{"id":2945,"date":"2019-07-13T17:57:32","date_gmt":"2019-07-14T01:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/?p=2945"},"modified":"2019-07-14T17:02:03","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T01:02:03","slug":"my-first-time-glacial-mountaineering-a-mount-baker-trip-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/my-first-time-glacial-mountaineering-a-mount-baker-trip-report\/","title":{"rendered":"My First Time Glacial Mountaineering: A Mount Baker Trip Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mountaineering is hard. This was one of the thoughts going through my head as I tried to keep pace with Matt as he transitioned from one direction to the other up a steep section of the Easton glacier of Mount Baker. I needed to follow his track and then make the direction switch as well, stepping my crampons over the rope length between him and myself and not stepping on the rope length leading from me down to Christina. I also needed to switch my ice axe to my uphill hand, and my trekking pole to my downhill one. Exactly where we were on the 10,781 foot tall mountain, I was not certain, but it was almost inconsequential. I knew the important things at the moment, which all seemed to revolve around facts. Matt, Christina, and I were Team Green Rope. We were being followed by Team Orange Rope (Harry, Kim, Lily, and Dan), and all seven of us were taking advantage of the nice weather window that had opened up for us in Washington to go for a summit attempt. We had thousands of feet in elevation gain to go and I was already winded trying to keep up with Matt’s pace. The last, and most immediate fact I knew was that I needed to do my transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I carefully stepped over the rope with my left foot, watching my crampon spikes, and then did the same with my right. I switched my ice axe to my left hand, putting my trekking pole in the other. The slope we were going up was steep and if I slipped I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d need to self arrest with my axe. I had no time to enjoy the fact that I had done my transition without causing rope drag, because it was back to making sure I kept up with Matt. I moved on. Step, stab, step, chunk. A few moments later, Christina called out \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hold!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and we paused as a team. Someone on Team Orange needed to adjust something. I was grateful for the brief rest and took a moment to look around. We had been climbing in the dark but now the sky was starting to lighten. The snow around us was visible in a larger-than-headlamp radius. The landscape was white, slashed with a few dark brown rock outcroppings and numerous small, and not-so-small-crevasses in shades of grey or icy blue. We were all on the Easton Glacier route only because a large crevasse had opened up a few days ago on the Coleman-Deming route, causing us to switch to Easton instead. Even before we learned that, our whole Baker climb was called into question due to weather reports which forecasted straight days of snow or rain, and strong gusts of wind. Looking around me though, I could see that the growing light showed no particularly dark clouds in the sky, instead, a lovely alpine glow was turning misty clouds pink and the snow took on a rosy glow. Mountaineering, I thought, was hard, but magical.
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“Ok, go on!” Christina called, and so we did. After awhile of trying to high step my way following Matt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s steps, I realized it was easier to break out and make my own. I used the French step Matt had just told me about the day before, when we had all practiced mountaineering skills after a beautiful hike up to our base camp at 6,000 feet. The French step, as he demonstrated, was basically a cross over step in your desired direction, it saved some knee strength if you were already trending a path right or left. I liked it a lot, it reminded me of the fun I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d had doing a cross over turn when ice skating or rollerblading. Now I French stepped my way on to icy snow and left little slash marks behind me as my crampon blades cut out on my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I contemplated the fact that sometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easier to make your own path to achieve the same goal. Perhaps I should accept this in life as well. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve often been surprised at turns my life has taken and been aware that I have not been following the established trails many others have forged. Perhaps it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter though, if I get safely to where I want to be. Step, stab, step, chunk. Step, stab, step, chunk. We continued for a long way, up and over another steep section. When I crested that I found that Matt was in a somewhat less vertical section. We decided to let Team Orange catch up to us before moving on. Matt coiled me in, and then I did the same for Christina, letting us all gather in one place. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That was a good stretch there,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was doing the French step!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I said excitedly. Matt added, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mountaineering is not like hiking, where you can go at your own pace. You have to move as a team. You have to constantly be moving at the fastest pace you safely can.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I could only nod. I understood what he was talking about. I was also aware that I was the weakest link on our team. Christina, a long time friend of mine, had been working out 4 days a week and her husband Matt had been training as well. They were also experienced mountaineers. I, however, had sporadically trained, then gotten lazy when I had a wisdom tooth pulled and full recovery from that (and additional dental work) took longer than I thought. I felt like I was doing this climb nearly \u00e2\u20ac\u0153off the couch\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. I had also never climbed a glaciated peak before. Maybe all of that is why, for the first time, I was experiencing altitude sickness. This surprised me. