"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
09/10/2018 at 15:45 • Filed to: miata is always the answer, Miata, Washington, Mt Rainier
16
38|
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
09/10/2018 at 15:45 • Filed to: miata is always the answer, Miata, Washington, Mt Rainier | 16
| 38 |
A completely unplanned solo hike to the top of Mt. Rainier. Full disclosure, I didn’t make it to the summit. However, I did safely(ish) make it back down to the bottom with some damn good stories. Sharing a sunset with a goat 9000' up the tallest peak in the continental US surely qualifies.
Let’s start from the beginning.
I worked Saturday, teaching a large group how to properly install Christmas lights at residential homes. It was a blast, but it put a dagger through the heart of my prior plans to camp over the weekend.
When I got home I went full-on lazy mode. Ordered a pizza, had Uber deliver some Emerald City, and spent the rest of the night playing Paper Mario and Wind Waker. Twas quite nice.
Continuing the lazy bum theme, I woke up Sunday at... 11:00am. Showered, grabbed the bear essentials for adventuring, and headed out with no destination in mind. And promptly turned around because my ticking time-bomb of an engine sounded like it had a lit fuse. Topped the oil off with some 5w-30—not quite the 0w-40 that was already in the engine but it was all I had on hand and it would have to do. Drove around a bit and the ticking faded, which was good enough for me to award the Miata with a “seal of roadtrip worthiness”. We were off, adventures awaiting.
Aside from the oil leaks alluded to above, the Miata is currently in rough shape mechanically. Which is why I decided to drive it 300 miles round-trip to a mountain with zero cell coverage. But you know what? Not a single issue was experienced. I’m starting to think the Miata will run forever on *trust*, *friendship*, and a bit of oil here and there.
This roadster is the best adventure car in the world, in the sense that it will increase the fun-factor of anything you do tenfold.
It’s the WORST adventure car in the sense that it assaults your body on multiple fronts during the drive, each attack growing stronger and stronger as the miles add on. Let me explain.
Hearing. From the outside, she sounds good. Surprisingly good. Miata’s are not known for a pleasing tone, but then again most Miata drivers don’t have the combination of Japan-sourced Fujitsubo exhaust, and multiple fist-sized muffler dents from offroading. All I’m saying is it works. Loud but not obnoxious. I’ll pass 5-10 Subaru’s a day much louder than me. From the inside however... Good god. It’s a constant drone not helped by the fact that highway cruising brings you past 4k rpm. The wind noise is monstrous with the top down and damn near unbearable with the top up. Road noise is equally invasive, due in no small part to the budget winter tires still going strong. Drive thirty minutes and you’ll have a slight ringing in your ears. Drive an hour and it will take 15 minutes for your hearing to recover. Drive three hours and you’ll stumble out of the crazy-kart sized door—exhausted and in pain—needing a day spent laying around at home in a dark room to recover.
Space. With the cramped quarters inherent to Mazda’s design you’d think space would be a real killer, causing you to cramp up and curse the woeful ergonomics you’re forced to endure.
That’s not really the case though. Sure, things were tight, but Mazda did a good job making sure you were comfortable. Clearly someone with an understanding of the human body helped them choose their interior layout.
Now, my particular car... Is a bit different. The Bride bucket seat actually gains me about 5 inches of legroom and 2 inches of headroom, which sounds fantastic right? Problem is, I never stopped to consider the effect messing with the height of the seat vs the length to reach the pedals vs the angle of your knee vs the level of recline, etc. Would have on overall comfort.
I fucked up. Sure, I’ve got more space, but it puts my body in a position that becomes quite painful over time. With the current seating position, my natural relaxed lower body wants to have the gas pedal pegged to the floor. To keep that from happening, I have to keep my right leg muscles tight. After three hours of that I’m begging to get out. In addition, despite a very pleasant clutch, after about half an hour my left knee starts to ache. That one is probably 50/50 bad seating position and prior injuries. Lastly, because of the space constraints, I couldn’t get the seat mounted on-center with the wheel. It’s about an inch closer to the passenger side than it should be, and rotated slightly towards the driver side. The slight twist just adds to the issues above.
