Mt. Whitney - Part 2

Thudley · 08-28-2011, 07:19 PM

Some of you might recall my TR last year about trying this climb in one day. My fiend had talked me into it, although I was very doubtful of success. Ultimately, we came up ½ mile short of the summit and had to turn back. A 19+ mile trek and no cigar.

Since my friend is the kind who never goes “part way”, he talked me into trying again this year, along with another friend who had never climbed before, but was an avid hiker. I told him I would only go if we did it in 2 days.

So, we arrived at Whitney Portal (8400’ elev.) on 22 Aug and camped for the night. We decided to hike Horseshoe Meadows the next day to acclimatize. This meadow is at 10,500’ and contains a large forest of Foxtail Pines. Hard to believe that some of these trees are 2000 years old and still thriving. The drive up this road is definitely the “E-Coupon” ride, with plenty of exposure on a very narrow road and no guardrails.

Back to Portal that night to camp. Bears in camp every night is the norm at Portal, and they didn’t disappoint. I had one sniffing at my tent at about 2200. Bear boxes are mandatory, and you can get ticketed for leaving a cooler exposed in your car. The bears here can get a bit aggressive, but are usually just after your food.

BTW, for those of you who didn’t see my post earlier on this, check out our “smarter” bears at Marcy Dam here:
http://www.bearvault.com/bearvault_productnotices.php

The next day, we set off at 0700 up the Whitney Trail. Our packs weighed in at about 30 lbs. Not the lightest we could do, but then, one has to have some comforts…even in high camp (after a heated discussion, we opted NOT to take the 6-pack of Miller’s).

We planned to make our high camp at Trail Camp (12,000’) about 7 miles up the trail. The trek up the first section is 3 miles of endless switchbacks, gaining about 1200’ to Lone Pine Lake. There are trout in this lake, but alas…no fishing gear. Never mind, pressing on…

We climbed steadily until we reached Trail Camp. To this point, we had been on the trail 7 hours, and were pretty beat. We elected to camp a few hundred feet lower at Consultation Lake, since the wind was howling at Trail Camp and we wanted a quieter (& warmer) campsite. The weather stayed clear for our entire stay, and the nights got a bit cool (38 degrees), but we were equipped, so no problems. Also, lots of places to tank water along the trail up to about 13,000’.

We got a reasonable start the next morning at 0700, and set an easy pace off to the 99-switchbacks. This portion gains 1600’ in just under 2 miles. Great views…but energy sapping. There was some disagreement between us on exactly how many switchbacks are really are (yeah, we counted!), with counts between 102 and 88. However, we were well into our hallucinogenic stage by then.

When you reach Trail Crest (13,600’), you can finally see over the western side of the range and the view is stupendous. You are already higher than any of the surrounding mountains save a few. The trail from here drops several hundred feet to Trail Junction where it meets the John Muir Trail coming in from the west. The trail also gets a bit narrow and exposed in places. There are several “windows” between the pinnacles that you see on the ridge. At these points you can look about 2000’ down one side and 1500’ down the other. Great photo ops…but watch your step!

From Trail Crest to the summit is about 2 miles. It took us almost 2 hours to get there. Still a small snow field on the uppermost section that must be traversed, but no problem.

We arrived at the summit at about 1200, and signed the register. We spent some time taking in the spectacular view, taking pictures, and giving high-fives. We met 2 other parties who had just climbed via the East Face route (5.7), and that took some of the wind out of our sails. Later, about ½ mile back down from the summit, we happened on a young couple coming down from one of the needles and joining us on the Whitney trail. These folks work at the Whitney Portal Store, and had just completed a first ascent route on Day Needle. I asked the leader about the route. He rated it at 5.11 / A1, and 14 pitches! Wow!…now we were really deflated.

We set off back down the trail toward Trail Crest, just digging the views. I was pretty tired by the time we got to that 300' of uphill and went into my “inch-step" pace. However, it was only 15 minutes to get back up to the Crest, so not a biggie.

Coming down the 99-switchbacks, I threatened bodily harm to anyone who started counting again. We got back to our campsite by 1530 with still plenty of daylight. However, we decided to spend one more night here and unwind. We would make it back to the Portal tomorrow around noon.

Next morning at 0400, we were awakened by a stream of climbers coming up the trail…all yakking loudly. I believe these are the same folks who check in to hotels at 1 AM, yell to each other down the halls, then slam their doors. Grrr.

