Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board What you climbed in 2011, what you plan for 2012

@GreenMountainboy, Yeti here from our Langley hike. If you can't make Richard's 2012 Mexico trip I'm going in 2013 1st weekend in Nov. LOL I Love your post like me I'm proud of 2011 juggling family keeping my job and getting some quality outdoor time in.
Hope you can make it to Mexico in 13'. When we get a preliminary team put together later this year we will have a Jepson Bowl overnighter so everyone get's to know one another....

Happy New Year,
Yeti

Yeti no doubt, count me in for 2013!

Because Arthur asked me really nicely:

It was a year of battling the couch. The couch kind of won, but I still managed to get out a bit.

Some highlights:

Skiing out to and spending the night at Glacier Point with friends, they in the lodge and me camped. One of the most glorious sunsets/sunrises I’ve ever seen.

Taking Stacy and Curtis onto rock for the first time at the Alabama Hills, and my friend Lindsay for her first backcountry ski experience up Old Man’s Bowl (beneath Mt. Morrison).

An entirely too pristine day on Mt. Hood. Soloed the standard route, skiing the lower 3500K or so (too much ice and crust above Hogsback).

Skiing my first Sierra Peak, Mt. Silliman in, again, perfect conditions.

Completing my first solo Sierra ski tour, through the Evolution Basin via Echo and Lamarck Col, spending night two in the hut at Muir Pass due to a raging storm. (Memorial Day weekend).

Skiing top to bottom at Mammoth on my birthday (June 21).

Skiing False White (off Tioga Pass) on June 25 and then climbing the SE buttress of Cathedral with Bob Pickering on June 26.

Perfecting the best strawberry-peach pie ever.

Getting spanked by being out of shape and getting sick during what should have been a 10-day backpack, and coming out 5 days early.

Crossing a Class 3 snow pass (South Fork) with a full pack and microspikes (OK, maybe not the best plan, but I had to get the beer to the summit of the Thumb and leave Ellen her note!).

Helping Bob Burd “warm-up” for the Sierra Challenge, and hosting the gang at the Moose Lodge for a grand Moosie-style BBQ.

Finally climbing Mt. Sill, my 10th CA 14er. Champagne tradition continued.

Soloing most of Mt. Emerson’s SE face (waterfall route, 5.4) before being blasted off the end of the knife-edge ridge by a thunderstorm. Descended through a flood in the gulley between Emerson and the Piute Crags.

Meeting Gene Hall on the summit of Mt. Dana after soloing the couloir. Gene had worked with my father in Silicon Valley for years, and was ecstatic about being back in CA after moving to WA to be near family. He was found dead in his tent near Vogelsang a few days later.

“Taking it easy” in the Desolation Wilderness above Lake Tahoe after seeing an orthopedic surgeon on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. Bagged only 8 peaks instead of 12.

Spending the night at Thousand Island Lake after cruising the San Joaquin Ridge.

Arthroscopic knee surgery on 22 September: mostly just scraping some arthritis and that I somehow managed to completely stretch, but not tear, my medial meniscus. Doc tells me NO LEGS in the gym until follow up. I stay in bed for one day, then visit the Portal with my Pop, using the drive in the TOF (stick-shift) to regain range of motion.

One week post-op: spent the night in the Whites in the TOF. Found fantastic color up there!

10 days post-op: hiked to Tyee Lakes with Stacy and Curtis, Stacy watching me like a hawk and telling me every ten minutes to SIT DOWN ALREADY. Then I fed her apples and brie for lunch. So there.

11 days post-op: MD looks at me cross-eyed as I squat to the floor, face palms his forehead when I tell him about the hike the previous day. Releases me from further visits.

5 weeks post-op: hiked Mt. Gould with my dear friend Joan. She smacks me in the head before I kill myself on the summit block.

7 weeks post-op: get a big hug from Woolie at the Mammoth Mountain opener. Ski four hours and enjoy champagne on the deck. Ski 3 out of 4 days that weekend.

