Mt Rainier - Muir - 10/26/2013
10/26/13
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2104
1
Today Belinda my friend Adam and I headed up Mt Rainier. This day also marked Belinda's first TAY birthday. Go you!!!!
After waking up a bit late and leaving the house at 7:45, we dropped the dogs off at doggy day care and headed up to Paradise. Adam and I left at a quick pace to try and ski from Muir as we started the trip up at 10:45. From the week before things have changed a lot, it went from skiing to the car to walking in tennis shoes all the way to the patch before Pebble Creek (about 6900 ft) We did cross a lot of snow on the way, but no post holing was had. There however was some black ice on the trail that was hard to distinguish in the shade and cased a few slips.
At pebble creek we dawned our skins and started the trudge up. Made it to Muir around 2:15~ and was greeted with about 20-30 ski's laying up-right drying out their skins, and fellow beer drinking friends. After hanging around for 15-20 minutes, as we were leaving, we noticed some folks playing 'extreme settlers of catan' up in the hut. They explained that they're not hardcore skiers, but extreme catan players.
As we left around 3:45~ the top 1000 or so vert was very crusty, I wouldn't call it terrible, but it wasn't great. It was really too early for something up their to corn up enough to head down. At about 9000-9200 that is when the fun started. The snow here was fast, smooth and looked like a groomer at the resort.
At 8800 we met up with Belinda, enjoyed a short break, and then all skied down to Pebble Creek and did another 100 or so vert below that. Packed our ski's back up and hit the parking lot .
On the way out we had dinner at the Mexican food place in Eatonville and I highly recommend this place. Not bad food and it was pretty cheap. Would do business again.
On top of that, I want to say Happy 1 year TAY Belinda, and really enjoyed the trip with good friends. Pics to come when I get them.
Brian
After waking up a bit late and leaving the house at 7:45, we dropped the dogs off at doggy day care and headed up to Paradise. Adam and I left at a quick pace to try and ski from Muir as we started the trip up at 10:45. From the week before things have changed a lot, it went from skiing to the car to walking in tennis shoes all the way to the patch before Pebble Creek (about 6900 ft) We did cross a lot of snow on the way, but no post holing was had. There however was some black ice on the trail that was hard to distinguish in the shade and cased a few slips.
At pebble creek we dawned our skins and started the trudge up. Made it to Muir around 2:15~ and was greeted with about 20-30 ski's laying up-right drying out their skins, and fellow beer drinking friends. After hanging around for 15-20 minutes, as we were leaving, we noticed some folks playing 'extreme settlers of catan' up in the hut. They explained that they're not hardcore skiers, but extreme catan players.
As we left around 3:45~ the top 1000 or so vert was very crusty, I wouldn't call it terrible, but it wasn't great. It was really too early for something up their to corn up enough to head down. At about 9000-9200 that is when the fun started. The snow here was fast, smooth and looked like a groomer at the resort.
At 8800 we met up with Belinda, enjoyed a short break, and then all skied down to Pebble Creek and did another 100 or so vert below that. Packed our ski's back up and hit the parking lot .
On the way out we had dinner at the Mexican food place in Eatonville and I highly recommend this place. Not bad food and it was pretty cheap. Would do business again.
On top of that, I want to say Happy 1 year TAY Belinda, and really enjoyed the trip with good friends. Pics to come when I get them.
Brian