We packed up our camp and descended to the Portal, arriving at 1030. We immediately ordered a cheeseburger each. If you have ever been to the Portal Store, then you know about the chow that they dish out here. 2 days prior, I had a breakfast pancake that had to be 16 inches across! It loped over the side of the plate. So the cheeseburgers are in the same class, yummy. It was our reward.

I decided that these epic hikes are getting beyond me now at age 73, so that’s probably the last set of footprints I’ll leave on that mountain.

At least I finally got my friend to the top. He hated having come so far and missed it by only ½ mile last year.

Me? I’d been there before…over 40 years ago.

Here’s a link to some photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1043796...011#slideshow/

rdl · 08-28-2011, 07:36 PM

Very nice...

I was on Langley a couple weeks ago. Langley is to Whitney what Skylight is to Marcy.

Awesome terrain there, we chose mostly a cross country route for the 8 days we were there and saw very few people. Actually we saw more horses than people the first 7 days, then saw about 30 people as we got within 1/4 mile of the trailhead.

SummitHat · 08-28-2011, 09:18 PM

Thanks for the excellent account of this adventure, and congratulations to you three on your success! The slideshow is a treat to view - great conditions and scenery. As I hope to be out enjoying the exposure and rock for as many years as possible, I can't help but smile reading of your fun in those mountains.

!

Thudley · 08-29-2011, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SummitHat

Thanks for the excellent account of this adventure, and congratulations to you three on your success! The slideshow is a treat to view - great conditions and scenery. As I hope to be out enjoying the exposure and rock for as many years as possible, I can't help but smile reading of your fun in those mountains.

!

Thanks, SH. I do have other mountains out here on my to-do list, but I think I'm done with this one. Whew!

Jay H · 08-29-2011, 08:08 AM

Congratulations on a safe return to whitney, enjoyed the report, must feel awesome! Do remember the burgers at Whitney Portal!

Great pictures.

Jay

Thudley · 08-29-2011, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay H

Congratulations on a safe return to whitney, enjoyed the report, must feel awesome! Do remember the burgers at Whitney Portal!

Great pictures.

Jay

Thanks, Jay. It certainly did feel good to complete the journey this time. And the burgers are worth the effort (almost).

