Mount Whitney Climber's Log

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Chris Doig

Chris Doig - Jul 11, 2008 12:32 am Date Climbed: Jul 4, 2008

Made it this time  Sucess!

The California Clydesdale's (2 45 year old guys that weight 250lbs) were successful this year on Whitney. Last year we were just a lousy mile from the top and had to turn around due to thunderstorms. It was worth going back, we had a great time.
Maybe the Mountaineers route next year!

mvpol

mvpol - Jul 10, 2008 7:23 pm Date Climbed: Jul 7, 2008

Great end to the HST  Sucess!

Took the HST from Crescent Meadows and "ended" on Whitney on the sixth day. Went down to Trail Camp where we hiked out through Whitney Portal on Day 7.

eruselow

eruselow - Jul 9, 2008 11:33 am Date Climbed: May 3, 2008

Early season main trail  Sucess!

Climbed the main trail in early May over a two day period (I was acclimatizing for a trip to Peru two weeks later). Weather was perfect and the climb was as well, other than a few rogue marmots trying to eat my food.

Dangers Pop

Dangers Pop - Jul 2, 2008 1:03 am Date Climbed: Jun 29, 2008

Main Trail  Sucess!

12 hour car to car hike with Wayne. As one would imagine, the views were wonderful. A great hike!

hikinedd

hikinedd - Jul 1, 2008 6:45 pm Date Climbed: Sep 22, 2000

Main Trail  Sucess!

This time as a 2-day. Again 9/16/01 as a dayhike.

Lenny72

Lenny72 - Jun 26, 2008 8:01 pm Date Climbed: Jun 21, 2008

Summit!!!  Sucess!

No freak storm this time like on Memorial Day weekend. This time I made it to the summit. It was tough but the scenery was amazing. A couple summitted in the nude in honor of the summer solstice! Unfortunately, a man died of a heart attack on my way down on Sunday; just 2 miles from the Whitney Portal trail head. After at least an hour of hard labor, the rangers were unable to revive him.

twhirled

twhirled - Jun 25, 2008 10:21 am Date Climbed: Jul 11, 2005

Summit in 1965 and 2005  Sucess!

After 40 years it seems like only the log book had changed. Oh, and no hippies in the summit shelter on the later visit. If you make the final push past Trail Crest, definitely top Muir on this journey.

Chabeto

Chabeto - Jun 17, 2008 8:38 pm

Route Climbed: Whitney Trail  Sucess!

my first fourteener

sbkelley

sbkelley - Jun 16, 2008 4:48 pm Date Climbed: Jun 15, 2008

Mt Whitney Trail  Sucess!

Snow in great shape in the morning for climbing and glissading around noon. A few icy spots on the trail in the morning near the railing made the route interesting.

Fred Bagni

Fred Bagni - Jun 16, 2008 1:27 pm Date Climbed: Jun 15, 2008

Main Trail  Sucess!

One more time... why not... Great father's day with my son Dorian. Rock steps at the end of the cables had 1 inch of water ice. Impassable without crampons, until enough sunlight allowed someone with crampons to break off. Just to consider if you get there first... Other than that no need for ice axe or crampons. Poles really helped...

kavak

kavak - Jun 16, 2008 12:21 pm Date Climbed: May 30, 1977

First Major Peak Climb  Sucess!

I guess you could say this is what got me started in real mountaineering and I am sure my inexperience showed on the Mountaineers Route.

chiker

chiker - Jun 15, 2008 11:07 am Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2004

Whitney Trail  Sucess!

I hiked in a large group of 15 people and only 4 made it to the top. We left Whitney Portal trailhead at 3 am, and were on the trail until evening because of the slower people in the group. It was a great hike, but I am determined to go back on my own and make better time!

Romain

Romain - Jun 12, 2008 6:53 pm Date Climbed: May 14, 2008

East Buttress  Sucess!

With Robert Zeithammer. Whitney twice in two days by two different routes. 6 hours for the climb, in excellent weather conditions. 8 hours tent-to-tent.

Romain

Romain - Jun 12, 2008 6:52 pm Date Climbed: May 13, 2008

Mountaineer's route  Sucess!

In extremely cold conditions (temps in the 20s). Left camp at 10:40, were on top at 1:30 and back in camp at 3:00.

Ken Dammen

Ken Dammen - Jun 12, 2008 1:14 pm Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2008

MR  Sucess!

Climber Mountaineers Route with friend Andy. Great trip perfect weather. Highly recommend! Lots of exposure on the traverse.

TJ311

TJ311 - Jun 10, 2008 11:52 pm Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2008

State Highpoint #9  Sucess!

Hiked up to Trail Camp yesterday and left for the summit @ 0630 this morning. We climbed the snow chute instead of taking the icy switchbacks. Long day, great hike.

Lenny72

Lenny72 - May 26, 2008 3:06 pm Date Climbed: May 24, 2008

Freak Storm on Mt. Whitney

I was to climb Mt. Whitney; the tallest mountain in the United States outside of Alaska. Located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada in California, it stands at 14,497 feet and is located just 76 miles west from the lowest point in the U.S.; Death Valley at -282 feet below sea level.