I’ve managed to fix those problems, though not without tradeoffs.
For the sound, I’ve been rocking noise-canceling wireless earbuds. Truly a gift from God. I can drive hours on end—listening to some sweet tunes—and arrive at my destination feeling fresh. The con is I lose audio cues from the environment.
For the seating position I tried something new. I didn’t use the clutch. At all.
300 miles of driving, and I didn’t step foot on the clutch a single time. Instead I kept my left foot tucked up UNDER the clutch, resting against the firewall. This let me fully extend my left leg, and brace in such a way as to allow my right leg some relief too. Took a minute to figure out rpms to shift without a clutch, but once I got it down it was about as smooth as normal shifting and only a bit slower. Cons, I would imagine this introduces more wear to something, right?
So, earbuds in, Clutch off-limits, it was time to pick a place. I saw a corner of the Mt. Rainier map peeking out of my glove box and made my decision. Fuck yeah.
It’s a bit of a drive to get there, but only a small portion of it is on the highway. The rest is going through fun back roads and semi-rural towns until you hit the Mt. Baker National Forest that precedes Mt. Rainier.
My first rest stop was at Skookum Falls, where I learned the origin of the word! Neat!
The water is white from mud and clay, quite different from the other bodies of water in the area... #foreshadowing
Next stop was Lake Louise. Breath-taking, and my panorama taken from atop a 50 foot rock scramble hardly does it justice. Seen from the road, it’s the most beautiful emerald color you could imagine. Trees on three sides, a small sandy beach, and a massive cliff with a Marmot-infested rock garden at the bottom. Despite being only a short walk through the woods, it’s incredibly easy to miss and as such is almost always empty.
You really do meet more friends when you’re alone. This little guy not only hammed it up for the camera, he also brought a buddy!
After lake Louise I drove up to Paradise, where I would abandon ship and test out my own drivetrain for awhile. But first... Snack break!
Always use protection.
End of August/early September is a great time to hangout on Rainier. The snow line is relatively high, the temps stay above freezing until you cross 10,000', and the wildflowers are still in bloom. Wind chill is still a bitch, but you can’t escape from that.
Made it to the trailhead and found this handy little sheet telling me what I needed. Let’s see how many I’ve got.
Map of the area? Yes. 1/1. The Mt. Rainier map is the best map I’ve ever seen for a state park. Easy to read, fully featured, beautiful.
Compass? No. 1/2. Genuine question. In this day and age do people still use a compass on hikes? Between your phone and and a standalonesatellite GPS for the truly hardcore, does the compass still hold a place in a hiker’s gearbag?
Extra food and water? Yes. 2/3. 64oz of water, and a protein shake with 60 grams of protein and about 8 grams of carbs.
First aid kit? Yes. 3/4. Electrical tape to close wounds. Good enough.
Flashlight? Eh... We’re calling this a “no”. 3/5. While I did have a phone with a flashlight, I spent so much time taking pictures that my battery was too low to use my flashlight by the time the sun went down. Fail.
Sunglasses and sunscreen? No and no. 3/6.
Pocket knife? No. 3/7. I haven’t had a good edc pocket knife in years and I reaaaaally need to fix that.
Extra clothing and rain gear? Yes! 4/8. I started the hike with Keen hiking boots, thick wool socks, basketball shorts, cotton t-shirt. At 6400' I added a down vest as I entered a cloud. At about 6900' I added a thick rain jacket to keep the brutal winds at bay. Another hundred feet or so I put the hood up, sinched the straps tight, and stuffed icy hands in pockets. I normally do winter hikes in a thin underlayer and a down vest. I was honestly surprised at how cold it got up here.
Emergency shelter? No. 4/9.
Matches in a fireproof container? No. 4/10.
So... 40% prepared? Meh. I had food, water and clothing. Those are the important ones. I’ll take it!
