The Mountain. This is what many Pacific Northwesterners, and perhaps many others, call Mount Rainier. It's big. It doesn't just get noticed from ~100 miles away in Seattle, WA, it dominates the southeastern skyline. I've heard that when Seattle-ites talk about the weather, it's not about if the sun's out. It's "oh, The Mountain is out today." Now, I've never been to Seattle, so this is all hearsay until July 13 2012.
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| A view of The Mountain from Seattle--from Google image search |
I've been told that the enormity of it all can be mentally overpowering. I don't doubt that at all. My father-in-law has told me about some experienced backpackers that went for the summit but couldn't get over the mental aspect. The feelings of insignificance, powerlessness, and vulnerability versus The Mountain will constantly bombard your mind before you take one step up. Sounds of cracking ice reverberate in the darkness of the night while you try to sleep at 10,000 feet and while you summit, when your only source of light is the headlamp on your helmet and the moon and stars in the sky, constantly challenging your racing imagination of the unknown. Mental. Better be prepared for it and any other unknown challenges we may face.
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| Enormity. That's one little dude on one big mountain. From Google image search |
Think of it as climbing a 9000 foot stairway! It is the dominating feature of the area... until you get up to 9000 and you can see Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helen and if the weather is good, Mt. Hood. It does loom over the area and is magnificent. I only went to Camp Muir but it is hard to explain until you go there and I went four times in 10 weeks.
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