A Journey For The Soul

As my week long Expedition Skills Seminar with Rainier Mountaineering Inc drew to a close, I took to heart a quote offered to our group by Jason Thompson a talented climber and RMI guide, "The summit is for the ego.  The journey is for the soul"

From the days proceeding the climb to the concluding beers with my fellow climbers, a strong indescribable bond developed with fellow guides and climbers, I faced my fears, confronted my mental and physical limits, and absorbed the awesome beauty of nature.  I still carry within me the colors of the sunrise;  the immensity of the mountain;  endless horizons filled with stars, distant landscapes, mountains, blue and gray skies; clouds shaped like giant Portabello mushrooms;  the looming dangers of the glaciers filled with crevasses, pristine white snow and beautiful blue ice;  bracing temperatures: and punishing winds.

But, it is difficult to find words that adequately describe the mental and physical challenge of Mt. Rainier!  For me, it was the most difficult thing I have attempted.  Now I feel prepared to confront it and perhaps reach the summit in the future.  Results, however speak for themselves, my highpoint on  Mt. Rainier is at about 11,250 feet on the Ingram Flats.  To put that height in perspective for you, when I stopped, there was only one peak in Washington State at a higher elevation than me, Mt Adams at 12, 277 feet.  The next highest mountain, Mt Baker is 10,788 feet.  The next waypoint on the climb up Mt Rainier would have been Disappointment Clever, an apropos name for the crux of the climb and my feelings at realizing that I had not conditioned adequately to reach the summit of Rainier and safely return.

Mt. Rainier from the Muir Snow Field

My physical preparations were not insignificant.  For a year I have been building up my aerobic capacity by running, climbing Stair Master, sometimes carrying a pack on city streets, treadmills at 15 degrees and summiting northeastern mountains, including Mt. Katahdin.  I learned that two additional things needed to be improved in my regimen, 1. carrying a 45+ lb pack as I climbed and exercised, and 2. constantly pushing the pace into very difficult territory and sustaining it for an hour or more.  In a way I had done something close to those things, but I had no idea of the actual challenge that the mountain would present....Walking in plastic boots, traveling on extreme slopes with crampons and maintaining a pace that was safe for the rope teams, not necessarily comfortable for me!  I learned a great deal about technique and conditioning that will serve me well in a future attempt(s).

I arrived early at Whittaker's Bunkhouse so that I had time to rest and relax before the climb.  I did rest, but I do not think "relax" describes my state of mind before we began.  Arriving early did, however, give me an opportunity to meet and get to know Louis Kayatin II, a young climber from Ohio who was not only a strong climber, but also a great person with a strong sense of humanity and teamwork.  His quiet support, on occasion, made a difference in my ability to do more than I thought possible. I hope to get to know his family in the future and perhaps hike or climb another mountain with him.

From Left to Right (Louis Kayatin II, David Reynolds, Matt Mathis, James Holmes,
     Cody Doolan, John Rockwell, Bruce Freedman)

As the climb progressed we all got to know each other.  Our group was filled with strong and interesting people.  Bruce Freedman was just a little younger than me and filled the room with a boyish enthusiasm for our adventure and the importance of capturing it in pictures.  Matt Mathis is another young climber who is a fireman in his real life.  I believe he and Lou share some talents and personality traits that would make them excellent mountain guides in the future.  Just having them there brought stability and confidence that our adventure would turn out well.

