| elevation: |
14,411 ft (4,392 m) |
| location: |
Washington State, USA |
| range: |
Cascades |
| coordinates: |
46° 51' 11.9? N 121° 45' 35.6? W |
| first ascent: |
1870 by Hazard Stevens and P.B. Van Trump |
 |
Mount Rainier is located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle,
Washington in Pierce County. It was originally known as Tahoma
or Tacoma, from the Puyallup word tacobet, or "mother of
waters."
Climbing Mt. Rainier is not an easy endeavour. It is a technical glacier climb
and most climbers require two to three days to reach the summit, with weather
and conditioning being the most common reasons for failure. Climbing teams require
experience in glacier travel, self rescue, and wilderness travel. In most years,
dangerous route conditions and/or storms take the lives of several climbers.
Captain George Vancouver sailed into Puget Sound in 1792, and became the first
European to see the mountain. He named it in honor of his friend, Rear Admiral
Peter Rainier. In 1833, Dr. William Tolmie explored the area looking for medicinal
plants. He was followed by other explorers seeking challenge. Hazard Stevens
and P.B. Van Trump received a hero's welcome in the streets of Olympia after
their successful summit climb in 1870. John Muir climbed Mount Rainier in 1888,
and although he enjoyed the view, he conceded that it was best appreciated from
below. Muir was one of many who advocated protecting the mountain. In 1893,
the area was set aside as part of the Pacific Forest Reserve in order to protect
its physical/economic resources: timber and watersheds.
On March 2, 1899, President William McKinley established Mount Rainier National
Park as America's fifth national park.
Climber Killed by Fall into Mount St. Helens' Crater<p><img src="http://z.about.com/d/climbing/1/0/5/A/-/-/JosephBohlig_Ecuador_PhScottSalkovics_2.jpg"hspace="5"align="center"></p>
<p>The body of a climber who plunged 1,500 feet into the crater of Mount St. Helens in Washington was recovered yesterday afternoon. On Monday afternoon, 52-year-old Joseph Bohlig, an experienced mountaineer had reached the summit of 8,365-foot (2,550 meter) Mount St. Helens for the 68th time with his usual climbing partner Scott Salkovics. Bohlig took off some clothes and his pack and then asked Scott to take some photographs of him on the crater rim.</p>
<p>Salkovics told news reporters that Bohlig told him to make sure that he got <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://climbing.about.com/od/usstatehighpoints/a/MtRainierFacts.htm">Mount Rainier</a> to the north in the photo. A second later the massive overhanging cornice or wind-blown snow shelf that Bohlig was standing on gave way, dropping him 1,500 feet down steep snow slopes in the crater.</p>
<p>Scott Salkovics, an Army Reserve helicopter pilot, recounted the event: "Boom, it busted off and I saw him clawing for the edge with a startled look on his face and then he disappeared. I was looking right at him, he was only 10 feet away." Salkovics, realizing there was nothing he could do, tossed Bohlig's parka, an emergency beacon, and food and water down the slope to his friend and contacted rescuers. The supplies, however, did not slide all the way down to Mr. Bohlig, essentially marooning him without a warm jacket.</p>
<p>Rescuers, including helicopters from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Coast Guard, attempted to reach Mr. Bohlig, who was still alive and blowing an emergency whistle. Deteriorating weather conditions, including wind, snow, and fog kept rescuers from reaching him, although one climbed 500 feet up steep snow slopes above the crater floor but he turned back because of rockfall. Bohlig apparently died during the night. His body was recovered on Tuesday afternoon by a Navy helicopter. The Skamania county coroner Peter Banks says an autopsy will not be performed since there was no foul play and it appears Mt. Bohlig died of injuries from the fall or from <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://climbing.about.com/od/dictionaryofclimbing/a/HypothermiaDef.htm">hypothermia</a>.</p>
<p>Cornices, unsupported overhanging shelves of snow, are one of the greatest dangers that mountaineers face in the high mountains. Cornices usually build up on leeward sides of slopes where the wind sweeps over a mountain ridge. The cornices on Mount St. Helens are large, overhanging the crater as much as 20 feet. Experienced climbers almost never venture onto cornices without first checking how much they overhang and without a rope. The <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/mount-st-helens/climbing-safety.shtml">Mount St. Helens National Monument website</a> warns climbers about cornices: "The crater rim is precipitous with drops of more than 1,000 feet to the crater floor. A snow cornice develops in winter and often lasts well into summer. <b>Take great care, as portions of the rim may be unstable year-round. Stay off the snow cornice!</b>"</p>
