• Destination: Mt. Rainier Summit
• Date: July 15-18, 2005
• Starting Point: Paradise Parking Lot (5,460')
• High Point: Columbia Crest (14,411')
• Round Trip Distance: 18 miles

Route: Paradise -> Camp Muir -> Cathedral Gap -> Ingraham Flats -> Disappointment Cleaver -> Summit

We camped inside the park Friday night... While packing up Saturday morning we saw a fox kill and eat a mouse!
Tony and Greg stopped for a pic on the way up to Paradise. Looks like we will be hiking into the clouds
Tony, Greg, and Kevin at the start of the treck...
Getting into the clouds...
Tony's hands get cold... It started raining soon after this pic was taken...
We couldn't see very far either way due to the thick cloud cover...

The clouds are finally dispersing! We can see peaks above! The sun reflects off the snow, so glacier glasses and sunblock are worn the whole time...

Time for a break!

Greg snacking on a rock. Those red flags were our trail markers all the way to the summit.

Kevin and Tony

Clouds are still clearing... Another group pic

Time to get back on the trail

We could see Mt Hood peeking through the clouds off in the distance

Finally above the clouds!
Almost to Camp Muir! Just over the ridge...!

Greg is resting while waiting to eat
Kevin throwing the bedding in the tent

Melting snow for dinner and drinking water...

Greg and Tony relaxing

View from Camp Muir overlooking where we came up... (this is 5 pics stitched together) You can see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens in the distance! What a beautiful evening!

This was the view from our tent at Camp Muir (Saturday evening)
This was the view from our tent at Camp Muir (Sunday morning)

Tony, Greg, and Kevin relaxing at Camp Muir Sunday morning
Tony with Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams
Greg and Kevin
Essential gear
Always melting and filtering water. Bring two filters next time...

Breaking camp and getting ready for the real moutaineeering!

Done with the mountaineering training (crevasse rescue, pulley systems - thanks to Tony's engineering skills, self arrest)... Gear check... Let's go...
Looking across Cowlitz Glacier and Cathedral Gap.

Crossing Cowlitz Glacier. We moved quickly and quietly to reduce the risk of rock fall.
Cathedral gap was sketchy with all the loose rocks
Looking back at Camp Muir and Mount Hood from the top of Cathedral gap

The boys with Little Tahoma in the background. Can you tell the helmet Tony borrowed was a little too small?


Almost to Ingraham Flats. We just saw a small avalanche cover the trail way off in the distance.
Big crevasse
Little Tahoma
Making camp
Melting and filtering more water, waiting for dinner...
The sun is going down
See you at 3AM!

We woke up at 3AM Monday to start the final summit...

Our first rest at the top of Disapointment Cleaver

Woah