It’s about 11 weeks until I hope to summit Rainier. The
conditioning training is coming along, albeit very slowly. Over the last two
months, I have not been healthy at all. It’s hard
to keep up the training and workout regimens when it feels like you have a cold
all the time. As a result, I am constantly worried about not being in good
enough shape for the next hike and am seriously doubting my ability to go on
big treks.
Conditioning Hikes:
In a rather desperate effort to improve my conditioning, I have hiked
up Mailbox Peak (I-90 corridor, north of Exit 34) twice over the last 3 weeks. Mailbox is a good workout, since it progresses from an elevation of 700 feet at the trailhead
to over 4900’ at the summit in only 3 ½ miles. That’s around 1300’ – 1400’ elevation gain per mile.
It is quite steep and the ascent does not let up for the entire hike.
The first hike, on April 5, I went with two other guys from
OSAT. They wanted to complete the hike up and back down in 4 hours. I
tried to keep up with them and ran out of steam about 1 hour into the walk. The
pace was too fast and it wasn't much fun anymore. Keeping up the right pace is
key for me. I have to accept the fact that I can’t go as fast as the more
experienced or younger hikers. Believe me, that’s irritating and frustrating,
to say the least. However, once I slowed down a bit, I felt much better and had
plenty of energy left to scramble up the steep parts just below the summit.
Time to the top was 2:55 and I thought that was pretty good. There was quite a
bit of snow in the last 1000 feet to the summit on that day. Good thing I
brought my crampons! They were overkill for this mild hill but I still haven’t
replaced the micro-spike that stayed behind on Mt Ellinor so it was the
crampons or nothing. I lost the trail a few times in the snow, but just kept
heading up. I figured I’d get there eventually.
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| What a doofus |
I went back to Mailbox Peak on April 19. This time I was on my
own and had a lot more fun. I brought along the iPod and headphones, cranked up
some tunes, and stuck to a much slower pace from the beginning. Time to the top
on this day was 2:57. On the way, I got lost (again) near the top, and ended up
at the bottom of a very steep jumble of rocks. Normal convention states that
you only tackle these guys when they are covered in snow, like I’d done two
weeks prior. This week, all the snow was gone and there was just these damn
rocks to scramble over. I probably lost some time at this section, since I was
being cautious not to step on any loose stones. It was a steep field and if I
slipped, I would have fallen backwards and cracked my head on a rock. I didn’t
want to do that that day, so I was being extra careful. Once I found the path
again, at the top of the rock field, it was steep but easy going to the summit
where the mailbox lives. Yup, there is an actual mailbox at the top of Mailbox
Peak.
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| Nice panoramic of the view from atop Mailbox Peak. |
My goal on these hikes was to find the right pace to where I
can continue walking without stopping for an hour at a time. If I have to keep
stopping, even for a few seconds, it means I’m going too fast for my current
conditioning. I also want to have plenty of strength remaining in the final
hour. This is the most important to me. When we are on a summit push, we
usually go for an hour at a time with a 5-minute break in between. It’s good to
get used to that schedule.
The Big Boot Saga:
This last week, I picked up a new pair of new mountaineering
boots. My “old” boots (they were only one year old…) were great but just too
stiff and heavy for the long approaches and descents required for Washington
volcanoes. I wanted to get something that was a little less specific to
mountaineering and more comfortable for trekking. As it turns out, there are a
lot of options out there. A key consideration while shopping for boots is the
ability to return them, since it’s impossible to get a good feel for them while
in the store. REI is great about returns, but they don’t carry the best
selection of mountaineering boots. Other smaller mountaineering stores like
Second Ascent, Mountain Pro Sports, and Feathered Friends carry quality
boots but they are very stingy on their return policies. For example, Mountain
Pro Sports, in the U District, said that once you walk out the door with their
boots, they are yours forever. They won’t take them back at all. Feathered
Friends will let you bring them back after 30 days as long as you've not worn
them anywhere else other than your carpeted home. Second Ascent will take
things back after 30 days, “as long as they’re not bloody”. REI? Well, they
gave me cash for the full price of the boots I bought last May and wore up
Baker and to Muir. They are the best when it comes to returns!
