Where are those spring flowers I've been looking for on the top of Mt. Rainier?Our tents being protected by our "great snow walls".
Posing for a picture with Glacier Basin behind me. We're waiting to see what we'll be doing today. Will we go up to Camp Schurman? Will we camp there or just hike up for a visit?
Everyone waves to the camera . . .Dave, Pete, Tim, and Robert.
Another picture of our "walled tents".
Robert peeking out of his tent, while Tim reviews his pack.
Everyone walking around, preparing for the morning . . . still not sure what we'll be doing.
The wind continues to whip around the top of the mountain.
We have breakfast and ask what the plans are. Joel is still waiting to hear what the weather forecast is. He tells us that we can stay where we are, climb to Camp Schurman and come back down to our tents, or pack up and move to Camp Schurman. If we decide to move our camp, then we have to be prepared to work for several hours to build walls around our tents up at Camp Schurman. This means that the climb will be at least 4 hours and then we'll have to drop our packs and immediately begin work on the snow walls - no time for resting. He asks us to each tell them what we want to do. Pete doesn't want to move camp, the rest of us agree to move camp, but I tell them I'm not capable of trying to summit in a shortened period of time. He said we'd have 8 or 9 hours instead of the typical 12 - 13 hours, plus another 4 hours to get all the way down the mountain. I had a clear memory of how hard the hike was the first day and knew it wouldn't be easy going back down over all the rocks and trees. Most everyone else wants to attempt the summit.
We have breakfast and ask what the plans are. Joel is still waiting to hear what the weather forecast is. He tells us that we can stay where we are, climb to Camp Schurman and come back down to our tents, or pack up and move to Camp Schurman. If we decide to move our camp, then we have to be prepared to work for several hours to build walls around our tents up at Camp Schurman. This means that the climb will be at least 4 hours and then we'll have to drop our packs and immediately begin work on the snow walls - no time for resting. He asks us to each tell them what we want to do. Pete doesn't want to move camp, the rest of us agree to move camp, but I tell them I'm not capable of trying to summit in a shortened period of time. He said we'd have 8 or 9 hours instead of the typical 12 - 13 hours, plus another 4 hours to get all the way down the mountain. I had a clear memory of how hard the hike was the first day and knew it wouldn't be easy going back down over all the rocks and trees. Most everyone else wants to attempt the summit.We leave the cook tent and an hour later, we are told to "pack up, we're moving to Camp Schurman"! The guides stop to talk to another RMI group going up the mountain on Liberty Ridge.
This is what a group typically looks like as they're climbing up the mountain. 
About an hour after packing up, we hook up onto rope lines. Each guide has two climbers. I get on Kate's rope with Read. We climb up the Inter Glacier. It is steep and exhausting. Both Read and I are overdressed. We are sweating alot - too much. My sunglasses keep falling down my face and my helmet is sliding all around on my head! It's so much harder than the first day. The slope is 35 degrees. (If you're a skier, think black diamond steepness!) The weather is good, but the wind whips up at time and at one point the visibility goes way down. One moment I can see the rope line ahead of us, then I don't see them and then I can't even see Kate in front of me, who is 20' ahead of me on the rope line. Pretty quickly the sky clears up again. We stop twice on the way up the steep slope. It is hard to stop because there isn't anywhere flat. When we do stop, we throw our packs down and have to secure everything or it will slide down the mountain or blow away. At our second stop, it is so cold, my hands are trembling so much I can't zip my parka. I barely have enough energy to get my water out and I eat very little. I'm exhausted!!! This is a picture of Kate and me.
Pictures from the top of Inter Glacier right before we cross over to the Emmons Glacier. Joel looking out across the glacier.
Jeff with little Tahoma behind him.
Ken and Kate during a rest on the side of the mountain.
Read and Dave at the rest stop on the side of the mountain.