<p>Joseph Bohlig's accident is indeed tragic. The best climbing lesson to be learned is to always be alert and never get lulled into complacency. The mountains are harsh and bad things can happen to good people at any time. My condolences to his friends and family.</b></p>
<p><b>More About Mount St. Helens</b><br /></p>
<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/mount-st-helens/">Climbing at Mount St. Helens National Monument</a><br /><br />
<a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/mount-st-helens/">Real-Time Mount St. Helens Volcano Cam</a></p>
<p>Photograph above: <i>Joseph Brolig, killed in a fall from the crater rim of Mount St. Helens, in happier times in Ecuador a few months ago.</i> Photograph courtesy Scott Salkovics</p>
<p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/17/climber-killed-by-fall-into-mount-st-helens-crater.htm">Climber Killed by Fall into Mount St. Helens' Crater</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/">About.com Climbing</a> on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 15:23:11.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/17/climber-killed-by-fall-into-mount-st-helens-crater.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/17/climber-killed-by-fall-into-mount-st-helens-crater.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://climbing.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/17/climber-killed-by-fall-into-mount-st-helens-crater.htm&zItl=Climber Killed by Fall into Mount St. Helens' Crater">Email this</a></p>
Facts About Mount Rainier--Washington's Highest Mountain<p><img src="http://z.about.com/d/climbing/1/0/y/9/-/-/RainierWMtAdams_SunsetAvenueProductions_Getty22.jpg"hspace="5"align="center"></p>
<p>All those piles and heaps of snow in Washington DC and Philadelphia reminds me of 14,411-foot <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://climbing.about.com/od/usstatehighpoints/a/MtRainierFacts.htm">Mount Rainier</a>, the great snowy mountain of Washington state. Check out this mountain profile of Rainier that I wrote this week. It's full of interesting facts and figures, like a minor earthquake occurs somewhere on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://climbing.about.com/od/usstatehighpoints/a/MtRainierFacts.htm">Mount Rainier</a> almost every day and that only 5,000 years ago the peak rose to 16,000 feet. That must have been quite the mountain!</p>
<p>Read <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://climbing.about.com/od/usstatehighpoints/a/MtRainierFacts.htm">Facts About Mount Rainier</a> to get the full story. Next week I'm posting a companion article on Climbing Mount Rainier so you can plan your ascent next summer.</p>
<p>Photograph above: <i>Sunlight gilds Mount Rainier, the highest mountain in Washington and a popular destination for climbers.</i> Photograph © Sunset Avenue Productions/Getty Images</p>
<p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/12/facts-about-mount-rainier-washingtons-highest-mountain.htm">Facts About Mount Rainier--Washington's Highest Mountain</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/">About.com Climbing</a> on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 11:14:26.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/12/facts-about-mount-rainier-washingtons-highest-mountain.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/12/facts-about-mount-rainier-washingtons-highest-mountain.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://climbing.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://climbing.about.com/b/2010/02/12/facts-about-mount-rainier-washingtons-highest-mountain.htm&zItl=Facts About Mount Rainier--Washington's Highest Mountain">Email this</a></p>
Your year to climb Rainier? Get tips from the expertsSeattle Times Feb 4 2010 6:54PM GMT
An Everest Dispatch from The Rainier Club.Everest News Jan 27 2010 1:29AM GMT
Christmas hotel packages, swine flu travel advice and a reader climbs Mount RainierAustin American Statesman Dec 5 2009 11:09PM GMT
To the top of Mount RainierThe Des Moines Register Nov 8 2009 1:43PM GMT
Archive | Trio of injured Iraq veterans stands tall on RainierSeattle Times Sep 26 2009 7:21PM GMT
Barron natives scale Mt. Rainier in fundraising effortBarron News Shield Sep 19 2009 10:24PM GMT
Team summits Mt. Rainier Corona del Mar resident Paul Miller curled up into a ball and cried when he reached the summit of Mt. Rainier earlier this week in Pierce County, Wash.Daily Pilot Sep 5 2009 1:28PM GMT
Exposed ice endangers hikers to Rainier's Camp MuirSeattle Times Aug 26 2009 11:00PM GMT
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