The Ledge: A Review and Daydream of Liberty Ridge

October 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I recently finished reading The Ledge: An Adventure Story of Friendship and Survival on Mount Rainier by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan (2011). It’s a very good story about, well, just what the subtitle says.

What it doesn’t say — and only climbers can appreciate it in these terms — is that it’s about a beautiful climb up the legendary Liberty Ridge route and a horrible, fluke accident on the descent that anyone that has crossed a glacier can, at a minimum identify with the fear.

The timing of the release of this book was impeccable for me because I’ve been obsessing over Mount Rainier this past few months. The key event in the book is about how Davidson and his friend and partner Mike Price fell into a deep crevasse and Davidson’s amazing self rescue. The rescue — or rather, the escape — is the central action part of the story and must be read to fully appreciate, so I will say no more. The Ledge‘s theme of friendship gets at the heart of a relationship that can only be forged through challenging adventures like mountaineering. Davidson and Vaughn really honor the memory of Mike Price in this tale.

Aside from themes, the book also provides ample fuel for a mountain daydream of a climb up Mount Rainier’s steep Liberty Ridge on its north face. This route was one that I hoped to climb one day. It has been called an alpine classic by Steve Roper and Allen Steck in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America (1996). Of course, I never thought of an accident happening after an ascent on this route, as happened in the book. It goes to show how many hazards there are up there.

The Liberty Ridge rises from the Carbon Glacier 5,500 feet, separates the 4,000-foot Willis Wall to its eastern flank and the nearly-as-large Liberty Wall to its west. It ascends sustained 55-degree slopes, not including brief steeper portions to get around Thumb Rock (10,760 ft.) The route turns to exclusively snow and hard ice up toward Black Pyramid (12,400). The ridge meets the Liberty Cap Glacier at 13,000 feet, where the summit (14,410 ft.), Colombia Crest, is reachable.

Davidson and Vaughn make the climb sound sublime and challenging for an experienced climber. I recommend reading the book for this part alone, and to learn about Davidson’s and Price’s surprise bivy location over the Liberty Wall — that’s actually something I’d like to duplicate, though I probably wouldn’t do so intentionally either.

Overall, The Ledge is a very good story to enjoy whether you’re a climber, an armchair mountaineer, or are fascinated by human perseverance. You can’t go wrong.

Thanks for dropping by again, please consider following the Suburban Mountaineer on Facebook or Twitter. Happy reading and carpe climb ‘em!

Sources: 1) Davidson, Jim and Kevin Vaughn, The Ledge: An Adventure Story of Friendship and Survival on Mount Rainier, Ballantine Books, 2011; 2) Roper, Steve and Allen Steck, Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, Sierra Club, 1996; and 3) Gauthier, Mike, Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide, The Mountaineers, 1999.

Filed Under: MOUNTAIN BOOKS, MOUNTAINEERING Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Rainier’s Cramped Camp Muir

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you’re trying to reach Mount Rainier’s summit (14,410 ft./4,392 m.), most climbers pass through Camp Muir on its southern face. It makes sense. At 10,080 ft. (3,072 m.), it is the most accessible fixed camp to any trailheads to get you in position for the summit day, assuming you are trying to get up and down in two to three days.

It is named for John Muir (of course) because it is located at the same location that he, Philemon Beecher Van Trump and five others camped in during the ascent of August 1888. The site was suitably protected from some of the winds that strike the mountain by the nearby rock features. Since then, the area has been a common halfway point when ascending from the Paradise Valley.

The first hut was built there in 1916. It was the size of a large bathroom or a small bedroom and its stone walls were three feet thick. In 1921, a bigger hut was established and the 1916 structure was made into the Park Company’s guide house on the mountain and later into a cooking house used by the guide concessions. Today, the National Park Service says there is enough space to sleep 110 people there. But when they say “space,” they don’t mean within the walls of the buildings. While the camp is first come first served, permits from the National Park Service regulate the capacity of the Camp Muir area. Don’t be surprised if you need to pitch your tent nearby.

Climbing guide author Mike Gauthier recommends navigating by compass on the ascent; fog, white out or other conditions of low visibility can make the terrain very difficult to read. He also says a map from the park rangers with compass bearings to Camp Muir is also very helpful. Once you arrive, you can take a rest and take in the view, like at the Mount Rainier National Park’s new Camp Muir Webcam.

The route to the summit from Camp Muir takes several different paths, while the path to camp from Paradise is one herding trail. So in many ways, the route fans out from there, and the 110 capacity is often met in the popular summer months and around the weekends.

It has to be said: This is not a route to gain a wilderness experience. It is popular, crowded and often uncomfortable. People pack into the fixed shelters and sleep very close. Everyone still shares the established toilets. As Bette Filley put it in her book, The Big Fact Book About Mount Rainier, “Some have described Camp Muir as half way to Heaven, while others claim it’s half way to Hell.”

The key is to keep in mind you’re climbing to the summit and not Camp Muir. It’s just a check point along the journey.

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Sources: 1) Gauthier, Mike, Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide, The Mountaineers Books, 1999; 2) Filley, Bette, The Big Fact Book About Mount Rainier: Fascinating Facts, Records, Lists, Topics, Characters and Stories, Dunamis House, 1996; and 3) National Park Service website.

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Ice Axe or Trekking Poles: For Rainier or any other Alpine Ascent

July 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Mount Rainier (Wiki Commons)

Mount Rainier from Paradise, Washington; Bring the ice axe... and the trekking poles if you want to.

Periodically, before an alpine climb, we debate with ourselves about whether to bring an ice axe, trekking poles or both.  A lot of climbers, from my experience, bring both.  They usually walk with the poles and have an axe lashed to their pack.  Walking with the poles is more natural and comfortable than traveling solely with an ice axe.  We can lean on the poles easier and they may (though this is arguable) prevent more falls.  But knowing when to un-lash the axe and trade it for at least one pole, may be the key to a safe roundtrip. 

Using trekking poles has become very popular for serious hikers and alpinists.  They take a lot of pressure off the legs and make carrying our loaded packs a little more tolerable.  Some of us wonder whether trekking poles may be overused in alpine climbing.  While the American Alpine Club’s Accidents in North American Mountaineering 2009 did not record any accidents that could have been prevented if the climber used ice axe instead of poles, some simple wisdom says that trekking poles alone cannot stop a slip down an icy or snowy slope. 

An acquaintance of mine just summited Mount Rainier this weekend.  I am hoping that all else on the climb went well, as I have not received any other information.  One question I wanted to ask her before she climbed, but I did not get the chance, was whether she was taking trekking poles with her ice axe. A climb up Rainier demands an ice axe, but many climbers use poles.  Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. Guides require their clients carry a general mountaineering ice axe and ski poles.  Mike Gauthier, author of Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide, also recommends carrying both tools. 

Black Diamond makes the Whippet Trek pole, which includes a curved pick like that on an ice axe on the handle of the pole.  It is a true trekking pole, but it is not a true ice axe as it does not include a spike or, perhaps more importantly, an adze for chopping steps or digging.  However, people have been satisfied with its self-arrest performance, generally. 

Of course, trekking poles are only helpful on level and moderate slopes.  Where the real climbing begins, whether the slope is approaching vertical or nearly vertical, at least one ice axe must be used.  The poles may be stowed.  Poles offer a great deal of comfort, but the stability cannot be compared to the capabilities of an ice axe on steep or exposed terrain, or worse, in a fall.

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