Reference & Data • • • •

• Jurisdiction: Mt. Rainier National Park
• Ranger Station: Carbon River Ranger Station / 360-825-2211
• Equipment: 2nd tool, pickets, ice screws, and crampons.
• Time Elevation gain/loss Mileage
  • Seattle to TH 3 hrs +4,980’ 88
  • TH to Climb 7-9 hrs +4,600’
  • On Climb 6-8 hrs +4,800’
  • Summit to TH 6-8 hrs -10,000'

  Approach • • • • • • • • • • •

  Take SR 167 south from Renton/I 405 to the Auburn exit. Exit east on SR 18 for one mile, and exit to Auburn. Turn left at the light and continue on SR 164 to Enumclaw. Drive Hwy. 410 from Enumclaw to Buckley. From Buckley take SR 165, eventually crossing the Carbon River bridge and to a road junction with the right, uphill fork signed for Mowich Lake. Take this fork all the way to the lake. Follow the Spray Park trail heading south from the lake. Shortly there will be a junction with the Wonderland trail. Continue south, then east on the trail, up into Spray Park. Near the high point on the trail at ca. 6,400’ a cairn marks a climber’s path which takes off north towards Echo Rock and Observation Rock. This path becomes indistinct around 7,200’ in moraines. After passing to the left of Observation Rock, leave Ptarmigan Ridge at about 8300 feet (Optionally camp here the first night). From here descend south and drop about 1000 feet on 30 to 40 degree talus slopes to the North Mowich Glacier. Proceed southwest on the glacier, route-finding around glaciers and ice falls as required and approach the nunatak at 9,200 below the North Mowich Headwall (another possibly camp). Continue south on the glacier to another nunatak located at 9600 feet below the central face. Camp here or a few hundred feet lower or higher (8800 to 10000 feet). Be sure to find protection from rock and ice fall from the face

  Climbing Route • • • • • • •

  Ascend to the base of the wall on the Edmunds Glacier. Find a way to cross the Bergschrund which will be around 9600 feet, usually on left side of the Edmunds Headwall snow gullies. Climb 30- to 40- degree snow slopes directly up the face. Bypass rock bands through wide snow gullies. Some sections will be as steep as 55 degrees, and will be icy. At 12600' gain Sunset Ridge. At 12,800 feet begin a leftward traverse onto the upper Mowich Face on 50 to 55 degree ice. Continue to the apex of the ridge (13,500 feet), then onto the Liberty Gap. Continue towards the Summit.

  Descent • • • • • • • • • • •

  The best descent is via the Emmons Glacier and car shuttle from White River Campground to Mowich Lake.
  Alternatively, descend the Tahoma Glacier (long trip with potential routefinding issues) to 8500' on the Puyallup Cleaver. Then traverse north to the base of Sunset Ridge. Climb to a rock divide at 9200 feet below the left arm of Sunset Ridge and traverse the upper Edmunds Glacier back to high camp (6-10 hours, summit to camp, then 6-7 hours to cars).

We will pick the best 3 of 4 days for this trip. Participants should have: 1) at least one ice climb other their belt other than Observation Rock 2) have summitted Rainier previously, ideally via a carryover