After crossing over the flanks of Steamboat Prow, we climb up some more. It's real windy now and Read needs to stop and change his gloves. Kate tells me to move my arms to keep warm. All I have on is my capilene top! We get moving again and have to go down a steep side of a mountain before continuing up. The snow is deep. Kate yells to me to plant my ice axe and then step firmly with my boots, but to keep the snow out of my crampons. Each step down is so far down and it's so steep and the snow is deep, I feel that with one mis-step I'll go flipping head of heels down the mountain. I'm sweating and my helmet is falling off my head. The rope is slack and getting tangled in my feet. After 30 minutes or so, we're back down on flatter ground and making our last approach up to Camp Schurman. I see a stone building around the corner and know we're close. 30 minutes longer and we come across the last little hill and I see tents being set up. I'm relieved. I made it.
This is what a group typically looks like as they're climbing up the mountain. 
About an hour after packing up, we hook up onto rope lines. Each guide has two climbers. I get on Kate's rope with Read. We climb up the Inter Glacier. It is steep and exhausting. Both Read and I are overdressed. We are sweating alot - too much. My sunglasses keep falling down my face and my helmet is sliding all around on my head! It's so much harder than the first day. The slope is 35 degrees. (If you're a skier, think black diamond steepness!) The weather is good, but the wind whips up at time and at one point the visibility goes way down. One moment I can see the rope line ahead of us, then I don't see them and then I can't even see Kate in front of me, who is 20' ahead of me on the rope line. Pretty quickly the sky clears up again. We stop twice on the way up the steep slope. It is hard to stop because there isn't anywhere flat. When we do stop, we throw our packs down and have to secure everything or it will slide down the mountain or blow away. At our second stop, it is so cold, my hands are trembling so much I can't zip my parka. I barely have enough energy to get my water out and I eat very little. I'm exhausted!!! This is a picture of Kate and me.
Pictures from the top of Inter Glacier right before we cross over to the Emmons Glacier. Joel looking out across the glacier.
Jeff with little Tahoma behind him.
Ken and Kate during a rest on the side of the mountain.
Read and Dave at the rest stop on the side of the mountain.
After crossing over the flanks of Steamboat Prow, we climb up some more. It's real windy now and Read needs to stop and change his gloves. Kate tells me to move my arms to keep warm. All I have on is my capilene top! We get moving again and have to go down a steep side of a mountain before continuing up. The snow is deep. Kate yells to me to plant my ice axe and then step firmly with my boots, but to keep the snow out of my crampons. Each step down is so far down and it's so steep and the snow is deep, I feel that with one mis-step I'll go flipping head of heels down the mountain. I'm sweating and my helmet is falling off my head. The rope is slack and getting tangled in my feet. After 30 minutes or so, we're back down on flatter ground and making our last approach up to Camp Schurman. I see a stone building around the corner and know we're close. 30 minutes longer and we come across the last little hill and I see tents being set up. I'm relieved. I made it.Kate is working on cutting out snow blocks for the wall.
I take a short rest at the top - it's 2:30pm. I'm freezing and put on all the layers I have. I know there's a lot of work left to do, before we get to rest for the night. (Somehow I managed to cut my nose on the hike up.)
Views of the mountain at Camp Schurman.
After a couple hours of work on the walls, I take a short break to walk over to the Ranger's Station and get my picture taken. (sure wish I knew I had blood on my nose)
Looking down from the Ranger's station. That's a huge crevasse on the bottom right of the picture.
Looking back out over Emmons Glacier.
One of the rangers resting at Camp Schurman, 9440'.
A view from the Ranger's building of the wall we built for our tents, cook tent, and guides' tents.
After several "back breaking" (as if my back wasn't already killing me!) hours of cutting and carrying and placing the snow blocks for our wall, it was time to put up the tents. I could hardly stand up. I had to keep bending over to relieve the pressure in my lower back. (This was the first time I was thinking "I guess sitting at my desk at the office wouldn't be such a bad thing".) Most everyone is standing around, watching poor Katy do most of the work to get our tents up for the night. By the time we get to my tent, there isn't enough room in the walled area and we have to chip away at the wall to make more room. It is a very tight fit. After 4 hours or so (around 6:30pm), we have all the tents up. I finally am allowed to lay down and take some pressure off my back. We have our boiling water for dinner around 7:30pm. (I have no appetite. I give half of my dinner to Ken . . . ) 
At dinner, Joel talks to us about the plans for a summit try. Those interested will be woken up at 12:30am for breakfast and then be ready to go at 1am. They will have to be back down by 10am so that we can leave Camp Schurman for the hike all the way down the mountain, by 11am. If there is any difficulty on the way up, they will turn around and come back to camp. Five are planning on giving it a try - everyone except Pete, Read, and me.
