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Climbing Mt Rainier ( again)

Unfortunately, this year I didn't go with my friends to climb Mt Rainier, since I had my own "climbing" Mt St Helens to do ( which was OK , but honestly, cant be compared to Mt Rainier).

I didn't get too much info on the climb. They went to Paradise on Thursday, stayed a night at the Paradise Lodge, and took off early in the morning.

Just like last year,they didn't use a guiding company. Two of them summited Rainier last year, so they had enough experience, practical and theoretical knowledge to climb and lead others. Other two were newbies, but they've been training for quite some time and were in pretty good shape.
Though the plan was to start climbing on Friday night, the wind was so strong that they had to wait till Saturday. It shows how unpredictable the weather up there can be and how important it is to use good judgement.

Below you can see some pictures from this year climb.











If climbing Mt Rainier is on your " to do " list, make sure you start training way before your climb. I know that many people use Si Mountain as their training grounds, going there as often as possible with the weighted backpack ( 40-50 pounds).

Also, if you don't have friends who are experienced mountaineers, you probably should look into climbing with one of the guiding companies.They will not only guide you, but will also provide the necessary training.

You will also have to rent some of the gear needed for your climb.You can rent out your get at REI or Backpackers Supply in Tacoma.
For my last year climb, I went to Feathered Friends in Seattle.On their web site I couldn't find rental information, but they do have it. And they've got some great deals. For three days rentals of axe, boots, crampons, hamlet and down jacket I paid just $100. Great deal !

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