Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Weekend 19 Up The Mountaineer's Route - 03.30.12

Here are a few favorites from a climb up the MR with Bob P and Happy Trails (Karen):


A little Class 3 on the way up to the Elephant's Ear Traverse.


The Ebersbacher Ledges Traverse.


Looking down the North Fork drainage.
It's essentially a summer climb if you know the north side route.


The view from LBSL.


The route up from LBSL.


The terrain up to UBSL.
I didn't know how much postholing there would be, so I pushed the pace a bit to get this section done.


Looking in wonder...
Heading for Iceberg Lake.


Awesome sights.


The headwall to Iceberg Lake.


Heading for the Couloir.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-Z7nLkdH/1/XL/i-Z7nLkdH-L.jpg[/img]
Want to do the Easy Traverse?

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-W2B89PJ/1/XL/i-W2B89PJ-L.jpg[/img]
Bob Pickering on the Final 400'.
It went A0 for me because for one of the harder moves, I needed a hand from BP.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-tHpNdSN/1/XL/i-tHpNdSN-L.jpg[/img]
BP near the top of the Final 400'.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-5xtmXWv/1/XL/i-5xtmXWv-L.jpg[/img]
BP on the summit of Mt. Whitney.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-93LQJtC/1/XL/i-93LQJtC-L.jpg[/img]
It felt a LOT warmer than 28 degrees, but then again, this was the first time in weeks that the wind wasn't blowing 30/60/70 mph.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-kTmWJPD/1/XL/i-kTmWJPD-L.jpg[/img]
A good view of the Main Trail
I might actually try it next week.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-gJ8sQkB/1/XL/i-gJ8sQkB-L.jpg[/img]
I told you it felt warm up there... BP eating on the summit of Mt. Whitney.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-t9BFJmz/1/XL/i-t9BFJmz-L.jpg[/img]
BP down-climbing the Final 400'.

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-9NcGzFH/1/XL/i-9NcGzFH-L.jpg[/img]
BP down-climbing the Final 400'.
Try this in heavy plastics.
You make a mistake here and it'll be a fast ride to the tarns above Arctic Lake!

[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-pGGD2Dx/1/XL/i-pGGD2Dx-L.jpg[/img]
BP and Karen on the Elephant's Ear Traverse.


Sorry about all the photos posted, but these are some good one showing the conditions up there.

You can see many more here . (No captions yet.)

Richard,

Thanks for posting the photos. They're very useful for seeing the conditions. Plus, I like seeing Mark's thermometer being put to good use.

Bob's bright yellow plastic boots are hard to miss. Are full-fledged mountaineering boots necessary? What kind of boots are you wearing for days like this?

You're welcome.

Bob's comment early in the climb was that he might have been able to wear a lighter boot. My reply was that it was probably the only way to keep your feet dry. (very warm and slushy.)

I wore the same boots I've worn for 17/19 climbs... Leather gore-tex. they were leaking moisture thru by Iceberg and definitely wouldn't cut it for multiple days up there.

Thanks for the photos Richard,and the updates...

I know it must have been nice to have company for a change,congrats Bob and Karen...

BTW: Why be sorry for all the photos, these are great shots and it is a Whitney web site

mark

Hi Richard,
Congratulations again.
I reset my counter and put down right numbers on the note pad. I am back in business.

Hi Bob,
Congratulations.
It is very nice to see that older guys can still outperform younger guys. Keep up an excellent work for all of us.

Hi Karen,
Congratulations.
How did you feel about hiking with two animals?
Did they keep a civilized pace for you?
Your AMS condition should be blamed to Richard & Bob.
It looked like they didn't leave you behind at all.
It must be either they are real mountaineers or you are good as they are.

Shin

Richard, and Bob and Karen, congrats, sorry I missed you. Richard, great photos! I dropped your old Lumix and worried I broke it...I'm down to one working camera and that's the one....

First, thanks to Richard and Karen for a great day. And thanks to Richard for posting all the great photos.

Karen said she had a "stomach cramp." I'm not sure whether that was AMS or something else. More trips to altitude should reveal a pattern of how she copes with altitude. We didn't cut her much slack, other than not making her take a turn breaking trail up the couloir.

Bob

Much thanks and praise to Bob and Richard for their mountaineer hospitality. It's quite amazing how much you can learn just by observing two pros thinking out loud during a hike. One highlight was on the way back down to the portal when Bob turns around and tells me that he has a "special task" for me. I was to lead from LBSL back to the trailhead, in other words, find the route to/through the E-ledges. Luckily I didn't lead them off a cliff. I had an amazing and truly enlightening time and hope to hike with awesome members of the WPSMB again soon!

**Happy Trails to you... until we meet again.
Happy Trails to you... keep smilin until then.**

Beautiful pictures Richard! I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing Mt. Whitney or looking out over the Sierra, especially covered with snow.

LOL... you may get tired of the same responses, though - "beautiful pictures", but... well, they are! I just hope you don't stop posting them.

Bob: assume it's AMS until proven otherwise is the advice I've been given by more people than I can count.

Karen: with a little more familiarity with the route, you could have left the old geezers way behind.

Mark: yes, it was nice actually having people along (and in the photos).

Rosie: I can't get tired of the Whitney area.

Thanks everybody.

BTW: Speedy and I did a 20-miler down near my home today. I was going to post from the top of Owens Peak that we were on Whitney again (April Fools), but for some reason, I couldn't get the Internet working on my phone.

I shot tons on beautiful photos (we had a trace amount of new snow with drifts to 2.... inches) but DID NOT HAVE A SD CARD IN THE CAMERA! I could have sworn I had the thing set to warn if there was no card in the slot.

Hope you dont mind if I post some photos from this date as well, as Richards group passed us and is in some of the shots.

http://500px.com/MatthewKuhns/stories/32937/mt-whitney-mountaineers-route-march-2012

Very nice set of photos.

Mathew, I really enjoyed your pictures. The clouds are amazing... so wispy and delicate. <sigh> I WISH I could take pictures like some of you on this board... I'll blame it on my camera

Anyway, your pictures are all beautiful, but the "starburst" picture is my favorite.

Richard: What a day you guys had. Big time congrats!!! AMAZING photos. I am pining to get back on Whitney... Just have to get my knee on board. I will not give up the MR dream (or Orizaba).

Matthew: Congrats to you also! Loved your set of pix. Photo journaling at its finest. And the starburst pic... OUTSTANDING!

Richard Your PM box is full. What camera are you using these days?

I've been using the Sony NEX-5N since last November.

is portal road still closed? is it possible to drive all the way up ?

Hi Richard - I've been following your weekly blog posts for a little while now - nice work (on the climbing and the page). I'm heading up next weekend to try a ski descent. Have you poked your head over the north face? Given the low snow year, I'm wondering what the best option is. Really trying to maximize snow on the descent/minimize downhiking. Any scoop you or anybody else can provide is appreciated! Thanks!
Jason

I don't think this is the year for skiing in the Whitney area. I haven't looked at much of the North Face, but the way the wind has been blowing with these meager storms, I doubt much has stuck to it. (I was amazed at a snowboard track I saw coming down the N. Face a few years ago. Obviously, they had to be outstanding at the sport.)

I'll try and remember to point the camera down this weekend, just to confirm what I think.

I've heard from a few people that the skiing (and "winter" mountaineering) is much better farther up north.

Thanks.

==========

I've been able to get up to the Portal for quite a while now. Keep in mind that sometimes at this time of year they (Inyo County) block the road to clean off all of the rock that's fallen over Autumn/Winter/Spring. You also pass that Road Closed Sign at your own risk.

thanks