Diary Archives: Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four - The Hike Up | Day Four - The Summit | Day Four - The Descent
Couldn't have done it without Tony and Mike. Thanks guys! |
How amazing is this? We're sitting at 14,400 feet, 'Waving our Flag for Cougar Athletics.' We have a plane flying overhead with a photographer taking pictures of this monumental moment. Then it hits me, I started this climb as a way to get something off of my bucket list as well as represent Cougar Athletics. I'm ending this climb as the only Cougar to have ever climbed and conquered Mount Rainier. [Note to self, check the Guinness Book of World Records when I get home] In addition, I was able to do it right in the back yard of Harry the Husky. If only those guys on Montlake could see me now! They would seriously cringe. Then again, who am I kidding. There is no way they could achieve this feat. It stands right up there with the 3 consecutive 10 win seasons or the 2 trips to the Rose Bowl. Well, not quite that high up, but it's really cool. It makes me think, what is Cougar Nation doing to wave their flag? What can they do? Get involved. Donate. Volunteer. We'll solve that problem later. Right now, I have to pack my bag up and head down the mountain. It's 8:00a and we're under beautiful blue skies. The sun makes everything look great and I wouldn't ask for anything else, but it certainly does make things slushy. Going down the mountain is not going to be as easy as I thought especially with Tony and Michael, the latter of which is not doing too well. Our guide, noticing that I am clearly the strongest climber sets me up as the anchor of my group. I'm charged with securing the group and guiding them down the mountain. No biggie.
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A short time later it's clear traction is becoming a serious issue despite out crampons! Michael and Tony are falling all over the place. Fortunately, my speed and agility have helped in averting disaster a couple times. Other times, they just keep falling on the behinds. Let me tell you, they're lucky their pants are waterproof because their clothes would be soaked. We've made it through the Cleaver once again and it's pretty cool to see everything you passed on the way up when you had no idea before due to the darkness. Crevasses and narrow trails are all around. Had our group known of these hazards on the way up who knows what would have happened. However, after summiting, nothing is going to stop us. Most of the time is passed with lighthearted jokes, even when the uphill parts cross our paths. Who would have thought, you have to go uphill to go downhill. Kind of sucks but who cares are this point. We hit our last break with about 45 minutes left until Camp Muir. Everyone is doing well but drained. I wanted to power through this and not stop but Michael requested it. He's severely dehydrated and looking pale. We have to get him back as the altitude is getting to him. We struggle through the last bit before getting back to camp where Michael is served Kool-Aid with more mix in it than any human should ever consume. He's also getting fed Starbursts right and left. Something about getting his sugars back and rehydrated. An hour later, he's good to go and we're glissading/boot skiing down the mountain. This is perhaps the coolest part about the trip, save for the strange looks I'm getting from the other hikers. Looks like it is about time for my departure. Don't want the National Park Service to be called in on accounts that there is a cougar on the loose. Just then, I look up and see Tony's mom, Molly, waiting ahead a few hundred yards. Tony thinks I'm lying but my superior eyesight never fails. I have to stick it out to the end now. We hike ahead and sure enough she is waiting.
The last mile was the easiest of them all. You could feel the excitement in the air! Michael and Tony had a skip in their step I had not seen since the Sweet 16 birth. We had hiked for around 18 miles in the past few days and burned in excess of 12,000 calories just in the last two days alone, but you wouldn't have known it. We came around the last corner and it was if we were at a Coug reunion. Papa Butch was waiting there with relatives from all three of our families. Forget the Park Service! We celebrated together and left Rainier to head back to the RMI offices in Ashford to toast this achievement for Cougar Nation!
| GO COUGS!!! |
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Fellow Cougs, I delayed the last couple posts due to the amazing win by the WSU football team in Pullman this past weekend. I was so excited about the win that my paws just couldn't type. I kept hitting two or three keys at a time as the adrenaline was causing me to shake. 64 - 21? What a great victory! My hats off to Coach Wulff and the entire team! I look forward to seeing you and the rest of Cougar Nation in Pullman this weekend for their game versus UNLV, kick-off at 2:00p. And now, back to my quest to conquer Mt. Rainier. GO COUGS!!!
