This is not a summit story, although it is a success story. With that out of the way....
Four of us (me, Kristine, Rosie, and Karen) had a most excellent adventure this weekend on Whitney's Mountaineer Route. Kristine got the train started, and the rest of us jumped in, right after the December WPSMB/Shin 300 Baldy Hike.
Our adventure was made possible by our outstanding guides, Kurt and April from
Sierra Mountaineering Inc., and Cristian and Andrew, our porters. Though that does not begin to capture all the ways in which they worked to make this weekend great. This team kept us safe and laughing, fed us the best food I have ever had on a backpacking trip, tended to our wounds (one crampon puncture, one sprained ankle), and joined in on the tutu hilarity. But more on that later.
I'm gonna let the pictures do most of the talking. For my part, I will just note that my favorite pieces of gear were, in this order, (1) my -10F Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bag, and (2) my thermos. Yeah, it was cold. Real cold. Like -10F cold. Let's not even start talking windchill.
Coming in a close third on my list was a tutu supplied by Rosie. Having drunk some of the ultralight Koolaid, I strongly objected to adding a tutu to my load ("Hey folks, if it is between a tutu and an extra baselayer, I am taking the baselayer!"). But then I realized I could stuff the tutu into one of
these pillow cases, making it a dual purpose item, and my identity crises was averted. And by the way, this was the most comfortable backpacking pillow EVER. I am a sometimes back sleeper, and a decent pillow IS a necessity.
So, onto some pictures.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
You know that you're in for trouble when you are greeted in Lone Pine by a gaggle of lenticular clouds. I counted nine layers in the large blob-like looking thing at the top left/center.
Kristine, Karen, Rosie and I meet for dinner at Merry-Go-Round, and enjoyed a veritable feast. Laura came from Bishop to wish us off!
THURSDAY, MARCH 7
After an excellent breakfast at the Alabama Hills Cafe, we went over our gear with Kurt and April in the lobby of the hostel. Then off to the trailhead. Pictures that follow are from the climb to our first camp at Lower Boyscout Lake.
Yes, you can go winter mountaineering and have your pack weigh in at only 31 lbs (including all my clothes, lunch food/snacks, water, personal climbing gear, sleeping bag, snowshoes, and ice axe). That is, if you have the benefit of Cristian and Andrew to lug the rest of your stuff (including group food, tents, group climbing gear). Our heaviest pack among the four clients was Rosie's, which came in at 39 lbs. Cristian and Andrew's packs weighed over 70 lbs, while Kurt's was over 80. April's broke the scale, so we can only guess at its weight, but we know it was well over 50% of her body weight. (Only one part of that last sentence is untrue.)
Not much snow on the lower part of the trail. Entering the Mountaineers' Route where the trail splits.
We did bypass the E-ledges, instead following the creek. It was mostly overcast as we climbed. At night, temperatures dipped into the low teens, I think.
Dinner, by the way, was tortellini with fresh vegetables and italian sausage, with truffles for dessert.
FRIDAY, MARCH 8
I loved this day. We woke up to snow and colder conditions. Here is a view from our campsite at Lower Boyscout Lake.
Trekking up to Upper Boyscout Lake, our long rest/lunch stop.
Sun struggles to be seen near our lunch stop.
Upper Boyscout Lake
Again with the whiteouts, as we hike up to our high camp at just over 12,000'.
And again, the sun battles to get through, showing us a tantalizing peek of ridge.
Our high camp shortly after arrival. No Whitney peak to be seen.
Finally, Whitney's outline is spotted.
Clearing...
Dinner was mushroom ravioli with more fresh vegetables, pesto sauce, and sausage, with a truffle for dessert.
Kurt and April gave us a pre-climb briefing before we went to bed. We then went into our tents and packed.
The coldest night I have ever experienced then settled upon us. We think it may have been as low as -10F. Going out to do your business, so to speak, was a bit of a chore. And while Friday had been calm, wind-wise, as darkness hit, the winds started to pick up.
The next post will cover Saturday...
