Rainier/Cascades Cybercasts

Summer keeps on rolling and climbing in the Cascades is still going strong. Forecasts for the next week look promising. There will be a slight dip in the freezing levels over the weekend which should help keep things nice and cool higher up in the mountains. There’s also a slight change of picking up some precipitation associated with some afternoon thunderstorms- but we don’t anticipate a big impact to our climbing plans. Moving into the early part of next week, climbers should expect mostly sunny skies and normal seasonal temperatures. In the upper mountains, smoke has continued to hold off, and hasn’t impacted climbing operations at upper elevations.

Mount Rainier (Tahoma)
The standard climbing route on Rainier has continued to stay in very good shape. With solid snowpack on the Muir Snowfield, travel has been pleasant and straightforward leading up to Camp Muir. Above Muir, cracks are opening up on the Cowlitz Glacier, but travel remains direct to Cathedral Gap. As snow continues to melt, expect more dirt and rock walking on the approach to Ingraham Flats. A ladder crossing awaits climbers directly above high camp, and a handline was recently installed to help climbers move across the ladder span. Access to the Cleaver is sped up by another handline install in the loose scree. This helps climbers move more efficiently through the area. Above the cleaver, a direct, well-established route is still taking climbers to the summit.

Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)
Not much has changed on Mount Baker, which is a good thing, as guides continue to report how well the Easton Glacier is climbing at this time of year. The climbing up the Easton Glacier is still relatively straightforward, and minimal crevasses have opened up on the standard route. A crack around 9,400’ is gradually widening, but is still possible to step over. A good snowpack on the Roman Headwall is keeping the steepest part of the climb in smooth travel conditions, and there is a well-established climbing path. A few groups have also gone up the Squak Glacier recently and also experienced great climbing conditions!

Across the Cascades
The trend of good climbing continues throughout most of the Cascades. Recent climbers on the Shuksan ascended the Fisher Chimneys route and reported very good, solid glacier travel. On the other side of Shuksan, the Sulphide Glacier hasn’t changed much in the last week. A few open cracks on the glacier are easily crossable on the way to the summit pyramid.

Hello Everyone,

In the early morning on the 9th of August team Hazah stood on the summit of Kilimanjaro! We had perfect weather for the ascent and for the whole week. This was a great team of people that came together to help and support each other for an unforgettable experience. It was a long day but everyone kept a positive attitude and pushed some physical and mental limits to get to the top and back down safely. Yesterday we had our last hike through the forest to the Mweka gate where we celebrated with our crew and then headed back to Arusha. We had a nice celebratory dinner last night and said our goodbyes. Today the group is heading in different directions to Zanzibar, Safari, or home. Thanks for a great week team Hazah!

Thanks for following along,

Ben Jones

Hello Everyone,

Today was another fantastic day on Kili with great weather and a great team!  We’ve got a few minor altitude symptoms amongst the group but they all stayed strong and pushed through the Baranco Wall all the way here to Karanga camp.  As usual we waited until all groups left and passed through the Baranco wall before we departed camp and we had the trail all to ourselves the entire day with only a few porters passing us.  Once we arrived to camp we had a big lunch and then most of the team rested and napped.  We are getting close to touching the top!  Tomorrow we head to Kosovo camp at 15,800ft, where we will set off for the summit early the next morning.  We are all getting excited!

Thanks for following along,

Ben Jones

Hello Everyone,

Today was another beautiful day of hiking and weather!  We made our way from Shira camp after all the other groups had left and hiked to Baranco camp in 6.5 hours.  The team is acclimatizing well and feeling good.  We’ll be resting at camp for a bit staring straight up at Kilimanjaro before dinner.  Tomorrow we climb the Baranco wall and head over to Karanga camp.  Our elevation tonight at Baranco camp is 13,300ft.

Thanks for following along,

Ben Jones

Hello Everyone,

We had a great day with a wonderful group!  After getting checked in at the Park Gate and a light lunch we hiked up through the forest and clouds in perfect hiking weather.  The group was strong the entire 5 1/2 hours and 4,000ft of elevation gain to Machame camp at 10,000ft.  After arriving we did a quick camp tour and got moved into our tents.  We had a great first night dinner of steak, potatoes, vegetables, and spinach.  Most of the team slept well but still adjusting to the different time zone, so each night should get better.

Today we woke up to beautiful clear blue skies and waited until all the other groups left the camp before we started up the trail.  Today’s trail to Shira camp can be a little challenging because it’s pretty rocky but today only gaining 2,5000ft to Shira.  We made good time today, enjoying the views above the clouds and arrived to camp for a late lunch.  After some rest in the afternoon we came back to the dining tent for dinner and a briefing of the next day and heading off to bed.  Team Hazah!  Is crushing it!

