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Ken and Shawn head out of camp #1 at Glacier Basin towards St Elmo Pass. St Elmo Pass is the saddle on the skyline in the first picture. Shot two is the crossing of theWinthrop Glacier. The crossing includes weaving and/or leaping in and out of crevasses for the better part of an hour. |
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Expedition Members Ken - Shawn - Mark Liberty Ridge on the north side
of
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| Camp two, called the Lower Curtis, is perched on the edge of the Carbon Glacier. Our view up the Carbon shows the route we will take the next morning through the heavily crevassed glacier to the base of Liberty Ridge. |
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A climbing permit is
required to camp above 10,000ft on Mt Rainier. Permits can be |
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| We gained access to the ridge on the west side. Our route goes just in front of the avalanche debris in this shot After about 1000 feet of gain on the ridge we can see our next camp, Thumb Rock, which is the spire above Shawn's head. |
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Maps Green Trails Mt Rainier East - #270 Mt Rainier West - #269 USGS Mount Rainier East Mount Rainier West |
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| This shot gives you a good idea of the angle and the runout involved on Liberty Ridge. Looking up past Thumb Rock |
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Phone Numbers Climbing Rangers Office
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| This is the rest of the route from Thumb Rock to Liberty Cap. At 13,500ft we can see the ice of Liberty Cap. Shawn will lead a tricky grade 3 pitch over the bergschrund on this section and get us on top. |
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Reference Books Cascade Alpine Guide
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| Shawn, Ken and Mark pose for the summit shot that is really the top of Liberty Cap. Since we have over 30 ascents and 11 nights on the summit between us, we skipped Columbia Crest on this trip. With the east crater in the background we set up the VE-25 set up at 14,000ft. |
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Links Northwest Weather
and Avalanche Center |
