Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier was an amazing experience!  Summiting one of the hardest mountains in the continental US and one of the longest summit days on any mountain (around 5am to 6pm) we had good weather most of the time.  The first day was climbing up into a whiteout and wind whipping snow directly into our faces.  Coming down we encountered very soft snow that tended to ball up in the crampons and make every step very difficult.   The best part of the trip was the relative shortness – only four days up and back.