Glad you made it off the mountain under your own steam and didn’t need a helicopter or the ambulance once back to the pavement. We carried an extra sleeping bag and bivi sack on Rainer as a group, but not a stove. That was probably a mistake if things were bad enough to actually need the sleeping bag and bivi.
So, did you turn around at 12,500…or was it higher than that when the team pulled the plug and started back down. Sounds like you really didn’t have any viable options and it was smart to not push your luck trying to establish a new route through the collapse.
By the way, the Chemeketan’s rarely climb Little Tahoma…but is has been one on my more memorable Chemeketan climbs. It is nearly the same height as Hood. It really has a majestic, lofty summit that has a breathtaking view of the DC, all of Rainer towering above and a cool vantage point over to the Emmons and the super cool, but narely Liberty Ridge looming behind the Emmons glacier.
Great write up…and appreciate the honest evaluation. Hope your doing better very soon.