Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Who Climbed What in 2008?

For the second year in a row it looks like 52 weeks in a row of hiking and climbing(barring a catastrophe in the next 2 weeks).

The only 14'ers this year:
Whitney 1 time - worst since 2000
Langley 1 time - at least no hiking kilts on the summit but lots of dirty girls

Best new peaks:
Half Dome - not gonna take me 47 years to get back up there

Red Rock peaks(near Las Vegas) - Wilson, Magic Mountain and Crabby Appleton - thanks to Sierra Gator for hosting some of his local peaks.

Went on two great WPSMB group hikes including one trip to Baldy where I got to meet M.C., Alan K., Jeff S. along with some familiar and some new friends. I also led the trip up to Dragon - although truth be told noone needed a lead and it was a fantastic day of mountaineering friends - followed by a great party at the Hostel.

Took a more active leadership role with the KRVHC club including planning and leading more of the hikes.

Plantar faciitis slowed me down this year but thankfully did not keep me off the mountain. My foot is getting better and I have finally found a diet to help me loose some of the extra baggage I have been carrying around. Looking foward to a great 2009. Thank you to everyone who helped make my year in mountaineering another year to remember - for a lifetime.

It has become tradition to start the year with a New Years Day hike. 2009 will be the 6th year in a row to ring in the new year in the mountain.

Winter 2008

Five Fingers - Nice hike with Matthew. Checked out the Magnolia-Nedaou Mine area afterwards.

Butterbreadt Peak - Snowball fight on the summit with the daughters Amelia and Krystal and dog Sam.

Unnamed summit at the mouth of the Kern Canyon - Spooked two deer at seperate times of the hike. One of them had only one antler. The dog knew better than to chase them.

Pampa Peak - A short solo trip with the dog.

Explored Old Dutch Cleanser mine with Sierra Club group out of Ridgecrest.

Spring 2008

Eagle Rest Peak - Third time on the mountain and 2nd successful summit. My favorite peak so far. The San Emigdio range calls to me. Perhaps it's the Spanish and Chumash spirits. Worked out all the problems from the previous unsuccessful summit on the same route.

Explored northern half of San Emigdio canyon with the daughters. Now there is only a mile long stretch of the canyon I haven't seen. This section may offer good routes for Eagle Rest Peak. A few other ideas for hiking in the area came to mind this day.

East Lamont Peak - Spanish Needle was the agenda but was loaded with snow. Had a fantastic time with friends.

Diorite Peak - A remote peak in the Tejon Ranch and Tehachapi range. First peak with the Kern River Valley Hiking Club. There are a few fantastic hikers in the club that have become friends and hiking companions. I welcomed that after doing mostly solo trips for the last few years.

Spanish Needle - Another great trip with friends.

Mt. Bachelor - First Cascade peak. First peak in Oregon. Boy the Cascades shure look different than the Sierra Nevada. Who would have thought that at 7400' there would be 8' of snow under my feet in June!!!! It was the longest snow climb to date for me.

Summer 2008

Ontario and Bighorn Peaks in the San Gabriels - The heat doesn't bother me either but this was a hot day. When I got home the news said that it got to 118 degrees in Moorpark. I saw 10 bighorn sheep about 10 minutes before summiting Bighorn peak.

Lone Pine Peak - Camped at Meysan Lake with friend Matthew. Took a unplanned ride about 200' down while traversing a very steep snow field. I caught my self on a rock. I was lucky to only have bloody elbows and forearms. Later on the way out I sank up to my waist in another snowfield.

Mt. Carillon - Camped at Upper Boy Scout lake. Beautiful day with clouds and sun. I planned to do Mt. Russell as well but the view of the East Arete made my balls say "Hell no bitch! You aint climbing that today!!!!" I'll be back someday. Hopefully with a friend who can guide the way.

Mt. Pinos and Sawmill Mountain - Nice hike with the daughters and dog. Poor dog hurt his foot badly but was fine after visiting the vet, getting some medicine, and three days of rest. We saw the ocean from the summit of Pinos.

San Emigdio Mountain - Nice easy hike with oldest daughter Krystal.

Mt. Whitney - Great time with friends. Not so great time with hail. Flew down the mountain. I didn't know I could go downhill that fast. A good way to celebrate birthday #37. 23 hour day from when I left home climbed Whitney had a portal burger and drove back home tired.

Mt. Pinos - Hiked with wife. Had a nice time. She made it! The view was bad becuase of the wildfires. She didn't believe me that you can see the ocean.

White Mountain Peak - Open house day. Felt great at altitude. Met Richard Piotrowski and had dinner with Moosetracks. White Mountain Peak is very beautiful. Anyone who says different is not right in the head.

Mt. Langley - Another great day with friends and third weekend at 14K. For about 20 minutes I kept pace with Rachel. I felt good and strong that day.

