k2excursion - May 29, 2007 9:20 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2005
Highpoint # 33
So gorgeous! Hiked in 6 miles, camped overnight, summitted on Day 2, came down on Day 3. The permits and bear canisters are a major pain, but it's worth it. From the summit, you can see landscapes more than 11,000 feet below you. Not many places on Earth provide this without needing technical climbing skills. The 99 switchbacks are not as bad as they sound. It's probably the easiest part of the trail. The gradual increase in elevation is good for you anyway. Sleeping at 12,000 feet on Night 1 helped me acclimate. Plenty of snow around, even in August, although none on the trail. Maybe the most beautiful mountain I've climbed.
I did Whitney in a day with Hyrum Wright. We drove out from Utah on the 20th, camped at Whitney Portal that night to acclimatize a little, and summited the next day.
The 22 miles (round trip) and 6100 feet of elevation gain were pretty brutal. I'd probably do it in two days next time, although that involves more paperwork to get a permit to camp.
Hyrum has a complete trip report at http://hiking.hyrumwright.org/hike/Mount_Whitney
Luciano136 - May 21, 2007 1:27 pm Date Climbed: May 20, 2007
Snow chute from Trail Camp
Finally got this one knocked off. Cancelled two attempts due to weather and failed to summit via the MR in November '06 due to horrible conditions and lack of time. Finally came back and did the classic overnighter up the main trail. Friday night: Whitney Portal. Saturday night: Trail Camp. Sunday: summit and down. Weather and conditions were great! I felt a little sick on Saturday night but turned out to be fine Sunday. We went up a snow chute to Trail Crest avoiding all the switchbacks. Steep but fun. Mike (gigamike) was one of the guys in our group.
Altitude makes this hike still a tough going at times. The last couple of miles down I also had some feet issues; a small blister from the week before opened up making for a rather painful end of the day.
Other than that, uneventful and great fun! Oh, and if you like nice views, the main trail does offer much better scenery than the mountaineer's route.
FAILED MR ATTEMPT - NOV 18, 2006
Went up the Mountaineer's route with Richard (piotrowski on SP) and some other folks. 2 out of the 5 made the summit. I ran out of time a little below the top of the couloir above iceberg lake. Weather was perfect. Trail conditions a little annoying; bigger parts of the trail have hard packed snow/ice on it. Also had to cross an ice field (ice=very hard) and the couloir is only partly filled with snow; the upper part is mainly loose rock, which is pretty annoying. All in all a fun trip!
Brad Mastros - May 20, 2007 11:00 pm Date Climbed: May 19, 2007
Day Hike East Buttress
A very long day with Dave German who led the whole route.
phillinley - May 10, 2007 2:36 am Date Climbed: Apr 30, 2007
Spring climb
Bit off more than I could chew on a one-day attempt.
climbed up the mountaineers route i was 12 years old, threw up a bunch at rest on the way down from the summit and the day before. But i made it to the top.
ripper333 - Apr 21, 2007 12:08 am Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2005
east buttress
with steve.. killer climb.. moved quickly
Peak_Bagger - Apr 17, 2007 5:04 am Date Climbed: Sep 9, 2004
Muir's Route
What a great route, loved it, snowed at the summit. Love the quick hike to iceburg lake too, nice camp spots.
Vladislav - Apr 6, 2007 8:03 pm Date Climbed: Oct 9, 2004
trail
Quoting a hiker I've met on the summit:
- This ranks as my second favorite place on earth.
- What is the first?
- I don't know, I haven't seen it yet.
It was my first 14er and only three of six people in our original plan made it. It was the labor day weekend and we were lucky to get the permit that year. This mountain taught me to respect the big mountain condition. We started out with a blue sky up until around 11am and all of a sudden the sky changed and the dark cloud covered us. It hailed, rained and snowed within 30 mintues. We didn't make it to the second base camp as planned so the next day we got up at 4am and made it to the summit and on the way back we made hot food near mt. Muir which many hiker thought we were not serious...
Vic Hanson - Apr 1, 2007 3:35 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 1999
Main Trail, 1st 14er
Not sure this is the exact date but is close. It was my first 14er, did it as a day hike with a bunch of friends from our singles group at church. Took just over 12 hours. Caught the "bug" and have been hiking and climbing since.
bcd - Mar 21, 2007 4:46 am Date Climbed: Jul 23, 2001
wheelchair ramp
took the wheelchair ramp for my first trip up Whitney.
