Okay, forget the 70 lbs, for some reason that number was floating in my head because the one guy I know who's climbed Rainier I could swear said he carried that much, and at this stage I'm thinking more about my fitness than the details of my setup. I know people go on much less weight than that and I know some of the things I do that I could do better, but 30 lbs is surprising to me. I'm skeptical it's safe/feasible/inexpensive, but I'm all ears for how to reduce my pack weight.
And I'd prefer not to hire a commercial guide (though haven't ruled it out), or rely on someone else to compensate for my lack of conditioning. I have bonked in a group of fitter people than myself before because I joined a climb that mentally I could do, but physically couldn't go at their pace. It's embarrassing. At some point, maybe not on Rainier in good conditions, but eventually if you do enough mountaineering, such a scenario goes from mere embarrassing to dangerous. And the whole point of doing it is to enjoy it, not just to tick it off the list. And I need to go fast enough to afford to spend time taking photos