Fall 2008

Mt. Gould - Good day hike with Alice. The Kearsarge pass trail is really nice.

Taylor Dome and Cannel Point - Another fun day with friends. Tried eating some manzanita berries. I like to eat. It's my achilles heel.

Round Mountain - Great trip with friends and first time in the area for me.

Exploring SW and SE branches of San Emigdio Canyon.

Bear Mountain - Guided a bunch of friends on this classic and clandestine Tehachapi mountain. Got caught on the summit. Like that will stop me from doing clandestine hikes! Note to self, don't hike on private property during deer season.

Packsaddle Cave hike - Great hike with the younger daughter Amelia who "doesn't like to hike". We got rained on a lot but had a good time with friends. Amelia asked me if I could take her on a backpacking trip soon.

Explored remote region of San Emigdio Range - Found a cave with pictographs. Friends were there to enjoy it with me.

Split and Black Mountains in the Southern Sierra - Another great hike with friends. Found more pictographs.

Scodie Peak - Great hike with friends. Froze my ass off. Had fun watching my dog go head on and slide on every patch of ice while desending a canyon.

It was a great year. What did I learn. If you want to see wildlife it is best to go solo. Sometimes you need to go alone to clear your head but nothing beats hiking with like minded friends. Because I was hiking so much with other people this year instead of going solo 90-95 percent of the time. I got to hike in areas that I would not have given much thought in the past. Many thanks to all my hiking partners this year. 2008 was great!!!!

Rafael...

Mt St Helens, WA Monitor Ridge Nov 15, 2008

Mt Yoran, OR East Col Sept 28, 2007

Diamond Peak, OR South Ridge Sept 27, 2008

Broken Top, OR North West Ridge Sept 14, 2008

Old Snowy, WA Snowgrass Flats Aug 24, 2008

Broken Top, OR North West Ridge Aug 17, 2008

South Sister, OR Green Lakes Aug 16, 2008

South Sister, OR South Side Aug 11, 2008

Mt Shuksan, WA Sulphide Glacier Aug 05, 2008

Mt Whitney, CA Mountaineer’s July 14, 2008

White Mtn, CA Standard July 12, 2008

Middle Sister, OR Hayden/North Ridge July 06, 2008

Mt Rainier, WA Disappointment Cleaver June 27, 2008

Mt Adams, WA South Spur June 18, 2006

Middle Sister, OR Hayden/North Ridge June 08, 2008

Mt Ellinor, WA SE Chute June 01, 2008

Mt St Helens, WA Swift Creek May 04, 2008

Mt Hood, OR Old Chute Feb 17, 2008

I had a great year with great partners, looking forward to 2009

Ken

Matthew, you asked for some faves, so here you go:

Favorite Peak: Mt. Brewer. Views from here were fantastic as it was after most of the smoke FINALLY cleared.

Least Favorite Peak: The Hermit. Four words: scree chute of death.

Favorite Breakfast: White Mountain. Champagne, coffee, and pigs in a blanket just after sunrise after a starlight hike. Priceless.

Favorite Day Hike: Mt. Tyndall. Remember, I'm the psycho who actually ENJOYS Shepherds Pass.

Favorite Winter/Spring Climb: Split Mountain. Having the wind stop on the summit and looking down on the snow-capped Sierra at my feet will be something I never forget.

Favorite Snow Camp: Mt. Lamarck. Coming down to North Lake to see my friends from WTC after bagging the peak was a very proud moment.

Favorite Backpack: Wallace Creek Drainage, Mt. Morgenson. A real treat to see some 'undiscovered' country with two of my favorite people.

Favorite Light Day Hike: Devil's Postpile and Rock Creek with my parents. Helping them rediscover and reconnect with the Sierra and be on new trails for the first time in twenty years.

Favorite Dinner: Tie between Crabtree Meadows: filet mignon in a red wine reduction sauce with sauteed onions/garlic/sundried tomatoes/shiitake mushrooms over loaded mashed potatoes and Gentleman jack to wash it down; and cooking for the Group Hike after Dragon (how many fish did she catch again???)

Craziest Weekend: tie between the triple day hike of Backus Peak (Walker Pass area)/snow climb of Agassiz/MR-MT loop and the Onion Valley to WP hike. I still can't believe I pulled either of those off.

Favorite Moment of Bliss: oh, man, that's a tough one. I look back at the set of photos for that and smile at every picture. But I think I would pick the meadow of flowers above Lake Ediza.



All in all, it was a tremendous, insane, endlessly exciting year where I tried to take advantage of the fact that I now live in the perfect place to launch into any sort of adventure. I got to hike with the most amazing people around, and I can't thank them enough for being there for the ride.

I've started thinking more about next year, and the list is being formulated. Would love to do Hood and Rainier, more of the Palisades, Ionian Basin, and the deep high country of Yosemite, maybe the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Like I said before, open a topo: you'll find me out there somewhere...