Our RMI guides were skilled, strong and very service oriented.  Brent Okita is somewhat of a legend in the Mt. Rainier community.  He has summited Rainier over 400 times.  Cody Doolan, on the other end, had just a year of experience as an RMI guide, but I will be forever grateful to him for guiding me down the mountain, teaching me with enthusiasm, and humoring me as I flirted with buying his Volkswagen Van to  become a fellow "dirt bag climber".  In addition, Gilbert, the only woman on the team, led my rope team up the mountain as we made  our summit attempt.  She was strong, caring, skilled and enthusiastic.  Each of these people really added something unique and special to the soulful journey we took together!  Unfortunately, I do not yet have a picture of fellow climbers Zack Dodge or Bryan Morrison, both of whom were "salt and pepper" to the atmosphere of the camp and climb.  Zack, the edgy, knowledgable, kind, but crazy man was a highlight for me.  I hope to climb with him again when I return to Washington where he lives.  I unfortunately missed the La Tomatina style tomato throw that he invited me to after the climb.  It was held at the Pyramid brewery in Seattle on Saturday.  I saw some great pictures in the Seattle Times...That was Zach, warm, fun and ready for anything!  Brian was a rancher and a cement truck driver.  He was on his first adventure of this type.  A quiet, complex, strong, family man who was determined to find a soulful experience in the mountains, and I think he did find one.  I could go on about the other people, but these guys were the highlights for me.  There were 15 in our group together with another group of three climbers and guide Linden Mallory that were climbing to raise money to end childhood cancer.  Linden did a great job describing there effort if you are interested.
Climb for Five  Read the "Climb for Five Recap" on this site.

RMI Guides from left to right (Cody Doolan, Jason Thompson, Dave Reynolds, Gilbert Chase, Brent Okita)

The climb began on Saturday, September 19th from Paradise Lodge.  The sole objective for our day was to climb the 4700, heart pounding feet up to the shelter at Camp Muir 10,188 feet.  It began in a beautiful  meadow filled with wild flowers and progressed to Pebble Creek where the Muir Snowfield begins its serious and steep upward climb.  The goal is a pace of about 5 hours!!  The good news is that the scenery is spectacular, and you get a 15 minute rest to eat and drink every hour!!!

The purple flowers are Lupin, the red are Indian Paintbrush, not sure about the yellow?

Must have been early in the climb: still smiling with the 45+ lb. pack

Above the clouds on the snowfield

As we got higher and farther into the hike, I sometimes doubted that I would make Camp Muir, but Brent and Gilbert hung with me, talked and provided some much needed distraction and motivation.  Through sheer will, pressure breathing and rest stepping I got there!

Climbing the Muir Snowfield with Mt Adams in the background

Our home at Camp Muir for 4 nights

Matt and Jeff at Camp Muir

Me at Camp Muir, Paradise Lodge is deep in the valley below

We spent the next day, Tuesday, getting our snow training and enjoying the Cowlitz Glacier.  You haven't lived until you have slid downhill headfirst with an ice ax, practicing your self arrest techniques.

A crevasse on the Cowlitz Glacier.  That's us roped together at the top 

Cowlitz Glacier

All roped-up and learning to travel efficiently on a glacier!

It was a long day of learning on Tuesday.  Brent spoke to us at the end of the day and let us know that we had a favorable patch of weather through the evening and into Wednesday. The bottom line, Wednesday morning at 2:00 a.m. he woke us up and we prepared to climb.  By 2:30 we were organized and tied into our rope teams.  With our headlamps on we began to traverse the Cowlitz Glacier and the first hour long leg of the climb to 11,200 feet on the flats of the Ingram Glacier.  The night was clear, Orion lounged on his side touching the mountaintop.  The snow was crisp and the climb steep with the potential for a long fall under the rockfalls in the dark.  A chain of twinkling white headlamps preceded me up the mountain.  It was an experience I will never forget, inspiring, bracing and sometimes a bit frightening.  I did manage at times to fall into a rhythm with my gait and breathing, but it often felt inefficient, and it was clear by the time we paused at Ingram Flats that I would not make it to the summit and back on this attempt.  I was disappointed, but felt firmly that my decision was right for both me and the group.  Delaying a large team like this can cost others a chance to summit and even be dangerous for them.  So, I "tapped out" like a wrestler defeated by a stronger opponent.  We waited as the other climbers lamps headed up the switchbacks through the ice fall and up toward Disappointment Cleaver, then Cody accompanied me and Greg back to camp.  We arrived at about 5:30 a.m. and were later joined by another climber who had to return after reaching the top of the Cleaver.  I stayed up all night watching the rope teams progress up the mountain.  I caught a glimpse of them at sunrise, and again just before they were enveloped by a cloud at about 7:30 am, high on the mountain near the summit.  I was treated to a spectacular sunrise as I waited for them to return.  The week continued after the summit with training in crevasse rescue and ice climbing.  It was the experience of a lifetime, and I hope to return with "more fuel in the tank" to try again for the summit, but for now...I'll savour this soulful journey.

