Camp Muir - Mount Rainier

God damned, Rainier was brutal! I’m so sun burned my own mother might not recognize me. Yeah, I’m burned, really BURNED on my face, neck and ears…it hurts. *sob*
From the start, the day was nice, too nice. That no-rain dance I’ve been doing has been a bit too effective, you can tell by the fog everywhere that it maybe should be raining, but instead the sun started cooking us alive. I’ve never been so damned grateful for the drifting fog that covers up the view, because it provided such a welcome shelter from the harsh direct death rays which magnified itself by a bajillion when bouncing off the snow and reflected back to the hikers.
The worst part of the hike had to be the last 500 feet up…that in itself took at least an hour. Never in all my other hikes have I hit the point where I couldn’t convince my body to just take another step. I’ve been exhausted before, but usually when I see the endpoint, I feel a new burst of energy. This time, it didn’t matter. This time, I could only take 3 steps before being forced to stop and catch my breath. I’ve never felt like such a wimp in my entire life…usually I can tell myself, “Just keep moving, just keep moving…” It’s really hard to convince yourself it’s a mind game when you feel light headed, especially if you don't want to be in a situation where you over-exert yourself and pass-out.When we finally got the Camp Muir, there were a bunch of people there…everyone was super friendly and wanting to talk and was willing to share equipment and stories. I was in a state of stupid euphoria...giggly stupid euphoria. I did not want to leave.
We stayed as long as we could, then took off snowboarding. Oh how I’ve missed snowboarding. But then my legs were crap and couldn’t control the board worth a damn…and the snow was slush with an ice crust…still it was fun. Unfortunately, there were parts that were rocky and uphill…so we had to take off the boards and carry them some more. The moon was out by the time we finished.
One thing that was a pleasant surprise to me was the how hikable snowboarding boots were. I'm one hundred percent certain that snowboarding boots are scientifically engineered to maximize the chance of a face plant when walking down the stairs of the lodge bars.
This particular trip will stand out in my mind as the harshest thing I’ve been through for a long time. Can I recommend this trip to anyone else? Fuck no! Will I listen if anyone else told me how bad the trip could be? Fuck no. Sometimes, you just have to go and see for yourself. Telling someone that a hike is really hard doesn’t mean much, telling them that carrying a 30lbs pack for hours is fun doesn’t mean much either. Was it worth it? Hell yeah! Will I do this again? I honestly don’t know… Maybe when I forget about the suck part in two years or so…but knowing me, in two years I will have moved on from the outdoorsy kick and be the president of the local quilting club.
I was supposed to go into work today…but I had to call in “immobile”…that’s what I told them. I just realized I simply want a day where I sit home and do nothing...I haven’t done that for as long as I can remember. I need to sit home and douse myself in aloe vera.
Maybe I'll go see Cars with my sister tonight...she's a little irked because I haven't hung out with her in nearly a month.
More pictures here.
Edit: Just added a few more from Daniel.