Mt. Whitney Mountaineer's Route July 2011

On July 8, 2011, son-in-law Casey, friend Greg, friend Jim and I tackled the Mt. Whitney Mountaineer's Route. We got off to a late start at about 4:15 a.m. The Moutaineer's Route is a popular but unofficial route to the top of Mt. Whitney, with Class 4/5 ascents at times. Much of the way is without any kind of marked trail.

Friend Jim left our group and returned to the trail head about 90 minutes beyond the trail head. He had had a fall recently and did't want to tackle difficult rock climbing. There is a ledge that has some exposed hiking right below Lower Boy Scout Lake. I went back with him through the ledge to make sure he was on he way back safely.

The Route took us past Lower Boy Scout Lake, Upper Boy Scout Lake and then Iceberg Lake. We hit Iceberg Lake at around 10:30 or so. We were going too slowly.


At Iceberg Lake we could see three climbers on the East Buttress. They probably spent the night on the face. Iceberg Lake is at about 12,000 feet. It was frozen solid, unlike a year ago when Tadd, Greg and I did this route. There was lots of slow.

Up the chute we went. Greg might have been slowing at this time and he started showing signs of altitude sickness. Near the top of the chute we put our crampons on. Finally, we made it to the "notch."

I didn't want to do the final ascent up the steep shelf to the summit and I talked the guys into doing some traversing to find an easier way up. We didn't and we got, at least in my mind, rim-rocked on a ledge about 80 feet below the summit plateau.

Greg was feeling sick but we were carrying all of his climbing gear, including his new rope. Greg was able to get us all roped up and he made the final push to the top, setting anchors along the way. Being the weakest vertical climber, and subject to extreme vertigo at times, the guys sent me up first behind Greg. I removed the anchors and Greg belayed me up. I fell once and Greg was there to stop the fall. Over the lip! The bags and Casey followed and we summitted. It was very late in the day.

Down we went; Greg wanted to go back the way we came but I didn't like his looks. But, when we hit the trail summit on the way down (we connect to the main trail from the peak at a place called "Trail Summit" at 13,800 feet) Greg decided to do what looked like a dangerous glissade and so he left us.

But, we were able to meet up at 12,000 feet at Summit Lake or whatever it is called, "Trail Camp." It was now dark. As we started trudging through the snow towards that upper lake, Greg became very sick and fell and gashed his head severely. There was blood everywhere, but Casey had enough smarts to bring some medical supplies. That and duct tape and we bandaged Greg up.

Greg didn't have anything wrong with his brains, it seemed, and he got back on his feet and away we went. We arrived at the trailhead shortly before dawn.

Greg was still in the hospital last I saw. We need him for Mt. Rainier in August.