I made it to the trailhead at 5:00pm. After consulting with my map, I drew out the route I wanted to try, tightened my laces and set off. Hit Myrtle falls first, then continued up the Golden Gate Trail. That intersects the Skyline Trail, and after following that for awhile I turned north and continued up towards Camp Muir. Camp Muir isn’t on this trail map unfortunately (I didn’t have the full Rainier map with me), but the section in orange is where I started the Camp Muir trek. About 7:00pm at that time.
Hiking pictures. So many beautiful hiking pictures.
Pictures near the top are nonexistent as I wanted to keep hands in pockets. That wind chill was brutal. From a casual stroll in a T-shirt to “one. More. Step. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Keep going. Keep going! KEEP GOING.”
Made it back down to the bottom at 10:00pm. Had a three hour drive home, hauled ass and chopped off half an hour. Passeth the fucketh out upon arrival. Not a bad day. Next time I’m here the roads will be snowy, and t he Miata will be lifted.
diplodicus
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 15:55 |
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Whered you get that dope ass banana condom.
farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 15:57 |
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wait wait wait (i mean theres a lot to take in here.. great pics btw... wish we had nature like that here... i miss my hills)
but yeah... training people to properly install christmas lights... as in just random homeowners? or is installing christmas lights a worthwhile source of employement there?
(coz you know... over here we traditionally do it ourselves... preferably drunk... then over the holiday we pour a couple out for those who bravely tried but didnt make it..... good times)
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AestheticsInMotion
> diplodicus
09/10/2018 at 15:58 |
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The banana bunker? Amazon. Best $3 I ever spent.
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AestheticsInMotion
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
09/10/2018 at 16:01 |
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It’s a massive source of income. Our average transaction for a residential light install is $1400 USD. We’ve been doing it for two years. The real industry leaders have average residential installs at about $2600, and they’ll have a minumum of $1500 or so. It’s absolutely insane, but people pay it. And those are just the averages. Plenty of jobs reach the 5 figure mark. Especially when you start doing commercial work. We make more on Christmas light installs in t hree months t han we do during the rest of the year cleaning roofs/gutters/windows/siding/pressure washing etc.
wafflesnfalafel
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:07 |
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very nice - I was up at the Tolmie peak lookout on the other side last Thurs with a buddy from work . Beautiful piece of country.
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:08 |
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Looks like a great adventure - glad you made it home in one piece.
“The con is I lose audio cues from the environment.” I understand the “why”, but this really isn’t safe... and may be illegal.
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farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:09 |
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O.o
well.... learnt something new today.. that is not a market that exists over here... yet anyway
probably never will... halloween is starting to take off over here tho.... im thinking thats where you might be able to make a quick buck or many within the next couple years
but the yearly tradition of nearly dying putting up your lights is here to stay
still.... that looks like a pretty fun job :)
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AestheticsInMotion
> wafflesnfalafel
09/10/2018 at 16:10 |
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Gorgeous. I've only been there once, and the smoke was so strong I couldn't see much. Have you ever been to the northwest corner?
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AestheticsInMotion
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/10/2018 at 16:13 |
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I did look into this long ago. For my area, there’s no specific law against it, but if a cop chose to they could get me with distracted driving. Eventually I hope to figure out a way to get the Miata quieter inside. For now, earbuds on any trips longer than 20 minutes. And yes it really was a good time. I wonder if you're allowed to fish here...
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AestheticsInMotion
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
09/10/2018 at 16:15 |
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Yep, it’s pretty big around here! I’ve been f lown (is that a word?) out to Christmas light conventions and training events... Crazy. We’re trying to make halloween/4th of July lighting a thing, with mild success so far.
It's a very fun job. Everybody is so happy when they see the lights light up at the end of the day
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:18 |
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Funny story I also saw a mountain goat on my epic hike yesterday:
Now I'll actually read the rest of your post rather than just comment about the first picture lol.
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AestheticsInMotion
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/10/2018 at 16:27 |
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First one I’ve ever seen. I rounded a corner on what I’m still not positive was the trail, and boom. Ten feet in front of me. I was a bit nervous, but he was pretty cool. Walked in front of me for ten minutes, then we hung out on a cliff and watched the sun set.
