Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Lessons

If I ever become Distinguished (I'm already old too!), I hope I'll be able to attract the crowds that you do too.

On Friday afternoon, as I was about to hang a left for another of the short slab sections that avoids a couple of switchbacks, I noticed some orange coming up the trail below. I recognized Bob, so I walked down the trail to say "Hello."

I noticed the CLMRG and other SAR patches on the windbreaker and asked Bob if he was on a mission. The answer, at the time, was no.

I had heard about an unplanned bivy, but the story that went along with it was that the climber had left at 1:00pm and was trying to beat the dark up and back...
There was another story about some id10t asians that left a climber behind again!
There was another about a climber who slipped and fell down the slope from Trail Crest and broke an ankle/leg the week previous.

It was nice running into you guys up there. I wish I had a photo of Jay hanging out at the "Rockwell's Finest" spring... classic!

I wish you'd keep writing stories for us here (not that I want them to be SAR related).

Good luck with getting the ticker straightened out...

Well, I can definitely say you all are NOT talking to yourselves. I have been soaking up much of the info for the past few months. I was able to snag some day passes for Monday June 18th after getting shut out on the overnight lottery. Will be going up for the first time with my two 15yo sons...This is my self requested fathers day gift.

We are heading up on Saturday and will leisurely hang/horse around the 8k-10k areas on Sunday and enter the portal really early monday morning. Will sit down and get our pancakes on Sunday, so we don't have to rush to get back monday evening before closing....

Will have all the essentials to aid in the climb and lessons in the back of my mind. We have done 10-12k before down hear in socal, but never a 14er. If we make, great, if we don't, it won't be for lack of prep or good advice.

Thank you all for your posts!!

Rich

Bob,

Thanks for your May 25, 2012 Trip Report and Lessons.

You concluded by observing that, "Mt Whitney has stories to tell." Permit me to share your initial Mt Whitney Trip Report of May 24, 1952. (Hey, that's 60 years ago!)

To the Message Board Member "A Mt. Whitney Story" and its epilogue can be found here:

http://www.ridgenet.net/~rockwell/Climbing/AbombStory.pdf

Bob, sorry I missed you on the Mountain by a couple of days this weekend. However, I am very much looking forward to our next Encounter.

Best Wishes,

Jim

does anyone know who the Rockwell Variation route on the way to Mt. Russell is named after? (couldn't resist)

Some Guy, who also has the pass between Tyndall Creek and Wright Creek named after him, according to Secor. Just West a bit from Shepherd Pass.

I do believe you can see it in photo 3 of my Section Day-Hiking the JMT TR.

Also, stunning photo of a tornado on the pass at the WPS.

good one, Bob