Camp Muir - Disappointment Cleaver - Columbia Crest: summit!

When the sun rises we are already on the Emmons Glacier. We have already passed Ingraham Flats and climbed over the rocky Disappointment cleaver. We also passed a beautifull scenery with a view of fantastic ice blocks.

The Emmons Glacier will take us to the summit. The path zigzags around crevasses.

Ours is a three people rope team. As the trail is daily transited by hundreds of people it is quite deeply cut in the snow.

Little Tahoma. This peak was originally part of a former bigger Mount Rainier. A huge explosion of the vulcano left this satellite peak. A brief explanation of the name: "Tahoma" is how the American Indians call(ed) Mount Rainier, meaning "snow peak" or "great mountain". This also gave the name to "Tacoma", a nice town near Mount Rainier, and to the airport of Seattle "Seattle-Tacoma" or more commonly "Seatac-airport".

Success: We have now reached Columbia Crest (4392 m, 14410 ft), the highest point on the crater rim (4312 m, 14150 ft) after 7.5 hours. Mount Adams on the left.

Still able to lift my iceax.

The path through the snow on the crater shows where we came from.

Many sunny hot days have created funny patterns on the snow.

Little Tahoma, also called "Little T", on the way down.

View from Disappointment Cleaver. On the right lower corner you can spot some tents. This is Ingraham Flats, an alternative camp site.

Amazing crevasses and scary ice blocks. The tents of Ingraham Flats far in front of us.

The trail above the crevasses leads through Cathedral Gap down to Camp Muir.

View from Cathedral Gap on the tents of Camp Muir. Finally back to base camp after in total 13 hours. But still another three hours descent separate us today from the cars.