-Mt. Whitney(2) Mountaineers Route-

Elevation: 14,505 ft.

Date Hiked: 7-3-2010

CA 14er Repeat: #1

Trip Report:
Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 and a very popular hike. There were many people out hiking enjoying the great weather. On this trip we climbed the Mountaineers route and descended the main trail, one long loop. Our group consisted of Chad, Jason, Mark and myself. It took 14 hours and we figured based on the GPS data we covered 12.25 miles and gained over 6,400 feet of elevation.

The Moon and Mt. Whitney

I met Mark at Cottonwood Pass campground on Thursday night July 1st. We camped here for the first night. The stars were out and there was not a cloud in the sky. It got down to the low 30s the first night because we were camped around 9900 feet.

The Milky Way

Telescope Peak

The second day we drove to Whitney portal and got a campsite there. Once we set up camp we rested and waited for Chad and Jason to join us. I feel asleep early because we were waking up at 1:30 AM to start hiking. At 1 AM I was awake and ready to go. I was nervous about getting altitude sickness because I usually do above 12,000 feet. I hoped the two nights camping helped the acclimation process. We ate and got the last few things ready and by 2:45 we were on the trail. The first portion of the trail was easy and after not to long we got to the intersection where the Mountaineers Route breaks off from the main trail. We followed the use trail until we got to the Ebersbacher Ledges. I had read about the exposure on this section but in the dark could not see much. We quickly passed the ledges and made our way to Lower Boyscout Lake. Once we arrived at Lower Boyscout Lake the sun was beginning to rise.

Sunrise

Lower Boyscout Lake

Crest Below Iceberg Lake

Thor Peak

Sunrise II

Sunrise III

After watching the sunrise we made our way up to Upper Boyscout Lake. I took the high route above Lower Boyscout Lake and had to bushwhack over to the correct route. Eventually we arrived near Upper Boyscout Lake and took a break. We discussed the route to Iceberg Lake and continued on. The views of the crest were amazing in all directions.

Mt. Whitney Crest

Mt. Whitney Close-Up

Thor Peak and The Owens Valley

The Route to Iceberg Lake

Halfway to Iceberg Lake we had to put crampons on. The snow was still firm and continuous until near the notch. We rested at Iceberg Lake and checked out the route up the “chute”. There was a guided group of 8 getting ready for the climb as well.

Mt. Russell from Iceberg Lake

Mt. Whitney and the Chute

Close Up

The guided group started climbing before us and we watched as they made there way up. I began climbing before the rest of our group and followed behind the guided group. There was a nice boot track to follow most of the way up. We could also see climbers on the East Buttress route. In the picture below there are in the exact center.

East Buttress

Eventually I passed the guided group and followed a boot track from a different group. It was not around 10 AM and the snow was beginning to get soft. About 200 feet before the notch the snow stopped. I would say 90% of the chute is still snow covered. I rested here and waited for the rest of the group. Eventually I saw Mark, he said both Jason and Chad turned around below. We made our way up to the notch which only took a few minutes.

Iceberg Lake

Carillon Peak

Looking Up the Chute

Halfway Up the Chute

Close Up of the Chute

Looking Down Toward Iceberg Lake

Looking Up Toward the Notch

The Most Difficult Move in Order to Get to the Notch

Mt. Russell

Mark and I rested at the notch and evaluated the best route to the summit. At this point I was feeling the altitude. I had a headache and felt nauseous but continued to climb. There was ice along the far east side of the final 400 so we took a route along the west side of the first chute.

The Final 400 Feet

Our Route went to up to where the two guys are in the picture then traversed to the right. Most of the climbing was easy but there were a few times I had to double check my hand and footholds. In the picture below our route went to the left of the dark icy area. We avoided all of the snow by traversing along the right side of the route.

Looking Down Our Climbing Route

Looking Down from Near the Summit

The Summit

The Kaweahs

Mt. Langley and Olancha Peak

The Plaque on the Summit

The Summit Benchmark

Iceberg Lake from the Summit

Me on the Summit

We decided to descend the main trail because I was feeling sick. The trail was longer but easier. It took 4.5 hours to descend from the summit to the portal. We decided to glissade down from Trail Camp to Trail Camp along the chute. There was still plenty of snow for this but most people decided to take the switchbacks. I began to feel better the lower I went and finally felt fine below Lone Pine Lake.

If anyone has any questions about conditions on either route contact me
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Near Iceberg Lake

The Final 400

Mt. Whitney from the Owens Valley