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At 4392 m, the summit of Mount Rainier is the highest point in Washington. Our team, Mark McCann, Matt Brown, James Grant, and I, visited Rainier for a climb June 28 - July 1, 2001. We reached the summit at 7:00 am on June 30. As you can see from the pictures, conditions were ideal: sunny, with a steady wind cooling things off above 4000 m. We followed the Disappointment Cleaver route and spent the night of June 29 at Ingraham Flats. Check out Matt's Rainier photos. | ||
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Mount Rainier is located
in Mount Rainier National Park, in the middle of Washington state, about
100 km southeast of Seattle. See the area map
for directions.
Paradise is the starting point for most routes on the south side. A ranger station is located there, as are showers and food. Several campgrounds are located near Paradise permitting an early start on the approach. |
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June 28 - Drive from
Vancouver to Mt. Rainier NP (500 km). Camp at Cour Rock campground.
June 29 - Obtain permit from Paradise Ranger Station (1647 m) at 8 am. Ascend to high camp at Ingraham Flats (3353 m) via Muir snowfield at 3:30 pm. June 30 - Wake at 1 am. Climb Disappointment Cleaver route to summit (4393 m) at 7 am. Descend to high camp at 10:30 am. Descend to Paradise at 3:00 pm. Camp at Cour Rock campground. July 1 - Drive to Vancouver. |
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Climbing permits are
required at $15 per person. Reservations are recommended for most overnight
routes on the Muir snowfield; call (360) 569-HIKE. Climbing rangers in
Paradise can be reached at (360) 569-2211 ext. 2314; climbing permits can
be picked up here.
Vehicles require a $10 NPS entry permit obtainable at the park gate. See NPS Mount Rainier website for details. |
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Selected Climbs
in the Cascades. Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield. Mountaineers Books,
1993.
Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide. Mike Gauthier. Mountaineers Books, 1999. Mt. Rainier Climbing Guide SM10097. Stanley L. Friedman. Stanley Maps. Mount Rainier climbing website. National Parks Service. |
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Mount
Rainier National Park, National Parks Service (jpeg)
Ingraham Flats route map (jpeg) compass bearings for Muir Snowfield (postscript) entire route overview (gif) |
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