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve climbed in Yosemite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s high country many times and I summitted Mt. Whitney twice, once as an all day hike, and another time via the East Face technical climbing route. Whitney\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s summit, at 14,505 feet, is the tallest in the contiguous United States and significantly taller than Mt. Baker. Of course, as Christina reminded me later, the speed at which you gain the elevation is a big factor in getting sick, as well as dehydration and over-exertion levels. I certainly wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t used to the exertion of kick stepping and the different sort of rope management \/ pace keeping needed for glacial travel. Whatever the reason, I was not feeling my best, and had an upset stomach, but I was still moving, and that was key. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Moving itself though is not enough to guarantee success. While rock climbing multi-pitch routes in the Sierra, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve often thought of the saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Speed is safety” because we wanted to be off the rock before afternoon thunderstorms began. As the day went on and the sun warmed the snow, it became more strenuous to ascend. This was another reason why moving safely but quickly is a good idea. I found myself postholing in prints left before me, not just from Matt but from other parties also heading to the summit, and my axe would sometimes plunge deeply enough into the snow that my rhythm was thrown off. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Step, stab, step, chunk\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, would sometimes become, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Step\/slide, poke, step, crush\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. We were ascending though, and we were on Roman Wall, the steepest part of our journey. When I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d seen it from below, it had looked very intimidating. Now, I just concentrated on following the steps, even at the cost of taking larger strides than I normally would. I did not want to slide down. I was very tired, my breath coming noisily as I mouth-breathed. But, we were getting closer and closer to the summit and that mentally energized me. Finally, I saw the  horizon above me turn white and blue, instead of being an all white wall, and I knew that I would soon be at the top of this steep section and on the plateau. One more step did it. I saw Matt and could walk normally now, my ice axe uselessly dangling too far above the snow to be used as an aid. Now we had one last uphill to the true summit. I was so tired, I did not look around the plateau but doggedly continued on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At the base of the last uphill section to the summit Team Green Rope left packs, ice axes, and our namesake. It was time for the last push. I was very tired and dehydrated but I started up the gentle slope. I was still breathing heavily, and my nose had been running for awhile. Still, each step I took was instilled with the confidence that I was going to make it. I took the last steps, and saw a blanket of clouds spreading out before me.  I cracked a smile. Matt gave me a high five. Christina joined us. We had made it! I smiled more broadly. I had reached my goal. It had taken a combination of following the footsteps of others, and choosing my own tracks, but I liked where I was. I liked it quite a bit. Matt had told me to save some energy for the way down. The thought of going down some of the steep sections we had come up made me a little nervous, but I knew where I wanted to go, and I knew I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d get there and meanwhile, in spite of being tired and sick, I was still enjoying the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Christina and I on the summit of Mt. Baker. Photo: Matt Valentine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Post Script: My Nitty Gritty Trip Report<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Friday, July 5:<\/strong> From Baker trailhead, hiked to base camp along the Railroad Ridge trail. Spoke to other climbers on their way out and asked them about conditions. Their responses were sometimes along the lines of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, we summitted.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d One said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We had some views but we had 30 mph wind gusts\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. They did not seem terribly enthused. The weather continues to hold. No rain. Set up camp, practiced self arrest, glissading, and roped team traveling. Had food. Tried to sleep early. We were squeezing 3 in a tent, and in spite of that I got a little cold and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sleep well. Stomach wasn’t feeling good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Saturday, July 6:<\/strong> Our alarm went off at 12:30 AM. Our target time to leave was 1:00 AM. By the time both teams actually started climbing it was around 2:45 AM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Reached the Roman Wall after the sun had already come out. Snow was getting quite a bit softer, and thus it took more work to travel upwards on it. Team Green Rope summits at 11:11 AM, after leaving packs and ice axes at the bottom of the very last bit. We go back down to eat snacks while waiting for the Orange Team. Orange Team shows and everyone goes to the summit again, this time with ice axes, for group photos and to enjoy the views again. Everyone goes down to the packs and a group snack break happens. We start heading down as a whole group, Orange team in the lead this time, Dan in front. Green Team also changes rope order, Christina on lead, myself in the middle, and Matt last. Snow is very soft but we get down the steepest challenging part alright. The way down takes a long time. We are walking down into fog. Soon it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to see. We carefully find the route. At one point we are off the glacier though still on snow and think we can do some glissading. Kim goes down as a guinea pig but suggests that we not do it. