My thanks to this board for great info! I'd like to share a synopsis of my recent novice ascent of the Mountaineer’s Route, July 10-11:
This solo trip started with my buddy from San Diego canceling. Honestly my first thought was that he was going to miss a great trip, and my second thought was of the peace of hiking alone. It was the Portal by noon on Friday hoping to acclimatize a bit before a Saturday morning start. The 5-hour ascent to Glacier Lake was unhurried but purposeful, as I wanted to get high for the night. A combination of calories, electrolytes, hydration and light medication kept me free of muscle fatigue and altitude symptoms to Glacier Lake, until a mild headache later awakened me to an amazing night sky. I hydrated and went back to sleep feeling better and blessed. I ascended the MR route on July 11 at about 8:00 am. A comment from one of the technical climbers in camp that morning foreshadowed a challenging climb. He felt that his trip up the East Face was a bit less dangerous than current conditions on the MR.
MR advice I’ve heard or read and will misquote liberally:
-Take food you like so much that you will eat it even when you least want to eat (altitude sickness).
-Eat food combinations that will appear least offensive when they come back up.
-The MR is meant for seasoned legs.
-Pain is weakness leaving the body.
-The MR is not for the faint of heart (maybe the ledges and above the notch).
-All bleeding stops, eventually.
-If you find yourself halfway up North Fork MR trail when you realize you are NOT on the main Whitney trail, you are probably in over your head.
-The road to enlightenment is paved with cramps.
-Do or diamox.
-Practice making a cute yodeling sound when you hurl.
-Energize, sustain, recover. (Gu Energy Gel label).
-Drink Gookinaide every day for three days prior, then every other quart during the climb, then every day for 3 days after (try it with your cereal, as a light desert, or instead of creamer).
-Leave a note in the log at the summit for/about someone you love.
Gear Notes: (might help other novices a little?)
-BearVault: Clear canister makes finding things easier. Wide mouth, easy to spin-off top. I liked it. It’s only 2-3 ounces lighter than traditional black plastic canister. The large size is better suited to groups of 2 or 3. I filled it less than half with food, and used the rest for small gear items, change of socks, etc.
-Headlamp: Why go up a mountain in the dark with one hand? Princeton Tech LED, spare set of batteries. Three back-up Chem-Lights.
- Small towel, Baby-wipes, Knife, Katadyn Hiker Microfilter, iodine tabs (overkill?), two Nalgene bottles, Gookinaide, camera.
-Hygiene: Pack-out kit, tooth brush/paste (vital), tiny container of Gold-Bond powder, sun block.
-Clothes: Medium weight boots, convertible pants, long sleeve fast-dry wicking shirt, wind-stopper fleece, light parka, hat, gloves, and sunglasses. Just one night, and I planned to be in my sleeping bag by dark. I took long underwear on previous early June and October ascents up the main trail.
-Camp Gear: Bivy sack, sleeping pad and bag (synthetic rated to 20 F. With Bivy, probably good to 10 or 15 F).
-Pack: Internal frame, rented from REI. Replaced “Cap/mini-pack” with a real fanny pack for the summit climb. Previous ascents, I wished for a well-balanced fanny pack just for the summit to carry a clothing layer, light food, med kit and fluids. Loved it this time, especially on the trickier parts of the MR ascent.
-Minimalist Medical Kit: Clean it (liquid soap 1 ounce), sterilize it (iodine swabs), dress it (minimal tape and gauze), stabilize it (ace wrap), attenuate the pain (ibuprofen, Excedrin, NO narcotics), call for help if needed (whistle/mirror/cell phone). Med Kit fit in the size of a rolled up sock, basics for a place like Whitney, but not for more remote hiking.
A note on Excedrin (comments anyone?): Caffeine along with mild analgesics eliminates my altitude headache. There is sound medical evidence for its effectiveness. It is a trade-off with the diuretic effect and potential insomnia. I use it sparingly and hydrate. As an MD, I add some items most folks could not get easily, such as a 60 mg Toradol autoinjector for severe pain control (think ibuprofen-on-steroids without impairment), and Steri-Strips for small lacerations.
-Total pack weight with water: 32 lbs. Not ultralight at all, but pretty good. Aiming for 25 next time, certainly achievable with a partner to split gear. Now I need a partner.
MR Ascent: Great bouldering up to the notch, nothing felt risky. I stuck to the left side and always had a handhold when the scree got a bit loose. From the notch, I took the chute straight up to the left rather than the “easy walk-off”. The chute was still shaded before 9:00 AM, and the temperature drop out of the sun was considerable. Ice was a factor in several spots, and I was cautious if not white-knuckled for a few moments. I sympathize with those who feel that this chute offers Class 4 climbing unless you pick an optimal path. There are opportunities to get very hurt or die. However, I always had a sure handhold and did not have to execute any technical/risky moves. The top was great, no altitude symptoms, warm and still with some time to linger and appreciate the exhilaration expressed by others at the top. Left a “Long Time Sunshine” for a loved one in the logbook.
I chose to take the “easy-walk-off” to get down, mostly out of a sense of trepidation at entering the chute and the ice patches again, knowing that going down is often harder than going up. The walk-off was a breeze until I had to cross two small ice fields right before the notch above steep chutes/cliffs. Funny, it looked like snow from above. I had NO ICE GEAR. In retrospect, I do not recommend that anyone do what I did without crampons, ice axe and experience using them. I used the prior footfalls that climbers had kicked into the snow, except this day it was frozen and slick, not soft at all, just touched by the sun. The footfalls were deep and solid most of the way, but then became shallow, slanted and slick. I found two-finger hand holds in ice axe holes along the way…. and was VERY unsure of my situation for a few minutes. I came out at the notch with mildly bleeding fingers from the ice crystals. Not smart, not well planned or well executed, and probably just lucky. I’ll stick to the granite and solid hand/foot holds next time. Cruising down the MR to Glacier was fun and fairly quick, same side as my ascent.
I left Glacier Lake around noon, and walked into the portal store for a burger by 3:30 PM, feet a bit sore from going down, down, down. Finally arrived back in Marina del Rey at 8:30 PM without even speeding…Seriously, why hurry? I was still blissed-out from the trip and felt claustrophobic back in the city, but all good things must decrescendo else we would not recognize the highs at all. I found the MR to be more engaging, more scenic, faster and less exhausting than the main trail. Great trip, and final thanks to this site, the Portal Store and their book “Whitney Lore”.