The neat thing about mountaineering boots these days is that
they are very adjustable for fit. They all have fancy lacing systems that can
make it tighter on the ankle and looser on the toes, while still holding
everything down snug. It’s important to have enough room for your toes, because
on the way up glaciated mountains, you are doing “kick-steps” to make sure
you don’t slip. This means you slam the front end of your boot into the
snowy/icey ground every step of the way. If your boots are too soft, your toes
get absolutely mashed. Then of course, on the way down, they can get smooshed
again if the laces aren’t tight enough to keep your foot from sliding forward
as you plunge-step your way down. People like to tell stories of how many
toenails they lose after long descents. I find this disgusting and wish they would either get better boots or quit sharing those stories.
After doing some research online, I went shopping around to
check out the local mountaineering shops in town. First was Mountain Pro Sports, then Feathered
Friends, then REI. Tried on some Mammuts at Feathered Friends, since they had
come highly recommended plus they were on clearance. Unfortunately, they felt
heavy and were pressing in on my left foot.
Finally went to Second Ascent in Ballard. I should have gone
here first; I've never had a bad experience here. The staff are really
knowledgeable and helpful and they take their time to make sure everything’s
cool. They want to hear about what you are doing, plus they give you 10% off
for being part of a climbing group. Nice! Picked up some Salewa Condor EVO GTX boots. Lightweight, lots of flex in the uppers but stiff on the sole. Funny
green color, but the guy said just tell everyone they’re Italian made (which
they are) and that this is the hot color in Europe right now (doubtful) and
they will just nod knowingly and leave it at that. I’m wearing them at work
today and getting plenty of questions and second glances.
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| It is very hard work to break in new climbing boots... |
I'm heading to Muir Saturday (April 26). Going alone but there will be
plenty of other loonies there, I’m sure. This will be a good time to hone my
orienteering skills with the compass and map. I want to get to where I can
safely navigate down the mountain in a white out. It’s very tricky and that is
how people get permanently lost up there. If you are off just a few degrees,
you’ll miss your target and could very easily find yourself on the wrong side
of the Nisqually Glacier. It’s no good trying to follow the boot path since a
whiteout usually is accompanied by high winds and blowing snow that obliterate
all signs of the trail back down.
White Out at Panorama Point:
On Saturday, April 26, I went down to Mt Rainier NP to see
if it was possible to get up to Camp Muir that day. I have signed on to help
lead a group of GCC students on a time trial up to Muir this coming Saturday,
May 3, and I wanted to make sure I could make it myself before taking any
students up there.
It was a very pretty drive down there. The summit of the
mountain was peeking out above the clouds as I was passing through Puyallup, so
it was looking good that things would be clear for the climb. By the time I
reached Paradise parking lot, though, it was completely overcast and the
mountain was shrouded in a thick layer of fog. There was plenty of snow – the tunnel doorway that leads to the restrooms was framed by a solid wall of snow 10 feet high.
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| Paradise Parking lot, April 26 |
There were a few cars there – mostly optimistic (or
oblivious) alpine skiers looking for a few quick runs down the slopes beneath
Panorama Point. Everyone who was heading up the snow banks were on either their
skis (with the requisite climbing skins on the bottoms) or show shoes. I was
grateful that I’d thought to bring my new MSR’s. Looks like I’ll have a chance
to finally break them in. I checked my trusty Mt Rainier contour map, adjusted
the altimeter on my watch to the correct elevation (5420’ at the Paradise
Parking lot), then set off.
There had been a LOT of new snow here over the last week. A
conservative estimate would be 3-4 feet, judging by how far you sink down when
stepping off the beaten path. I put on the snowshoes right away (hoping they were
on the correct foot), and went stomping on up the hill.
