July 14-16: another lap on the Easton. You'd think I'd get bored with the same mountain over and over, but it's different every time. Different people, weather, conditions, and this trip was no exception:
2 Weeks makes a huge difference this time of the year. Where we walked on snow before was now rocks, for about a mile. And if we thought the last trip was wet, well, I think this might have been the wettest trip ever. I sure was glad we brought a real tent. Besides, the guides need a place to carry on too:
Kirah and Eitan were both in Alaska when Suz died, so it was great to catch up with them. Here they are discussing important guide stuff, and preparing to use standard protocol for many decisions in the field: Rock, Paper, Scissors. In a clever gambit Eitan volunteered for the task at hand, thereby winning without even playing.
Our summit attempt started at about 3am, and involved rain, wet snow, wind, and almost continual whiteout. We got to about 9400 feet before deciding that hypothermia was a big enough threat to warrant retreat. Wet cold is the toughest cold to manage. I'd rather climb a super cold mountain where the snow bounces off and you stay dry, but that's not what you get on Baker.
Sometimes we can climb through the cloud ceiling and get on top of the cloud 'roof', but not this time...
And so goes another work trip. Next up is, you guessed it, another Baker trip on July 22, followed by the RAMROD bike tour on July 28. Most people would actually train for a bike ride ride around Rainier, 150+ miles, about 10000' of hillclimbing, but I suppose climbing mountains for a living will have to suffice. I am a little concerned about my butt...
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