Hiking Guide Washington
Hiking Guide Washington
Climbing Mount Rainier?
I am 17 and I am planning to climb Mount Rainier in August of '08 (I have nearly 8 months to train). I am physically fit and hope to train even more (I am very disciplined and committed to this goal and I am willing to put in the time and effort). I am planning to go with a company that organizes and guides climbing expeditions, so I know I will be in good hands, but I am concerned about whether Rainier is too much for a first time climber. When I spoke to the company I am climbing with, all they said is that I have to train up to the point where I can climb with a 40 pound pack. I understand that Rainier is not a terribly technical climb but I am still wondering if someone could give me some advice. Unfortunately, I am not able to do any hiking or climbing in the mountains during my training because of where I live but I will have a time period of about 2-3 weeks in Washington (prior to the climb). Is that enough time to get the experience I need in the mountains? Please help me!!
Being physically fit is good, but you need to be able to handle 2 more things, 1) the cold, and 2) the high altitude. The cold you should be able to handle if you have adequate mountain gear, but the high altitude is something else. If you've never been exposed to high altitudes before, you could suddenly find yourself with a real bad case of altitude sickness, and your climb may have to be aborted. What to do? First, find out if you're susceptible to it by going up to high altitudes somewhere else, at least 8,000 feet. If you are, then 1) take Diamox (get a prescription from your doctor, and read the directions---check out Diamox on the internet for information on its use for altitude sickness), and 2) inform your climbing party that you might need extra time to acclimatize to the altitude as you go up. Eventually you can get to the top if you have trained guides with you, but you just might have to take a bit longer. The alternative is to acclimatize before you go to Mt Rainer, which you can do by staying a few days at high altitudes elsewhere. There are places where you can drive up to high altitudes. Or you can just arrive at Mt Rainer early and stay at the highest practical altitude until the time of your climb.
You cannot prepare yourself from high altitude sickness by being physically fit---it can strike even very fit people.
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Moon Washington Hiking: The Complete Guide to More Than 400 Hikes (Moon Outdoors) List Price: $17.95 Sale Price: $3.50 Used From: $3.00  |
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Writer and avid outdoorsman Scott Leonard covers the best hiking adventures in Washington State, including those in Olympic Peninsula, Mount Rainier, the San Juan Islands, and the Northern Cascades. Leonard also offers his picks of the Top 10 Easy Hikes, Top 10 Weekend Backpacking Trips, and Top 10 Lake Hikes, along with easy-to-follow maps, driving directions, and difficulty and scenic ratings for each hiking trail... |
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Hiking Washington, 2nd: A Guide to Washington's Greatest Hiking Adventures List Price: $16.95 Sale Price: $6.98 Used From: $4.85 |
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From sun-baked steppes to surf-pounded coastlines, from alpine glaciers to hushed, cathedralesque forests, Washington offers magnificent hiking opportunities. Discover them with Hiking Washington and unlock the door to a lifetime of rewarding wilderness outings... |
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The Creaky Knees Guide Washington: The 100 Best Easy Hikes in the State List Price: $16.95 Sale Price: $9.67 Used From: $7.12 |
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The Creaky Knees Guide Washington is a day-hiking guidebook filled with kinder, gentler trails. Written in a style that will appeal to aging boomers and anyone who — regardless of age — can't or doesn't want to walk as far as they once could or would like to... |
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100 Classic Hikes in Washington List Price: $21.95 Sale Price: $8.99 Used From: $1.98 |
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Classic Hikes is a greatest hits of previous Mountaineers guidebooks for Washington, collecting in a single volume 100 hikes from the guides to the Alpine Lakes, North Cascades, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, and South Cascades and Olympics regions... |
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Devoted campers, hikers, anglers, bikers and golfers agree: Foghorn Outdoors guides are essential for anyone who wants to spend less time planning and more time enjoying the outdoors. Each book is an excursion guide packed with the latest information on a variety of adventures near and far... |
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Tracking waterfalls for more than twenty-five years, a true aficionado locates and describes 634 waterfalls in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (and then lists 777 more in the index!). *At-a-glance table for selecting waterfalls by scenic rating, form, how to access, best season to go, and defining characteristics *5-star waterfalls are graphically identified *Companion website for additional information and access updates It's hard to imagine a more complete guide to Pacific Northwest waterfalls than this one... |
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Moon Washington Hiking: The Complete Guide to More Than 400 Hikes (Moon Outdoors) List Price: $17.95 Sale Price: $3.50 Used From: $3.00 |
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Writer and avid outdoorsman Scott Leonard covers the best hiking adventures in Washington State, including those in Olympic Peninsula, Mount Rainier, the San Juan Islands, and the Northern Cascades. Leonard also offers his picks of the Top 10 Easy Hikes, Top 10 Weekend Backpacking Trips, and Top 10 Lake Hikes, along with easy-to-follow maps, driving directions, and difficulty and scenic ratings for each hiking trail... |
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Hiking Washington, 2nd: A Guide to Washington's Greatest Hiking Adventures List Price: $16.95 Sale Price: $6.98 Used From: $4.85 |
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From sun-baked steppes to surf-pounded coastlines, from alpine glaciers to hushed, cathedralesque forests, Washington offers magnificent hiking opportunities. Discover them with Hiking Washington and unlock the door to a lifetime of rewarding wilderness outings... |
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The Creaky Knees Guide Washington: The 100 Best Easy Hikes in the State List Price: $16.95 Sale Price: $9.67 Used From: $7.12 |
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The Creaky Knees Guide Washington is a day-hiking guidebook filled with kinder, gentler trails. Written in a style that will appeal to aging boomers and anyone who — regardless of age — can't or doesn't want to walk as far as they once could or would like to... |
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100 Classic Hikes in Washington List Price: $21.95 Sale Price: $8.99 Used From: $1.98 |
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Classic Hikes is a greatest hits of previous Mountaineers guidebooks for Washington, collecting in a single volume 100 hikes from the guides to the Alpine Lakes, North Cascades, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, and South Cascades and Olympics regions... |
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Washington's Channeled Scablands Guide List Price: $17.95 Sale Price: $11.85 Used From: $12.08 |
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Often overlooked by those cruising on the highway to Spokane or the Tri-Cities area, more than 2,000 square miles of terrain in eastern Washington are home to a striking collection of sharp-edged coulees slicing through a crust of basalt... |
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AMC's Best Day Hikes near Washington, D.C.: Four-season Guide to 50 of the Best Trails in Maryland, Virginia, and the Nation's Capital List Price: $18.95 Sale Price: $7.06 Used From: $10.53 |
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A guide to 50 of the best day hikes in the Washington, D.C., area. |
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Explorer's Guide Washington (Second Edition) (Explorer's Complete) List Price: $21.95 Sale Price: $14.93 |
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The Creaky Knees Guide Washington: The 100 Best Easy Hikes in the State List Price: $16.95 |
|
The Creaky Knees Guide Washington is a day-hiking guidebook filled with kinder, gentler trails. Written in a style that will appeal to aging boomers and anyone who — regardless of age — can't or doesn't want to walk as far as they once could or would like to... |
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