, but not to be attempted without either a guide, an experienced partner, or lots of experience on the part of the climber.

You will find valuable information on Rainier (and all of the other major and minor climbs in Washington) at www.cascadeclimbers.com  If you are serious about climbing the peaks of this state, register at that site and make some friends.

Yeah It was like that near the top of st helens to, every other step I sunk about 2 feet in fresh snow because of the heat. One of the reasons it was so rough. Plus my trekking pole disks are tiny so It was hard to pull myself out alot of the time.
Just trying to find things to do to make life alittle more interesting ya know.

[jackelope]

In my limited experience in this field I've learned you've got to take rotting snow into consideration. As in start early so you're walking up on frozen snow. Walk down ASAP to reduce the melting snow factor.

[Smossy]

In my limited experience in this field I've learned you've got to take rotting snow into consideration. As in start early so you're walking up on frozen snow. Walk down ASAP to reduce the melting snow factor.

Id be glissading down at-least half of it but I get what your saying. Ive been trying to read up on the topic. If Everest wasn't 30grand to do I work my way up there

[jackelope]

You need to do Adams if you have overnight gear. Mid July. You can rent everything reasonably cheap. I think that's your next step. I think it's less technical than St. Helens but further maybe? With more vertical gain. Just a long snow filled hike. Start running and build cardio and legs.

[swanny]

St Helen's is nothing compared to Rainier where proper training, knowledge, and technique are needed. Getting to Camp Muir is a good first step, but beyond there you need experience, knowledge, equipment, and the know how to use the equipment should someone take a fall.

Already this year they are placing bridges across crevasses on the DC route. Here is one of the best sources for info and current conditions. Whatever you do don't just think you are going to climb it,mt he rangers will laugh at you and turn you around.

http://www.mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/

[jackelope]

And the DC route is the "easy" route too if I'm not mistaken.

[Smossy]

St Helen's is nothing compared to Rainier where proper training, knowledge, and technique are needed. Getting to Camp Muir is a good first step, but beyond there you need experience, knowledge, equipment, and the know how to use the equipment should someone take a fall.

Already this year they are placing bridges across crevasses on the DC route. Here is one of the best sources for info and current conditions. Whatever you do don't just think you are going to climb it,mt he rangers will laugh at you and turn you around.

http://www.mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the info.

[swanny]

And the DC route is the "easy" route too if I'm not mistaken.

That is correct

[Fishaholic]

If I have the chance I am going to get to the top of colonel bob this summer.

[Special T]

I summited Raineer  using the realitivly easy NE route. Inner glacier, Steamboat Prow, then up to the top. Spent the night on the Prow then went the rest of the way and down the next day. We started from at the prow (about 10k ft) at midnight and stayed at the summit until 10am. WAY too long but it was an awesome summit day. There were some climbers overnighting in the crater. The true summit is on the N side of the Mt.  I believe you now have to get a permit to climb it. 

The high adventure program based at Camp Sherman off hwy 410 took Scouts to the summit back in the early 60's to the 70's An expedition was mounted by someone to expore the steam vents around the crater. they brought camera's oxygen sensors and call kinds of stuff. When they entered the steam vent nearest the true summit  a bunch of boy scouts with the Camp leader bumped into them. You can travel from the south rim to the N rim "underground". Scouts had been doing it for aprox 10 years before the "expedition".

The MOST dangerouse time climbing is on the way down. If you are climbing/ mountaneering PLEASE purchase the manual "Freeom of the hills" it is the GO TO book that shows all the skills you need. It has been reprinted MANY times and you can find used ones in book stores CHEEP! they do not have all the up to date stuff on avalanche stuff but still contain most of the good info as a starting point.
Also altitude sickness can affect anyone, and i had a hard time drinking water onmy trip which makes it even worse.
Be safe, have fun! Oh and the view even at night is AMAZING!

[Bookworm007]

Muir is easy, you can do it in one day no problem just bring tons of water and sunscreen. To summit really need a guide or someone else that has a lot of experience. And altitude is a big factor too. I have a friend who barely made it back from Muir because he got altitude sickness so bad. But its great fun!!!

[swanny]

The MOST dangerouse time climbing is on the way down. If you are climbing/ mountaneering PLEASE purchase the manual "Freeom of the hills" it is the GO TO book that shows all the skills you need. It has been reprinted MANY times and you can find used ones in book stores CHEEP! they do not have all the up to date stuff on avalanche stuff but still contain most of the good info as a starting point.
Also altitude sickness can affect anyone, and i had a hard time drinking water onmy trip which makes it even worse.
Be safe, have fun! Oh and the view even at night is AMAZING!

