Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier and then onto Alaska

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

I’ve got an exciting announcement to share with you. Over the next few months I am going to do a series of posts on all things Mount Rainier. Later I will focus on Mount McKinley and then expand to the broader Alaska Range. I will continue to provide insight on alpine and hiking events, trends and news periodically as I always have.

I am going to start by covering Mount Rainier from its climbing history, the guides, the routes, the Wonderland Trail, Paradise, Camp Muir, and maybe even some of the speculations about what would happen if it ever blew its snow cone!

After that, I am going to discuss climbing Denali and later broaden out to the greater Alaska Range, including Mount Foraker, Mooses Tooth, Little Switzerland, the air services, guides and even romantic Talkeetna.

My idea for this comes from what I thought I would do once I completed college, started my career and had some income. I would have climbed Rainier on a long weekend, maybe moved to Seattle, then traveled every chance I could to climb in Alaska. Well, let’s say things did work out that way and it’s not heading that way. But I will share the knowledge I have and will be finding as I review some new information and pull on some old stuff.

If you’re interested in following these posts, please consider getting updates from me on the Suburban Mountaineer on Facebook or Twitter. There, you’ll also get news and other interesting mountain life and adventure news and information as I come across it.

Here we go!

New Oversight on Climbers’ Fee Increases

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

As you know, the usage fee for climbing Rainier increased from US$30 to US$43 and the fee for attempting Mount McKinley / Denali is proposed to be raised from US$200 to US$500 for the purpose of funding the parks’ climbing safety and sanitation operations. The climbing community has been actively and professionally advocating that the US National Parks Service should consider alternative means of funding those costs without burdening climbers with excessive fees.

As a lobbyist and former Congressional aide, I have to hand it to the American Alpine Club (AAC), the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) the Access Fund for getting Senator Mark Udall (D-CO), the Chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, to ask National Parks Director Jonathan Jarvis about his agency’s increase and proposed increase at a hearing on the administration’s budget held on March 30, 2011 (see the video by clicking here and going to 37:35). Chairman Udall even asked about charging international climbers a higher fee than American climbers, as is done frequently overseas.

Having such questions asked during a Congressional hearing demonstrates and provides several things: 1) The AAC, AMGA and Access Fund have raised sufficient interest and concern about the issue from a key Congressional leader; 2) Congress will be monitoring the National Parks Service’s actions on this issue and expects the final decision to be well reasoned; and 3) Keeps the door open to further and possibly renewed discussion with the National Park Service.

If you are a member of the AAC, as I am, or the AMGA and contribute to the Access Fund, you can be proud of their efforts. They’ve taken a strong step up to providing for an appropriate resolution to the usage fee increases.

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A Reminder of Fay Fuller and Mount Rainier

/ Andrew Szalay / 2 Comments

The unstoppable Fay Fuller.

I came across this picture at a lodge I recently passed through.  I always appreciate it when a ski town or some other mountain village acknowledges mountaineering either for its heritage or the spirit of adventure and exploration.  It celebrates Fay Fuller.  The captions say it all…

On top it reads, “Fay Fuller / First woman to summit Mt. Rainier / August 10th, 1890.”  She did so at the age of 20. 

Below the photo it quotes her: “I donned heavy flannels, woolen hose, warm mittens and goggles, blackened my face with charcoal to modify the sun’s glare, drove brads into my shoes, strapped two single blankets containing provisions for three days from the shoulder under the arm to the waist, …grasped my alpenstock and was resolved to climb until exhausted.” 

After the quote it goes on to comment: “She refused any assistance in the climb and spent a steamy night in the summit crater.  She suffered only sunburn in her ascent.”

Fuller was a first in several other ways as well.  She was Tacoma, Washington’s first female journalist, where she wrote extensively about climbing in the region.  She also helped established the Mazamas that helped create Mount Rainier National Park. 

Fuller past away in 1958.  Her legacy has lasted well beyond. 

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