Thursday morning Chad and I woke up around 6:15 and headed to the Highlander restaurant for breakfast. Probably wasn’t the best idea in the world to have sausage, eggs and hash browns for breakfast, but it was plenty good! All the climbers met back at the bunkhouse around 8 AM where we broke into our respective groups. Chad and I ended up in Group A meaning we would be the first group to head to camp Muir. The RMI (Rainier Mountaineering Inc.) shuttle headed for Paradise around 9 AM. We arrived at Paradise (elevation 5,400 feet) around 9:30, took some group photos, and headed up the mountain around 10 minutes to 10. Our lead guide, John, was setting a pretty good pace. By the time we reached Pebble Creek (elevation 7,200 feet) I was getting pretty tired. My pack ended up being around 45 pounds and I wasn’t prepared to carry that much weight. So at Pebble I dropped to the rear of group A, and continued on at my own pace. This is where I hooked up with Adam Knoff, another of the RMI guides. Adam really forced me to slow down and drink when I needed to. My legs started cramping once again at about 8,000’. After informing Adam that I was prone to cramping, he was constantly checking on how my cramps were doing, and forcing me to take breaks. 5 hours and 40 minutes after leaving Paradise, he and I arrived at Camp Muir (elevation 10,112 feet). We were only 30 or so minutes behind the rest of group A. Group B came up about 15 minutes after that. After stowing our gear, and picking out our bunks in the guide shack, we were treated to a nice hot meal from the RMI staff. Chili and rice. It was a nice treat! Then after dinner, we were given the details on how the rest of the climb would go, broken up into rope teams, and sent to bed around 7:00 PM. Unfortunately the door creaked every time someone had to get up to use the restroom, so I didn’t get much sleep. But just being horizontal for a few hours was helping my tired legs. At 11:30 PM, the guides came in and woke us up and gave us their clothing recommendation for the mornings summit attempt. After putting on all my gear and heading outside, I was treated to a most spectacular view! The moon was out, and there was a cloud cover at around 8,000 feet. You could see the reflection of the moon off the clouds and snow, and you could see Mount Adams and Mount Saint Helens in the distance. AWESOME! Looking up there were more stars than I think I’ve ever seen in my life, and the Milky Way was visible as well.

At 1:00 AM we started our ascent. Adam was the guide on my team, followed by yours truly, Amy, Kelly, Simon and Chad. We started off across the snow field and up into Cathedral Gap. The snow quickly ended and the gap was nothing more than a rock and scree lined hill. This was not at all pleasant to walk on. Picture a 60 degree slope with really course sand and rocks. Now picture it in pitch black wearing crampons (10 two inch long spikes strapped to the bottom of your boot). This was NOT fun at all. Sparks were flying when the crampons and ice axes contacted the rocks. I was slipping and sliding, and more than ever, my legs were burning. No cramps, but VERY VERY sore. (You can see a great picture of our route through Cathedral Gap on my website). Once we reached the top of the gap, we were thankfully on snow again. Another 20 minutes later, we reached the Ingraham Flats. 11,157 feet and our first break of the evening. At this point I had to make a decision. Would I be able to continue on up and over Disappointment Cleaver knowing I would have to gain another 1,200 feet, walk an hour and 30 minutes non stop, without food or water? I decided that if I were to go on, I would be a serious liability to my team. I told Adam I was “tagging out”. He got me a sleeping pad and sleeping bag, and I settled in for my camp while I watched the rest of my team head on up the cleaver. It was about the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I knew in my heart of hearts, it was the best choice for everyone. One other person from team B ended up on the flats with me. At 3:45 AM, the sun started to rise in the East, and I was able to catch a couple hours of sleep. I took some amazing photos of the sunrise over Little Tahoma. Again, see my website. At around 6:30 AM, Mark (RMI Guide) and another team of 3 came cruising back to the flats from the Cleaver. They had decided to turn at the top of the cleaver. At 7:00 the 6 of us headed back for Camp Muir. We arrived back at Camp Muir at 8:00 AM and waited for news of the other teams summit bid. Everyone else on our teams summited. We were all very proud of them.

At 11:30, the first teams arrived back at Muir and by 12:30 we were headed down to the parking lot at Paradise. Chad and I were pretty well beat by that time, but it sure was nice to see Teri (my girlfriend) and Tina (Chad’s wife) waiting for us near the end of the trail with a VERY cool sign!

We all walked back to the parking lot together, and checked in to the Paradise Inn. The Lung Association provided us a marvelous dinner, followed by an awards presentation.

Overall, this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Something that I will never forget. I met a number of amazing people, and made some life long friendships. I was able to go beyond the end of my rope to achieve my personal best in terms of altitude. I am determined to make it to the top of Mount Rainier, so I’ve committed myself to climbing again for the Lung Association in 2004.

Thanks Everyone!
John