Regards, Butch
Climbing at night is kind of fun and being above 12,000 feet really makes the stars pop out of the sky. We were able to see Yakima for a while but now as it gets lighter and lighter the closer we get to the summit the sun is breaking over the horizon. Some of the others on my team felt this was the coolest sunrise they had ever seen, but in my opinion it's nothing like the sun breaking over the rolling hills of the Palouse in the Fall. Michael, Tony and I aren't affected by it. Our "Coug team" can think of only one thing, getting to the top. Naturally, we are the first rope team in line and clearly leading the way. We're going strong but something is wrong. Michael is doing a lot of pressure breathing and not talking. He says he's doing ok but it's clear that he's hurting. Oh well, regardless of what happens, we're on our last stretch and he's going to make it if I have to throw him on my back and carry him. As we look up ahead it's clear we have just a few more feet to go. Realizing this, I break into a dead sprint and pull the rest of the team to the top. Michael and Tony are flailing behind me, arms and legs going everywhere. Fortunately, no one was hurt by this sudden surprise but I couldn't help myself. We've made it so they can stop their whining and enjoy the scenery.
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The view from the top is initially kind of funny as I realize we're walking out into the middle of the crater of a live volcano. We soon ditch our bags but not before hearing a buzzing sound. What the heck was that??? Michael is not the least bit surprised and suddenly gets a second wind, hurrying towards Columbia Crest, the tallest point of the mountain. He hasn't moved this fast since the early part of the climb? Something is motivating he and Tony and for once I have a hard time keeping up with them, not for long though. As everyone scales the last hill, I pass them by and begin cheering them on from the top as I've already reached the peak. It's clear this mountain couldn't tame my superior conditioning. As the others struggle, I'm already thinking about the next climb. Perhaps, Everest? We'll have to wait and see. As Tony takes his final steps towards the summit we once again hear that buzzing noise, but this time it sounds closer. "There it is!" I hear someone yell. Apparently, my quest to climb the mountain is no longer going to be secret as a plane is circling. This is not good news! If word gets out that a cougar is roaming Mount Rainier National Park....I don't even want to think of what will happen. Then again, if only we had a flag, I could make both Mr. Moos and Mr. Floyd really happy by waving our flag on top of the tallest point in the state. Not only would we be staking claim to Western Washington, we would be doing it right under the Huskies nose. No sooner am I thinking this then Tony is pulling Ol' Crimson from ESPN College Gameday out of his backpack and Michael has a make shift flag pole ready to go. All right...let's get it done. Who cares about the consequences! We assemble the pole and place the flag in its rightful place, on top of the competition. This is one small step for Butch, but one giant leap for Cougar Nation!!!!
| GO COUGS!!! |
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It's 11:45pm Thursday night. What the heck is going on? The guides come storming into our quarters and tell us to get out of bed. Time to go. Don't they know better than to wake a resting Cougar. Not a smart move on their part. I reluctantly get out of bed and begin getting ready for the climb. Something strange is happening though. Michael and Tony are moving around faster than I have ever seen them. By the looks of things, you would think Michael could run a 4.3 second 40-yard dash time and Coach Wulff should be checking his eligibility. I come to find out that is definitely NOT the case. Apparently, he gulped a quick cup of instant coffee and ate some instant oatmeal after not sleeping a wink. Both he and Tony are in the same boat, neither got any rest and now they have to try to summit this mountain. This could be interesting! The two of them continue to scurry about the sleeping quarters to get their packs ready while I calmly finish my packing. By 12:45 we set off up the mountain. Our schedule has us starting with Cowlitz Glacier and the Cathedral Gap before settling in at "The Flats" for our first break.
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The Glacier was easy! Basically a big snow field which took about 25 or so minutes to cover. It was a good warm up for the team at that early hour of the morning whereas Cathedral Gap, a rocky switchback up the mountain, proved to be a bit more difficult. So far so good though. We are walking in the dark with our headlamps on and crampons attached. I insisted that my cat-like reflexes would get me through this but the guides made certain I had to wear the boots. My paws are going to be killing me when we're done. By the time we hit our first break, the team was just hitting its stride. We were all feeling good and the winds were fairly calm. Our guides kind of smirked when we talked about this because they knew what was ahead, "Disappointment Cleaver." At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this section. Since it was dark, we couldn't see much so you had no idea how challenging anything was. Or, in Tony's case, how terrifying things were since he is afraid of heights. That said, anything called Disappointment Cleaver, just sounds hard. The team kept warm for a few minutes with their parkas on, threw back some food and water and headed for "The Cleaver."
