When Weather Impacts Hiking

                Right now, I am snowed in. Not just snowed in but stuck inside from falling branches, downed power lines and 18 inches of snow with half an inch of freezing rain on top of it. With no power, the mind races to entertain itself. Typically when this happens, I can get out, with my road being the worst road. I would drive to a trail and lose myself in nature for hours. This is not the case this week. Right now, nobody is really going anywhere.

                I bring all this up to let you know about the nature of nature. We can try and predict what will happen with the weather, but at the end of the day, we are just guessing. All the snow we have right now was supposed to be gone by now, so many people, reading the forecast, took off for the mountains thinking it would be one day of great powder and then a few days of slow melt. Because of this, 4 people are stranded on Mt. Rainier; many more have been stranded in their cars on mountain passes, or like me, just stuck inside, miles from any hikes. I am lucky. Despite no power, running water and just a fireplace to provide heat, there are people stuck outside in the elements, with our high hitting 31 Fahrenheit. This is why I always check numerous forecasts, and if it looks even slightly like it may be bad, I typically pass on climbing and hiking. I am always prepared with a tent, days’ worth of food and water, a great sleeping bag and extra clothes. However, if put to the test, would I really know how to survive for many days out in the woods? More importantly, would you be prepared?

                As restless as I am to get out, take pictures, hike and blog, I read stories about people surviving for days in the elements and cuddle up with my blanket. To survive in the elements, be it a desert, rainforest or on a mountain takes a sound mind, skill and of course, a decent amount of luck. I have had my run ins with being stranded and forced to sleep on a mountain, and I take the blame for that. I thought I could handle the weather shifts and conditions because I had seen TV shows, movies and read books on survival. People ignoring weather and testing limits happens far to frequently. Just this last week, a man on Mt. Rainier was stranded for a few days. He built a snow shelter and burnt some money in his pocket to stay warm and survive. Yes, this is an incredible story, but I have to question why he was snowshoeing at 6000ft with a storm moving toward him in the first place.

                To me, all of our technology (the weather proof clothes, cars, GPS devices and whatnot) have made us fear nature less than we should. Looking at Aron Ralston, the hiker/climber/canyoneering guide who had to cut of his arm, we see that one misstep could be the end of you. In great weather, he biked, hiked and eventually got pinned down by a huge boulder in a canyon, with no help on the way. Just one small step…

 One step changed his life, his family’s lives and how people view hikers. He didn’t mean to become a sensation, publishing a book and having a movie made from him, but since he survived, it is an incredible tale of survival. Sadly, hundreds of stories don’t end as well, with storms rolling in, avalanches crashing down and people dying every year from accidents. In Aron Ralston’s case, he may have been able to save his arm if he had told people where he was going. In many cases, it takes human error and a small level of stupidity mixed with a misconception of their dominance of nature that leads to their follies.

Some risk is needed to climb, don’t get me wrong. Any time you leave your house, get in your car and drive 60 miles an hour, you are more at risk to get injured. However, when accidents happen on the freeway, there are enough people around to help. On a trail or on a mountain or in a canyon, you may be the only person for miles. This is why, despite our “understand” and ability to “predict” the weather, you still need common sense and need to leave a note of where you are going. Also, make sure you follow the note and don’t deviate from the plan.

You may be reading this, wondering where I am headed or what point I am trying to prove. I am just saying that we still underestimate nature, and that when we feel we can control or understand her, we will be proven wrong. The Buddhists believe certain trails and mountains can’t be climbed without consequences. While I don’t buy into spirits being angry about you climbing on their peak, you need to be aware that life is dangerous, unexpected and full of consequences. One wrong step in any weather on any trail could lead to disaster, so take your time, be safe and enjoy life. 

Until I can charge my laptop...

Douglas Scott of Exotic Hikes

Our Mountain

On sunny days throughout the greater Seattle area, we all look east toward Mt. Rainier for a peek “Our Mountain”. When the weather is good, locals say “the mountain is out”, as if it hides from us or has to stay inside on rainy days. In a way it does, but as reflected in our daily local colloquialisms, Mt. Rainier is special and treated as such every day. From Olympia, I look at Mt. Rainier daily, and while my attention also focuses on the Olympic Mountains, Mt Rainier rises from nothing, piercing the eastern horizon.

Mt Rainier is recognizable around the world, used as a coffee marketing name in Japan, and also placed on incense packets in rural China. Travelling around the world, places may not know my city of Olympia, but when I show them a picture of Mt. Rainier, they know what I am talking about. Mt Rainier is also, obviously, the tallest place in the state, and draws tourists year round from all over the world. In fact, it was climbed by Al Gore in the summer of 1999. I would be impressed, but my grandfather climbed Mt Rainier a few years back, so make what you will of it. With a visitor center at the aptly named Paradise area, one can see hikers,

climbers, foxes, coyotes and Clark’s nutcrackers. Also, don't get me started on JZ Knight/Ramtha (who lives near Mt Rainier) and her belief on the Lizard People.

At 14,410 feet tall, Mt Rainier looms over the Pacific Northwest, calling to all of us to go to her and experience winter year round. Hiking on her trails, seeing the wild flowers bloom in early summer, she never ceases to amaze. This is why, before taking people to the Olympics, I always want to take them to Mt. Rainier. Before Christmas, I took a trip up to Mt Rainier with my girlfriend, and for a few hours we traipsed around in the snow, me encouraging her to do silly things, like climb up hillsides without snowshoes and go on trails that were slippery (some would say dangerous) with ice. We had a blast and she experienced the park the way I know it. Wild, crazy, full of snow and impossible to walk around without proper equipment, Mt Rainier was a good day trip.

With over 12 feet of snow so far, trees are covered and walking around paradise is difficult without the right gear. Cassy seemed to enjoy herself, and getting her into experiencing nature with me has been fun. She has been a trouper, making sure I stay safe while still letting me talk her into doing silly activities, like walking up a steep hillside with no gear and tons of snow, just to see who can make it further up the hill. Without going into sappy things, she has made areas more exciting, new and fresh, and you will probably start to see her in pictures soon.

Despite all the good that I just mentioned, a week after we experienced Mount Rainier National Park or MORA as I call it, a man fled from a shooting in a Seattle suburb and killed a park ranger who was trying to stop him. I knew this ranger. She was cool and her family was always one of happiness, laughter, creativity and love. New Year’s Day should have been a gorgeous, fun, relaxing day on the mountain for all the guests and rangers, and it ended up being a life changing event for a family, a community and for the park. MORA, for the first time in my life, has been closed all week. The park will bounce back, and soon only small mentions of this day will last in the park. Like everything in nature, the rain, snow, moss and natural events will soon cover up a day we all wish never happened. The mountain will live on, showing us what true resilience in the face of adversity is.

I must admit, and I am sure I am not alone, but on New Year’s Day, when I was looking at Mt. Rainier, listening to the news tell me about how a man was on the mountain with guns and ammo, the mountain didn’t look the same. Mt Rainier had claimed lives before, but usually only those who were taking risks. The natural environment had resisted modern society and remained natural and pristine. Fitting though, that in his last hours, the gunman, who was ill-prepared for the elements, died from the mountain. He was shoe-less on one foot, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, the elements draining his body heat until he could walk no more. He slid, fell into a creek and drowned, unable to move because of the stifling cold that the mountain was giving him. I think, in a way, that this is true justice. The mountain protected one of her own, and made sure that the man responsible for tainting her image died at her hands. Mt. Rainier, our mountain, remained silent that day, doing what she normally does in the winter.

Until we meet again, Good Hiking from Exotic Hikes.




RIP Ranger Margaret Anderson