6-Day Intro to Alpinism Course and Mt. Baker Summit, June 5-10, 2005
Guide Justin Wood and climbing student Jim Tynan headed out from AAI's Bellingham office on June 5th, bound for the south side of Mt. Baker. Jim, 18, graduates from high school in Fairfax, Virginia on June 17th and will be attending the Coast Guard Academy soon after. As a graduation gift from his parents, Jim enrolled in a private version of AAI's 6-Day Intro to Alpinism course with hopes that it would be a refreshing vacation before he starts his training at the Academy. It was apparently just that. Once back in Bellingham after six days of marginal weather, one-on-one skills instruction, and a successful summit of Mt. Baker, Jim said, "The trip couldn't have gone better. I learned a tremendous amount, felt like I got my skills down for different conditions, and we topped out on Baker above the clouds. It was awesome."
"We experienced everything from bright sun to hailstorms to blowing snow to freezing rain," guide Justin reported of their six days in the mountains. On Sunday night, the two camped at the top of the Railroad Grade (5,900'), then on Monday and Tuesday Justin instructed Jim in essential glacier skills such as self-arrest, different cramponing techniques, rope systems and knots, and building snow anchors. On Wednesday, they worked on techniques for both one and two tools on steeper snow and ice and then "cruised around the glacier", as Jim put it, practicing the new skills. Towards the end of the day, the snow stopped blowing quite as hard, and Justin spent an hour introducing Jim to the logistics of two-person crevasse rescue.
The two moved up the mountain on Thursday, establishing a high camp at 8,100 feet. "It was amazing," Jim said, "When we got to about 7,000 feet we broke out above the clouds and had our lunch in bright sunshine. We got to dry gear and were very happy." Later that day, Justin helped Jim perfect his two-person crevasse rescue skills in preparation for that night's summit attempt. By the time they were ready for bed the clouds had risen up and engulfed their high camp. However, when the two woke at 3:30am the clouds had settled down once again and a starry night sky set the stage for their climb to the summit. "We took off with really great snow," Justin remembers, "We didn't even need crampons until we got to the headwall." The team reached the summit at 6:48am. Sunny but cold and windy weather made for a short stay on the summit plateau. "Jim's water bottle was froze, so we just grabbed a quick snack, enjoyed the great views, and headed down," Justin said.
The two were back at high camp by 8:20am where they rested for a while before breaking camp. The rest of the way down the mountain they post-holed through soft snow until they reached solid trail and the van at noon. The two were back at AAI in Bellingham by 2:30pm. "It was a great trip," Justin said. "Despite crazy weather and a lot of new snow, we went through all skills thoroughly and got the summit in good conditions." Everyone at AAI wishes Jim good luck in his intensive summer at the Coast Guard Academy and with his goal of becoming a pilot officer.