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		Mt. Rainier's Old Man Of The Mountain Reprinted from August 2006 Issue -by RANDY BRICH Mountains demand respect. Big mountains command reverence. Routinely making its own weather, Mt. Rainier stands supreme as America’s foremost high alpine adventure. Thousands of people amble up its glaciated slopes annually and roughly half of them summit, a feat that takes about 18 hours of climbing the mountain’s 9000 feet of elevation. Of those who climb Rainier every year, about 3 to 5 perish in the attempt annually—a slip on ice being a common means of achieving the ultimate end. Yet, despite the hazards from abrupt weather changes, to icy slopes, to avalanches to collapsing snow bridges, Bill Painter, age 83 and already the oldest person to ever summit Rainier, broke his record again this year. At an age where most people in the U.S. idle away their time in easy chairs watching television Bill tends his garden, stays in shape by working out on a regular basis and climbs mountains. In a typical week, Bill logs about 100 miles road biking and hikes Badger Mountain carrying a pack 3 to 5 times keeping his gait youthful and his shoulders in shape for the more arduous task of climbing Rainier. In fact, he and his son David first conceived of a Rainier attempt during a particularly nasty winter hike up Badger Mountain in 1999. Later that year, Bill and David climbed Rainier with the RMI guide service via the standard route. An annual rite of summer began that year and Bill has faithfully attempted the mountain every year since then, logging five successes, including three which broke the oldest climber record, first in 2004, again in 2005 and again in 2006. For his third record-breaking ascent, Team Painter selected the Kautz Glacier route, the most technical route of any they had climbed so far. On July 9, 2006 Bill, his sons Mark and David along with lead climber Cam, David’s son, effectively negotiated their path around crevasses and, after Cam set pro, jumared up a very steep ice wall enroute to the summit. When asked by a reporter whether he’ll climb Rainier again, Bill indicated that his team would have to find an easier route than the technically demanding route they climbed a couple of weeks ago. Bill’s love for the mountains has taken him to far away exotic places—from Everest Base Camp to Aconcagua, South America’s tallest peak. At 22,835 feet, Aconcagua rivals the Himalayas 26,000 foot monsters in terms of weather and oxygen levels. Although Bill didn’t summit Aconcagua, his climb to 21,200 feet marked his personal best elevation. Other noteworthy climbs, though in no particular order, include: Mt. Borah, Idaho’s highest peak, at age 15; Mt. St. Helens twice; Mt. Adams twice; Mt. Stewart; Mt. Rainier five times; Enchantment Peak; Little Anapurna (Washington Enchantments); Matterhorn Peak (Oregon Eagle Cap Wilderness); and Mt. Kala Patar (18,300’) Nepal. Reflecting on his climbing achievements, Bill indicated that his hardest climbs were the first time he climbed Rainier and the Mt. Stewart climb—Badger Mountain, 1503 times at the time of this writing. When asked about nutrition while on the mountain, Bill informed me that he loses all interest in food. Not uncommon, loss of appetite at elevation can lead to serious consequences, especially when bad weather sets in, as is often the case on Rainier. The first recorded successful climb on Rainier occurred in 1870 when four climbers reached the summit. Gradually, numbers of climbers increased as did deaths reaching a peak in 2000 at just over 13,000 climbers of which about half succeeded. Numbers of climbers tapered off to a low of slightly over 8,000 climbers in 2005, again about half succeeded. Throughout its history Rainier’s combination of ice, snow, exposure, elevation, crevasses, rock fall, avalanches and wind remind climbers of their mortality. With nearly 100 deaths, Rainier ranks as one of America’s deadliest mountains, second only to Mt. Hood. A chance meeting with Mark Painter in The Gorge a couple of weeks before Team Painter attempted Rainier this year led to a discussion about Bill’s world record breaking efforts—efforts that Bill definitely plays down and treats as if it’s no big deal. Meeting Bill, David and Mark at the east base of Badger Mountain in 100 plus heat the next day, I struggled to keep pace as they practically raced up the mountain for, what was then, Bill’s 1497th climb up Badger Mountain. It was then that I realized that these boys were serious about mountain climbing. By the time you read this article, no doubt Bill and his team will have climbed Badger Mountain well over 1500 times. On one of these many hikes perhaps you’ll encounter Team Painter, unmistakable as they will likely be carrying backpacks and walking fast up the mountain. When you do meet them, stop and say hello to the oldest man to ever summit the loftiest peak in Washington. If you have time after the hike, join them for a beer at their favorite local pub and revel in the climbing stories that are sure to follow.