My last trip on Rainier this season was bitter sweet. Weather reports and communications with camp Muir made it seem as if we might not make it to Camp Muir. Passing climbers descending in goggles and full Gore-Tex was not particularly encouraging either. Our group was determined to get as high on Mount Rainier as the weather would allow.
Luckily the weather calmed enough to allow us to ascend and the next day we woke up to beautiful blue skies. That night we climbed under a 3/4 moon to the nose of the Disappointment Cleaver around 12,000ft where the icy slopes and fresh snow drifts made the climb unsuitable for beginner mountaineers. it was a tough decision to turn around but it was absolutely the correct one. It is decisions like that that keep us safe in the mountains.
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