July 23, 2005, Muir
7/23/05
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2707
2
We woke up at 5am after only a couple hours of sleep and drove to Paradise. We got there around 8 to perfectly clear skies and about 60 deg at the parking lot. Started our ascent at 8:30, took lunch at 10 where the snow starts above Pebble Creek, at around 7500'.
After lunch, we skinned up to about 9000 feet where the snow was sun-cupped and still pretty hard. We then booted the last 1000' because the sun hadn't really thawed out the snow very much. At Camp Muir, we were treated to an eruption of some sort http://www.smooshy.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi?cmd=show_image&path=MtRainier_07-23-2005&img=20&tn=1 on Mt. St. Helens. Looked like a plume of steam from our vantage point.
After a short rest, around 2pm, we stripped off our skins and clicked in and made our way down the ~2500' vertical of great corn snow. Wasn't too soft yet, but the top layer was great.
Then we weaved our way through hikers on the lower part of the trail and got back to the car around 4:30. We only saw one skier on the way up with us, which made us think there was something we didn't know. Overall we only saw about 5 during the entire trip.
You'll find my photos from the trip here:
http://www.smooshy.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi?cmd=show_thumbs&path=MtRainier_07-23-2005&tn=1
After lunch, we skinned up to about 9000 feet where the snow was sun-cupped and still pretty hard. We then booted the last 1000' because the sun hadn't really thawed out the snow very much. At Camp Muir, we were treated to an eruption of some sort http://www.smooshy.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi?cmd=show_image&path=MtRainier_07-23-2005&img=20&tn=1 on Mt. St. Helens. Looked like a plume of steam from our vantage point.
After a short rest, around 2pm, we stripped off our skins and clicked in and made our way down the ~2500' vertical of great corn snow. Wasn't too soft yet, but the top layer was great.
Then we weaved our way through hikers on the lower part of the trail and got back to the car around 4:30. We only saw one skier on the way up with us, which made us think there was something we didn't know. Overall we only saw about 5 during the entire trip.
You'll find my photos from the trip here:
http://www.smooshy.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi?cmd=show_thumbs&path=MtRainier_07-23-2005&tn=1
I went and skiied the Muir Tuesday, July 26th. It was a gorgeous day. At pebble creek we saw a group of climbers/rangers carrying a climber down on a stretcher. They seemed to be all smiles and in no particular hurry, so I'm assuming all was well. At about 8,500 feet on the snowfield, I noticed 3 or 4 tracks up above the Nisqually Glacier (to the West) on what I think is the Wilson Glacier. It looks like a long approach for a short ski? It did looked nice, though. The turns down from Muir were as skanky ever, mostly due the fossilized tracks and suncups galore, but fun nonetheless.
Nice photos and TR, Smooshy. The Beer Ninja and you are having more fun this summer than I am. I have not found any stashes in Chicago, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Boston or Palo Alto.
Let me know when you head out next.
Let me know when you head out next.
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