Never again.
mow10 - Mar 16, 2007 8:09 pm Date Climbed: May 1, 2002
Super Snowy Spring Summit Should've Snowboarded
8 inches fresh snow, 2 am, Boy Scout Lakes. Sunny, no wind, 10 am, Summit. Mountaineers Route. Wish I had my board. Again on Sept 15 03, E face. 9 hours on route. Missed the traverse and ended up having to lead loose 5.8 chimney to gain Giant Steps. Summit, 6pm. Full moon rise from the notch. Unbeliveable. E Buttress next trip!!
The edge - Mar 14, 2007 4:19 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2004
HP #46
Third attemot;
No equipment since the airline lost my luggages and I didn't want to wait for them...
I got a one day permit and off I was...
Start time at 2:00AM... got to the top and back in one day...
It was simply awesome....and crazy...
Four to go....!!!
Twice day hiked from the portal. Both times after Labor Day and cut into the crowds a bit. Best time 9.5 hours.
Mescalito345 - Mar 12, 2007 12:18 am Date Climbed: Apr 23, 2006
Mountaineer's Route
I went on a guided trip with SMI up the Mountaineer's Route in April 2006. Several winter storms had passed through the Sierras in early April, and there was a lot of snow on the route. On the second day it began to snow, and we set up camp at around 12,000 feet, between Upper Boy Scout Lake and Iceberg Lake. The snow continued throughout the night, and it was still snowing (temperature was 13 degrees) when we left camp at 4:30 a.m. on April 23 for a summit attempt.
The snow continued as our group of nine headed up the 30 to 40 degree chute that leads to the peak. We were making good progress, and by 7:30 a.m. we had climbed to around 13,200 feet. But after we had triggered several snow slides, our guide decided that it was best to turn around. Snow was accumulating at a high rate, and the avalanche danger would have been even greater during our descent from the peak.
Note: I summitted Whitney five times via the Main Trail, between 1989 and 2005.
k2excursion - May 29, 2007 9:20 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2005
Highpoint # 33So gorgeous! Hiked in 6 miles, camped overnight, summitted on Day 2, came down on Day 3. The permits and bear canisters are a major pain, but it's worth it. From the summit, you can see landscapes more than 11,000 feet below you. Not many places on Earth provide this without needing technical climbing skills. The 99 switchbacks are not as bad as they sound. It's probably the easiest part of the trail. The gradual increase in elevation is good for you anyway. Sleeping at 12,000 feet on Night 1 helped me acclimate. Plenty of snow around, even in August, although none on the trail. Maybe the most beautiful mountain I've climbed.
Bruce Christensen - May 28, 2007 1:57 pm Date Climbed: Jul 21, 2005
One day summit from Whitney PortalI did Whitney in a day with Hyrum Wright. We drove out from Utah on the 20th, camped at Whitney Portal that night to acclimatize a little, and summited the next day.
The 22 miles (round trip) and 6100 feet of elevation gain were pretty brutal. I'd probably do it in two days next time, although that involves more paperwork to get a permit to camp.
Hyrum has a complete trip report at http://hiking.hyrumwright.org/hike/Mount_Whitney
Luciano136 - May 21, 2007 1:27 pm Date Climbed: May 20, 2007
Snow chute from Trail CampFinally got this one knocked off. Cancelled two attempts due to weather and failed to summit via the MR in November '06 due to horrible conditions and lack of time. Finally came back and did the classic overnighter up the main trail. Friday night: Whitney Portal. Saturday night: Trail Camp. Sunday: summit and down. Weather and conditions were great! I felt a little sick on Saturday night but turned out to be fine Sunday. We went up a snow chute to Trail Crest avoiding all the switchbacks. Steep but fun. Mike (gigamike) was one of the guys in our group.
Altitude makes this hike still a tough going at times. The last couple of miles down I also had some feet issues; a small blister from the week before opened up making for a rather painful end of the day.
Other than that, uneventful and great fun! Oh, and if you like nice views, the main trail does offer much better scenery than the mountaineer's route.
FAILED MR ATTEMPT - NOV 18, 2006
Went up the Mountaineer's route with Richard (piotrowski on SP) and some other folks. 2 out of the 5 made the summit. I ran out of time a little below the top of the couloir above iceberg lake. Weather was perfect. Trail conditions a little annoying; bigger parts of the trail have hard packed snow/ice on it. Also had to cross an ice field (ice=very hard) and the couloir is only partly filled with snow; the upper part is mainly loose rock, which is pretty annoying. All in all a fun trip!
Brad Mastros - May 20, 2007 11:00 pm Date Climbed: May 19, 2007
Day Hike East ButtressA very long day with Dave German who led the whole route.
phillinley - May 10, 2007 2:36 am Date Climbed: Apr 30, 2007
Spring climbBit off more than I could chew on a one-day attempt.
