Trip Report

Leaving Eugene Thursday evening, we drove to North of Kelso, Washington amidst torrential rain, thunder and lightning. Friday shown clear and beautiful. We drove to the Paradise Lodge parking lot at 5600 feet and started climbing at approximately 11:15 am. Carrying full packs weighing 45–55 lbs. and with pulses beating at 75–85% maximum heart rate (140–160 beats per minute) we arrived at Camp Muir at 10,050 feet seven hours later. This party included Jerry, Tom, Cindy, Kathy and Sally. Christine, Sam and Bill arrived 3 hours later having left Eugene early Friday morning.

Bedding at 9:30 p.m. we arose at 1 a.m., "saddled up" with ice axes, crampons, head lights and roped in, we started up at 2:30 am. under a star and moonlit sky with later views of city lights sparkling far below. Summitting between 11 and 12 noon and having attained almost 9000 feet elevation gain in 24 hours, we rested one hour enjoying the view and gathering up energy for the trip down. Abundant crevasses curtailed glissading and motivated a careful but hurried descent with risks of avalanches and realities of stepping through to camouflaged crevasses. We returned to Camp Muir at 6 p.m. with suncrisp skin, goggled eyes and enlarged blistered lips. Early to bed and up at 5:45 a.m., we left Camp Muir between 8 and 8:30 a.m. returning to Paradise and "wheels" at 11:30 a.m. where some of us burst into hysterical laughter due to oxygen highs.

Climbers Were Tom Donnelly, Sally Grosscup, Christine Ligneau, Cindy M., Sam Miller, Jerry Mohler, and leader Bill Soule.