Sunrise on Summit Morning

Sunrise moments later

Mt. Adams at dawn

Clouds capped the mountain just after sunrise as the team approached the summit

If you look carefully in the following pictures you will see three climbers as tiny little spots near the top on the snowfield to the V formed by the rocks on the right, and as they descended to camp across the Cowlitz Glacier once more.

Three  Climbers are visible on the snowfield to the right of the summit 4300 feet above

About 11 hours after the climb began, the team descends  it's final few feet on the  Cowlitz Glacier

My journey ended in Seattle at my friend David's house.  We enjoyed a hike together on Mt. Pilchuck.  At 3 miles and a 2400 foot elevation gain it was beautiful and doable with my new found quads and calves!!!  And in the evenings we relaxed in a hot tub to soothe our aching muscles.  Before I flew out, I even made it on to the local ABC Television affiliate with a story about rating area restaurants for cleanliness! Lindsay Cohen Reports

On Mt. Pilchuck

The Wisdom of the Mountains

I am sitting comfortably in the beautiful home of my friend David in Seattle.  I unfortunately did not summit Mt. Rainier on this trip, but I did have a spectacular and transformational journey with my fellow climbers and guides during the past week on the mountain.  We experience winds as high as 78 mph and worked on the glacier learning crevasse rescue techniques in winds as high as 50 mph.  I learned a ton about myself, my fellow climbers and guides and truly enjoyed the fellowship.  My highpoint on the Mountain was at about 11,200 feet on the Ingram Flats.  Twelve of my fellow climbers did reach the summit during a beautiful day.  The climb to the summit began at 2:30 am on Wednesday the 21st and the successful climbers reached the summit at about 8:30 am.  At almost exactly that time, a cloud descended on the top of the mountain and the winds picked up.  The climbers' descent to Camp Muir took about 5 more hours, some of which was in the wind and a little rain.  It was cold enough on the summit for the rain to freeze on the clothing of those who stood on the high point, Columbia Crest.

While I was disappointed to not reach the top, it only made me more committed to getting in better shape and trying again.  Yesterday I hiked up Mt. Pilchuck with a friend in less than 2 hours, an ascent of 2400 feet and 3 miles.  Let the training continue!!!

When I return to NYC on Tuesday I will have more pictures for you and a more complete story about the week's activities.  I did successfully complete the Expedition Skills Seminar, one aspect of which was the summit attempt.  I now have skills in most of the basic aspects of mountaineering with hands on practice from some of the best guides in the country!!  It was awesome.  Now I am truly in love with the mountains and looking forward to more.

This model of Rainier shows the entire mountain.  I reached a point on the Ingram Glacier. I could not figure out how to put an X on the photo, but if you begin at the top of the mountain an let your eye follow the right shoulder down the model you will come to a large gray shape that looks like a big wide Y or V, the Ingram Flats are at approximately the top of that gray shape.  Looks pretty steep huh?  Well let's just say that an hour on a Stair Master three times a week is not enough training.  More on this when I return home.

Rainy day at Paradise

Today the rain began at dawn and looked as though it would persist.  STILL, the plan was to take a hike and gain some altitude.  With the help of my new friend, Kevin from Indiana, we set off in a rental car to Paradise Lodge again.  This time the plan was to hike up toward Camp Muir and try to go a little higher on the mountain than yesterday.  When we arrived it was pouring, so we waited for a few minutes and saw some naturalist programs.  It seemed clear that the weather would not cooperate, so we just ignored it, put on our rain gear and started up the skyline trail toward Camp Muir.  Three things happened.  We had a great hike. I found out my rain gear performs very well. And we saw some beautiful wildlife and flora.

See the deer in front and to the left of the hikers?

Kevin trying to capture Paradise in a "bottle"

The deer were very close to the trail and comfortable with hikers!

As we got to about 6500 feet we reached a snow field and ran into strong gusting winds, so we retreated back to the lodge for some refreshment and rest.  The hike was about 4 miles and a bit over 1000 feet of elevation gain.  I am now cheering on and nurturing my red blood cells!  Gonna need some more oxygen to make it to the top.

