Tackling Mt. Rainier with Garmin Chicago Store Associate Dobri Danchev

A member of Chicago’s Mountaineering Club, Chicago Store Associate Dobri Danchev is always looking for his next adventure. He has reached several summits since he started climbing two years ago, but on a recent trip to Washington State to tackle the infamous Mt. Rainier he would come to appreciate the navigation support from his Garmin like never before.

For months Dobri trained intensely for a group climb of Mt. Baker by running with weighted packs and hitting the stair climber at the gym. Unfortunately, due to avalanche concerns their club traveled instead to Mt. Shasta in California. Along for the ride were Dobri’s D2, Oregon 650t and VIRB Elite. After the group reached Mt. Shasta’s summit three of the five were continuing on to Mt. Rainier in Washington, however, one climber dropped out due to illness, leaving Dobri and his friend pushed onward by themselves.

After checking in at the Paradise Basecamp the duo trekked to High Camp, from where they hoped to reach the summit the next day. At 2 a.m. the next morning they started the climb but were disappointingly forced to return after just a few hours due to deep-snow conditions. While resting from their morning trek, they were suddenly alerted by fellow trekkers that due to worsening conditions everyone was leaving and was advised not to climb. 

The two quickly packed camp but they were the last to depart, leaving them on their own for the descent. Dobri led the way with his Oregon as they followed their tracks back down the mountain. It quickly became foggy and before they knew it, the two were in whiteout.

“It’s a weird feeling,” said Dobri, “when everything is white and flat and you can’t even see your partner.  You don’t see slopes – you can’t see 10 feet ahead of you – and in this moment I really had an appreciation for my Oregon’s 3-axis tilt compass.”

Even while following the Oregon’s track log, the pair found themselves 100 feet off-track and in deep snow. Afraid of avalanche, they backtracked and found a small section of rock. Although it was not their initial path, it led them straight to Paradise.

“With the compass, you can ensure you are heading in the right direction, even if you lose your track,” said Dobri.

Dobri later learned that no one had summitted Mt. Rainier in weeks due to the deep-snow conditions, which explained the absence of guides and climbing rangers. While the whiteout was certainly the most challenging part of Dobri’s trip, it did not seem to deter his passion for mountaineering and he is adamant about attempting Mt. Rainier in the future.

Oh – and while there were plenty of deer Dobri did not find the Yeti. Just in case you were wondering.  

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