One state separating us and these look like completely different worlds
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:31 |
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Haha this is from Utah, not California! So it is surely a very different world here. I made it to the peak at 11,600 feet after a 4,500 foot climb. And I JUST made it down to the bottom before it was pitch black. I also brought no lights and ran out of water at mile 12 of the 14 mile hike. But I made it!
I also had a wild ride home in the dark. No Miata with me here since I have the same complaints as you about driving it long distances with the bride seat. Considering I'm 10 hours from home, this car was the better choice lol. Plus all of the 80mph speed limits here would have been a problem in that car.
Decay buys too many beaters
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:31 |
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Man that area is pretty, need to add that to the ever growing list of places to visit.
And on the noise front, I really don’t know why it doesn’t bother me. The Miata always seems quiet to me, then again I ride motorbikes most of the time without hearing protection. I was worried I had hearing damage for a while, but got an audiologist to give me a hearing eval that showed I’m still well above average in terms of both frequency and lower detection limits (forgot the technical terms) ¯\_()_/¯
NKato
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:32 |
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Catch-and-release fishing is permitted, but fishing for keeps is not. Also, you’ll need a fishing permit. Head to a local sporting goods store or fish & tackle shop, and you should be able to get one.
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NKato
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:34 |
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I am slowly blinking in disbelief at the fact that there is a cottage industry around festive lighting installation. I should probably work as a part-timer in that on the weekends for a little extra dosh.
Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 16:36 |
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I have decided that marmots are rock beavers. They share the same disposition and I prefer to avoid both at almost all costs. They’re among the meanest wild animals in our country as far as I’ve encountered.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 18:00 |
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Feels like I m ight have SLIGHTLY done some plagairism with how similar our adventures were:
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/adventures-with-wrong-wheel-drive-1828951636
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 18:02 |
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I need one of those. My banana was smashed as fuck on my hike
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Decay buys too many beaters
09/10/2018 at 18:03 |
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It’s definitely relative noise. I only noticed my Miata was actually noisy as fuck to drive in once I started dailying my STi. And its not like Subarus are known for their luxurious quiet rides either. So now I definitely comprehend how loud the Miata experience is. But I think it adds to it anyways, I feel more in tune with the adventure.
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wafflesnfalafel
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 18:44 |
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Tolmie is as close as I’ve been on that side. I honestly like the hikes out of Sunrise on the east side a bit better - you can get a bunch closer relatively easily later in the season . Burroughs 2 and 3 are so close you can hear the big Emmons glacier pop and crackle.
DasWauto
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 20:06 |
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The difference is only 80’ or so but Rainier isn’t the tallest peak in the continental US, that title belongs to Mt. Whitney in California:
Sweet trip though man, Rainier is high on my list of mountains I’d like to hike/climb next. One day I’ll make the trip.
Future Heap Owner
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 22:52 |
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Awesome adventure! I think you chose well: I’ve been to & near a lot of mountains on the West Coast but Rainier is my favorite. It looks so majestic rising up by itself, and there’s such excellent hiking around it, which y ou got a lot of great photos of.
Re: the hiking essentials: personally I think those are more for multi-day hikes than a day trip. However I absolutely carry a compass with me on all my multi-day trips, along with a fairly detailed topographic map. Those don’t run out of batteries, and when I’m not actively using them they stay safe in ziploc bags in my pack where it’s unlikely they’ll break or get too wet to use (in contrast to my phone which I keep in a mesh hip pocket and take out all the time for photos). I’ve never used the compass because I’ve never gotten that lost, but I’ll be extremely thankful I have it if I ever do use it , and it only cost $35 or something. Pretty cheap insurance against getting lost in the woods and dying of exposure, starvation, or injuries sustained in harsh terrain.
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> AestheticsInMotion
09/10/2018 at 23:08 |
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Super jealous you saw a mountain goat. Need to make my way up there one of these days.
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AestheticsInMotion
> AMGtech - now with more recalls!
