Hidden in a thick whiteout on Mount Tahoma, a group of six Indigenous climbers pushed through cold temperatures and low visibility with heavy backpacks in order to make it up to about 10,000 feet before sundown in June.
The clock was ticking, and the group’s leader, Rachel Heaton, continued to check the map to ensure they were on the right path. One wrong step and they could find themselves swallowed up by deep crevasses.
Known worldwide as Mount Rainier, Mount Tahoma stands at 14,410 feet in Washington State, making it the highest mountain in the Pacific Northwest. It is often a stepping stone for mountaineers who wish to summit bigger global peaks like Denali or Kilimanjaro…