Whoever it was that said The Cleaver was going to be easy, is going to have to deal with my wrath. I say this knowing I had no issues with the section. Much like the rest of the mountain so far, it's been somewhat challenging but definitely manageable. However, Michael and Tony clearly needed some help. Being the longest section, they began to get a bit tired at the end and I was literally pulling them up the mountain since the three of us were tied together. If not for my utter strength and reflexes we might have been lost in one of the many crevasses. It was because of this that the break after the Cleaver was a bit longer than the others. 4 members of the team decided to turn back and the winds began to howl. Even I began feeling a bit cold. We pushed on. Nothing was going to stop us. That said, I could tell something was wrong during the third and fourth stretches before the summit. Michael was still going strong but he looked a bit pained. For someone that stated he was in pretty good shape, his breathing was a bit off. Looks like we have our first case of altitude sickness. If I have to carry him, he is going to make it to the top!
| GO COUGS!!! |
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Oh, it was so much better sleeping in my own room last night. I didn't have to hear any snoring and slept like a baby. (Note to self, thank Mr. Moos for his help on that one.) Michael, Tony and I met downstairs before heading off to breakfast. We decided to head over to the Whittaker Bunkhouse once again. It's close and convenient and frankly, Tony and Michael are slow movers in the morning and I think Michael has lived in Seattle too long. All he keeps saying is "I need my coffee!" We sit down inside the restaurant and you can tell just by their orders that it's the first true day of hiking. Yesterday, egg sandwiches with cheese and coffee. Today, Granola, apples, yogurt, juices and, of course, coffee. Pretty sure one day of eating well isn't going to help too much. They insist they're good eaters most of the time though. Sure! Oh well, who am I to say anything. Our guide, Gabi, told us that during a climb of Mt. Rainier you can expect to burn 10,000 calories. If that's right, these guys need more than just granola!
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After breakfast we're off to the mountain. It's a beautiful day and conditions are just right for us to reach the summit tomorrow morning. Today we're scheduled to hike up from Paradise Lodge to Camp Muir at 10,080 feet. We'll hit the snow line during the 4 mile trek but it shouldn't be too bad of a hike. As we are setting off from the mountain we get a great surprise as Jack and Molly have decided to join us for a portion of the hike. It was great to see them again. Tony and I have been spending a bunch of time together lately but I haven't seen Jack and Molly for months. Papa Butch is going to be happy to see them tomorrow when he comes to greet us at the bottom.
As the hike continues two things are clear. One, we have been very lucky because the weather is great. It's a clear day and we can see all the way to Mt. Hood in Oregon. And two, I am in much better shape than ALL of my counterparts on this climb. This didn't come as a surprise though. About half way to Camp Muir I turn around to see a 100 yard gap between myself and the other climbers. Michael and Tony are holding strong, directly behind the guide. Jack and Molly are a few yards behind them and the remaining climbers are about 20 yards behind. The one Husky on our climb is at the back of the line. Shocking!! I think I'm going to have to go a bit slower so that everyone can catch up. If these guys didn't have an inferiority complex before, they will now if I finish a mile ahead of them.
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After about 5 hours (it would have been 2 if I was leading the climb) we make it to Camp Muir. Mt first impression - it looks like a great place to get rested up for the day tomorrow. But, of course, one of my fellow climbers couldn't help but complain. "Where's the latte stand?...These gloves are wrecking my nails...I have to sleep in a small one-room wood bunkhouse with 17 other climbers, but what about my down comforter and music?" It was pathetic! One guess who it was and I'll give you a hint, she was wearing a purple jacket. Tony, Michael and I began wandering around to get our bearings and check the place out. It's not too bad for one night. We're supposed to go to bed around 6:00p and try to get some sleep. Any sleep we can get is valuable since we'll take off for the summit around midnight. Realizing this, we begin making preparations for dinner. Tony and Michael are splitting a pizza that they brought up and eating some soup. Not the best combo but they're kind of limited. I decide to try a slice. Not too impressed. Can't wait to get back home to Pullman for a nice calzone from Sella's. We settle into bed and prepare ourselves for the big climb tomorrow. We're ready!
| GO COUGS!!! |
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Day two is here...finally. It was a long night last night. After dinner the three of us went back to the hotel. Despite having seniority over these two, I had to share a room with Tony Thompson. I didn't sleep much due to his snoring. It was horrible! I'm never letting Michael Clark beat me in rock, paper, scissors again. We took off early this morning for the RMI offices where we sat down for some coffee and breakfast. The coffee was good but the egg sandwiches were nothing compared to what we have at the Cougar Fitness Café. We sat there for about an hour waiting for the rest of the team to arrive before leaving to head towards the mountain.
