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Graham Parrington and his team were climbing the tallest mountain in Washington last August. They had just come to the top and came back to the camp when it happened – Parrington dropped 30 feet into a crack in the ice.
"We were coming down, we had passed the most dangerous places and we could see our tents," Parrington told CNN. "And suddenly, I disappeared into a crevasse."
He was falling and started screaming.
"I was crushing layers of melting snow, which even broke me a bit," he said. "I got to the bottom and I was standing over a huge blade of ice."
Parrington could only hear her team as she leaned over the edge of the crevasse.
The self-taught climber had already climbed Rainier, but the team he was with at that time was not as experienced. It meant that they needed help to bring him back to safety.
"It may have taken the team 15 to 20 minutes to locate a second rope team," said Parrington.
The help came in the form of a group of women mountaineers who had also just ascended and were heading to base camp. Parrington put on a rain jacket and gloves until the teams send out help.
"It's like being in an ice shower over there," he said. "The glacier is melting on you."
Parrington said the light was dim, making it difficult to see what was around him. At his feet, an escape hole was so dark that he could not even see the bottom.
Once anchored, Parrington made his way up to the summit. It took 15 to 20 minutes of regular climbing but difficult.
"When I got to the top, I'd never been so happy to be blinded by the sunlight," said Parrington.
Parrington and the other mountaineers continued their descent on the glacier. During the next part of the glacier trip, Parrington said that a teammate had pierced another crevasse, but fortunately he managed to prevent it from falling.
"I do not think any of us are in a hurry to return to a glacier," he said.
Parrington stated that this experience motivated him and some of his climbing companions to train more before climbing again. Parrington and his team were ready, he said, but they were very lucky too.
"We all want to minimize reliance on luck the next time we climb," he said.
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