Great advice! That book is HIGHLY recommended to anyone wanting to do any sort of climbing over rock or snow. For the price, even new it's full of very valuable information.

[toothfangclaw]

Whats it like? 

I was wondering how long it would take. Lol

[PolarBear]

Whats it like? 

Cold

[ORCA_SIX]

In the late summer like July and August it can be a little harder getting to Muir as you will have to deal with more crevasses and also ice. So you should have a set of crampons with you and definitely poles just in case. Ice Axe does not hurt to have as well. Once you get past Muir and start making your way up, you will probably want to tie off with a buddy and have the right gear for the mission. Learn how to self-arrest yourself. Anything past Muir will need crampons. Look at starting early in the morning for a sunrise summit, depending on your fitness,  I would say 1-2am. If you go later in the year, most of the outfitters will have probably already put some some ropes and ladders but trust nothing. AMS can hit anyone, as well as HAPE and HACE if you don't correct the problem. Only way to really cure AMS is to get down the mountain to the level you initially acclimatized too or lower.  I would recommend staying one night in Muir to acclimatize before attempting a summit unless you are a beast and know what you are doing.

At altitude your body can start messing with you. As some have said, you might not feel hungry or you get nauseous from the thought of food or water.  You just gotta cram it down. Especially water. Make sure it tastes good, stuff you really enjoy. Pizza, PBJ, Honey, etc.

And don't be afraid to turn around if your not feeling it or feeling right, even if you are 100 yards from the summit. Every minute counts when you are going against altitude.

I would post pics, but does not seem to be working.

[Smossy]

In the late summer like July and August it can be a little harder getting to Muir as you will have to deal with more crevasses and also ice. So you should have a set of crampons with you and definitely poles just in case. Ice Axe does not hurt to have as well. Once you get past Muir and start making your way up, you will probably want to tie off with a buddy and have the right gear for the mission. Learn how to self-arrest yourself. Anything past Muir will need crampons. Look at starting early in the morning for a sunrise summit, depending on your fitness,  I would say 1-2am. If you go later in the year, most of the outfitters will have probably already put some some ropes and ladders but trust nothing. AMS can hit anyone, as well as HAPE and HACE if you don't correct the problem. Only way to really cure AMS is to get down the mountain to the level you initially acclimatized too or lower.  I would recommend staying one night in Muir to acclimatize before attempting a summit unless you are a beast and know what you are doing.

At altitude your body can start messing with you. As some have said, you might not feel hungry or you get nauseous from the thought of food or water.  You just gotta cram it down. Especially water. Make sure it tastes good, stuff you really enjoy. Pizza, PBJ, Honey, etc.

And don't be afraid to turn around if your not feeling it or feeling right, even if you are 100 yards from the summit. Every minute counts when you are going against altitude.

I would post pics, but does not seem to be working.

Cool look forward to pics, the websites having problems so photos may not be working for awhile. Thanks for the info, sounds alittle more intense then I had planned Always looking for things to make life more interesting, Normal group of friends think Im stupid but hey whatever.

[Fishhuntmike]

Go do it!

I dont know how anyone can live in this state and see that beautiful mountain and not climb it.

Ive been up it several times - Kautz, DC.  Spent the night in the crater, woke up in the middle of the night to pee and stepped outside.  The moon was behind Adams and Adams and Hood poked through the silver carpet of cloudes in black silhuette fashon.  An amazing memory.

Its been almost 20 years ago since a buddy and i climbed it from paridise round trip iin less than a day. Not sure if I am in shape for it now though.

Watch out for rocks if descending in the afternoon.  We had some bounce past us.

I highly recommend RMI!  Good people for guide service.  Used them in 1984 on a 5 day expedition seminar that was first rate (Rainier).  Used them successfully in 1996 on McKinley and they get an "A" on that trip too!

Mike

[Pathfinder101]

Muir is a cakewalk. I would recommend doing it early (4am start or so) so its icy rather that strait slush and bring spikes. There was people up there in nikes but I also got passed by a chick in soccer cleats and spandex on Adams.

I think she passed me too...  demoralizing, isn't it...

[Smossy]

Muir is a cakewalk. I would recommend doing it early (4am start or so) so its icy rather that strait slush and bring spikes. There was people up there in nikes but I also got passed by a chick in soccer cleats and spandex on Adams.

I think she passed me too...  demoralizing, isn't it...

I know I seen a guy and girl on St. Helens like that to, The dude was in bluejeans and the girl was in nike's. Would never of done that. Didn't have packs on either, now that I think of it they didn't have climb permits either

[Smokepole]

Howdy Smossy.  I climbed Rainier 5 times using different routes.  I enjoyed going up the Camp Sherman route better than Camp Muir.  Muir is hammered by tourists, and it takes away a lot of the enjoyment in my opinion.