9 weeks post-op: enjoy Red Rocks scrambling (Bridge Mtn. and White Rock Hill) and turkey dinner with new friends in Vegas.

11 weeks post-op: attempt ice skating on Mirror (12” of snow) and Lone Pine (4” of snow) Lakes on Saturday with Jim; drive out to meet Bob and Matthew for a traverse of Eagle Mountain east of Death Valley on Sunday.

12 weeks post-op: skated clear across Crowley Lake with friends. My first lake skate.

Spent Christmas week skating Tenaya Lake, watching Crater Lake come out of the fog of a storm for 45 minutes before being re-swallowed, hung out with my awesome nephews and family (which I did more this year than the last 4 years combined), and drove 395 all the way home from the WA border.

It was an off year, all right.

http://gallery.me.com/moosetracksca#100093

As for this year’s plans:

http://moosetracksca.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/starting-over-you-dont-know-a-road/

From the luckiest girl in the world:
Climb Hard. Be Safe.

-L

Yay! Laura's BAAACK!!! WooHoo!!
Go Laura, Go Laura, GO-GO, GO Laura!!!

Stacy

Laura, I've never met you . . . and yet I have.

I'd noted your posts on that "other" board and resisted (with difficulty) comment. But now, particularly on "this" board -- it's official.

THRILLED to see you BACK!

A new goal for 2012: getting wps.com back on top of the google rankings for a Mt. Whitney search.

Having MT and a bunch of the old regulars posting could do just that!

You don't have to tell me - I know I'm weird.

I usually just wander here and there, but will try to spend some time around Whitney this year. Look for a guy in an old floppy hat.

Well, I’m pretty excited about starting the New Year with foot surgery! I’ve been putting this off for two years, and it’s time; I’m tired of the pain.

I’ve got a neuroma in my left foot, and have pretty much exhausted all the other options - custom orthotics, icing, injections, etc., with not much relief so next Friday (Friday the 13th… how cool is that!) they will remove part of the nerve between my “ring” and middle toe of my left foot. I have to be totally off my feet for the first week, with the foot elevated and iced. I get to wear a pretty stout boot 24/7 for 4 weeks… then hopefully I’m good to go!

As far as hiking – I’m really excited about doing the JMT again this summer! Last time I did the JMT was in ’09 and my foot suffered terribly; it’s going to be really nice to up there again with no foot pain. For me, being on the JMT is like being with an old friend…. coming home; I love that Trail for so many reasons. I’ll be applying for my permit mid-January to hopefully get permit dates starting mid-July.

Afterwards, I’m planning on a Rainier climb…. And hopefully a new adventure this fall.

It’s going to be a very good year!

Rosie

It's fun for me to read the stories and accomplishments, a lot of you really get out!
I had set a rather modest goal for 2011 to hike at least 250 miles - no summit target and the only must-see destination was Whitney. My home situation made it both difficult and necessary to get out as much as possible, and I finished the year well past my initial goal. I had a couple memorable hikes up Baldy with WPSMB folks, one for Cindy's book signing and the other prior to Kurt's Kilimanjaro presentation. I actually reached the 250-mile mark right about the summit in October as part of the group hike. Also did the "3 Saints" this summer - I had done them all before but not in the same year. Just another one of those things where people I work with can say "you're so odd...." I got my permit for Whitney MT in the middle of August and my (ex) brother-in-law hiked with me. Some other cool places were walking up to Kearsarge Pass with that incredible view down, trekking to Long Lake below Bishop Pass right after the early October snow and also a great day in Little Lakes Valley and over Morgan Pass with a colleague from my workplace. Those are reminders of why I love the Sierras, plus it was a good excuse to go for Mt Pancake at the Portal Store the next morning.
I actually kept a more formal log this year, including miles and elevation. Not all my hikes are summits, I live in Claremont so I get to walk the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5-mile loop frequently. It's a good measure of my conditioning... I don't count walking to the grocery store, Ford dealer and two different auto parts stores as a hike, for me it has to be more than running errands or fixing the old Mustang.

Stats:
44 hikes, 328 miles. 29 peaks, about 84,000 vertical feet.

