August 1981
I do not write this to tell of
a neat trip through a glacier. Rather it is a story of a really stupid idea
that worked out OK. I'm amazed that so many 21 year old men ever make it to
age 30. Oh well, on with the story. Bob Foulds and I were in college and did
an occasional hike. In August of 1981 we had the bright idea of going to
Mt Rainier to see the Paradise ice caves. I believe that today the caves are
completely gone. I haven't been back to see. We had small day packs with only
a little food and water and our cameras. As I recall the trail up to the
ice caves was fairly short. It was a warm sunny August day. On the way up
we passed Sluiskin Falls and headed over to the Paradise Glacier. When we
arrived at the ice caves we were early enough to beat the big crowds. We
went into the caves and took some photos. As I recall, the cave was up to
20+ feet tall in the center. It narrowed down to a small opening farther back
where the creek flowed through. All in all, it was a very impressive sight.
Safety aside, each day dozens and dozens of people would go into the caves
at one time.
Well, now we had seen the caves and it was still morning. We couldn't just go home after such a long drive and short hike. Instead, we decided to to around to the back of the glacier. There was dirt all the way around it with another glacier higher up the slope. From the back we had great views of Mt Adams and the recently erupted Mt St Helens. We also noticed that a cave began in the back as well. At that time we both had far more of a sense of adventure than any common sense. Into the cave we went. The cave height slowly diminished. Soon we were down on our hands and knees. It maintained about 3 to 4 feet of headroom for a great distance. Never mind that if it collapsed it would have been many years before our bodies were ever found. On we went into a darker and darker void. Similar to the Snoqualmie RR tunnel, the light behind us grew smaller and smaller until only a pinprick of light remained. Armed with flashlights and an apparent sense of invincibility, we continued crawling forward. At one point the headroom dropped to no more than 2 feet. At 6'4" I was crawling on my belly. Just about the time panic began to set in the head room began to increase. Soon we were up on our feet waddling along like ducks. Light was soon visible far ahead of us. In time we were hunched over back on our feet again. We eventually came out right back where we had been earlier inside the main cavern of the caves. By now there was a large crowd inside. People were more than a little surprised to see us coming from inside the glacier. I would like to think that in the intervening 21 years I have gained enough sense to never try crawling through a glacier again.
After the ice caves adventure we were still not ready to head home so we followed a different trail upwards. We met some hikers who pointed out the way to Panorama Point. This sounded like a good place to get more views and have lunch before heading back. We made it up to Panorama Point near 7000' and sat down to eat. Some other hikers came by and mentioned that they had headed toward Camp Muir before turning around and coming down. We quizzed them on the route and debated giving it a try. We had probably done 3 hikes in the preceding year and had almost no experience with snow travel. After the glacier trip none of that seemed to matter so off we went towards Camp Muir. Just above Panorama Point we climbed up onto the snowfield and followed the footprints. By mid-afternoon there were well defined steps in the snow all the way up. We climbed and climbed for what seemed like many hours and probably was. Finally we reached Camp Muir. With our limited experience in the mountains, Camp Muir seemed like being on Mt Everest. At over 10,000' we were gasping and taking in the views. By now it was late afternoon and I was nervous about how long it would take to get down. I soon had my first lesson in descending a snowfield. We literally ran all the way back to Panorama Point. I believe it took us about 45 minutes. Running down that steep snowfield with Paradise and the Tatoosh Range right in front of us was a breathtaking experience. It may have been one of the things that convinced me to become a serious hiker several years later. All I know is I had a lot of fun coming down. By the time we reached the car we were in bad shape. We were dehydrated, sunburned, and dead tired. I look back on that trip as one of the most memorable ones I have done. We climbed to over 10,000' and crawled through a glacier all in one day. I am thankful that our stupidity did not get us killed that day.
Click on thumbnails to see larger pictures.
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Well, now we had seen the caves and it was still morning. We couldn't just go home after such a long drive and short hike. Instead, we decided to to around to the back of the glacier. There was dirt all the way around it with another glacier higher up the slope. From the back we had great views of Mt Adams and the recently erupted Mt St Helens. We also noticed that a cave began in the back as well. At that time we both had far more of a sense of adventure than any common sense. Into the cave we went. The cave height slowly diminished. Soon we were down on our hands and knees. It maintained about 3 to 4 feet of headroom for a great distance. Never mind that if it collapsed it would have been many years before our bodies were ever found. On we went into a darker and darker void. Similar to the Snoqualmie RR tunnel, the light behind us grew smaller and smaller until only a pinprick of light remained. Armed with flashlights and an apparent sense of invincibility, we continued crawling forward. At one point the headroom dropped to no more than 2 feet. At 6'4" I was crawling on my belly. Just about the time panic began to set in the head room began to increase. Soon we were up on our feet waddling along like ducks. Light was soon visible far ahead of us. In time we were hunched over back on our feet again. We eventually came out right back where we had been earlier inside the main cavern of the caves. By now there was a large crowd inside. People were more than a little surprised to see us coming from inside the glacier. I would like to think that in the intervening 21 years I have gained enough sense to never try crawling through a glacier again.
After the ice caves adventure we were still not ready to head home so we followed a different trail upwards. We met some hikers who pointed out the way to Panorama Point. This sounded like a good place to get more views and have lunch before heading back. We made it up to Panorama Point near 7000' and sat down to eat. Some other hikers came by and mentioned that they had headed toward Camp Muir before turning around and coming down. We quizzed them on the route and debated giving it a try. We had probably done 3 hikes in the preceding year and had almost no experience with snow travel. After the glacier trip none of that seemed to matter so off we went towards Camp Muir. Just above Panorama Point we climbed up onto the snowfield and followed the footprints. By mid-afternoon there were well defined steps in the snow all the way up. We climbed and climbed for what seemed like many hours and probably was. Finally we reached Camp Muir. With our limited experience in the mountains, Camp Muir seemed like being on Mt Everest. At over 10,000' we were gasping and taking in the views. By now it was late afternoon and I was nervous about how long it would take to get down. I soon had my first lesson in descending a snowfield. We literally ran all the way back to Panorama Point. I believe it took us about 45 minutes. Running down that steep snowfield with Paradise and the Tatoosh Range right in front of us was a breathtaking experience. It may have been one of the things that convinced me to become a serious hiker several years later. All I know is I had a lot of fun coming down. By the time we reached the car we were in bad shape. We were dehydrated, sunburned, and dead tired. I look back on that trip as one of the most memorable ones I have done. We climbed to over 10,000' and crawled through a glacier all in one day. I am thankful that our stupidity did not get us killed that day.
Trail Above Paradise |
Trail w/Rainier View |
Nearing The Glacier |
Main Ice Cave |
Back Of Glacier |
Bob Behind Glacier |
Bob Inside Glacier |
Inside The Main Cave |
Photo Page 2
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