Two weeks ago I had applied for a permit by email to climb Rainier solo, but when I flew into Portland, Oregon on the 30th of May I had not yet received a response. The Ranger Station had closed office shortly before I drove into the Paradise parking lot, so I settled in for the night in the classic 1917 Paradise Lodge. The room was spartan, but with the magnificent great room with fireplace, great dining, relaxed atmosphere at 5500 feet on the slopes of the mountain I settled in nicely.

Next morning at 7 AM I checked in with the Ranger to secure a permit to solo climb the Fuhrer Finger route. This is not a trivial matter. With reason, the park service does not readily give out solo permits. Climbing on glaciers is always risky and roping up is recommended. I had to submit an extensive climbing resume and verify that I had all requisite climbing apparel and equipment.

My plan for the week ahead had been to solo climb Mt Rainier and Mt Hood, then run the Newport Marathon on Oregon's coast. Today however, the day after my 11 hour round trip from Paradise lodge (9,000 ft elevation gain) solo climb of Rainier I realize that the best I can hope for is two out of three. If I were to climb Mt Hood on Friday I would have a lousy, miserable marathon experience on Saturday. My legs are trashed today. If I save Mt Hood for another day I'll be recovered by Saturday's marathon.

I have fond memories of my family's trips to Paradise Lodge when I was young. After spending the day hiking among the August wildflowers we had sumptuous dinners of Rainbow Trout or King Salmon in the lodge's dining room. In early June though the wildflowers are under several feet of snow.

After a hearty breakfast in the lodge I started tramping up the snowfield toward Camp Muir to scout out the scene for the next day's climb. Paradise was immersed in the clouds though reports from Camp Muir were of sunny skies, so ever hopeful I trudged upward. I passed many pilgrims who had turned around before reaching the sun before finally I found a hearty young woman who reported that sunny skies were ahead around the 8000 foot level. She was right on. Soon Camp Muir came in to view and I broke in to a little run up the snowfield, passing fellow trudgers like they were standing still. Actually they were standing still quite a bit of the time!

Though I'd broken out of the clouds just before Camp Muir, I had my doubts about trying the Fuhrer Finger route the next day. I would be all by myself on that route and would have to traverse the Nisqually Glacier AND the Wilson Glacier--unknown territory--and if the visibility was bad I could easily get lost. It's no fun being lost in a whiteout on a glacier.

I hurried down from Camp Muir to make it to the Ranger's before they closed at 1530 and changed my planned route to Disappointment Cleaver. This is the guided route, well-marked with wands. From Camp Muir I had seen the packed path leading across the initial glacier to the first landmark of Cathedral Rocks.

Next morning I was up at 3. I checked out of my room and hiking up the snowpacked trail by 4. With a full moon I didn't need a headlamp. The fog had completely lifted and the mountain was in full view in all its glory. What a great day for climbing! I wished I had left earlier.

I saw one monstrous avalanche thunder down the mountains slopes to the left of Camp Muir and heard another one that remained out of sight. Definitely cause for concern!

I reached Camp Muir around 6:30. A couple "guided climbers" lounged outside the Camp Muir barracks. They said the rest of their crew were inside sleeping. This day they would practise on the slopes near Camp Muir. In the next couple of days they would make their summit bid. My method is to move fast and get the deed done. The less time spent on the mountain means less chance for the weather to go bad.