A Climb to Remember: Day 4 Part 2: The Mandatory Descent

After the adrenaline rush of making it to the summit, reality set in and we once again donned our packs for the 9000 vertical feet of downhill ahead of us. On the ascent from Muir, we had 4 scheduled stops. On the descent, we were scheduled for 2: one above the Disappointment Cleaver and one a bit further below it. Upon departure from the crater rim, I still hadn't eaten much in a few breaks--I had eaten a half a Snickers in the hour on the summit. Nothing sounded good to eat and it sounded worse when I thought about eating.

The descent was almost as hard as the climb. It was finally daytime and I didn't get to see much on the way up in the darkness. Looking around at my surroundings meant that I wasn't watching where I stepped, which translated into slipping and sliding around a little on the snowy route. At times the descent demanded my full attention, especially where the snow was slushy. With each step, despite the crampons, my foot continued to slide down the slope and a few times I fell on my rear right on the trail. I wasn't the only client having these issues, but I didn't see any of the three guides fall once. On training day our lead guide promised us that he would not fall on this journey and if he did, he'd quit guiding. Here's a short video of the descent, around 13000-13500 feet, where the snow was packed and descending was easy.

Crevasse near the trail - shadow of Brad in front of me

Climbing in the darkness can be mentally advantageous (and ignorance is bliss) because I couldn't fully appreciate my surroundings on the ascent. For instance, I don't recall seeing this crevasse on the way up. Many of you readers might think 'well that's dangerous, being that close to a crevasse and not knowing it'. Partly true. Our guides often warned that danger lurks in the darkness and to keep our ropes tight between us and to move swiftly. Staying on the path was always understood. These are rules you don't see how far you can push. I did ask permission to take a picture and was told as long as I keep moving. Done. First break was on top of the Disappointment Cleaver. It was warming up but the cold wind was still blowing. The guides told us that if we run hot, then go down to a single layer. My first 2 layers were a little sweaty and I was pretty cold and worried about the cold wind, so I kept 2 on.

The Cleaver was surprisingly a welcomed section for me. I was growing weary of sliding through the slushy snow trail, and having a solid foundation of rock and bare earth to stand on was delightful. Below the Cleaver was more slushy snow and I felt the rope teams were really making some time. My two layers and I was pretty hot and sweaty, and I was getting tired from not eating/drinking enough. The last break before Camp Muir was miserable. I drank the remainder of my water (last break before refills), and put the equivalent of a mini-size Snickers in my mouth. Now, I love Snickers and could probably eat two full bars pretty easy, but I couldn't bring myself to even chew it. I hated the way it felt in my mouth, I was disgusted. Knowing I had to eat it for a little boost, it stayed in my mouth for a good 5 minutes before I could start chewing it. It's now a full week later, if someone gave me a Snickers right now, I'm not sure if I could eat it--maybe give me a couple more days. My rope leader obviously saw how bad I was and I was pretty grumpy returning her conversation. She advised me that at the 1-hour pit stop at Camp Muir, I needed "to take 5 or 10 minutes and drink as much as I can and eat if possible. Don't lay down and rest, instead get the remaining gear in your pack and drink and eat more. If you lay down to rest before packing, all of a sudden you'll have 10 minutes to pack and you won't be ready." So that's what I did. I didn't like it at the time, but near the end of the hour break, I actually felt a lot better and was able to eat some trail mix. I owe her a lot for the tough love and pep talk.

The descent from Camp Muir was the most surprising thing about the trip. I was actually dreading it. After descending ~4500 feet with 20 pounds on my back, now I had to add another 20 pounds and descend another 4500 feet?? Key differences: no crampons, no ropes, I used trekking poles, and the snowfield was snow, not icy like the glaciers on the upper mountain. The group got to spread out a little and the snow (and my size 12 boots) allowed me to almost ski down the hill. I stepped broadly forward and slid about a foot before taking another similar step, using the trekking poles for extra balance. Using fresh snow rather than following other climbers' footsteps was way easier. Oh, and sliding down the steeper sections helped the descent too!