Infinity loop FKT starting and ending at Paradise.
First off thanks so much to Corrine for steering the ship. Thanks to Stephen for being there at the beginning and end. Thanks to Sam who agreed to climb rainier with me after Stephen got sick. Sam ended up battling with elevation sickness and went deep into the pain cave for someone he’d known less than a day (me) which says so much about his character.
Stephen and I got climbing permits on the 14th and found out the DC had been out of service for a few days after a massive snow bridge collapsed and a work around hadn’t been sorted yet. Fortunately a friend was able to explain the planned work around including a section with a steep fixed line from camp comfort.
Stephen and I took off at 6:35 am. Since the route was unknown and more technical than the usual DC I opted to wear climbing boots on the first lap which absolutely smoked my feet running from glacier meadows to white river CG. From white river to paradise was absolutely gorgeous. We got to paradise around 11:30 PM and unfortunately Stephen was in a world of hurt. We ate some food, I took a nap, and when I woke up Stephen made the completely reasonable decision to bail. At this point I was thinking I’d likely be out too until Sam stepped up to take a rainier lap with me. After a few curve balls I ended up in white river around 1:45 PM well behind schedule. At this point I was thinking an FKT attempt was way out of reach running 4 hours behind, but was stoked that finishing was a possibility. From white river to Mowich I’d made up time only 1.5hr behind. From Mowich to paradise I gave every effort to completely drain the tank and leave no match unburned arriving at paradise with a total time of 52:46:03 bringing it in with 1:20 to spare!
When Stephen agreed to do the infinity loop with me my goal was to push as hard as possible with a great friend. I wanted to overcome adversity, get trauma bonded, and sit down on the paradise steps after having gone to war with each other. I’m grateful he was able to get some rest and bring in the last 40 miles with me. I certainly got what I signed up for!
Splits:
8:45 first summit to White River
16:55 WR to Paradise
31:10 Second summit to WR
39:25 WR to Mowich
52:46:03 Mowich to Paradise