Photo By Joseph Siemandel | Lt Col Jason Kramer, 194th Comptroller Flight, CMSgt (Retired) Jason Witts, 194th...... read more read more
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In the Pacific Northwest, no object natural or man-made tops Mt. Rainier. The majestic centerpiece of the Cascade Mountain range can be seen across the state of Washington and has become a favorite among visitors to our region.
It’s also a mountain hikers dream of climbing. The most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States, Mt. Rainier offers an exciting challenge to mountaineers, both expert and novice. Each year thousands of people accomplish the feat of making the 14,410-foot climb from base to summit.
On July 21, 2022, Lt. Col. Jason Kramer, Chief Master Sgt. (Retired) Jason Witt and Senior Master Sgt. Justin Scherer, 194th Wing, cemented their legacy as they reached the summit of Mr. Rainier, the culmination of a multi-year process.
“In a nutshell - it was an unguided climb by a fully ANG team that took a few years to pull off,” said Kramer, 194th Comptroller Flight.
In 2021 Witts and Kramer received a "Partner in Adventure Grant" from the American Alpine Club to help pay for a 3-day basic glacier travel training course on Mt. Baker with the American Alpine Institute. The basic glacier travel training course is the glacier component of the Basic Alpine Climbing Course. Participants learn to travel safely on glaciers while roped up, and learn the technical skills such as crevasse rescue and rappelling.
“Lt Col Lance Orr of the 116th Air Support Operations Squadron also attended the course,” said Kramer. “He and I had also previously received training from the JBLM Alpine Club, run by MWR. SMSgt Scherer received a great deal of training and experience with the Portland-based Mazamas club.”
In accordance with the grant they received the group needed to submit a capstone goal.
“Mt. Rainier was our capstone goal. We were motivated by other Air National Guard members who had climbed Mt. Rainier successfully earlier in 2021 including Capt. Steve Jones and Lt. Col. Pat Lamie,” said Kramer. “Along with the climb, we had intended to do a brief retirement ceremony for Chief Witts at the top of the mountain.”
Unfortunately, with COVID, scheduling and weather conditions, the group’s climb was delayed until August.
“By then the conditions were not safe due to temperature and snow melt creating rock fall hazards,” said Kramer. “While we were able to accomplish glacier travel, there was no summit as we turned around prior to the Disappointment Cleaver.”
To prepare for this season, the group held a one-day self-led refresher training event in May, refreshing their skills on crevasse rescue and team rope travel.
The group looked at the calendar and forecast, and selected late July for their summer attempt. Unfortunately, Orr was unable to make it due to scheduling conflicts, bringing the four-man team down to three Air National Guard members.
“We utilized the most-popular and easiest route – the Disappointment Cleaver, due to our collective experience levels,” said Kramer.
Disappointment Cleaver, often called the "DC Route," is the most popular route to the summit. Climbers will scale 9,000 feet on snowfields and glaciers, traveling a short distance on rock on the cleaver and possibly cross ladders. This route often takes 6-8 hours from trailhead to Camp Muir, and 5-8 from camp to the summit.
“We left after work Tuesday, started climbing to Camp Muir at 7 PM, and arrived about 2 am,” said Kramer. “Wednesday was largely resting, then Thursday was the summit attempt and return.”
Just as planned, the trio of Air National Guard members summited the Mountain on Thursday, carrying with them a 194th Mission Support Group guidon to celebrate Chief Witts' service.
“It was fulfilling in that it was an unguided attempt. SMSgt Scherer is very experienced and served as the team mentor and I got to lead a rope team on a summit push for the first time, while Chief Witts reached his first glaciated summit,” said Kramer. “The climb offered us the opportunity to practice teamwork, leadership, and risk management. We were in a wild and challenging environment, but the trail was well traveled and we had lots of mutual support from National Park Service Rangers, guide services, and many independent climbers. SMSgt Scherer's mentorship and discipline kept us in prime condition for that final push.”
From far away, many see Mt. Rainer’s summit and believe it to be unattainable, a dream for those who are the most skilled climbers. Kramer’s take is different for those considering the climb.
“It’s fun to share in people’s excitement for our local mountain, there is something special about it for climbers and non-climbers alike,” said Kramer. “Far from being K2, I think a Mt. Rainier summit is very doable for most people with the right combination of coaching and disciplined execution assuming conditions are good and appropriate safety training and precautions are implemented for glacier travel or guide services are utilized.”
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2022 12:03 |
| Story ID: | 427096 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Reaching The Top: Air National Guard members reach goal of summiting Mt. Rainier, by Joseph Siemandel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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