May 16, 2012
Another Rainier season is here and already in full swing, but not without a little prep work beforehand.
In advance of our first climb we sent a crew up to Camp Muir to whip it into shape for the season. On the to-do list was cleaning out the Gombu Hut, setting up the IMG Weatherport, carrying some loads up to The Flats and poking around on the upper mountain exploring the route. It was a busy week but the weather was absolutely making the work a little less painful.
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- Summit Board 2012
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- First Climb 2012 Descending From Summit (Photo by Carolyn Erickson)
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- First climb of 2012 celebrates on the summit. (Photo by Carolyn Erickson)
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- First Climb 2012
Meanwhile, our first climb met for the first Half-Day Orientation of the season. IMG Guide Erica Engle, fresh off of Mt. Bona, tore through the climbers’ packs during the gear check, hopefully lightening their loads a little bit. On Sunday, they put their training to the test and made their way up to Camp Muir in some unseasonably hot conditions. On Monday ,they broke in The Flats camp at 11,000ft. And on Tuesday everybody’s hard work was rewarded when they became the first IMG team to summit…and in perfect conditions!
The seal to the 2012 Summit Board has officially been broken!
Tye Chapman