billisfree wrote:Jakester... I made NO comments about Mt. Rainier.
I've only climbed to Camp Muir. And I'm not qualified to comment on Rainier.
*facepalm*
billisfree wrote:I suggest you try Colorado. They have 75 peaks over 14,000 ft. It's closer to Texas and most of these peaks are scrambles. That will give you a taste for what it's like to climb 3K to 5K ft in a day. It might suprise you, but Mt Rainier is only 14,400, so there's really nothing special.
If you want snow and glacier experience - try Mt. Shasha. It's a safe mountain for learning cramponing and snow camping.
Mt Rainier is heavily crevassed and I suggest climbing a few lesser peaks beforehand.
I took a couple of climbing classes... but in the end, I realize one could easily teach themselves this stuff by reading a few good books. I've climbed Mt Adams with all my fancy equipment... then watched people climb it with nothing more than sweathers and tennis shoes. Oh well...
One thing stands out - DO try to climb with buddy or where others are nearby.