08-28-2011, 07:19 PM	#1
Thudley Mt. Shasta Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Antioch, CA and Johnsburg, NY Posts: 70	Mt. Whitney - Part 2 Some of you might recall my TR last year about trying this climb in one day. My fiend had talked me into it, although I was very doubtful of success. Ultimately, we came up ½ mile short of the summit and had to turn back. A 19+ mile trek and no cigar. Since my friend is the kind who never goes “part way”, he talked me into trying again this year, along with another friend who had never climbed before, but was an avid hiker. I told him I would only go if we did it in 2 days. So, we arrived at Whitney Portal (8400’ elev.) on 22 Aug and camped for the night. We decided to hike Horseshoe Meadows the next day to acclimatize. This meadow is at 10,500’ and contains a large forest of Foxtail Pines. Hard to believe that some of these trees are 2000 years old and still thriving. The drive up this road is definitely the “E-Coupon” ride, with plenty of exposure on a very narrow road and no guardrails. Back to Portal that night to camp. Bears in camp every night is the norm at Portal, and they didn’t disappoint. I had one sniffing at my tent at about 2200. Bear boxes are mandatory, and you can get ticketed for leaving a cooler exposed in your car. The bears here can get a bit aggressive, but are usually just after your food. BTW, for those of you who didn’t see my post earlier on this, check out our “smarter” bears at Marcy Dam here: http://www.bearvault.com/bearvault_productnotices.php The next day, we set off at 0700 up the Whitney Trail. Our packs weighed in at about 30 lbs. Not the lightest we could do, but then, one has to have some comforts…even in high camp (after a heated discussion, we opted NOT to take the 6-pack of Miller’s). We planned to make our high camp at Trail Camp (12,000’) about 7 miles up the trail. The trek up the first section is 3 miles of endless switchbacks, gaining about 1200’ to Lone Pine Lake. There are trout in this lake, but alas…no fishing gear. Never mind, pressing on… We climbed steadily until we reached Trail Camp. To this point, we had been on the trail 7 hours, and were pretty beat. We elected to camp a few hundred feet lower at Consultation Lake, since the wind was howling at Trail Camp and we wanted a quieter (& warmer) campsite. The weather stayed clear for our entire stay, and the nights got a bit cool (38 degrees), but we were equipped, so no problems. Also, lots of places to tank water along the trail up to about 13,000’. We got a reasonable start the next morning at 0700, and set an easy pace off to the 99-switchbacks. This portion gains 1600’ in just under 2 miles. Great views…but energy sapping. There was some disagreement between us on exactly how many switchbacks are really are (yeah, we counted!), with counts between 102 and 88. However, we were well into our hallucinogenic stage by then. When you reach Trail Crest (13,600’), you can finally see over the western side of the range and the view is stupendous. You are already higher than any of the surrounding mountains save a few. The trail from here drops several hundred feet to Trail Junction where it meets the John Muir Trail coming in from the west. The trail also gets a bit narrow and exposed in places. There are several “windows” between the pinnacles that you see on the ridge. At these points you can look about 2000’ down one side and 1500’ down the other. Great photo ops…but watch your step! From Trail Crest to the summit is about 2 miles. It took us almost 2 hours to get there. Still a small snow field on the uppermost section that must be traversed, but no problem. We arrived at the summit at about 1200, and signed the register. We spent some time taking in the spectacular view, taking pictures, and giving high-fives. We met 2 other parties who had just climbed via the East Face route (5.7), and that took some of the wind out of our sails. Later, about ½ mile back down from the summit, we happened on a young couple coming down from one of the needles and joining us on the Whitney trail. These folks work at the Whitney Portal Store, and had just completed a first ascent route on Day Needle. I asked the leader about the route. He rated it at 5.11 / A1, and 14 pitches! Wow!…now we were really deflated. We set off back down the trail toward Trail Crest, just digging the views. I was pretty tired by the time we got to that 300' of uphill and went into my “inch-step" pace. However, it was only 15 minutes to get back up to the Crest, so not a biggie. Coming down the 99-switchbacks, I threatened bodily harm to anyone who started counting again. We got back to our campsite by 1530 with still plenty of daylight. However, we decided to spend one more night here and unwind. We would make it back to the Portal tomorrow around noon. Next morning at 0400, we were awakened by a stream of climbers coming up the trail…all yakking loudly. I believe these are the same folks who check in to hotels at 1 AM, yell to each other down the halls, then slam their doors. Grrr. We packed up our camp and descended to the Portal, arriving at 1030. We immediately ordered a cheeseburger each. If you have ever been to the Portal Store, then you know about the chow that they dish out here. 2 days prior, I had a breakfast pancake that had to be 16 inches across! It loped over the side of the plate. So the cheeseburgers are in the same class, yummy. It was our reward. I decided that these epic hikes are getting beyond me now at age 73, so that’s probably the last set of footprints I’ll leave on that mountain. At least I finally got my friend to the top. He hated having come so far and missed it by only ½ mile last year. Me? I’d been there before…over 40 years ago. Here’s a link to some photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/1043796...011#slideshow/

08-28-2011, 07:36 PM	#2
rdl Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Holland, NY Posts: 84	Very nice... I was on Langley a couple weeks ago. Langley is to Whitney what Skylight is to Marcy. Awesome terrain there, we chose mostly a cross country route for the 8 days we were there and saw very few people. Actually we saw more horses than people the first 7 days, then saw about 30 people as we got within 1/4 mile of the trailhead. Last edited by rdl; 08-28-2011 at 11:34 PM. Reason: spelling

08-29-2011, 08:08 AM	#5
Jay H Ice Cream Time Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Pittsfield, MA Posts: 6,793	Congratulations on a safe return to whitney, enjoyed the report, must feel awesome! Do remember the burgers at Whitney Portal! Great pictures. Jay __________________ Life is a short, warm moment And death is a long cold rest. You get your chance to try in the twinkling of an eye: Eighty years, with luck, or even less. -Pink Floyd

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08-28-2011, 09:18 PM	#3
SummitHat That was fun Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: The Cold North Posts: 951	Thanks for the excellent account of this adventure, and congratulations to you three on your success! The slideshow is a treat to view - great conditions and scenery. As I hope to be out enjoying the exposure and rock for as many years as possible, I can't help but smile reading of your fun in those mountains. !

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