[reststep]

I decided to go hiking on Monday 5-19-03 and couldn't decide whether to go to Marmot Pass or Camp Muir. When I went outside when I woke up the stars were out and I decided to go to Camp Muir. From the looks of the tracks in the snow there must have been a small army up there on Sunday. Even on a weekday it is not the place for solitude. There were skiers, snowboarders, climbers and hikers. It was a good hike with good weather and good views. It was extremely warm in the sun out of the wind and cold when out of the sun in the wind. I never made it all the way to Camp Muir. I turned around at about 9800 ft. Later in the week there was a favorable weather report for Friday 5-23-03 and I was gullible enough to believe them and headed up to Marmot Pass. It turned out the weather report was correct and it was a great day for hiking. There were lots of trilliums but the rhodies are not in bloom yet along the road or the trail. There was snow starting around 5000 ft. and I got to try out my MSR snowshoes. I thought they were quite helpful and the hiking poles really work well in the snow giving added stability. On the way back there were a couple of hikers with a saw cutting out some smaller windfalls. Whoever you are thank you. It is much appreciated. On the Camp Muir hike the song in my head was "I'm Sitting on Top of the World". On the Marmot Pass hike it was "Funiculi funicula" probably because I was playing Russell Watson singing it on the way to the trailhead.

Near Camp Muir

Looking South from Marmot Pass

[kleet]

I had good intentions of making it to Camp Muir on Sunday but had to be back home by 5 pm, so I knew I’d be cutting it close. It was hard to tell what the day was going to turn out like; it was gray and a little drippy as I left home at 6 am. I was lucky enough to see two elk and five deer on my drive up. I made it to the entrance about 8, where I purchased my annual pass. After throwing 40 lbs. of junk in my pack, I left the Paradise parking lot at about 9. There’s still 10-11 feet of snow at Paradise. I hiked for about an hour before making a detour to watch a Mountaineer group of about 30 people practice self-arrest down a slope. I walked over to where the slope dropped off and saw maybe 50 more people down on the Nisqually Glacier doing crevasse rescue practice. It was really eerie being able to see this big group a mile or so away…and then watching the clouds and fog envelop the valley and not be able to see the group that was 50 yards behind me. I continued back to the main route. High winds were whipping as I neared the ridge crest. There was no sign of the mountain, and only occasional glimpses of the groups ahead and behind me. I got somewhere between 7500’ and 8000’ before I thought I ought to turn it around. I passed a couple RMI groups and a group of three Aussies as I made my way down through the snow. Suddenly, the clouds parted and the mountain appeared; it was such an awesome sight (as always). Although it looked as though the valleys were still choked with clouds, it was sunny and warm where I stood. I soon passed two shirtless twenty-something males headed for Muir. Although I was sure I packed my SPF 45 sunscreen, I couldn’t locate it and am paying the price today – my face got fried. Anyway, I made it down to the lot at Paradise by about 2 pm. There were families everywhere playing in the snow.