RAINIER SUMMIT 2006 August 5 Photos

Home / Itinerary / Photo Archives / Tips and Equipment / About RMI

August 5 - Mt. Rainier Summit Attempt

Up at 11:30 pm to start the summit climb, it's a breakfast of Grape Nuts with dried apples

Prepping packs, strapping crampons and getting ready to rope in together

12:15 am; Summit Team B getting roped up

1:45 am; Time has passed and Summit Team B has crossed the Cowlitz Glacier, scaled Cathedral Gap and secured the Ingraham Flats - First Break

Morning begins to emerge just above the Disappointment Cleaver

An early morning view above the DC

Stiched panoramic image from High Break, beyond the Disappointment Cleaver (13,600 ft. elevation) . Note that the inconsistent "stitching" of this image is due to the extreme incline (40 degrees) from where the photos were taken. To gain a better perspective of the incline of the summit climb, refer to the very left and right of this image. The sunrise is beginning to break over the Cascade Range at 5:45 am PST. Mt. Adams can be seen in the distance in the right of this iamge.

Another early morning view above the DC

Mt. Adams can be seen in the distance as morning approaches

Sunrise evolving over the Cascades

Chuck Fabijanic and Dan Gueldner rest at the final break - High Break - before the summit (13,600 ft. elevation)

Above High Break and Summit Team B heading for the top of Mt. Rainier

A view back down toward High Break and the emerging sunrise

A view upward at Summit Team B

Summit Team B continues upward and onward

The morning sun cracks the eastern Washington sky

The first full rays of the morning on Mt. Rainier

Sunrise on Mt. Rainier

A view down at High Break - note the climbers below taking their final break before their summit push

A few of the horizon gives one a better perspective of the angle that is being climbed

Summit Team B continuing upward

Sunrise thrusts itself above the Cascades and the valley below can be seen much better

One final view down at High Break and the DC before Summit Team B reaches the crater rim of Mt. Rainier

The crater rim of Mt. Rainier can be seen

Dan Gueldner reaches the crater rim; Lee Hoedl is not far behind, as anchor man of the rope team

First view of the Mt. Rainier crater; 7:30 a.m.

Reaching the crater's bottom, Summit Team B gives "high fives" and takes a well deserved break

Summit Team B in the crater of Mt. Rainier

A view of the eastern sun from the Rainier crater

Lee Hoedl and RMI guide Eben Reckord

The worn snow trail to Mt. Rainier's register and the final walk to Columbia Crest

Climbing colleagues at the summit: Chuck, Dan. Alex, Vlad and Lee

Marquette University reaches the summit! Lee Hoedl (former Marquette administrator) and Dan Gueldner (Marquette alumni) show their spirit at Columbia Crest

Fumaroles venting on the Rainier crater rim

Chuck Fabijanic signing in the Rainier register - it's now history!

A view down into the crater from the Rainier rim

Another view of the interior crater and trail

A view of the side of Rainier from Columbia Crest

Lee Hoedl reaching Columbia Crest for the second time

Stitched panoramic image from Columbia Crest (View into Mt. Rainier crater); 14, 410 ft. elevation; 7:00 am PST. Mt. Adams can be seen in the distance in the center of the picture, just over the crater's ridge. Note the trail running through the center of the Rainier crater - the very small images next to the trail are fellow climbers.

A view of the crater rim and distant horizon from Columbia Crest

Having rest for about 40 minutes within the crater, Summit Team B is on the move down Mt. Rainier

Heading down to High Break again, a clear morning view from Mt. Rainier

Summit Team B moving down as teams continue climbing upward

The morning sun starts to warm up the snow on Mt. Rainier

Another clear morning view from above High Break

Continuing down past High Break

Summit Team B circling around to approach Disappointment Cleaver

A daylight view of the top of the Disappointment Cleaver

Break on top of the Disappointment Cleaver

A view from the Disappointment Cleaver

A view down from the DC

A view down at the Ingraham Glacier from the DC

Waiting for climbers above on the DC to stop so as to pass below safely

Moving through the lower portion of the Disappointment Cleaver; note the crevasses in the Ingraham Glacier

A larger image of the crevasses in the Ingraham Glacier

A view across the Ingraham Glacier; note the Climbing Seminar Camp on the glacier

Moving across the Ingraham Glacier

Climbing down the Ingraham Glacier toward Ingraham Flats and the final break before Camp Muir

A view of Little Tahoma and the Ingraham Glacier

A view back at the Disappointment Cleaver; note the climbers coming down through the snow toward the DC

A panoramic image of the DC

Descending down the rock scree of Cathedral Gap; note Camp Muir on the distant ridge, across the Cowlitz Glacier

Summit Team B descending down the Cathedral Gap; note the trail cutting across the Cowlitz Glacier

A view across the Cascades

The Cowlitz Glacier

Coming into Camp Muir

A look back at the rest of Summit Team B coming into Camp Muir from the Cowlitz Glacier

A view of the Muir Snowfield from Camp Muir; 11:30 a.m.

Stitched panoramic image of the Muir Snowfield at 8000 ft. elevation; 1:30 pm PST. RMI guide Michael Horst is enjoying the sun and fun of leading the group in gliding down the snowfield. The Paradise valley can be seen in the center of the picture.