Climber set to reach summit for 500th time

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  Miller still has the certificate from when her great-grandfather and grandfather, Edgar and Edward Allen Power of Oak Harbor, climbed the 14,411-foot peak in 1923. Her parents, Don and Charlotte Power of Seattle, reached the top in 1963 when Dianne was 1. Dianne said nobody in her family ever told her she needed to climb Rainier, but she wanted to carry on the tradition.

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• Mount Rainier climbers faces risks with rewards

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  SEATTLE -- As the search for four people on the slopes of Mount Rainier stretches into its second week, experts said the rewards for the hearty few who attempt the summit of the 14,411-foot heavily glaciated volcano in winter are great -- as are the dangers.

  "The surreal and sublime austerity of being up in the wilderness on the mountain is heightened in the winter," said Stefan Lofgren, mountaineering district ranger in charge of the climbing, search and rescue and aviation programs at Mount Rainier National Park.

  Part of the appeal is being able to get away from everything by heading out in the snow, he said, adding that "the park becomes bigger in the winter time because of the (limited) distance you're able to cover in a day."