LonePeakFreak - Apr 27, 2007 1:14 pm
Great HikeLoved the camping, the views, and the company. A great hike.
Robertthethird - Apr 24, 2007 11:15 pm
Via Kearsage passSolo 2 1/2 days from onion valley, had summited with a group of freinds via MR route 7 days earlier.
snowclimber12 - Apr 22, 2007 11:00 pm
MRclimbed up the mountaineers route i was 12 years old, threw up a bunch at rest on the way down from the summit and the day before. But i made it to the top.
ripper333 - Apr 21, 2007 12:08 am Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2005
east buttresswith steve.. killer climb.. moved quickly
Peak_Bagger - Apr 17, 2007 5:04 am Date Climbed: Sep 9, 2004
Muir's RouteWhat a great route, loved it, snowed at the summit. Love the quick hike to iceburg lake too, nice camp spots.
Vladislav - Apr 6, 2007 8:03 pm Date Climbed: Oct 9, 2004
trailQuoting a hiker I've met on the summit:
- This ranks as my second favorite place on earth.
- What is the first?
- I don't know, I haven't seen it yet.
duaxanh - Apr 1, 2007 6:39 pm Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2000
lucky first 14erIt was my first 14er and only three of six people in our original plan made it. It was the labor day weekend and we were lucky to get the permit that year. This mountain taught me to respect the big mountain condition. We started out with a blue sky up until around 11am and all of a sudden the sky changed and the dark cloud covered us. It hailed, rained and snowed within 30 mintues. We didn't make it to the second base camp as planned so the next day we got up at 4am and made it to the summit and on the way back we made hot food near mt. Muir which many hiker thought we were not serious...
Vic Hanson - Apr 1, 2007 3:35 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 1999
Main Trail, 1st 14erNot sure this is the exact date but is close. It was my first 14er, did it as a day hike with a bunch of friends from our singles group at church. Took just over 12 hours. Caught the "bug" and have been hiking and climbing since.
bcd - Mar 21, 2007 4:46 am Date Climbed: Jul 23, 2001
wheelchair ramptook the wheelchair ramp for my first trip up Whitney.
Never again.
mow10 - Mar 16, 2007 8:09 pm Date Climbed: May 1, 2002
Super Snowy Spring Summit Should've Snowboarded8 inches fresh snow, 2 am, Boy Scout Lakes. Sunny, no wind, 10 am, Summit. Mountaineers Route. Wish I had my board. Again on Sept 15 03, E face. 9 hours on route. Missed the traverse and ended up having to lead loose 5.8 chimney to gain Giant Steps. Summit, 6pm. Full moon rise from the notch. Unbeliveable. E Buttress next trip!!
The edge - Mar 14, 2007 4:19 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2004
HP #46Third attemot;
No equipment since the airline lost my luggages and I didn't want to wait for them...
I got a one day permit and off I was...
Start time at 2:00AM... got to the top and back in one day...
It was simply awesome....and crazy...
Four to go....!!!
David Rosenberg - Mar 14, 2007 4:58 am
Intro to the SierrasTwice day hiked from the portal. Both times after Labor Day and cut into the crowds a bit. Best time 9.5 hours.
Mescalito345 - Mar 12, 2007 12:18 am Date Climbed: Apr 23, 2006
Mountaineer's RouteI went on a guided trip with SMI up the Mountaineer's Route in April 2006. Several winter storms had passed through the Sierras in early April, and there was a lot of snow on the route. On the second day it began to snow, and we set up camp at around 12,000 feet, between Upper Boy Scout Lake and Iceberg Lake. The snow continued throughout the night, and it was still snowing (temperature was 13 degrees) when we left camp at 4:30 a.m. on April 23 for a summit attempt.
The snow continued as our group of nine headed up the 30 to 40 degree chute that leads to the peak. We were making good progress, and by 7:30 a.m. we had climbed to around 13,200 feet. But after we had triggered several snow slides, our guide decided that it was best to turn around. Snow was accumulating at a high rate, and the avalanche danger would have been even greater during our descent from the peak.
Note: I summitted Whitney five times via the Main Trail, between 1989 and 2005.
skunk ape - Feb 27, 2007 1:44 am
Been there.Had a Great hike up in the night. Watched the sun come up from the summit.
lizrdboy - Feb 25, 2007 5:11 am
Whitney never gets oldThree times to the top. Once with Dad (67yo), once with the Boy Scouts, and once up the Mountaineers route. Good times.