Thanks for following along,

Ben Jones

Hello climbers,

It’s hard to believe, but the first week of August is almost finished! Climbing conditions throughout the state haven’t changed much since last week. Smoke has moved in the last couple of days throughout the area, but thankfully hasn’t impacted trips or teams up high. We expect a lot of the smoke to be pushed out of the mountains before the weekend. Clear and sunny is the long term outlook for the following week.  Climbers should expect normal freezing levels of around 14,000 ft with light to moderate winds from the west.  It’s a great combination for mid-summer climbing.

Mount Rainier (Tahoma)

Overall, not much has changed on Rainier in the last week.  The approach to the Muir Snowfield is full of wildflowers and is snow free past Pebble Creek.  Climbers should expect a couple hours of hiking in trail runners before boots go on.  The upper mountain continues to hold up well.  There is one ladder crossing directly above the Ingraham Flats camp.  The Disappointment Cleaver is almost completely snow free and can be climbed completely on trail and rock at this point.  Above the cleaver the route is holding up very well for August. The climb still traverses towards the Emmons Shoulder on a well-developed climbing path.  From there, it’s switchbacks up moving in a direct line toward the crater rim of the mountain.

Photos from a recent Emmons climb.

Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)

The Easton route is still in wonderful shape for August. The route is still very direct heading towards the crater with only a few crevasses to end run along the way.  The Roman Headwall continues to hold up well with a very well established trail taking climbers up a mellow path to the summit plateau.  On the north side the road is still closed and climbers should expect a few hours of hiking to get to the Heliotrope Trailhead.

Across the Cascades

Climbing throughout the rest of the Cascades is continuing to hold up well.  On Shuksan, the Sulphide Glacier is starting to show some easily avoidable cracks.  The gulley on the summit pyramid is holding just a bit of snow that can be avoided and should melt out soon. Rock climbers have avoided the heat of eastern Washington by sticking around North Bend and cragging around Exit 38 to prep for multipitch climbing. Climbers reported great temperatures and climbing conditions this week on Poppy’s Peril and the Tooth.

Hello Everyone,

Our second Machame group (August 4th) of the season is about to head off to the mountain to begin this incredible journey.  The group is excited and full of energy this morning as we are checking out of the hotel and loading up the vehicles.  It’s always a fun first day hiking through the forest up to our first camp at 10,000ft.  I will be posting as much as possible here this next week along with some photos.

Thanks for following along!

Ben Jones

Friends, family & loved ones,

This morning was special – we woke up early and drove to Diskit Gompa, an incredible 15th century monastery overlooking the river valley.

We wandered up the stairs through the monastery complex and arrived just in time for the morning prayer ceremony.

We were the only visitors in the large prayer hall and were served butter tea by two young monks as we sat watching the older monks perform their puja.

After that, we started our drive back to Leh over the Khardung La, stopping along the way for my personal favorite local breakfast dish, aloo paratha (basically, grilled bread stuffed with a seasoned potato mixture).

Once back in Leh, we did some more eating and then had time to shop and explore the town before dinner. No one lost weight on this trip.

We’ve got an early flight back to Delhi tomorrow and then will continue on our way back home to you.

One more random photo from our excursion to see the Bactrian camels yesterday in Hunder:

Thanks for following us!

Carole Tejas

Friends, family & loved ones,

We’re back on the grid! We’ve seen and done so much this past week. It’s been an adventure- where to begin? First and most importantly, the Team is healthy and doing very well. We were blessed with mostly good weather and crushed it on the trek and crossing the pass. The first couple days of trekking were relatively mellow. We took it slow and easy and acclimatized well. We navigated many stream crossings, which were made more sporty because of high water levels from the rains of the previous week. We had time to soak up the scenery on the trail and at camp. Big views and stark beauty. We saw very few other trekking parties on the trail but we did see lots of wildlife- yaks and dzos, blue sheep, a wolf, many marmots and pikas, almost 40 species of birds (according to Konrad the official team ornithologist) but alas no snow leopard, The most exciting day was crossing the Lasermo pass into the Nubra Valley. What is normally a relatively straightforward climb and descent of a small glacier turned into an interesting logistical challenge for our pack horses, who could not have safely descended the soft, deep snow on the north side of the pass. We had anticipated this and arranged for reinforcements (4 cheerful young guys who served as porters for our gear) so that the horses could descend with no loads to carry. This operation took some time, but we ended up at a lovely stream side camp, feeling tired but happy with our accomplishment. Continuing down valley for two more days, we walked alongside the braided river and admired the beautiful wildflowers. We passed grazing yaks and herds of goats and checked out some isolated shepherds’ settlements and the village of Upper Hunder Dok along the way.

Tomorrow we will make our way back to Leh.

Thanks for following,

Carole Tejas