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White Mountain / Russell attempt.
#32081 07/01/13 11:09 PM
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45
J
OP Offline
J
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45
Monday , June 24, My wife, daughter and I drove from So. Cal. to Bishop with plans to hike White Mountain, then to hike up Shepherds Pass, after a rest day, and go for Tyndall and or Williamson.
We drove up Silver Canyon Road, a steep road , 4WD only, and made it to the top in one piece. Our old 4Runner still goes up hill, no problem.

We stopped at the Patriarch Grove for some pictures of the old trees and have dinner.



We were at the tail end of a system that blew trough the Sierra, cold temps, high winds and clouds.

Our original plan was to drive to the gate and sleep there, but high winds made the decision for us to stay at the grove, somewhat protected. We all slept in the car, squished together, but warm.
Next morning we were at the gate , and off to hike the
7 Mile, boring road to the top of White.
Wind was a constant companion, cold temps that drained our energy, and made the hike much tougher than I remembered.
For the first time , my daughter was not her usual, full of energy and cheerful, the wind and the altitude was getting to her.
The marmots helped get her spirit up at times, but all in all she was not enjoying the hike.



She wanted to quit couple of times, but when she thought about the drive on that dirt road, she pushed on. She did not enjoy the drive in.
Slowly we battled on, setting small goals , celebrating the small victory when we got to the point we picked.



When we reached the top, we all signed the summit registry, proud of our daughter's achievement.
This was her 3rd 14er.
She declared loudly that she will never hike that mountain again. I don't blame her, although it has a beauty that calls on me once in a while.



We arrived back at the gate,11 hours after we started, where we celebrated, each of us in our own way.
Beer for Daddy and flip flops for the girls.




Our adventure was not over, as on the way out , the road took it's toll and slashed my r/r tire.
Swapping out the spare in dirt and dust is no fun, especially after a long day on the mountain.
We made it out to Bishop , after dark, only to find that we missed the closing tome of our favored Mexican restaurant by 5 minutes. I needed 2 more beers .
We settled for a fast food joint and went to bed.


When morning came we were considering options.
The flat tire( beyond repair at this time) made us reconsider the Shepherds Pass due to the off road trailhead. I did not fell like paying an astronomical tow bill if one more tire went the way of its r/r companion.
Feeling somewhat recovered we settled for a day hike. We picked Onion Valley and went for the Kearsarge Pass.
As we turn off the 395 on the way to Onion Valley, we picked up a fellow hiker that was hitchhiking.
It turned out to be a PCT hiker that started at the Mexico border in May and was on the way to Canada. He was very nice, and offered encouragement for our daughter. He told us a story of a 10 year old girl that did the PCT trail in one season.
Great, Daddy's got to take off work for 6 months now. Thanks PCT hiker.

The Kearsarge Pass trail was a treat , compared with the mostly barren White Mountain. There were no bugs , warm temperature, plenty of water and an abundance of wild flowers.



We all felt energized and regenerated, and we were plotting new adventures.
After the hike to the pass we went to Lone Pine, had Mexican at the best place in town, Bonanza, and we settled in for the night. Our plan was to show up at the Ranger Station in the morning, and get a permit for Lone Pine North Fork.
To our surprise we were not the only ones to have that plan.
There were 16 group in all waiting for the office to open.
The ranger came out at 8AM and informed everyone of the procedure. One member from each group would pull a number out of the box, that would be the order regardless of who was first in line.
We sent our luckiest representative to pull the number...
Our daughter pulled #2!
We were first in line as 1-2and 3 were helped first.
By 9am we were on the trail, acclimated and full of hopes.
I've done the North Fork a few times and knew that it was challenging, especially for a 7 year old, but the weather was great, we had plenty of time and we were taking it nice and slow.



By 10:30 we topped of the ledges. My daughter was a little concerned with the exposure, but with coaching and encouragement we made it safely. By 1:30 we were under UBS Lake where we drank out of the stream and dunked our heads in the cool water.. a mountain tradition that we perform every chance we get. No filters for us.



I ran into a unicorn and a mountain goat above the UBS Lake.



We reached Iceberg lake by 5PM, set up tent, and enjoyed the greatest show on earth.




A still evening gave us a chance to watch the clouds turn color and admire the beauty of the eastern slopes of Mt Whitney.





The night was warm, low 40s with no wind.
In the morning we were on the way by 7AM. The loose sand and talus on the way to the Iceberg Col, made the progress slow.
It is challenging for an adult, for a 7 year old is almost impossible.



We made it to the top of the col by 8:30, were we were faced with the immensity, of the Russell South Face.
It was me that made the decision to turn back. I have no doubt that we could have made the summit, but at what cost?
Our daughter was feeling good and was ready to go.
She was presently surprised when I told her that we're turning back.
I did not want this to become a bad experience, and ruin her taste for adventure.



Back at our tent, we packed, and were on our way down by 10AM.
We reached our car safely by 3PM, had early dinner and drove home.
As we were in Lone Pine, the top of Whitney was completely surrounded by thunder clouds and it looked like it was raining pretty hard. Hindsight,we made the right decision to turn back, we would have been up high , on the ridge , exposed, with no place to hide.
Some times, you got to listen to your instinct.

Thanks and see you on the trail.
Julius

In case anybody cant sleep tonight, here's a link to a few pictures.

Link Iceberg Lake hike
http://jsclimbs.zenfolio.com/p125497992

Link to White Mountain hike

http://jsclimbs.zenfolio.com/p129533642

Re: White Mountain / Russell attempt.
Julius S. #32082 07/02/13 08:55 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 27
Y
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Y
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 27
Great TR! We hope to get to White later this week, so will be thinking of your DH as inspiration for my first 14er! That should make her feel good smile What a trooper!


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