Peaks:
Sunset Peak 3X plus walking down from there on 1-1-11 after spending the night.
Potato Mountain 4X usually go from the Wilderness Park so it's 9 miles or 15 if walking from home.
Stoddard Peak 2X
Baldy 4X including Bear Flat, Baldy Bowl and Backbone routes.
Camelback 3X including an over-and-back trip in March.
West Baldy
Harwood
Baden-Powell
Burnham
San Gorgonio via Fish Creek. Still a lot of snow on July 4!
Cucamonga Peak
Mt Wilson first time even though I've lived in SoCal for 50 years.
Whitney
San Jacinto
Mt Charleston (NV)
Mt Islip
Mt Williamson (the one in the San Gabriels)
Squaw Peak officially now Piestewa Peak but to me and others I talked to up there it's the old name.

2012 Plans - haven't officially made any yet (besides entering via the new permit system) but I did walk up Baldy via Register Ridge on New Year's day.

Welcome back, Laura! Glad your surgery went well, sounds like you're back on track.

Rosie, good luck with your foot surgery. Are you planning on climbing Ranier with a guide service, or on your own? If the former, I definitely recommend International Mountain Guides. I climbed Rainier with them this past July and had a great time.

Thank you, Alan, for the good wishes AND the recomendation! Yes, I am planning on using a guide service. I had considered RMI just because they're most visible, but I will definitly check out your link... beings how it doesn't look like I'll get Ed Viesturs as my guide . Seriously, it's worth a lot when someone can give a personal recomendation.

Rosie

Hi Laura,
Welcome back!!
Please share your adventures with us through out the year from now on. All of us can learn a lot from you.


Hi Rosabella,
Good luck on your surgery and wish you a speedy recovery.
Please send my regards to your brothers and sister.

Let's hit the trail.

Shin

Congrats to all the WPSMB gang on a great 2011 and glad to read about so many great adventures in 2011…..keep it going in 2012!
RP, I’ll try to contribute more TRs in 2012 and help boost the WPSMB Google rating
Welcome back Laura! You occupying the couch…..NEVER

2012 wish list:
Hoping for some great (new) international peak bagging
Hoping to get up the Sierra more often
Hoping to kick my rockclimbing skills up another notch and visit some new climbing areas
Get Shin up the gym crack, the yellow 11a, and some outdoor climbs

My humble 2011 list (particularly enjoyed all the new stuff):
Redrock 4-day climbing trip (new)
Incredible Hunk – Red Dihedral (new)
Thor via Stemwinder (new)
Candlelight via the North-NW chute (new)
Mt Hidden Lake Peak (new)
Mt Baker (new)
Mt Rainier (new)
Middle Sister (new)
Mt Hood (new)
Moab Utah; Slickrock mtn bike (new) and Indian Creek 2-days climbing (new)

Mt Baldy
11x normal hikes
3x big Baldy loops
3x Baldy doubles
1 village-Iron-village

Mt Whitney only 1 hike...OMG, I’m going to get kicked off this board
Mt Russell – 1x Mithral Dihedral
Cactus to Clouds : 1 failed attempt and 1 successfully hike

Joshua Tree climbing - 9 trips
Mt Woodson climbing
Riverside Quarry climbing
Tahquitz Access Fund Trail day. I'm embrassed that I didn't make it up to TahQ or Suicide Rock once in 2011

Richard that is a seriously long list...

I didn't climb so much...cause I'm just a hiker, not a climber, and kind of a lazy one at that . My friends know that I adopted a Weimeriner last October, and have tried to plan my little adventures around places where my girl, Talus, can accompany me. It's kept me from attaining a few peaks that I had aspired to reach last season, but the joy my dog exhibits while running around in the mountains is more than contagious. I'm grateful to be able to take her into the Inyo National Forest, and hope restrictions don't get put in place to keep dogs out. I guess that's my greatest wish/plan for 2012, to be able to enjoy the Sierra and other outdoor areas with my dog and my friends. Peakbagging is just icing on the cake.

