Winter Scramble - Mildred Point

See "Leader's Notes"...click "More+" below.

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Required:
-- Snowshoes (aggressive MSR ones work great)
-- Helmet
-- Ice axe
-- Crampons
-- Mountaineering boots
-- MRNP entrance fee/pass for each car.
-- Overnight gear (tent/bivy, sleeping bag, pad, etc.)
-- Headlamp w/ good batteries (and extra batteries)
-- Tent deadman anchors and extra cord (see below)
Recommended/Optional:
-- Metal shovel
-- Avalanche gear (probe & beacon)
-- Microspikes (for around camp)
-- A little alcohol for camp Sunday night (no thin breakable glass)

Notes:
New Year's Eve snow camping on Mt Rainier.
This is a 2-day 1-night scramble camping on snow.
Our pace will be slightly faster than average, so on a scale of 1-10 the average is 5.5 and our pace will be 6.
Our group will stay together the entire time, so no fast people way ahead.
For safety reason the minimum group size is 5 people, if less than 5 then the trip will be canceled.
Sunset at 4:30pm, sunrise at 7:50am.
Please arrange your own carpooling.
Caltopo map of our route...you can export the track to your device.
On Thurs evening before our trip I'll send an email with more info.

We'll only do this trip if the avalanche conditions are safe and the weather forecasts are friendly (friendly = no storms, no high winds, no rain at camp, and no single-digit temps). If the trip is canceled then there won't be an alternate destination.

3-season tents with mesh work well since they have good ventilation, as condensation is normally an issue in the winter. A 4-season tent is needed in high winds and to support lots of heavy falling snow, but we'll cancel our trip in those cases. You'll need to deadman/bury all your tent anchors, so buy extra cord and also something to deadman. Thin summer tent stakes don't work at all. I recommend girth hitching a small stuff sack filled with snow then burying that. Here's a video with wide snow stakes instead of stuff sacks.

When to meet:
Sunday before 10:00am - we'll leave the cars and start hiking at 10:00am so arrive before that to get ready.
It's roughly a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle to our trailhead.
Where to meet:
Longmire MRNP
Make sure your car is in an overnight parking spot.
Lat/Long = 46.75004, -121.81223
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