[pct-l] Sierra vs Cascades / Mt Baker climb

[CMountainDave@aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

Guess since I just got back from a climb of Mt. Baker I'll have to jump in 
for Monte. Now don't get me wrong, I consider the Sierras to be the premier 
Mt. range in the lower 48, but these great white giants of the cascades have 
something the Sierras just can't offer - 4000 ft. glissades that, when 
conditions are right and warranted, are better than any amusement ride ever 
invented
  Unfortunately, conditions did not warrant a glissade on Baker. This late 
all the crevasses are fearfully exposed -- some on Baker are many hundreds of 
feet deep, so we had to wend our way on a zig zag course, crampons necessary 
because of hard, consolidated snow
 I came out of "retirement" to lead a group that included inexperienced 
almost newbies, some of whom had never worn crampons before. You never know 
how people will react to walking just uphill from a major crevasse, their 
crampons being the only thing to keep them from sliding into the abyss and an 
ice ax useless as a self arrest tool because of the hardness of the snow. So 
I watched them all carefully and was quiet pleased that they were confident 
and didn't make a big deal about it (we were in 2 rope teams) I knew from 
experience that beginners can freeze up if they have fears, and was glad to 
get to test their mettle immediately into the climb. I liked what I saw so on 
we went.
 I also knew from many past climbs with students that it was going to be a 
long day. I decided to leave at dawn instead of the usual 1 or 2 in the 
morning because I didn't want to wander around in a crevasse field in the 
dark even though we were prepared for crevasse rescue.. My turn around time 
was 2:30 and we summited almost on the money. But I knew our safety margin 
for getting back to camp would be compromised ( I like to get back to camp 
about 3 hours before dark.) The weather wasn't a factor but slowness combined 
with summit fever was. I allowed them all of 3 minutes on the summit to take 
pictures before I abruptly started down. Once again their fear factor - 
critical at this juncture for getting back before dark - was tested by 
descending moderately steep but now softened snow. To my relief I had judged 
them right. No one froze up and took baby steps, something that radically 
slows things down. We got back about 7:30, 1 hour before dark, making it a 14 
hour day. I tried to impress upon them that this very slow time was due, 
basically, to inexperience and needed working on via more practice to speed 
up their walking pace with crampons, while going downhill, before they even 
considered doing Rainier
  We did see an injured trail runner. 2 of them attempted to go up in the 
afternoon softened snow in tennis shoes. At about the 9000 ft level -- some 
5000 feet above the trailhead, a ligament tore in one of his legs rendering 
it useless and apparently requiring surgery. The guy said he could hear it 
break and wind up in his leg like a rubber band. A mountaineering class of 12 
was just leaving and helped him hobble out.