Driving to the South District of the Mount Tahoma Trails Association

As some of you may know the original road that takes you to the south district was washed out several seasons ago. The new route is a little different and actually takes you through Ashford. You can stop in at Whittaker Mountaineering to reserve your hut or to buy your SNO-PARK permit. We also rent Cross-Country Skis, Snow Shoes and even Randonee Ski set-ups.www.WhittakerMountaineering.com

Once you leave our shop, you will head West on 706 towards Mount Rainier National Park. About two and a half miles down on your right you will see Skate Creek Road/Forest Service Road 52. Hang a left there and follow the road down across the Nisqually River. As the road starts to bed to the left you will see a neighborhood on the right called Paradise Estates. Turn right like you are heading into the neighborhood and you will notice a road marked to the left that will take you up to the SNO-PARK.

You will then follow this road until you come across this sign where you will turn right.

You will pass over several bridges on you way up to the SNO-PARK. This one is Catt Creek. The bridge was once washed out but has since been restored.

Here you can either head up to the SNOW-PARK or head right towards the Anderson Lake trailhead.

As you can see only vehicles are allowed in the SNO-PARKS. Above the SNO-PARKS only foot traffic is allowed for its users. Dogs are permitted though.

At the lower SNO-PARK there is a bathroom for use. At this point you want to make sure and have your SNO-PARK permit visible on your windsheild. Once you pass the restrooms you will drive to the Upper SNO-PARK. The road is usually plowed to this point.

BE SURE TO HAVE LOTS OF FUN AND BE SAFE.

WM

Rocktober 2009

October brought a great season of rock climbing in Yosemite Valley, CA...great routes, great weather, and great folks to hang out with. We were fortunate to be able to spend almost three weeks in the Valley. The following are a few pictures of some different climbs. Highlights from the trip include Royal Arches, Serenity Crack, the East Buttress of El Cap, and the Nose of El Cap, and other great adventures. Here is a photo of our first day relaxing in El Cap Meadow checking out some climbing parties on El Capitan.

Here I am getting the rack together in the van.

Sunset on Half Dome...view from Dinner Ledge on Washington Column.

Here is Tyler on the East Buttress of El Cap.

I am mid-pitch on another section of the East Buttress of El Cap.

Tyler leading on the Great Roof of the Nose of El Cap.

Me cleaning on the Great Roof.

Me leading the Pancake Flake of the Nose.

A shot Tyler took looking down the Nose at the anchor after the Great Roof.

Tyler about to head into the Changing Corners pitch on the Nose.

View from the top of El Capitan, looking towards Royal Arches, Washington Column, and Half Dome.

Great trip...left with a lot of excitement for a return and more projects. Now back in Ashford with a few ski days under the belt and psyched for the predicted snow storm for the next couple days!

- Laura, Whittaker Mountaineering

Summer Ski on Mount Rainier June 30th-July 1st, 2009

It was predicted to be a warm couple days that I had off of work and Tyler Jones (RMI guide) had just returned to Ashford from a couple of months in Alaska, so we decided to ski Mt. Rainier. The night before our ski we headed up Copper Creek Road to check out our intended descent via the Tahoma Glacier from Glacier View. Spotting scope in tow, we planned our route and how to avoid the end-of-June crevasses. We got up early the next morning to drop a car off at the parking area on the Westside Road where we would finish up the following afternoon. We drove the other vehicle up to the Paradise parking area to start the climb. Our ascent route consisted of dropping onto the Nisqually Glacier, crossing over to the Wilson Glacier, and heading up the Fuhrer Finger. The Fuhrer Finger was fairly thin and sun-cupped at the time. There was also a fair bit of rockfall to dodge. We left skis on until arriving at the Finger and proceeded to boot pack the remainder of the way to our camp.

We camped near the top of the Finger on the Nisqually Tower. We had some delicious cold pizza, snacks, and water before an afternoon nap to get out of the sun.

The views were great looking 200ft down onto the Nisqually Glacier and watching the sunset over Mt. Adams with the moon on the rise. We got up at a relaxed 7:00 am, made a quick breakfast and headed towards the Wapowety Cleaver. Again a warm day with low winds, we came up to the east summit in a baselayer. We had topped out in the late morning, leaving us a couple hours to hang out on the summit while we waited for the snow conditions to become ripe for the skiing.

We set up the tent on top for a bit and dried out our boots. At two o’clock we clicked into our skis and prepped for the descent. We faced north towards Liberty Cap, then headed skier’s left towards the top of the Sickle feature of the upper Tahoma Glacier.

The skiing conditions were phenomenal…super smooth for the entirety of the descent save some crunchy wind-blown snow for the first 300ft off of the summit. We cruised down the lower Tahoma Glacier, floating around or over crevasses reaching the end of the snow at 4,800ft. Here we swapped our ski boots out for approach shoes and started hiking down the loose rocks of the Tahoma Creek bed.

