Congratulations Caroline!!!!

She made it! Caroline made it to the summit of Mt. Rainier on Sunday morning, even though conditions were less than ideal. It is one hell of a long hard slog to get up there, and as shown in these pictures, it's more than just a walk up a glacier. She did the final ascent with River and Jeff, a couple of very experienced climbers. It looks like the only ill effects will be the loss of the toenails on her big toes. (This isn't from the cold or anything like that. It's from the constant pressure on the toes, especially going downhill.)











River and Jeff are experienced climbers who gave Caroline the confidence she needed.












And beer, don't forget the beer. A beer at the top of Rainier must be one of the most satisfying beers ever!












Here's the crew at the top.



























Here are shots of Bryn, Lee and River at base camp. Like several others at Camp Schurman, they decided not to go because the conditions were "sketchy." Several parties started up and turned around without summiting. It is my understanding that all the warm weather lately had created more crevasses and icy conditions that made the ascent more dangerous than normal. Bryn and Lee deserve a lot of credit for making it that far. I don't know if I'd have gone for the summit or not, but I would have like to have been there and have to make that decision. In any case, I'd have been proud to be there with them.