Farewell To A Friend 9/9/17

A bunch of us went for a hike on Cleman Mountain to the spot where our friend, Pete, passed away a few weeks ago. The group consisted of family, friends and co-workers from 6 different states. It was good to share memories and find the answers to some lingering questions.

Rest in peace, Pete.  See you on the other side.

Lake Stuart 8/26/17

We took a break from climbing mountains and went for a family hike up to Lake Stuart.

 Jim, Linda, Doug, David, Susan, Tina (and Ron) crossing Mountaineer Creek on a log bridge.

 Lake Stuart with Mt. Stuart in the background.

Relaxing and having some lunch on a large boulder.

Ron taking in the view.

8/12/17

 

Mt. Rainier, Emmons Glacier 7/29/17

We had some really nice weather for this Mt. Rainier climb!

 The Emmons Glacier on the NE side of the mountain.

 It was completely calm at our camp on the Inter Glacier.  

 Sunrise from 12,000'

A big beautiful crevasse high on the mountain. 

The upper mountain was covered in penitentes.  They were pretty tall in the crater.

Doug, Chris, Troy, Tim, Tate, Emmet, Ron and Tucker on the summit.  

Mt. Adams, South Climb 7/15/17

We had clear skies and great views for our annual climb up Mt. Adams.

 The Steepest part of the climb is this ridge that we like to call Widowmaker.  A good boot track makes it like going up a steep set of stairs.

 Enjoying the nice evening and eating some good food at our camp at Lunch Counter.

 Climbers heading up the south face under the morning sun.

Looking down on Lunch Counter, Trout Lake, Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson from the false summit.  We could even see Three Sisters from the summit.

 A father and daughter having some fun on the summit!  Mount St. Helens on the right.

Some more climbers on the summit, including a husband and wife with their son and daughter.  The strong wind made it a little cold up there.

 A father and son on top.

A father and 3 sons on top.

It's good to get away from everything and spend time with friends going on adventures in remote and beautiful parts of God's creation.

Mt. Rainier, Edmunds Headwall (attempt) 7/7/17

Mark and Doug made an attempt on the Edmunds Headwall on the Mowich Face of Mt. Rainier.  We have been waiting 4 years for the right conditions to climb this route.

Tina dropped us off at Mowich Lake.  We would have to get to the White River Campground, one way or another, where another car was parked, for the drive home. 

 The route that we were planning to climb.

Wildflowers and heather on the lower slopes 

 The sun setting behind the Olympic Mountains

 Mark checking out the route and weather conditions.  The Edmunds Headwall is a steep, carry-over route and very hard to descend, so you carry all of your gear over the top and descend an easier route. The weather up there was not improving. The wind was blowing pretty hard and there were warnings about strong winds and possible whiteout conditions on the upper mountain. The last thing we wanted to do was get trapped at 13,000' in 40 mph winds with an air temp of 30 degrees, no visibility and no good way down. That is more risk than we are willing to take, so we called it off  :(

 Doug by a large crevasse on the Carbon Glacier.  We would have to cross the Russell Glacier, Carbon Glacier, Curtis Ridge and Winthrop Glacier to get to Glacier Basin and the White River Campground.

A large herd of mountain goats.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things....."

Unicorn Peak 6/24/17

Mt. Rainier National Park is a great place to be when the weather is nice!  The views are amazing in every direction. At 6,972', Unicorn is the highest peak in the Tatoosh Range.

 We could see our goal for most of the climb.

 Pete and Ron ascending a steep chute with Mt. Rainier in the background.

Ron, Tim and Pete nearing the summit with Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens in the background.

Ron, Tim, Pete and Doug on Unicorn Peak.

Another awesome day in the mountains!

Chair Peak 6/3/17

We went up to Snoqualmie Pass for our season opener.  There were dire warnings posted at the trailhead about sinking in impassable, deep snow.  That was not an issue.  Route finding in low visibility was.

 Pete, Tim, Ron, Dennis (and Doug) crossing Denny Creek the first time.

 The bridge is out.  Time to get wet!

 Keekwulee Falls

 Ron crossing the creek on a slick log

 Frozen Melakwa Lakes

We ended up at 5,900' in the wrong gully and were not able to cross over to the right one to get to the 6,238' summit. You win some, you lose some.  It was still nice to be in the mountains, get some serious exercise and take in the beautiful scenery!

My favorite quote bears repeating right about now:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt