I first climbed Mt. Rainier when I was fifteen, and after twelve ascents, it's still fun (more or less). I worked as a guide for RMI when I was in college (summer of 1988). During that summer, my friend Craig E. and I planned a climb that fell through for logistical reasons. Ten years later, we finally summited. (P.S.: If you're ever tempted to do a "one day" climb of Rainier, wherein you leave Paradise in the evening, hike to Muir, rest a bit, and then go for the summit...be prepared to get a little bit worked...)
The picture below was taken during the summer of 1988, when I worked as a guide for RMI (Rainier Mountaineering, Inc.) I was 19 when this picture was taken. I like to pull this picture out during the glacier section of my Geology 10 class, if for no other reason than to say "check it out - I was 19 once, too, just like you."
The next couple of pictures will also be familiar to anyone who's taken my Geology 10 class during the last couple of years. They're from my first climb of Mt. Rainier. This was back in 1984, when I was 15. I was a client on an RMI Camp Muir seminar at the time. Hopefully soon I'll be able to put up more pictures from these early climbs in the 1980s.
