Ladies Room at 7200 feet

There are some compensations for a spring time afternoon facing death on the side of a well known mountain. Sometimes one gets to be the season's first individual to use the high country facilities. Mt. Rainer's Panorama Point ladies'room-- built of solid granite-- was River Club quality, or so it seemed.

Mr. Marmot and Moi

Here I am on the F2D slope after having said goodbye to the Kilimanjaro climber lady and her group. The furry one is the marmot. I am the tall skinny one about to slide into the abyss.

F2D = Fall to Death

As a Floridian,I am not someone who feels naturally at home in large masses of snow. I am especially ill at ease on large mountains adorned with glaciers. Give me a swamp or a beach at low tide. Thinking about climbing part of Mt. Rainer recently gave me twin knots in my stomach. The folks around my beloved adventure seeking spouse and me at the base camp did nothing to assuage my queasiness. Their average age was about 25 and they were togged out in climbing boots, skin tight black suits, ski goggles, ropes, backpacks and I-Pods. They spoke lightly of climbing Kilimanjaro and " other 14ers" which I think means mountains of 14,000 feet ( or more). Still they seemed to know what they were doing,so when they took off, I stayed right behind them. The advantage of staying close to the correctly attired mountain men ( and women) was the fact that they made footprints in the snow, creating a ladder I could claw my way up. About 1200 feet up, the group passed a Marmot who did not seem the least bit concerned that his name had been co opted for a line of fanny packs and other outdoor attire. The Marmot did not seem particularly telegenic or industrious, so I had a little trouble understanding why the advertising team picked him as a symbol for gear.Does the average outdoor adventurer really want to look like an overweight rodent? Just when I had settled into a steady slog and quieted my overactive imagination, we turned right and the others turned left. Suddenly, ROF and I were making the only footprints in the snow. And, at least twice,we were on what I call F2D slopes. One slip and we would be back at base camp in pieces on a stretcher. Obviously, we made it. The view from Panorama Point was suitably breathtaking with a view of Rainer and two other fire cone mountains. Even more memorably, we got to be the first summer season climbers to use the Panorama Point restroom that consisted of a compost toilet in a rock cave. So much for Personally Integrated Exercise in the Northwest.( Pictures will follow I hope)