On Thursday I went to Mt Ranier to hike up the Muir snowfield to Camp Muir. Camp Muir is a collection of huts situated on a saddle on the southeast side of Mt Ranier at 10080ft. It is used by climbers on the Ingraham Glacier/Disapointment Cleaver Route to spend the night before their early morning ascent of the mountain. The snow field starts at the end of the trail at Pebble Creek at 7200ft. Normally the snow is deep and soft. This year due to our unseasonably warm weather, a lot of the snow had melted leaving large areas of rock and on the upper slopes the snow was mostly non existent and the slope was ice with large open crevasses. Melt water was constantly cascading over the ice. The distance from Paradise at 5420 ft to Camp Muir is 4.1 miles.
I was underway from the house at 0515 and started up the trail at 0844. The trail climbs rapidly and the first mile is paved for the tourists that frequent this area. It was cool when I started but warmed up quickly and I was soon overheated and taking off my outer clothing.
At Pebble Creek I started up the first snow. It was crusty and hard to kick steps. After the second patch of snow, I followed others up the rock field to the left. This was probably not the smartest thing to do. Even though a lot of people had form a crude path to follow, climbing over the rocks was tiring. Just below Anvil Rock(about 9500 ft.) I finally reached some serious ice. Some people without crampons or poles crossed a small finger of ice and went way right to the rocks under Anvil Rock. I put on my crampons and started off across the ice directly toward Camp Muir. With the crampons it was a lot easier than climbing on the rocks. I followed wands that marked a route around and thru the crevasses. Water was constantly running over the ice.
I reached Camp Muir at about 1345. I ate some lunch and started down at about1415. I travelled with three climbers and with crampons the descent went rapidly. At one point we wandered near the rocks and there was recent snow. I stepped thru a thin spot up to my thigh and fell on my face. I popped right up and moved back to the ice, but the guy behind me stepped into the same area and he fell on his face. I thought he saw me fall.
The ice ran out and I followed a stream of melt water thru some rocks to the next section of snow at about 8000 feet. By now, the sun had softened the snow so that it was manageable without the crampons. When I got to Pebble Creek, I noticed that the heat of the day had caused the creek to rise and the rocks I had walked over in the morning were now underwater. I got across but was tricky finding rocks to step on.
The descent down to Paradise was a killer. The pounding of the rock steps and later the asphalt made my legs really sore. I got back to the truck at 1700 and was out of the parking lot by 1715 and home at 2000. When I stepped out of the truck to get the mail, I just about fell down. My legs were so stiff!
I was underway from the house at 0515 and started up the trail at 0844. The trail climbs rapidly and the first mile is paved for the tourists that frequent this area. It was cool when I started but warmed up quickly and I was soon overheated and taking off my outer clothing.
At Pebble Creek I started up the first snow. It was crusty and hard to kick steps. After the second patch of snow, I followed others up the rock field to the left. This was probably not the smartest thing to do. Even though a lot of people had form a crude path to follow, climbing over the rocks was tiring. Just below Anvil Rock(about 9500 ft.) I finally reached some serious ice. Some people without crampons or poles crossed a small finger of ice and went way right to the rocks under Anvil Rock. I put on my crampons and started off across the ice directly toward Camp Muir. With the crampons it was a lot easier than climbing on the rocks. I followed wands that marked a route around and thru the crevasses. Water was constantly running over the ice.
I reached Camp Muir at about 1345. I ate some lunch and started down at about1415. I travelled with three climbers and with crampons the descent went rapidly. At one point we wandered near the rocks and there was recent snow. I stepped thru a thin spot up to my thigh and fell on my face. I popped right up and moved back to the ice, but the guy behind me stepped into the same area and he fell on his face. I thought he saw me fall.
The ice ran out and I followed a stream of melt water thru some rocks to the next section of snow at about 8000 feet. By now, the sun had softened the snow so that it was manageable without the crampons. When I got to Pebble Creek, I noticed that the heat of the day had caused the creek to rise and the rocks I had walked over in the morning were now underwater. I got across but was tricky finding rocks to step on.
The descent down to Paradise was a killer. The pounding of the rock steps and later the asphalt made my legs really sore. I got back to the truck at 1700 and was out of the parking lot by 1715 and home at 2000. When I stepped out of the truck to get the mail, I just about fell down. My legs were so stiff!
Distance: 9.21 miles total(measured by GPS)
Total elevation gain: 4590 feet (measured by altimeter)
Mt Ranier from the Paradise parking lot.
Mt Ranier from higher elevation. Nisqually Glacier in the foreground.
Looking down the snowfield from Camp Muir, Mt St Helens in the distance to the right and Mt Hood in Oregon in the far distance left.
Crevasse on the upper Muir Snowfield. This one is about 8 feet wide.
Another crevasse on the upper Muir Snowfield. This one is about 6 feet wide. They were lots of smaller ones too that I had to walk around. There were some old wands to mark a route.
Camp Muir. Ranger Cabin on left, guide cabin just to right of Ranger Cabin. Public shelter on the far right with latrines just to the left. Cowlitz Glacier is on the other side.
Upper slopes of Mt Ranier and Nisqually Glacier from the Muir Snowfield.
Crevasse on the upper Muir Snowfield. This one is about 8 feet wide.
Another crevasse on the upper Muir Snowfield. This one is about 6 feet wide. They were lots of smaller ones too that I had to walk around. There were some old wands to mark a route.
Camp Muir. Ranger Cabin on left, guide cabin just to right of Ranger Cabin. Public shelter on the far right with latrines just to the left. Cowlitz Glacier is on the other side.
Upper slopes of Mt Ranier and Nisqually Glacier from the Muir Snowfield.
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