If you are in good shape, hiking a lot like you do, then Rainier should be physically attainable.  We always went up to high camp near 10,000' and acclimated overnight.  Our climbs started at 1 or 2 a.m.  The glaciers get dangerous in the afternoon, so you want to be off the routes by 1 pm.  No later, or you're asking for trouble.  Bring climbing wands to mark your route where it is needed.

ROPE UP ON THE GLACIER!  I watched a chopper pull a dead body out of a crevasse on Mount Baker, after a glissade into a hidden crevasse.  Knowledgeable mountaineers only glissade on snowfields, and travel roped to partners on glaciers.

I agree with Special T.  Get yourself a copy of Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills.  You can study crevasse rescue, rigging, ice axe technique, and become very skilled just by reading that book and a little practice in the field.

Mountaineering can be a very rewarding experience, but please don't take it lightly.  Being in shape is only the beginning.  My wife and I met on a climbing trip, and she fell 300' down steep ice on Black Peak back in '92.  Luckily she was wearing a helmet.  But the damage done to her ankle, and hip is permanent.  I'm just glad she survived, so we could have a family.  A couple years later, we flew two injured partners out of the Picket Range during a climb of Mount Terror.  The accident was in a steep ice coulior, where one climber fell, then another slipped trying to down climb to help him. The whole trip was a cluster.

My one word of advice... the stronger you are as a climber, the more you put your partners in risk.  You have to consider the strength of the group as a whole.  It is a terrible thing to see someone you care about go down.

But I would encourage you to explore the mountains.  It is a fascinating endeavor, which can teach you discipline, compassion, and humility.  Good luck!

p.s. - here's a pic of me when I was a whippersnapper on top of Sitkum Spire up on Glacier Peak.  My buddy met me at the top & it was totally kickass!

[Special T]

Sweet pic Smoke pole!

I'm glad there are some other people backing me up on more training. ALSO how important it is to move at night when the snow is hard. When things go well you don't realize how much there is to know about mountaneering. I have no experience withthis club, but have friends that do. It is a good place to start with learning/ training in addition to the book.

http://www.mountaineers.org/ScriptContent/default.cfm

[Holg3107]

Mt. Rainier is in a completely different class of mountain compared to Adams or St. Helens. You can hike to Camp Muir as a day hike with no problem if you get an early start and chose a nice day. That being said bad things happen real fast on Rainier and if you don't know what you are doing you can get yourself in a whole lot of trouble real quick. Getting back to Paradise from Muir on a clear day is no problem but if any fog rolls in you are screwed so I wouldn't recommend even doing a Muir trip without a GPS.

The mountain after camp Muir is a whole different beast. We attempted it a few years back and got pushed off the mountain at 13,000' due to steady 20 mph wind with 50+ MPH wind gusts. You felt like you were being blown off the mountain, literally, A gust would hit you and you would have to self arrest with your axe just to stay on the mountain. On a clear day with minimal wind Mt. Rainier would have been no big deal since we had trained hard for 5 months but with the weather we had it was easily one of the most physically challenging things I've attempted in my life. If you want to do it I highly recommend doing some mountaineering training. Summiting Rainier is not a hike like Adams or St. Helens is, it is mountaineering and you need a whole different set of skills to conquer it.

I'm not trying to scare you but Rainier is not to be taken lightly as many can attest to. Do your homework, get in shape, and prepare for the worst and all will be well in the world. Here are some pics from camp Muir (note this was in mid July).



45 minutes later:

[Special T]

Here is a pretty good map of the glaciers on the mountain. Muir  is probably the least technical rout you can take. I took the Innerglacier spent the night on Steamboat Prow, then Liberty cap to the true summit. I would saythis is probably the 2nd least techincal route you can take. IMO it does require ropes and a the use of saftey gear because of the presence of crevases.

[Smokepole]

 

Some crevasses on Rainier are 400'+ deep.  If you punch through a snow bridge without ropes & harnesses, prusik slings, pulleys, partners - yer a goner.

Rainier is a popular training ground for teams training for Everest.

[netcoyote]

While I was reading all the input on this thread I was forming a response but smokepole and several others mentioned the important points I was going to bring up. I summited Rainier 7 times by 5 different routes including my favorite, Liberty Ridge. Before that final trip I had spent many hours in training and multiple summits on other peaks to perfect the techniques and physical conditioning it took to make that trip a success.