Tents from another group . . . no wall. They were lucky the winds weren't too bad that night!!
I take a short rest at the top - it's 2:30pm. I'm freezing and put on all the layers I have. I know there's a lot of work left to do, before we get to rest for the night. (Somehow I managed to cut my nose on the hike up.)
Views of the mountain at Camp Schurman.
After a couple hours of work on the walls, I take a short break to walk over to the Ranger's Station and get my picture taken. (sure wish I knew I had blood on my nose)
Looking down from the Ranger's station. That's a huge crevasse on the bottom right of the picture.
Looking back out over Emmons Glacier.
One of the rangers resting at Camp Schurman, 9440'.
A view from the Ranger's building of the wall we built for our tents, cook tent, and guides' tents.
After several "back breaking" (as if my back wasn't already killing me!) hours of cutting and carrying and placing the snow blocks for our wall, it was time to put up the tents. I could hardly stand up. I had to keep bending over to relieve the pressure in my lower back. (This was the first time I was thinking "I guess sitting at my desk at the office wouldn't be such a bad thing".) Most everyone is standing around, watching poor Katy do most of the work to get our tents up for the night. By the time we get to my tent, there isn't enough room in the walled area and we have to chip away at the wall to make more room. It is a very tight fit. After 4 hours or so (around 6:30pm), we have all the tents up. I finally am allowed to lay down and take some pressure off my back. We have our boiling water for dinner around 7:30pm. (I have no appetite. I give half of my dinner to Ken . . . ) 
At dinner, Joel talks to us about the plans for a summit try. Those interested will be woken up at 12:30am for breakfast and then be ready to go at 1am. They will have to be back down by 10am so that we can leave Camp Schurman for the hike all the way down the mountain, by 11am. If there is any difficulty on the way up, they will turn around and come back to camp. Five are planning on giving it a try - everyone except Pete, Read, and me. Around 9pm, I borrow Kate's phone to try to get a hold of my sister Mary so that she can contact Heidi and Dan. We don't expect to get back to Ashford until around 7 or 8pm and I don't want them waiting there for me for hours. Of course I never expected to be able to get phone reception on the top of Mt. Rainier so I didn't bring my phone.
I can't get reception in my tent, so I walk to the Ranger's hut to ask them if they know where might be a good spot to get reception. They show me, but it still doesn't work. Since I am out and the sun is setting, I am able to take these beautiful pictures of the mountains. This is exactly why I like to climb mountains - it's incredible up here!!
Various sunset pictures from Camp Schurman . . . beautiful!!!
I climb back into my tent and give the phone one more try and luckily it works. I talk to Mary and ask her to contact Heidi and Dan and tell them to meet me no earlier than 8pm. It's weird to think you can talk to someone in Denver from almost 10,000' up Mt. Rainier. She tells me about teh call from RMI to tell her our group was safe. She tells me that Tina looked up where the accident was on the mountain and could see that it was on the other side of mountain from where were had planned to be. Mary asks "you're calling from where??". I tell her "I'm at Camp Schurman --- 9440' up Mt. Rainier!".
I climb back into my tent and give the phone one more try and luckily it works. I talk to Mary and ask her to contact Heidi and Dan and tell them to meet me no earlier than 8pm. It's weird to think you can talk to someone in Denver from almost 10,000' up Mt. Rainier. She tells me about teh call from RMI to tell her our group was safe. She tells me that Tina looked up where the accident was on the mountain and could see that it was on the other side of mountain from where were had planned to be. Mary asks "you're calling from where??". I tell her "I'm at Camp Schurman --- 9440' up Mt. Rainier!".
Tents from another group . . . no wall. They were lucky the winds weren't too bad that night!!
