July 7, 2012 - Little Tahoma

As a last tune-up for Rainier, Little Tahoma was on the schedule for this weekend. What better preparation for the big one than a nice glaciated approach to a fun scramble right in the same park? We left town at 5:30 on Saturday and secured permits from the ranger office in White River before hefting packs down the trail. The approach can be arduous for this climb, but the trail was in excellent shape for us - all the way to the footbridge was 99% snowfree and beautifully graded. We found our way up the snow, eventually opting to deviate from most of the bootpack to more directly traverse around to Meany Crest, where we would make camp and meet our friends (Becky, Dave and Gus) coming in later that evening. Along the way we saw a large hole in the snow and lots of big (and small!) bear footprints going in and out. A REAL BEAR DEN. cool!! KEEP MOVING FAST. We did not see any bears.

Our FIRST camp on Meany Crest

We arrived at Meany Crest at around 1pm and set up camp and relaxed. Having drug my skis up this far, I felt the need to carry them a bit higher and get some turns in. I also wanted to check out exactly where we'd need to go the next day to gain the Frying Pan glacier (above the ridge in the picture below).

Looking towards the route from camp... where's the route go?

I skiied down from camp into a bowl, and then skinned up to the head of the valley and booted up a steep slope that I figured must be the best way to access the Frying pan. It did indeed access the glacier, but once I gained the col I realized that the cash money campsites were up here, and not exactly where "Meany Crest" is written on the map... d'oh! I poked around a bit up the Frying pan glacier... which is an almost flat expanse of crackless snow. I flipped it around and skiied down the face I booted up. Probably the steepest pitch of skiing I've ever done. I ski cut the slope and the whole thing let go at 3" deep and made quite a racquet as the sluff made its way down to the bottom. The rest skiied great!

Clouds and snow

upper portion of the slope

Looking down the slope - lots of work, well worth it.

Exploring the Frying pan

Little Tahoma and Rainier in the clouds

Once I got back to camp I confirmed the girls' fears that our camps altitude was too low. After a bit of hem and haw we decided to pack camp up and head up to the campsites. I was pretty trashed at this point and I think I just barely made it up to camp with my hastily packed gear and tired legs. The campsite was epic up high, though, with commanding views of Tahoma and Rainier, and most importantly our friends!

Beautiful late evening light

Climber and Rainier

We set our alarms for 2:30, determined that this summit bid was going to be successful! I was torn throughout the night between getting sleep and going outside to take pictures of the beautiful starscapes. I made a compromise by at least snapping a few pictures of climbers making their way up Rainier while we prepared to leave camp.

Tahoma and Rainier in the early morning. You can see headlamp streaks along the DC and Emmons routes

Ladies getting ready

ready to go. I flipped my headlamp off shortly after. climbing by moonlight is excellent.

The  Frying Pan is a slightly rising glacier slog that was a perfect way to wake up. Nicole took over and lead us up to the notch with the Whitman glacier, where we ran into a little icy step that proved tricky, but easy enough to avoid crampons.

Kristen and Nicole chased uphill by dawn and the fading stars

Nicole kindly taking over for a bit to lead us up to the notch

The sun rose right as we were getting to the notch, allowing the early morning light to light up the nearby snow in beautiful hues of red and orange. Pretty close to the scene I've always wanted to shoot of early morning light on firm snow high on a mountain! Excellent.

Sunrise over the White River valley

sunrise and icy slopes

 The Whitman is a much steeper portion of the route. You still traverse a good bit to get over to the climbing, but once you do, you look up at the remaining snow climbing on route. Fortunately two climbers had started a few hours before us and put in all the steps. We caught them at the top of the Whitman, and I repaid their work by putting in steps for the last 50' up to the beginning of the scramble.

Group of two who put in 95% of the steps on the route. Looking up the Whitman

Looking down the rope... no need for crampons today!

The scramble proved a little more frustrating, mainly because Nicole, Kristen and I, who were the first up, decided to leave our axes at the beginning of the rock, not realizing that some snow slopes higher up would allow easier passage to the summit. Kristen stuck it out with help from Dave for an axe, while Nicole and I scrambled up, albeit more slowly, along the rock on the side of the snow. I threw Nicole down a belay once - it was quite fun to set up a quick alpine belay - accomplished by digging out a nice seat in the snow and bracing my feet against solid rock above me. Pretty bomber, I thought, but she never weighted it anyway.

The views form the summit were sublime. Excellent views of Rainier and the Emmons crevasses. The final scramble over to the actual summit was much more tame than had been described, and was very safe especially once Dave and Becky fixed a line across.

Cresting the summit ridge of Little Tahoma has a huge view payoff

Excellent views of Rainier and some scary looking lenticular clouds. No storm materialized, until later that evening!

Nicole scrambling over to the summit.

The exit was quite a slog in the softening snow. A few of us glissaded down the Whitman. With runouts into crevasses, I think a decision I wouldn't repeat, but it was a fast fun way down. The ladies wisely walked down roped up. We then unroped and trudged back along the tame Frying Pan and back out to the car. Ready for the big one!