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| Is this on the right foot? |
Snowshoeing is fun. It’s hard work, and slow going, but it
is kinda fun, in that you don’t go sinking down to your hips as often as if you
were just walking along in boots. I wasn't making very good progress at first.
After the first hour, I checked the elevation – only 6200’. Oops. That was less than
800’ in an hour. Compare that to the 1800' gained in the first hour going up Mailbox. The trip to Muir gains around 5400’, and in order to make it
in less than 5 hours, well, the math is pretty easy on that one. After the
second hour, I was at the top of Panorama Point. At least I assumed I was
there, because there certainly was no Panorama to speak of. What had been
benign conditions at Paradise had become thick fog, whistling winds and what
felt like bitterly cold temps. I pressed on for another few hundred feet of
elevation, then paused to assess the
conditions.
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| Looking down towards Paradise from the hill to Panorama Point |
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| Almost to the top. This is at around 6500' |
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| Won't be using this rest stop anytime soon... |
The sun was peeking through the fog from above, make things
far too bright not to wear sunglasses or goggles. But once the goggles and
glasses were on, the bootpath became harder to see. There was enough wind to be
blowing the snow laterally, further diminishing the trail upwards.
There were a few figures coming down from above, emerging
from the mist like the dead pirates from that great Adrienne Barbeau flick The Fog. I talked to each one of them,
and none had made it up as far as Muir. They all reported that things got
continuously worse the further up you went.
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| This was the view up towards Muir from Panorama Point, at around 7000'. Still another 3600' elevation, all of it through this thick white stuff. |
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| Time to go back. No selfie at Muir today! |
It was at this point that common sense kicked in and I
decided to turn around and head back down. There was no way to safely navigate
the path up to Muir without a GPS, and at the pace I had been going at so far,
it would have been another 3-4 hours before getting to camp. Going down was far
easier than going up. I kept the showshoes off while going down the steepest
parts, since it’s easier to plunge step without them on. I tried glissading a
few times, but the damn snow was just too soft, and the only thing I succeeded
in doing was cooling down the back of my legs as they nestled down into the fluffy
snow.
The new boots were awesome. No hot spots, feet stayed warm,
and no fatigue. Cool! Actually, I was pretty much thrilled with all of my gear
on this trip. There were a couple of small things, like the Julbo glacier
glasses getting all fogged up (which is why I'm wearing the ski goggles in the picture above), and the zipper pulls on the pricey Arc-teryx hardshell were a little too
small for heavy gloves to operate, but overall, things were groovy. I will do
some research on how to keep the glasses from fogging up, and have picked up a
few feet of 4mm purlon to make some longer zipper pulls for the hardshell
jacket and the tent. Fun stuff!
Here are a few pictures from the way down. Since I’d turned
around so early, there was plenty of time to snap away with the fancy camera.
The sun came out and it was gorgeous out there. I turned to look back up the
mountain, just to see if things had cleared up there as well, but the fog was
still as thick as a good Stephen King novel.
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| Close up of the Tatoosh Range, just south of Rainier. |
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The snow on the way down looked like someone had taken a LOT
of marshmallow sauce and covered everything in the valley. It was very cool.
Twin Falls:
On Sunday, Julie and I picked up Rachael after Julie came
back from church. We had wanted to go on an easy family hike and Twin Falls
looked like a good one, at least on paper. It was raining while we were on
I-90, heading out to the trailhead which is just south of Exit 34. By the time
we parked at the trailhead, the steady rain had become a drizzle so we all
headed out. Twin Falls is a short and relatively flat hike along the South Fork
of the Snoqualmie River. The river was running along at a healthy pace due to
the recent rain and snowmelt from the Cascades. This is a beautiful hike and we
had a great time! I highly recommend this one to any who are in the area.
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| Mom and daughter, enjoying the outdoors |
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| This is much better than freezing on Rainier!! |