I arrived at the Whitney Portal campground from San Diego on Friday, May 23rd. The mountains were in and out of the clouds. What I could see was spectacular beauty with the whispy clouds hanging on the mountains, painted behind the large, green pine trees. I had a bit of a headache and was a little dizzy, sort of the same feeling one has after being punched in the head a few times, having come directly from sea level in San Diego (5.5 hour drive). So, I drank a lot of water and took 2 Ibuprofin. That seemed to do the trick. It turned out that two of my neighbors, Edwin and Melissa, were also there at the campground and invited me over to their campfire where we hung out until dark. After cooking some dinner on my stove, I retired to my tent and slept soundly.

I awoke in the morning and ate at the Whitney Portal Store. Talk about a humongous breakfast!!! A pancake the size and thickness of a Chicago style pizza, scrambled eggs, thick, juicy bacon, and an OJ for around $8. Obviously, no one ever finishes this size breakfast. I then rented a bear cannister for my food (required), packed everything, and was on the trail by 11:30am. My plan was to climb the 6.3 miles (12,039') to Trail Camp and sleep there the first night. The next day, I would climb to the summit (14,497') and back to Trail Camp. On Memorial Day, I would hike out and drive back to San Diego. That was the original plan.

From the Whitney Portal trailhead (8,637'), I started up the trail through the amazing scenery. I was surrounded by tall pines, humongous cliffs, a little bit of snow, and beautiful cascading waterfalls. Unfortunately, as the day wore on, the clouds thickened considerably and it began to snow. I was able to snap a few photos but it was becoming apparent that the weather was going to get worse. I met up with a bunch of younger climbers on the trail who are dental students at UC Riverside. We got to know each other a little while hiking up the trail.

Crossing a stream, we pushed on past Outpost Camp (10,360') and over to Mirror Lake, which was now completely covered with snow. As we hiked above tree line, the weather was really turning sour and the snow was getting deeper. In addition, one of the climbers was beginning to feel sick from the altitude. We eventually found a wide open area off the trail and decided it would be best to make camp there. We were now at about 11,200 feet above sea level and a little over 1 mile away from Trail Camp (12,039'). We flattened the deep, snow covered area, pitched our tents, and cooked dinner. All around us, the clouds were so thick at times we couldn't see more than 20 feet in any direction. The snow was intermittent; heavy at times, and it was getting much colder and darker. At times, however, the clouds and snow would break. I was then able to snap a few nice pictures of Wotans Throne above us and Mirror Lake, which was now far below us.

Later that evening, one of the students threw up. I suggested that he be brought back down to Outpost Camp for the night to recover from the effects of altitude. However, he refused and was content with staying in his bag to rest. I concentrated on my power breathing, a technique I learned from a mountaineering video, which helped immensely in staving off the headache which nearly everyone else had. After a bit of joking around, we retired to our tents around 9:00. The air was still but cold as it continued to snow.

Sometime during the middle of the night, I heard some noise. One of the girls in the party had also succomed to the effects of altitude and threw up, twice. I later found out that the students had stayed in a hotel in Lone Pine the night before, and went straight up to 11,200 feet. They said that next time they would stay at the Portal at 8,300 feet the night before attempting this climb.

The next morning brought more snow and clouds. After eating a bit of breakfast, we spoke to a few climbers coming down the trail who had made it up to Trail Camp. All informed us that the snow was waist deep beyond Trail Camp and only one person had made it to Trail Crest (13,777') before having to turn back. It's hard to believe that, just last weekend, temperatures on the summit had been over 60 degrees! We decided that the mountain wasn't going to let anyone climb it over this Memorial Day weekend. We made the obvious but disappointing decision to turn back.

When I arrived back at the Whitney Portal, I changed clothes and ate the delicious cheeseburger and fries at the Whitney Portal Store. It was so delicious! While there, I also found out that this storm has stalled over Mt. Whitney and that conditions are supposed to remain the same until at least this coming Thursday. Turned back at the same elevation because of weather in July 2001 on Mt. Rainier, this was a total bummer but I'll be back soon! I am also returning to Mt. Rainier this July for what I hope will be a more successful climb!

sskeep

sskeep - May 22, 2008 9:28 pm Date Climbed: May 17, 2008

Long Day, Good Day

Scott, Steve and I did the Whitney trail starting at 5:30am returning around 6:30 pm. Great day, perfect cool weather with a fair amount of easy snow.

kovarpa

kovarpa - Apr 30, 2008 3:18 pm Date Climbed: Apr 26, 2008

MR  Sucess!

Climbed MR with Vendulka, then continued to Muir, then back to Whitney and down MR to our camp at UBSL.
Fun outing.

peakrat76

peakrat76 - Apr 23, 2008 1:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 4, 1997

Trail Route - 1 day ascent  Sucess!

Drove from Denver to Vegas to Whitney Portal. Up at midnight and on the trail; drinking beer at the truck at 5 PM. Awesome peak, and surprisingly, not too crowded this date. Summit view is really something.

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