Rosie, I wish you the best with your foot surgery and recovery, and hope to see you out there again soon.

Tracie N Talus

Hi Richard,
You forgot to list "Mt.Baldy 5X in a day" for 2011 highlight.
I think it is an significant personal accomplishment to anyone.

Hiking Mt. Baldy is very boring to most of the people but hiking 5X in a day is more than boring,it must be a mental and physical torture.

In order to test your ability, you pushed your self to the limit. You should be proud of your self.

Shin

Why, thanks, all! Now let's see here:

WF: "other"??? "this"??? Come on now. Beta is beta. Time to put an end to this drama once and for all.

Alan: thanks so much! Yes, the knee is doing really well, even jogged a bit on the downhills this week. It now tells me when the weather is changing, which actually could be of great benefit!

Hiya, Shin! Hope to finally meet the legend this year. Hell, we've been in the same room often enough. As for sharing, I've actually been posting, and will continue to do so, to my blog:

www.moosetracksca.wordpress.com

I had posted a link back in 2010 or so, but looks like posts older than last January have been wiped out. If you read the latest post, which is linked above, I talk about some of the stuff about which I've been thinking over the past year.

GrahamCrackerCrumbs: how the hell are ya? Hearing you call the Hulk "humble" makes my stomach turn. Jim and I were looking up at suckwinder a few weeks ago and I thought of you.

Oh, and if you're getting booted because of only one Whitney summit, I'm going straight to hell. I forgot that one little item on my list: ZERO Whitney summits in 2011. But since you still owe me from not coming to the Challenge in '10, how's about a run up the east face? Hell, with the weather being what it is, how's about a winter ascent?

I'm actually really excited about 2012. Sure, I've got some peaks to bag, but this year I'm going to try and make this a bit more productive. For every vertical foot I hike, I will be saving one penny. At the end of the year, I'll be donating the total amount to http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ All hikes, BC skis, climbs, everything where I go up under my own power will count. Good thing I finally figured out my GPS.

Anyhoo, back to packing for the weekend. Looks like I'll be hiking up under a full moon this evening. Going to try and not flash-burn my face off with the new white gas stove.

Peace, love, and unplanned bivies,
L

Hey L,
This ‘ol cracker is doing pretty well and glad to hear your knee is healing up nicely.
I’ll let you know when the grahamcracker will be heading up to the East Facey grand-staircasey
Also, your penny/foot charity goal is very admirable and inspired me to consider tackling a similar charitable goal for 2012....talk about sweat equity
Cheers,
Rick

Rock on, buddie!!! WOOHOO!! ...

I finished the year with 337 miles and 105,000 vertical feet, but mostly on the molehills in my backyard. Made two trips to Cali last year and had wonderful times hiking/climbing with good friends out there and making new ones. Managed to squeeze in Whitney, Dana, Cathedral, Kearsarge Pass, Corkscrew, Wildrose and Death Valley Buttes. The highlight of the year was introducing my wife and daughter to the higher elevations of the Sierra. After spending a couple of nights at Consultation Lake, they're both hooked. Damn, I'm lucky . . .

And, as always, enjoyed the fine hospitality of Doug and the WPS crew!

2012 will bring another Death Valley trip for catpappy and I in just about two months, as well as another couple of weeks in the Sierra with my family during the summer. Whitney is definitely on the agenda, possibly the MR if I can convince my daughter (who loves roped climbing, but ain't crazy about Class 3/4 stuff). Other possibilities are Telescope, Ubehebe, White, Langley, Cathedral, and who knows what else. I guess since 2012 is here, it's time to start firming those plans up.

Well, if MT is previously occupied, I'd be excited to be on that one! (Up the MR.) Two highlight trips have been the climb of the MR with my nephew when he was 9 (back in '00) and Dug and Mike in '10.

On second thought: how about Doug Sr. Bob R., Crazy Jack and a few of us regualars as escourts... Rangers Rob P. and Dave K. could just coincidently happen to be on the summit that day. That group photo would find a prominent place on the wall!