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

Great thread...here goes my '08 highlights...

Elevation Order:

#1. Mount Whitney-Main Trail with my wife in July
#2. Mount Langley-September
#3. Cirque Peak-September
#4. San Gorgonio and Other SGW Summits-Six Times
#5. San Jacinto-Three Times (Two Via C2C)
#6. Mount Rose
#7. Mount Baldy-Five Times (Did the Pine/Dawson Route Once)
#8. Mount Tallac
#9. Cucamonga Peak
#10. Ontario Peak

Goals For '09: Climb Whitney Via MR...Lone Pine Peak...High Sierra Trail To Whitney...Olancha Peak...Snow Covered SoCal Peaks (anyone need a partner, I need guidance in the snow still )

A couple of photos:

My wife and I on the summit of Whitney, a very good day


Looking towards Whitney from the summit of Langley

Beginning of June - Whitney MR, 13,850'...would have summited if my guide hadn't left me behind (looooong story!) plus w/overexertion in trying to catch up with my group, I got AMS. This was my 2nd attempt in 2 years. Gonna try for my third attempt next May and I intend to summit to celebrated my 50th!

Two days later (what the heck was I thinking?!!) - Half Dome, Yosemite...SUMMITED!!!

Mid June - Mt. Dana, 11.5k'; Mt. Hoffman, 10,850...SUMMITED!

End of June - Mt. Shasta, 12,000' - can't seem to shake AMS! Darn!

Whitney, Shasta, Dana and Hoffman were climbs through Bay Area Wilderness Training (www.BAWT.org)

Beginning of August - Chocolate Peak, 12k'
Paiute Pass to Mt. Darwin - got as far as 12k', near Lamark Col. This climb was through Big City Mountaineers (www.bigcitymountaineers.org).

Where on my first backpacking/mountaineer trip, Whitney, no less, on April '06, experiencing every conceivable dread: vertigo, panic attacks, bawling like a baby, AMS and mentally challenging myself to not hop off the mountain, I can proudly say, I now love being up high and all those horrible things I felt and went through before are a distant past (with the exception of AMS). Just wished I started in my 20's instead of my late 40's.

Best Wishes to All and safe climbing in 2009! April Y.

What a great year/forum/topic. For starters, I moved to SoCal in August 2007 on a 1 year work assignment. I instantly began chasing my dreams of mountain adventure and set a goal of summiting Mt. Whitney. This board and all the regular posters were a great source of inspiration and education -- I learned quickly that Whitney is not destination to be attempted on a lark and set forth to obtain the conditioning and training to make the summit a realistic possibility.

With the San Gabriels in my back yard, I was able to alternate weekly conditioning hikes in the 5-10 mile range. I honestly don't remember how many times I hoofed up the Merrill trail to Echo Mtn or the Verdugo fire roads or Santa Anita canyon. Enough to enjoy and get me going.

The longer, challenging, and somewhat epic hikes of 2008 were:

Ice House Canyon -- 1.5 T's (turned back due to snow cover and a glimpse of mortality)
Strawberry Peak & Mt. Lawlor
San Gabriel Peak & Mt. Disapointment
Slide Mtn
PCT to Deep Creek Hot Springs
Grand Canyon Rim to River to Rim in a day (those last 3 miles were a killer)
Skyline trail -- er, route to the Tram (a.k.a. C2C on San Jacinto) beer never tasted soooo good
San Bernadino Peak
Blackjack Mtn (on Catalina Isle, not particularly high but the view is spectacular)
Half Dome (nuff said)
Vivian Creek trail to San Gorgonio

and finally Mt. Whitney in a day via the main trail on August 9th.

During my time there, I learned to set riduclous goals and break them down to make achievement a reality. I learned to push myself beyond my comfort zone -- when it is safe to do so -- and to listen to my inner voice when it is not safe. I learned to enjoy the journey, not just the destination and share it with friends when you can.

PS -- I'm now back in the flat land and sunny swamps of FL, missing my mountains, but savoring the memories. Keep up the good work of this board, posting your adventures and beautiful pics. (especially Moosie!)

Great thread---there are some people on this forum who spend as much time in the outdoors as I'd like to-----

My list of hikes:
--San Jacinto via Humber Park--no tram for me!(2X)
--San Gorgonio via Fish Creek
--San Bernardino Peak via Angeles Oaks (surprisingly beautiful and actually fairly hard hike--I wasn't expecting this)
--Havasupai (for a week, with surrounding day hikes)
--Mt. Whitney via Cottonwood Pass and out through the Portal
--Mt. Baldy via Devil's Backbone and then down Ski Hut
--Jennie Lakes Wilderness 3-day hike
--Mt. Baden-Powell
--Joshua Tree day hikes around Indian Cove area


Have a great Christmas, and good luck getting out to hike and climb next year!!!

