Day 1 - Arrive at your designated meeting location by 8am to go over equipment, distribute group gear, and finish loading your packs before driving into Mount Rainier National Park. You'll stop to pick up your climbing permits, then continue to the trailhead at White River Campground. You'll start on a well-maintained trail, reaching Glacier Basin at 3.3 miles. From there the gradient gradually increases and you'll get plenty of practice kicking the perfect steps over another 3000' feet of elevation gain to Camp Curtis. After putting up tents, we'll talk about what's to come and settle in for a hot meal and a good night's sleep.
Day 2 - We'll have an early breakfast, then pack up camp, descend onto the Emmons glacier, and travel a short ways to Camp Schurman, at 9,500 ft. We'll spend the rest of the day practicing crampon and ice axe techniques, self arrest, glacier rigging, and rope team travel in order to ensure we are prepared for the summit attempt. We will end the day early and cook a hearty dinner so we can try to sleep well before our alpine start!
Day 3 - Leave camp around 1am to start the summit attempt. Depending on the route/conditions/weather and a myriad of other factors, it can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours to reach the summit. We will take breaks to rest, eat, and hydrate approximately every hour. Dig deep as you the air gets thinner and know your training and skills have prepared you well. Once on the top, enjoy the views from the highest point in Washington and celebrate your accomplishment - you earned it! When you are ready, remember that the summit is only halfway and be prepared to plunge step several thousand feet back to camp. The goal is to arrive by dinner time with nothing else planned but eating and rest.
Day 4 - Enjoy a more relaxing breakfast this morning and relive the memories of yesterday as you pack up camp. This is the reverse of Day 1 - back across the Emmons glacier, a short climb up to the Interglacier, and a long descent back down to civilization. You can expect to be back to the trailhead around 4pm.
