Mount Rainier, North Mowich Face. On June 25, Rob Schaller and I completed a new route on the eastern edge of the Mowich Face. From a high camp on a rock island in the North Mowich Glacier (9000 feet), we approached the steep icefall which is a prominent feature of the Mowich Face when viewed from the northwest. A delicate traverse on black ice above the bergschrund brought us to the base of the icefall where sustained rockfall was encountered. While climbing an exposed ice pitch in the lower icefall, Rob was hit by two fairly large rocks, receiving a minor arm injury. About 600 feet above the schrund, we left the ice to climb three rock pitches on surprisingly sound rock. Emerging from the icefall just above the “hourglass” on Dan Davis’ 1968 North Mowich Face route, we paralleled that route for 300 feet before angling left through the upper icefall toward the uppermost rock cliffs of Ptarmigan Ridge. The 45° ice slope was then climbed to a cleft in the cliff where a final hard verglased rock pitch was surmounted to the gentle snowfields leading to Liberty Cap. High winds and poor visibility from the cloud masses boiling through the saddle between Liberty Cap and the main summit hampered our descent. Racing down the Tahoma Glacier Sickle and on around and over the two St. Andrews rocks, we reached the standard campsite on Puyallup Cleaver in darkness.

James F. Wickwire