The Seattle Times "Morning stroll: Hiker conquers Rainier in 5 1/2 hours"[09.12.81]

Craig Van Hoy, 23, climbed himself to a new record this week on Mount Rainier. The Rainier Mountaineering guide, a California resident who graduated from Federal Way High School, on Tuesday climbed the most-used route to the 14,410 foot summit - from Paradise via Camp Muir and Disappointment Cleaver - and back in 5 hours 20 minutes.

The previous record, set in July, 1959, by Dick McGowan and Gil Blinn, was 6 hours 41 minutes, according to Dee Molenar's book on Mount Rainier. The route normally is climbed in two days. A spokeswoman for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc., at Paradise said Van Hoy left the parking lot there at 2:30 a.m. and returned "just in time for breakfast" at 7:50 a.m. The weather was good and some private parties were on the route as well, she said. Paradise is at about 5,600 feet. Van Hoy clocked himself to Camp Muir, at 10,000 feet, in one hour 40 minutes. His timing from Paradise to the summit was three hours.

At the top, he took time to sign in the summit register and climb the Columbia Crest before rushing down the mountain, 9,000 feet, in less than an hour.

He wasn't particularly tired, either. "He had a normal day of activities", said Jason Edwards, Tacoma, a fellow guide who was to participate in the climb, but was sidelined by the stomach flu. "We just wanted to see if we could do it," Edwards said.