Not to be derogatory, smossy, but you don't know what you don't know about climbing. Mountains can kill you. They don't care. And no one ever "conquers" a mountain. Mountains only reveal themselves briefly to those who take the time to educate themselves and prepare both physically, mentally and use the right equipment or....... those who just summit by shear dumb luck. Even prepared climbers die. I have lost a few friends that way myself.

If your goal is just to summit Rainier, your best and safest way is to use the guides. You have to do your part by getting in physical condition. They will make sure you have the right equipment and use safe techniques. They will be a lot better at judging weather conditions which can kill even experienced climbers.

I got bit by the climbing "bug" and spent about 15 years climbing glaciers and rock climbs. It was some of the most satisfying activities that I've done. The views are unforgettable and the physical exhaustion is exhilarating.

Good luck with your climb if you decide to follow through with this. You won't regret it...and....remember, be safe out there.

[Special T]

 
Isn't liberty ridge the snow blown ridge that has 70deg slopes on each side? I think thats the one that if your partner slipps and falls your supposted to yell Left or right so that they know which side to jump off to save you both... If that is the rout i'm thinking of anyways, which means you speak from experience...

[Smokepole]

 

What Netcoyote says is true.  If the Coyote climbed Liberty Ridge, he's a stud.  Better listen to him, then.

[netcoyote]

Liberty Ridge is the steep ridge on the north side of Rainier just to the west of Willis Wall. We did it in May 1992 with a team of four experienced climbers. We had two teams getting in condition and ready to go on alternate weekends. We figured the team with the weekend that had the best weather in May or June would get the route.
We picked that time frame because of ics/snow conditions and odds of having better weather. It looked like we had a weather window when our team was up so we headed out. Weather looked iffy but cleared and we knew that high pressure was approaching.

Our route was by the old Carbon River trail and up the Ptarmigan Ridge for our first camp. When we saw the weather was in our favor we headed up the next day to camp at Thumb Rock at about 11,000ft for our second camp. Watching the ice avalanches coming off Willis Wall all day and night was an experience I'll never forget. Next morning our two rope teams headed up the steep pitches using snow pickets and ice screws for protection and worked up to the bergschrund  below Liberty Cap at the summit. More pro and front pointing got us up and over that and to the summit. We dug out a cave in a steam vent on the summit for a camp to spend the night before heading down the Emmons glacier the next day.

I've got some pictures but I was using slide film back then before digital cameras. If I run across them, I'll convert 'em and post em. It was a helluva a trip!

[Smokepole]

If you can post the pics, I would love to see them.  Did you use two tools or just one?

We tried Gib Ledges one year, but got blown off at 13,500.  The wind was freakin' howling & we had planned to descend the Ingraham Glacier route.  We couldn't stay on our feet, so we decided to descend the ledges.  We were knocked down quite a bit and dislodged some sizely rocks.  We were thankful there were no other climbers below.  For a few hours, we were in peril, down climbing steep ice in crampons, with huge gusts of wind. When we finally made it to Camp Muir, it felt like a sauna in there.  We spent the night inside, and slept it off.  I'll never forget how windy it was.

One year we had wind like that on Shasta, but we were so close to the summit we finished on all fours to make the peak.  Those were the good ol' days!   

[netcoyote]

I needed a reason to dig through my old slide trays, so I'll start looking for those Lib Ridge pics.

We used two tools; ice axe and a short ice tool. Anchored with pickets mostly. I think we took ice screws but never used them. I would definitely take them, conditions can change from snow to ice in a short time.

Yep, the wind on Rainier can be vicious. I was at Camp Muir one day during a 100 mph (recorded) wind. Crawled on hands and knees to the hut. The hut is normally the LAST place I prefer to be up there. Haven't been up there in years but I remember it being dark, damp, smelly and had a resident population of mice. On one summit trip I reached in my pocket for some gorp and felt something furry. A mouse had camped in my parka pocket and froze to death during my climb. I decided I really wasn't that hungry...

[Smossy]

Epic stories netcoyote. Ill definetly be shooting you a PM when and IF I decide to do Mt Rainier. Just want to live a life worth living. Ive screwed up the first 23 years. Time to start making up for it.

[netcoyote]

Epic stories netcoyote. Ill definetly be shooting you a PM when and IF I decide to do Mt Rainier. Just want to live a life worth living. Ive screwed up the first 23 years. Time to start making up for it.

Glad to help. If you want a life worth living, in my opinion, nothing makes you feel more alive than standing on a peak at the break of dawn after climbing most of the night. It's a different world up there, unlike anything you've experienced up to this point in your life. It's not for everybody, but it was a favorite part of my life.