In May 2005, a group of 4 of us went to Rainier in hopes of climbing the Kautz glacier route to the summit. You can read the trip report here. It was quite an adventure and a lot of planning went into getting ready for our first big mountain. This page is a collection of lists, maps, thoughts, and other things that helped us a lot with the planning process.

Planning the trip entirely as essentially beginners (we took the ECP mountaineering school) taught us a lot of lessons, some which we learned up front (getting a team together is tough when everyone leads busy busy lives), and others we learned after (you can't plan everything, and if you don't know the route well enough, you're bound to get lost).

I've included a number of attachments to this post that you can download and use as you want. These include my packing list (based heavily on one I got from my friend jake who went the previous year) and meal plan, and nice PDF maps of Rainier Park.

Things to think about

• group exercise sessions
• route & itinerary for Rainier
• backup route & itinerary for Rainier
• route & itinerary for Hood option
• route & itinerary for Baker option
• personal gear list (everyone should send out their list)
• research rental car options & make reservation
• make permit reservations for climbing Rainier
• maps
• camps
• if time, other climbs?
• primary route & backups
• crevasse training
• groups - who?
• permits
• dates
• training program!
• logistics & travel
• snow shovel?
• pulleys
• stove repair kit
• antiballing plates
• diamox

Trip Itinerary

** Baker can only be attempted if we descend from Rainier by Wednesday morning.
** If we are on Rainier on Thursday, no Baker option.
** If we are on Rainier on Friday, no Hood option.

Sat, May 21

• fly to Seattle
• drive to campsite/hotel (2-3 hrs - 85 miles)

Sun, May 22

• pick up permits
• acclimation hike to Camp Muir at ~9,000 ft (4,000 ft elevation gain)
• buy fuel/groceries, make wands
• sleep at camp/hotel

Mon, May 23

• hike to Camp 1 at ~11,300 ft (6,000 ft elevation gain)

Tue, May 24

• summit try (14,400 ft), descend back to Camp 1 (3,000 ft elevation gain)

Wed, May 25

• (extra Rainier summit day)
• OR hike out to car, rest, drive to Hood (~3hr) / Baker (~6hr)

Thu, May 26

• (extra Rainier summit day)
• OR hike out to car, rest, drive to Hood (~3hr)
• OR summit try on route on Hood / Baker

Fri, May 27

• Summit try
• OR hike out to car, rest, drive to Seattle

Sat, May 28

• drive to Seattle, dinner there?, fly to PIT in evening

Group Equipment List

• x2 2-man tents
• 1 or 2 stove(s) (whisperlite or xgk) MSR Whisperlite
• fuel & containers (sufficient for 5 days supplies) - medium & large
• 2 liter pot for boiling water - Chris has
• tent & stove repair kit
• water filter?
• garbage bags
• sanitation and hygiene supplies
• medical kit
• maps, guide books
• 2 dynamic climbing ropes (60 meters, 8-9mm)
• 4 ice screws
• 4 snow pickets (1 per person) - each person brings one
• 6 screamers or quickdraws
• 3-4 mm accessory cord (100 meters)