Time to turn around for today

enjoying myself during a brief respite from the rain

Mt. Rainier National Park

Arrived in Mt Rainier National Park at about noon today.  The weather is looking much better than I expected.  I am staying at Whittaker's Bunkhouse until we start our climb, but I had a great little walk near Paradise Lodge with Kate this afternoon.  she left at about 5:00 and I am getting familiar with the area and meeting some other climbers.  The shop I am in closes in 10 minutes so this will be quick, but here are a couple of good photos from today,

Narada Falls

Wildflowers near Paradise Lodge

Mt. Rainier peaking through the clouds

Another view of Mt Rainier

In Seattle!!!

I landed in Seattle on Tuesday morning. Kate, Mollie's mom, picked me up at the airport. After settling in at her house, we shopped for groceries.  Then after  my nap, we chatted while Kate cooked a delicious meal with salmon and pasta salad.. It is incredibly relaxing being here, and it is nice to taper back my rigorous training routine and just rest for the big climb ahead.

On the deck of the ferry to Bainbridge Island


Kate lives in the Wedgewood neighborhood in northeast Seattle.  It is beautiful and quiet here.  I have no problem sleeping regardless of the time change.  Not sure if it is the gray sky or jet lag, but the result should be plenty of rest and energy when I arrive at Mt. Rainier tomorrow.

The view from Kate's back window

In the Wednesday morning Seattle Times there was a cautionary tale published, lest this adventure be taken for granted!



Don't worry folks, I will keep my ice ax with me at all times in case I need to "self arrest". 

on Wednesday, Kate had suggested an outing to Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride out into the Puget Sound.  I needed a relaxing walk after reading the paper, so after packing a lunch, I was off on the 71 bus to the Ferry Terminal in downtown Seattle and on the 12:15 ferry to Bainbridge Island.

Bainbridge is such a serene and picturesque place, and it is the home of Ed Viesturs, the first American mountaineer to climb all 8000 meter peaks!  If you ever go there, take a hike on the path along the shore and stop in town for a treat at the Blackbird Bakery near the corner of Madrone Lane and Winslow Way.  The Wildernest Outdoor Store is also a great place to buy gear and clothing, but I resisted buying this time, in spite of the friendly conversation about mountains with the proprietor.

Maybe Ed Viesturs lives here?

Wish I could have reached higher, these blackberries looked good!

My treat at the Blackbird Bakery, blackberry pie and tea

It was nearly 4:00 when I returned to downtown Seattle.  But, with so little time to explore the city, I decided to have a local microbrew in Pioneer Square.  Summer Solstice brewed by Freemont was my favorite. What to do next? A thousand ideas flew my way from the friendly folks I met at the bar. I resisted the idea to see the Yankees v Mariners game and settled on a Chinatown dinner before catching the 71 bus back to Kate's and calling it a night.

Today I spent the morning picking up the last of my equipment needs at REI's flagship store and writing this blog post.  Tomorrow Kate is driving me to Mt. Rainier.  I'll be staying at Whittaker's Bunkhouse.  The weather is not promising at this point.  Currently the winds are 40 mph and the temperature is in the mid 20s at Camp Muir.  Hope it changes, but if it does not, I should get some good experience in expeditionary skills training.  That in fact is the title of the RMI Program I will be in from Sept 18-23 Expedition Skills Seminar Camp Muir.  You can follow our team's progress at http://rmiguides.com/blog/

Moving On To Mount Katahdin

My son Chris came to New York on August 5th to collect some furniture and move it to use in his new apartment in Cambridge, Mass.  I could not resist the sudden impulse to help Chris move and take advantage of the opportunity to climb Mt. Katahdin, the highest point in Maine.  So, after a stop in Harlem to pick up his Uhaul Truck, we collected two couches, a table and some assorted personal possessions and were onto Interstate 95 to Chris and Mollies' new apartment, formerly a Fig Newton Factory in a great neighborhood near MIT.

The entrance to Chris and Mollies' new apartment in Cambridge

A little history about the building.