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If we go down here, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll die\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. We all put our crampons back on and hike down. We get to the snow field right below our tents and stop to remove our crampons. Matt and Christina want to hike out all the way to the car and ask me my opinion. I say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. They leave me alone to finish removing my crampons and when I get to our tent they hand me a bowl of miso soup, which I drink gratefully. Before I finish the soup, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve agreed to hike all the way out and we hurriedly pack in the light rain which started as I was having the soup. The rest of the group decides to stay so we give Dan a bunch of our food. Matt, Christina, and I hike out. Matt soon goes on ahead, as I had warned that I was already tired and would need to take breaks. At one point Christina and I get confused by Matt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s turn direction and end up adding another half mile to our hike out. I am beyond using my last reserves now. However, we do get to the missed fork turn before daylight ends. We manage to hike out, me at the tail end. Hiking not in snow is much easier, but the hike still feels very grueling and each section with uneven rocks hurts my feet and challenges my mental skills. I finally make it to the parking area. We drive back to my friend’s place in Seattle and arrive Sunday, July 7, around 2:30 AM after stopping for drive through fast food and coffee. We had been awake for 26 hours. I was mentally exhausted but still thinking about what I had learned. I started writing the start of this blog post on the flight home.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Selfie on the trail while hiking to base camp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    Grant Peak, Summit of Mount Baker. Washington, USA. The whole gang (Green Team went back up to the summit just for the photo). Kneeling: Lily, Christina. Back, L-R: Dan, Kim, Harry, Matt, me. Photo: Member of another team who was at the summit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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      We’re all ready to hike in!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Cross one at a time.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Lovely flora!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Christina, Matt, and me<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      We’ll be going up there!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      KIm<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Kim<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      DAn<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Lily<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Beautiful hike to base camp<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      “Sandy Camp” Area view<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      We’re camped at “Sandy Camp”. Christina, Matt, and I shared the green tent<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Cozy!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Matt leads Team Green Rope<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Christina is excited!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      One of the crevasses we passed<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Me and alpine glow<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Christina and I, we started climbing together in the 90’s!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Matt takes a breather<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Pano with Matt and Christina<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Lily taking a break. I loaned Lily one of my old climbing helmets, the Rockgrrl sticker is pretty faded on it.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Opposite of a glamorous selfie. I have frozen nose drip around my nose!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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    • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Mountaineering is hard. This was one of the thoughts going through my head as I tried to keep pace with Matt as he transitioned from one direction to the other up a steep section of the Easton glacier of Mount Baker. I needed to follow his track and then make the direction switch as well,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1,23],"tags":[391,394,188,392],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/cropped-Bryan-and-Erica-6-20-2009-327-Edited-1.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa1ZbT-Lv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1269,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/summiting-friends-quick-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":2945,"position":0},"title":"Summiting Friends – Quick Post","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"August 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a quick post to give a shout out to some friends of mine who summited or are very close to summiting a mountain peak. First off Jeremy, who I've known because of Twitter and because of two Climbing Tweetups (JTreeTweetup and Red Rocks Tweetup), he just summited Mt. Kilimanjaro\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/topics\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1928,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/how-to-get-started-in-rock-climbing-rockgrrlcom-10-year-anniversary-series-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":2945,"position":1},"title":"How to Get Started in Rock Climbing – Rockgrrl.com 10 Year Anniversary Series Post","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"August 31, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently realized that not only is Rockgrrl.com 10 years old this year, but I started climbing over 20 years ago! It made me think back on when and how I started and how it might have changed since then. 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