March to the top of Mount Adams (12,276 feet)? Been there. Grunt to the 8,365-foot crater rim of Mount St. Helens? Hiked that.
Tough trips, sure, but ultimately both are walk-ups — safe and mostly sane trudges that require no technical skills, just ample tenacity and willing lungs.
But what about the Big One? What does it take for a nonclimber such as me to reach the summit of 14,411-foot Mount Rainier?
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