I was there for that one.

No order:
Telescope Peak (Didn't make it).
Moore's Point.
Mt. Langley.
White Mountain.

Definately looking foward to hike Whitney in a couple months after my knees heal.

The last few years have been the best of my life and 2008 was no exception. My peak count was way down this year but numbers don't mean that much to me anymore.

Noteable Peaks this year included:

San Gorgonio - 7th time
Mount Baldy - 12th time
San Jacinto - twice this year via Snow Creek (once solo)
El Piacacho del Diablo (Mexico)
Lone Pine Peak - ENE drainage/couloir
Mount Whitney - once via East Buttress and 3 times via MR
Basin Mountain
Mount Rainier (dayhike attempt)
Denali - West Buttress
Meysan Basin Traverse - Candlelight to LPP
University Peak - NE Ridge
Chamberlin, Newcomb, Pickering, Joe Devel - dayhike
East Vidette - West Chute
Owens Peak - summit in 78 mins 8 secs
2008 Sierra Challenge: Perkins, Pinchot, Wynne, Colosseum, Ruskin, Striped, Gemini, Royce, Electra, Davis
Palisade Traverse - Thunderbolt to Sill
Cathedral Peak SE Buttress & Eichorn Pinnacle
North Peak and Mount Conness

Canyoneering consumed more weekends this year with countless descents - mostly in Death Valley. I also snowboarded more this year but will probably never master it.

Over the past couple of weeks, every time I've tried to make up a list of what I've done this year, I've run into the same roadblock: I really don't care to count.

I climbed Whitney a bunch of times (including 01/01/08), but not as many as in '07.

I "discovered" a fantastic drainage to the north of Wotans Throne.

At the start of Summer, I started a project I named 13@14, in which I tried to climb up to 14,000' each weekend, and also tag a new peak. I made it thru 7 weekends before running out of gas. (Part of the blame can go to Bob Burd and his Sierra Challenge. )

I spent a lot of time riding a motorcycle to trailheads and into the mountains, which was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

I skied somewhere between 20-30 days.

Lessons Learned:
* Accepting that the new generation's ways of celebrating in the mountains may not match my own, but who am I to criticize?
** That I can get along with a Moose.
*** That with diciplined workouts (ughhhhh!!!!!), I can be almost as fast as I was in my younger days.
**** That 36+ years after my first ascent, I'm still not willing to give up spending as much time as possible in the vicinity of Whitney.

Plans for '09:
* Avoid spending the whole winter taking the easy way up at Mammoth.
** BC skiing some more this winter/spring.
*** Mt. Carl Heller (planned for about the 5th year in a row).
**** Another crack at 13@14 this summer.
***** Horseshoe Meadows to Whitney Portal in a day (probably via the high route).
****** More Whitney climbs.

The Santa Monicas with the family, Baldy a few times (in the snow), Jacinto (via C2C twice, once with snow, once without), Gorgonio without snow, Half Dome in spring (Mist Trail was roaring!), Rogers/Bennet/Telescope (60's and 70's on the peaks, 117 degrees in Badwater), Kearsarge Pass area, Whitney (with bro-in-law, his first time on MR), Iron Mountain, and the lush Cascade mountains of central Washington (where there are more bears than the Portal!).

Looking forward to a great 2009!

Since it looks like I'm done for the year:

Peaks climbed in 2008

Sugarloaf Mountain (MD) x 12
Sugarloaf Mountain (B.C.,Canada) x 4
Aquila Peak
Pleasant Mountain
Wonoga Peak
Trail Peak
Independence Peak
Dragon Peak
Mt. Gould
Mt. Mallory
Trailmaster Peak
Peak 12525
Lone Pine Peak
Peak 12369
Mt. Langley
Mt. Whitney
Mt. Muir
Discovery Pinnacle
Wotans Throne
Jurassic Peak
Scattered Bone Peak
Red Hill
Timosea Peak
Red Mountain
Andrew Peak

TOTAL: 39 summits, 25 different mountains, 12 new peaks.

I hope to do more of the same in 2009 - a mix of new peaks and old favorites.

Awww, come on: just because you could hear me from Bago when I was on Gould... or was it the champagne talkin' up a Call of the Moose in your ear?




Well, for short periods at least...

Have fun tomorrow.

the p.c.t. mexico to canada, with a side trip to whitney

I talked to a guy that did or was doing that a few miles north of crab tree meadow, maybe it was you

I didn't suppose I had a list worth posting but I climbed:

Telascope peak
Morris point 2x
Langely
Whitney
White Mountain

If it counts I attempted Mt Morgan from the south west and made it as far as the geology would allow and there was a home made gatorade bottle registry there I signed ]

What did I learn?

It is better to be in the mountains...