Mount Carillon, 13552 (3x) Mount Russell, 14088 (4x) Mount Whitney, 14500 (6x) Keeler Needle, 14239 (1x) Mount Muir, 14012 (3x) Solo Dayhike - 5 Peaks 6/18/05 Log 04:30am - Departed trailhead 04:46am - Reached North Fork trail 05:14am - Reached E-Ledges 05:44am - Reached LBSL 06:35am - Left trail and headed for the slope up to Russell 08:05am - Reached edge of the Russell/Carillon plateau 08:56am - Reached summit of Mount Carillon 09:12am - Left summit 09:25am - Back to the Russell/Carillon Saddle 10:58am - Reached Russell's East summit 11:20am - Reached Russell's West summit 11:32am - Left summit 11:47am - Reached top of descent route to South Slope 01:00pm - Reached the frozen pond between Russell & Whitney 02:51pm - Topped out 03:02pm - Reached summit of Mount Whitney 03:16pm - Left summit 03:32pm - Headed up to Keeler Needle 03:42pm - Reached summit of Keeler Needle 03:57pm - Returned to Whitney trail 04:23pm - Left trail for Muir 04:40pm - Reached summit of Muir 04:53pm - Returned to Whitney trail 05:12pm - Reached Trail Crest 06:18pm - Reached Trail Camp 07:25pm - Reached Lone Pine Lake sign 08:19pm - Reached North Fork Lone Pine Creek 08:33pm - Returned to trailhead Stats Time from trailhead to LBSL: 1 hr 14 mins Time from trailhead to Carillon: 4 hrs 26 mins Time from Carillon to Russell: 2 hrs 8 mins Time from Russell (summit) to Whitney: 3 hrs 22 mins Time from Russell/Whitney saddle (the pond) to Whitney: 2 hrs 2 mins Time to do Keeler Needle and back to trail: 25 mins Time to do Mount Muir and back to trail: 30 mins Time from Trail Crest back to trailhead: 3 hrs 21 mins (a proper glissade would have shaved off at least 30 mins) Total Time: 16 hrs 3 mins Total Gain: ~8350 feet Distance: ~17 mi RT Notes Estimating Keeler Needle to be 209 feet above the trail Heights of Whitney Subpeaks (from Peakbagger.com) Keeler Needle (14,239 ft/4340 m) Crooks Peak (14,173 ft/4320 m) Third Needle (14,108 ft/4300 m) Split Mountain (14,058 ft/4285 m) Aiguille Extra (14,042 ft/4280 m) Aiguille du Paquoir (13,976 ft/4260 m) Aiguille Junior (13,911 ft/4240 m) S'brutal Tower (13,911 ft/4240 m) Some of these heights differ significantly from Secor REPORT (Posted on the Whitney Portal Store Message Board) On Satuday (6/18) I dayhiked Carillon, Russell, Whitney, Keeler Needle, and Muir from the Portal. In the process I took a good deal of photographs. My route was nearly identical to a hike I did last September, though this time I got one more peak despite all the snow. My ascent up Mount Russell was via the East Ridge. I descended the South Headwall of Russell and then ascended Whitney via the mostly snow covered North Face. Then on the way down the main trail I did Keeler Needle and Mt Muir. For those going up the North Fork, there's no snow until after Lower Boy Scout Lake. Beyond that you traverse part of a snowfield (below Thor Peak) until you reach the slabs. The slabs were also clear of snow so you can get to Upper Boy Scout Lake without having to deal with very much snow. Above UBSL you'll be mostly on snow. Snow coverage in the couloir up to the Whitney Notch still looks good. The sandy slope above UBSL that leads to the Russell/Carillon saddle had a strip of snow most of the way up so that you don't have so much sand to deal with (this strip of snow is what enticed me in the first place). I put on the crampons and ascended the strip of snow to the upper saddle/plateau between Russell and Carillon. It was still strenuous. Unlike the weekend before when the condition of the snow was excellent, low temps a night or two before had frozen the snow into hard icy stuff. There were also a lot of sun-cups which made the snow uneven. The East Ridge of Mount Russell is pretty much devoid of any significant snow except for a patch just below the East summit (visible from the Russell/Carillon saddle). This patch is steep (and looks scary from the saddle), but a nice path through the snow was left by previous parties. I had my ice axe out and made sure I planted it well, but I did not bother to put my crampons on. This is not a place you want to slip however. Between the east and west summits I did not enounter any significant snow. There was no significant snow when I descended the South Headwall and down the south slope. As expected, the North Face of Whitney had large snowfields and after a few minutes of ascending I was able to stay on snow most of the way to the top. Again the snow was hard and here it had more fins and ridges than suncups. It was definitely not optimal but was far better to ascend than to descend and I was glad I wasn't going back this way. From Whitney down to Trail Crest there are some patches of snow but nothing that requires the use of crampons or ice axe. Mount Muir was completely free of snow as was the Keeler Needle. The snow slope to the side of the switchbacks is another matter. I had hoped that it would soften up in the late afternoon so that I could have a nice quick glissade down to Trail Camp. This was not the case. It was about 5:15pm when I reached Trail Crest. The snow on the slope was just as hard and unpleasant as that which I had encountered earlier in the day. Unfortunately I now had to descend this stuff. I started to do a glissade but quickly found this to be painful (due to the hard icy snow) and a bit dangerous. My shell pants were ripped up in no time. I tried moving around to a sunnier part of the slope but could not find any soft snow. For awhile I alternated between trying to glissade and simply walking down the slope. Neither method was pleasant. A few times I tried using glissade chutes left by others. These chutes were smooth and slick. The snow was too hard to push the ice axe handle into. I had to resort to some creative use of the ice axe to control the descent. Eventually I was passed by two individuals who were walking down the slope with crampons on. This appeared to be the optimal way down and I was annoyed that I hadn't done this from the beginning. I stopped, put on my crampons, and then cramponed down to Trail Camp. What I was hoping would take 5 minutes took an hour. I should also point out that it didn't appear that anyone has used the switchbacks yet. While the upper switchbacks are mostly clear, the area where the cables are is still packed with snow. Thus, at the moment, the snow slope is still the only option. Bring an ice axe and crampons and be especially careful! If you're camping at Trail Camp you shouldn't have a problem finding a dry spot and you can obtain water from the small lake. Despite the complication below Trail Crest I made good time back to the Portal. I used a bypass trail that kept me on snow most of the way down to Lone Pine Lake. Fortunately this snow was just a bit softer and I was able to take large strides. It was a very direct route unlike the meandering main trail. A lot of this snow can probably be bypassed if you stick to the main trail though I think above Mirror Lake you will be mostly on snow to Trail Camp. ute unlike the meandering main trail. A lot of this snow can probably be bypassed if you stick to the main trail though I think above Mirror Lake you will be mostly on snow to Trail Camp. ADDITIONAL INFO Unlike a week before, it was on the cold side and a bit breezy at times. Overnight freezing had left a few icy and slippery spots on the trail up to LBSL. I debated whether to bring the heavy fleece. Since I'm more often hot than cold I just brought an upper thermal layer, light fleece sweater, and a rain shell. This turned out to be enough but just barely. I also had a pair of shell pants to put on over my hiking pants and I wore gaiters. The only special gear I brought included ice axe and crampons. I debated whether to bring my helmet but was already heavier than I wanted to be. I figured that as long as I didn't go up the MR to the notch I should be alright. This was the case. The only area I felt a little concerned about rockfall was just below Russell's South Headwall.