09/11/2018 at 00:18 |
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Come hike up to C amp Muir in a month or two. Tall and difficult enough t o be a pretty epic hike, but still easy enough that you don’t need to be a seasoned mountaineer to reach it. Plus you can snowboard down!
I was pretty worried. I've heard they're super aggressive, and when I noticed him we were just ten feet away. Something tells me I wouldn't be able to avoid a large mountain goat on a windy cliff if he decided he didn't want company. He must have seen my bear print socks and realized I'm a friend of the local wildlife.
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AestheticsInMotion
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/11/2018 at 00:19 |
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Honestly kind of wishing I went with red Sprint 5's. Ah well.
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AestheticsInMotion
> Decay buys too many beaters
09/11/2018 at 00:23 |
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I am convinced there’s something specific to my Miata that makes it so loud inside. Maybe my downpipe has a massive hole in it, that’s positioned in such a way as to channel sound directly through the possibly-a-thing m assive hole in my firewall leading directly to my ears.
If you can only go to one place in Washington, go to Rainier. And at the very least stay overnight. Sport and adventure bikes are all over the place, you'll fit right in
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AestheticsInMotion
> NKato
09/11/2018 at 00:24 |
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Aww. That's no fun. I've got a permit but I'm not enough of a fisherman to be interested in catch and release
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NKato
> AestheticsInMotion
09/11/2018 at 00:27 |
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If I'm remembering right, some fish can be kept. It's dependent on species. Bass is typically catch and release while trout can be kept. Salmon, there's a bunch of restrictions now.
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AestheticsInMotion
> Future Heap Owner
09/11/2018 at 00:27 |
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I haven’t hit any of the summits, but I’ve hiked many parts of Baker, St. Helans and Adams. Have to agree with you on Rainier, although Mt. Pilchuck might juuuust edge it out as far as sunsets go. Planning on going back to Camp Muir in the snow season, then potentially summiting next July.
Hmm. Guess I should get a compass.
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AestheticsInMotion
> DasWauto
09/11/2018 at 00:32 |
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Do it. You will not regret it.
I was going off Wikipedia. Kinda confusing, there are apparently three main ways to qualify the “height” of a mountain. If you go sea level to peak, there are actually a fair number of mountains in the continental US taller than Rainier or Whitney. If you go peak to “ countryside surrounding mountain”, it looks like Rainier is the tallest in the lower 48. And the 3rd method is topographical isolation. Denali is Alaska is by far the tallest mountain in America using any of those 3 metrics.... Wonder if the Miata would be able to traverse the area....
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AestheticsInMotion
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
09/11/2018 at 00:34 |
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This was my first interaction with them. They seemed somewhat wary, but whenever they ran off, they would eventually come right back to where they originally were. Glad they didn't all come out of the rocks and tear me apart...
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AestheticsInMotion
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/11/2018 at 00:35 |
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People laughed at my banana bunker. NOW WHO'S LAUGHING???
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Decay buys too many beaters
> AestheticsInMotion
09/11/2018 at 12:26 |
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Hmmm... Might be a fun trip to tackle on the Grom
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AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> AestheticsInMotion
09/11/2018 at 15:18 |
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Ooh I’ll think about that!
It’s too bad he didn’t want to cuddle and help warm you up!
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> AestheticsInMotion
09/11/2018 at 16:37 |
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Hiking mount Whitney is like my goal in life at this point. Although Idk how I'm going to ever get in via the lottery and then actually survive hiking above 14k. Seems like a wild adventure for sure. I might as well put Rainer on my list too though since it's definitely of similar challenge.
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AestheticsInMotion
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/11/2018 at 16:45 |
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Start with Adams in Oregon. Gets you some experience with glaciated peaks and true mountaineering, while still being shorter and less technically challenging than the other two. I've been told most people use Adams as a warmup for Rainier!
wkiernan
> AestheticsInMotion
09/11/2018 at 19:02 |
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You don’t want a “good” pocket knife. You get one of those and yo
u’ll lose it within a month. You want a
cheap
pocket knife; if you don’t give it away you’ll still
have it until
you retire.