Climbers

Fellow climbers,

Last weekend, five of us attempted Mt. Rainier via the D.C. Route. On our way down the mountain, I had a medical emergency at roughly 11,600 feet (midway down the Disappointment Cleaver). Fortunately we all made it off the mountain safely, thanks in no small part to a strong and competent team.

Trip report with photo link attached.

Respectfully,

Shonee Langford

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. 

Second Bryon's sentiment and glad you're feeling better. Good to see that the climb team came together to help get you through. Given the nature of the onset of the symptoms and the hospital seemingly ruling out any kidney stone related issues, had you experienced any similar problems previously? A pinched nerve/sciatica related condition might be a "usual suspect" if you'd had any prior history of same, but it would really depend on the nature and location of the pain. It certainly sounded debilitating enough!

Being able to evaluate your experience candidly encourages everyone to be honest with themselves in terms of knowing when to say "enough". It should also spur the effort to raise the level of WFA preparedness within the club, though your particular experience doesn't lend itself to any easy or obvious diagnosis. It also somewhat reassuring to learn that the level of care on the part of the NP staff and/or climbing rangers was good.

Bill