Arriving in the evening on Saturday, I got plenty of pre-climb exercise going up and down the stairs of Chris's old apartment to get the beds and larger items as we tried to use the truck efficiently and finish before dark.  Tired, but satisfied we had a delicious takeout meal from a local Indian restaurant and hit the hay for the night.

The next morning, I checked weather reports and it was clear that there was plenty of rain in Baxter State Park for Sunday and most of Monday, but Tuesday appeared to be a good day to climb.  Chris and Mollie were gracious hosts for another night and I took the opportunity to shop at REI for the supplies and equipment I would need.  Monday dawned without rain and was mostly clear for the 6 hour drive, but I was hit by the occasional squall as I neared Portland and later as I approached Baxter State Park.

Turns out you need a reservation to camp in Baxter and a day use spot to hike Katahdin.  God was smiling on me as I got a cancelation in the Abol Campground for Monday night, and the rain had stopped by 6:30 p.m. when I began to set up my tent.  Then it was straight to work assembling my new MSR Dragonfly Stove and preparing a delicious freeze dried meal of Beef Stroganoff....yummm

Love my new stove!!

Nothing like a long drive and a meal of Beef Stroganoff to put one to sleep.  I went out like a light until about 6:00 a.m. when I heard a fellow camper close his car door.  knowing that there are limited day use parking spots, and that they allow outside hikers in the park at 7;00 a.m., I rose and quickly struck camp to claim one of those spots.  Happily, I found a picnic table in the parking area and took my time preparing for the hike.  Fascinated by the new stove, it seemed a hot breakfast was in order....oatmeal of course.  Ranger Corrigan and another hiker were so fun to talk with that I lingered until after 8:00 when I set off on the Abol Trail.

A view near Abol Campground 

Nearly 4000 feet of elevation gain in 3.8 miles!!

For the first hour or so I saw no other hikers as I made my way up and through a beautiful forrest.  It was a lovely cool, but sunny day.  Before long the trail cleared the tree line and began to make its way up a slide and bolder field that continued for the next two and a half hours.  The trail was merely steep and rocky at first, but quickly the boulders began to grow and grow.  I read an excellent quote about climbing Katahdin, written by Henry David Thoreau in 1846 and taken from my inspiration, a book by Joe Glickman and Nels Akerlund,  To The Top...."The mountain seemed a vast aggregation of loose rocks, and they lay as they fell on the mountain side, nowhere finally at rest, but leaning on each other all rocking stones, with cavities between, but scarcely any soil or smooth shelf......this was an undone extremity of the globe".  My translation, there is nothing like this mountain on the east coast of the USA.  It is steep, rough and difficult to climb.

Looking back on where I came from three hours before

The trail finally leveled as it reached the table's edge and it continued for a mile with only a few hundred more feet of elevation gain as I neared the summit of Baxter's Peak, the highest point on Mt Katahdin.

The alpine vegetation is fragile, stay on the trail is the message here

It Looked as though the weather might come in as I neared the summit

It was super satisfying to get to the top of Katahdin.  I spent a long time on top to savor the view, talk to fellow hikers and even cook lunch on my new stove!

At about 2:30 p.m. I started down the mountain, this time taking Hunt Trail, it is 5,2 miles long, but I believed it would be more gradual and therefore a better choice going down.  Let's just say that assumption was not entirely true.  Also, it meant that I would need to hike or hitch a ride back to my car, nearly 2 miles away from the base of the Hunt Trail Head.  Still, the hike was beautiful and well worth the work.  It followed a beautiful ridge with a Irish like countryside and ended near an hypnotic and powerful waterfall by the Katahdin Stream Campground.  The lord was watching over me because I met a lovely couple (Ken and Linda Steller) from Connecticut who not only hiked with me all the way down, but also dispensed Ibuprofen, kept up morale and gave me a ride back to my car after dark, when we finally arrived at the end of the trail!!!  Sorry that I have no pictures of the waterfall or of the Stellars.  My  iPhone ran out of juice.

It was an inspiring and successful trip that is beginning to build up my confidence as I approach my attempt to climb Mt Rainier.  I can't wait to try Katahdin again from another approach in the autumn when the leaves are in full color.  If not this year maybe next.  Is anyone interested in going with me?