The descent on foot was scenic, but involved some interesting 5.6 mud moves as well as some low friction volcanic dusty slab. We linked up with the Wonderland Trail where it crosses Tahoma Creek to take us out towards Westside Road and eventually my car. After retrieving the other car up at Paradise, it was back to Ashford for dinner. - Laura, Whittaker Mountaineering

RMI Guide and Owner of Whittaker Mountaineering Peter Whittaker shares gear tips with Backpacker Magazine

Excerpt from Backpacker Magazine, November 2009

• Follow the four-second rule. “There are zillions of zippers out there. Here’s how you choose: If it takes you longer than four seconds to get your jacket zipped, it’s not going to work on the mountain. Try another zipper – or if you’re a consumer in the store, try another jacket.”

• Strip away the doodads. “Most new, whiz-bang features just get in the way. You don’t need a pocket on your forearm when you have a Napoleon pocket. And I have no idea why glove designers insist on putting that webbing loop on the back of the middle finger. I’ve heard it’s so you can hang them to dry, but tell me–who does that at 17,000 feet?”

• Kill the pit zips. “If you’re using pit zips on a big mountain, then you shouldn’t be wearing a jacket anyway. As mountain guides, when we look back and see clients fiddling with pit zips, we see people not paying attention to the climb and compromising safety. Too hot? Pull up your sleeves or unzip your shirt to get some ventilation.”

• Don’t be afraid to scrap a bad idea. “On Everest, we watched our prototype tent flapping in the wind, and Ed Viesturs and I dived into a competitor’s tent instead. We killed that design and are spending another year in development rather than putting out a subpar product.”

NFL Films Presents NFL/United Way Mount Rainier Climb

We just got word that last summers NFL Climb will be broadcasted on ESPN2 during the following times:
11/24 2:00 am EST ESPN2
11/25 2:30 pm EST ESPN2

11/28 9:00 am and 10:30 AM EST on the NFL Network.

A lot of good Rainier footage, with some great people.

A warm November Day at Paradise

November 4, 2009

A Warm November Day at Paradise

In early November at the 5400 foot elevation of Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park, it’s most unusual to be taking coats off before hiking up the trails closer to the mountain. But that is exactly what we did on November 4, 2009 even with patches of snow on the slopes left over from snowfall the prior weekend. I giggled as my hiking partners started out with their hats and gloves knowing that just climbing upward always makes me warm. As they shed their hats, gloves and fleeces soon after we began to climb, we talked about how warm it was and how it felt like a summer day. November weather in the mountains brings lots of clouds, rain, wind and also some sun that will appear briefly but disappears as fast as it came. Therefore, when the first week of November turned out sunny, we rushed to the mountain for a final autumn hike before the cooler weather came and snow made us wear snowshoes.


The national park is now in its winter mode with the Stevens Canyon Road closed along with the one way Valley Exit Road down through Paradise Valley. The Paradise Visitor Center is open throughout the snow months but only on the weekends and holidays. On this warm November day during the work week, the parking lot had a couple dozen cars so we had the Paradise trails pretty much to ourselves.

The mountain light at Paradise gives Mount Rainier a different face every day. When the clouds bump up against the mountain or pass over the summit they often add an interesting decorative element showcased from the wide open views at Paradise. On this day new snow lightly covered the summer bare rocky areas laying the first white layer that would build to a deep winter robe covering the mountain. Golden meadow grasses from the fall season lay flat over the terrain or smashed under remaining snow with bits of red bushes contrasting brightly with the patches of white. Despite all these unique sights, it was the warmth of the day that both surprised and delighted us as we walked upward on the snowy slushy Deadhorse Creek trail.

After rounding a corner we came upon a bird that was feeding right by the trail. At first we thought it was a grouse because of its size, but after standing next to it and snapping pictures we decided this was a Ptmarigan whose feathers were changing to their winter white making it practically invisible as it stands on the snowy slopes during winter. As we hiked higher and closer to Mount Rainier on this warm November day, the magic of our close proximity stopped us in our tracks to stare at this magnificent majestic sight. Hiking at Paradise is definitely being in PARADISE!

Written by:
Sally Johnson
www.mtrainierphotos.com

NOTE: After this warm first week in November storms brewed, temperatures dropped and the snow fell. Paradise presently has approximately 40 inches of snow and winter has officially come to Mount Rainier National Park. Get out the snowshoes, X-skis, snowboards or downhill skis. Be ready to hike upward for peaceful snowy fun!


Winter Snowshoe & Ski book can be purchased here.
WhittakerMountaineering.com