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Upon driving up to Mount Rainier my first thought was, "This isn't so bad!" It looks huge from a far and even more so up close but somehow it seems very manageable - even easy. As soon as I think that I look over at my "protection" and they seem to be getting scared. This is going to be harder on them than I thought. Gabi, our mountain guide, leads us towards Paradise Lodge where he gives us a bit of a heads up on the day. Fifteen minutes later, we are off with our ice axes, heading up the side of the mountain for some training. We settle in a low lying zone on the mountain after about 45 minutes of hiking with our gear. It was at this time that we lost the backpacks and the 9 folks on my team had to re-learn how to walk and breathe in the alpine conditions. Pressure breathing and rest-stepping is a must in this climate for any human and these guys are no different. On the other hand, I breezed through this. By one o'clock I was just like one of the guides, helping the team with their techniques and teaching them what to do. Rookies!
At around 3:00 we finished up for the day and headed back for the Lodge. Michael and Tony were in pretty good shape and I'm starting to feel a bit more confident in their abilities to walk with me up the side of the mountain. We'll see. We board the bus and head back to Ashford for another night. Fortunately, this time around Mr. Moos called Michael on my behalf and mentioned that I shouldn't be sharing a room with anyone. I think he got the point since he apologized many times and even helped bring my bags to my new room. Good thing to because tomorrow we start our ascent of Mt. Rainier by heading up to Camp Muir and I need my rest.
| GO COUGS!!! |
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Well, the day is finally here. After months of training and prep work throughout the Summer, I begin my ascent of Mt. Rainier today. It's going to be a big climb but I'm prepared after summiting numerous smaller peaks in my training throughout Western Washington. At one point I even thought this was going to have to be called off as reports of Cougar sightings continued to occur around the Puget Sound, forcing us to go underground. Why are we doing this you may be asking? I'll tell you why. Cougars in Western Washington have been saddled by the sight of the Huskies for far too long. There are 60,000+ Cougs in Western Washington, waving our flags week-after-week. What better way to break out of our silence than to Wave Our Flag for Cougar Athletics on perhaps the most iconic landmark this state has to offer, Mt. Rainier. I'll be paired up with two Cougar Athletic Fund employees, Tony Thompson and Michael Clark. Mr. Moos states it's for my protection but I'm fairly sure that I'll be the one carrying them up the mountain.
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So, now we find ourselves in Ashford, WA, home of RMI Expeditions. They'll be the guide company taking us to the top. Today is all about getting acquainted and going through orientation. The three of us have all of the gear that we'll need. Fortunately, I don't have to carry much in my pack but water and food. A steady diet of purple coupled with a couple extra layers is it for me. On the other hand, Michael and Tony have about 45 pounds apiece including food, water and numerous extra layers of clothes. They clearly aren't used to the outdoors. This is not going to be fun for them!
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As we walk up to our team everyone is standing in awe. Some a bit fearful that a Cougar is coming along, while others are excited. We have a team of 9, plus 3 additional guides. As we sift through our gear it's clear that I am in better shape than everyone here. Not surprising! This is going to be a breeze. After checking our gear, we head inside to watch a short video and talk about the climb. Apparently, tomorrow we'll be "training" in the mountains. Home sweet home. In fact, the next few days don't seem too hard. We'll see. I'm looking forward to this. I'm excited. Excited to accomplish this feat and excited to once again represent Cougar Nation. As the day winds down the three of us go to dinner at a local restaurant. There's nothing purple on the menu so I'll have to wait until I get to the hotel for my dawg-sandwich. The weather is holding and the climb should be a success.
| GO COUGS!!! |
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Official Website of Washington State University Athletics | Bohler Athletic Complex | PO Box 641602 Pullman, WA 99164-1602 | 1.800.GO.COUGS
