Mt Whitney Mountaineer’s Route Trip Report – Sept 3-5, 2004
We drove up from LA on Thursday and spent the night at the portal campground. There were 6 of us in the group (myself being the only girl), and none of us had hiked Whitney before. Hit the trail the next morning by about 7:30 am. It was a beautiful day for hiking and the trail was fairly empty (much different than our return on Sunday
). Found the start of the MR no problem, and began the long hike up. We took our time on the hike up and stopped to enjoy the views. With all the great descriptions and pictures on the board we found the ledges and the route up without a problem. This had been one of the sections I was quite nervous about (as I’m slightly afraid of heights). But it was pretty clear cut where to go, and there was only a short section near the beginning that made me a bit nervous – not nearly as bad as I was imagining. We took the higher route up the ledges and didn’t feel nearly as exposed as some of the pictures I have seen of the lower route. Stopped at LBSL for a bit and then continued on up. By UBSL there were a few clouds starting to roll in so we decided to head on up to Iceberg Lake as quick as possible. Near the lake the snow began to fly and the temperature dropped. By the time we got up to the Lake the snow was starting to accumulate on the rocks making them slippery. Set up camp, had a quick dinner, and then we all made it an early night so we could stay in the warm tents.
Two of our party struggled some on the hike up the first day (they hadn’t been training as much) and opted to stay at Iceberg while the other 4 of us went up to the peak. Although it was a hard call for them, we all felt it was a smart decision and were grateful that they made the call if they didn’t feel they could make it to the top. As Brian said, it was an accomplishment just to make it to Iceberg, and the views there were amazing!
Started the next morning up the MR at about 9 am, after having let the snow melt in the upper regions a bit (after the slippery rocks the day before we didn’t want to take any chances). We opted to climb up on the rocks just to the right side of the scree chute (as you look up the mountain). Then we crossed over to the left side once the walls narrowed in. There are several alternatives, I recommend just using personal judgment as you head up on what would be the easiest for your group. From the notch Jim and Steve climbed the chute, while I went with Ben around on the Traverse (Ben hadn’t rock climbed and was nervous about climbing the chute). There was no snow/ice on the traverse so travel was pretty easy (though a bit exposed in spots). We all made it to the summit and rested for a bit in the sun – the views that day were amazing. We all opted to take the traverse back down, rather than down climb the chute. Arrived back at camp early afternoon. After our return to Iceberg we opted to head back down to LBSL to spend the second night for added warmth and less altitude effects.
The next morning we finished our hike out, stopped by the store, and then made the drive back to LA. Our goal throughout the hike was not only to make it to the summit, but enjoy the hike and scenery along the way and make it a comfortable trip for all 6 of us. The trip was a major success and I think the 3 days gave us time to climb and stop as needed. BeachAV8R my recommendation for you and your girlfriend would be give yourself plenty of time, study the great pics and recommendations provided on the board, and go for it! Although it’s a long first day, I recommend at least to UBSL the first night (Iceberg if you can make it) to help acclimatize and put you close enough to get up the MR the next day. (It also leaves the 3rd day open for a second attempt if needed). Enjoy and good luck!!
Melissa
