Attempted Rainier Summit

How was Rainier?  It took me a week to be able to find the words…  As my 8th volcano experience (9 if you count Adams 2x), Rainier was “fully alive.” The routes change hourly w/ rock slides, avalanches, weather, & obstacles altering the course & putting on a show. The Sun beat down on us for 2 days as we ascended to camp, trained on crevasse rescue skills, acclimatized, & then did a 180 on the eve of our summit bid. She’s a suffer-fest, & if I’ve learned anything about myself the last 4 years… I suffer well & like it 😉.  At 11pm on Sun, 7/3 we were greeted by lightning ⚡️ every 3 minutes, impending white-out & ❄️  at the peak & descent. We intended to go for the DC (Disappointment Cleaver) but had to pivot & shoot for the ID (Ingraham Direct) instead due to route washout. Sparse headlamps ascended before us, possibly only 2 groups seen, as we set out in the dark to spend our time w/Tahoma.  It was pitch black under the waning 🌙, save for the ⚡️ that lit up the canyon-sized surrounding crevasses with each flash. Though outfitted in metal on the highest peak, there was no accompanying thunder to make it a full threat.  Roped together, well trained to remain safe, one of our team members suffered breathing trouble to the point of becoming too dangerous for the group to continue. We’d gone too far to have her turn back solo. W/ heavy hearts, high adrenaline, & max energy left, we turned around in the dark as a team to keep the group safe & not have to deploy rescue skills.  We made it safely back to camp by 4am. When we awoke, there was 2in of fresh ❄️. Mountaineering, like life, is a team sport. When you elevate in your journey through the outdoors & life, you go from being independent to interdependent. You win or lose as a team. A solo victory, with no one around to share it with, feels anything but victorious. The ego is along for the ride, not in the driver’s seat along this path. I’m super proud of our team, my friends, for having the chutzpah to get up there. We galavanted into Washington’s greatest adventure together & came out the other side full of memories, lessons, learning, deepened instincts & fortitude. Already can’t wait to try again!