We were expecting ice in the gully that leads up to summit block but a freak storm the weekend before dumped 2-3 feet of snow on the mountain. This led to winter climbing in summer conditions. So we prepared for all conditions -- rock, ice, snow.
My climbing companions were Matt and Marie Sparks (from the TriClub) and Rich Dow ( from the Search and Rescue team). Rich and I left San Clemente Wednesday afternoon followed by Matt and Marie. We were at Whitney Portal by midnight.
Thursday found us ready to go after a quick breakfast. We followed the main trail to the branch that takes you up the canyon to the Boyscout Lakes. We contoured up canyon to the Ebersbacher Ledges. The ledges present a slight technical challenge with 3rd class rock scrambles made harder by full packs. Some exposure here but not bad. Once on the plateau, we ascended to Lower Boyscout Lake for a well-deserved break. The clouds were clearing, giving us glimpses of the mountain above.
After our break we followed the trail up through a gap to Upper Boyscout Lake, our camp for the evening. This is where the snow started. We encounter deep snow pockets and alternated between following others tracks and postholing. Upper Boyscout is exposed but the conditions were amazingly calm and warm so we just set up on the ledges south of the lake. After an early dinner was shared, we holed up for the night.
Friday morning was glorious -- clear and calm. We broke camp and headed up the slope above Upper Boyscout to the next canyon. This got a little technical with hard ice in the morning. We alternated using crampons where necessary. We followed the canyon to the cliffs that lead up to Iceberg Lake. This got a little technical with rock, ice and exposure. After ascending to the Iceberg plateau, we made camp near the lake and spent the afternoon practicing self arrests and taking in the scenery.
Saturday -- Summit Day -- found Rich and I up by 5:30 a.m. with Matt and Marie ready by 6:30 a.m. We set off up the gully and found the going slow by soft snow. The lack of progress was offset by the incredible views.
We continued up the gully to the gap and assessed the summit blocks. The normal summit route is up the 4th class rock from the gap but today there was too much snow and ice to safely climb this route. The alternative is to contour the north side of the summit block until the ridge leading up the summit can be reached. We decided this would be the best route. The only downside to this route is the exposure. There is a gentle slope for 30 meters below the summit blocks, then a 60+ degree slope about 3,000 feet all the way down the mountain! So we were careful when we had to negotiate around rocky sections. The only real technical challenge was a little corner that had a chockstone that we had to climb over. We accomplished this by sticking our axes in behind the rock and pulling ourselves up and over it. This stone would factor into our climb again with more dramatic effect.
Once we gained the ridge the hard part was over. Just a slow walk (above 14,000 feet now) to the summit and we had done it! We hung out in glorious sunlight for 30 minutes enjoying the 360 degree view, eating and drinking. There was a 30 mph wind the entire time so we hung out in the lee of the USGS hut until we were ready to descend.
We headed back down to the north face and followed our tracks down. Upon reaching the corner, I placed my axe behind the chockstone and testing the hold. To my great surprise the stone moved about 4 inches. The heat of the day must have melted the ice holding the stone in place. Lucky for us earlier it was still frozen in place. The stone was 8-10 cubic feet and weight 200-300 pounds. Not good if we had pulled that out on top of ourselves on the way up!
We re-assessed our situation and decided to try to negotiate the slope around the rocky corner. This proved dangerous as the slope was frozen solid and we were staring at the 3,000 drop off. So we went back to the corner. We decided to pull the chockstone out since it was going to come out sooner or later. We gave it a nudge with an axe and the stone shot out of the corner, rocketed down the slope and came to rest about 60 feet down in the soft snow. Now the corner was a simple down climb!
We made the gap and rested. Then descended the gully in easy conditions. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching other groups ascend and descend the gully in various stages of exhaustion. After an early dinner, I hiked out on the Iceberg plateau and made phone calls to friends and family.
Sunday found us anxious to complete the trip and return home. I didn't eat well Saturday night or Sunday morning and bonked at the ledges. Not a good place to run out of energy. After some sugar from Rich and Matt, I found my legs and we competed the hike out to the portal. After a well-earned hamburger at the portal, we were on our way home.
Climbing Whitney in alpine style has been goal ever since I started climbing way back in college. I couldn't have picked a better group to climb Whitney with. The conditions were challenging but not extreme. The weather was amazing. As usual the scenery was spectacular. Can't wait to return with Matt and do the East Face or Buttress!
Mark
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