Mount Whitney (15x) Main Trail Rick Kent Richard Piotrowski Spent the night on the summit in the hut (on purpose). Report Mount Whitney - Main Trail Dec 1-2, 2006 After our torturous dayhike on Whitney last year you might think Richard and I would be at least a bit hesitant about another December climb. Perhaps not. Richard Piotrowski and I joined up again for another December adventure. This time we decided we'd make things easier and haul heavy packs all the way to the summit. Oh wait, that's not easier. Well anyway that was the plan. We spent Saturday night on the summit in the highest hotel room in the contiguous states. Our journey began a little after 8am Saturday morning (12/1). At the Portal we met Doug Forbes (another fellow WPSMB poster). He too was making a trip up the main trail. Richard and I decided to leave the tent behind and brought only our bivy sacks and sleeping bags. By 8:16am we were on our way up the trail. For December there was surprisingly little snow. There was however quite a bit of thin ice on the trail so we had to watch our footing. A few places (near water sources) were particularly icy but nothing near as challenging as what we saw on the North Fork side in the past couple of weeks. As we neared Outpost Camp we smelled something burning. We talked to two fellows who were heading down. The forest service was burning the remains of the former outhouse at Outpost Camp. Apparently, the day before, the flames were 80 feet high. At Trailside Meadow we filled up with what we accurately guessed would be our last source of running water. The meadow was almost completely frozen but there was a thin spot where we could get to the water. We arrived at Trail Camp at 12:25pm. This would be where most people would stop and camp. Not us. Our campsite for the night was at 14,500 feet. Shortly up the switchbacks we veered right and headed for the snow slope below Trail Crest. Under appropriate conditions this slope is good for crampons and avoids the sometimes dangerous cable section of the switchbacks. At first things went well. The snow was firm and excellent for crampons. Further up we started to hit some soft patches. By the time we were half way up we could no longer locate any firm snow and were beginning to posthole with increasing difficulty. This was the same problem we had last December, only this time we had heavy packs stuffed with clothing and sleeping gear. Eventually Richard had enough and suggested we move off toward the rocks. This was slightly better but still a struggle with deep holes around the rocks. When we ran out of rocks we had to move back onto continuous snow. Just like last time, the closer we got to Trail Crest the harder it became. The snow was pure uncompressed powder and it would sometimes take several minutes of nearly futile struggling to get one single step forward. Trail Crest seemed tantalizingly close but a nearly impossible point to reach. Having gone this far though, we weren't giving up. Onward and upward we pushed. Nearing Trail Crest we encountered one final obstacle. Under 6 inches of powder we hit steep submerged frozen ice. From experience I guessed (though it wasn't visible) that there might be a gap between the ice and the rock face. I was right. Here we were able to get a footing in the powder between the ice and rock. We reached Trail Crest at 3:45pm and were able to warm ourselves in the remaining afternoon sun. With the hardest part behind us we now proceeded on to the summit. We figured we may or may not reach the summit before dark, but it didn't really matter. The hut would be our sanctuary. Just like the lower parts of the trail, the trail leading up to the summit had a lot of thin ice. While the conditions were not exceptionally dangerous we were forced to proceed at a fairly slow pace. The heavy packs didn't help. The warm orange glow at sunset on the crest was a beautiful sight. Just beyond Keeler Needle we finally donned headlamps and proceeded to the summit in the dark. We were now spent and could quite clearly feel the elevation much more acutely than we would if we had light day packs. The last quarter mile to the summit seemed to take forever with a short rest every couple minutes. We reached the summit at 6:15pm. Over the past 30 minutes or so it had gotten rather windy and cold. Though there was a pile of snow inside the door of the hut, we would at least be sheltered. The temperature was 20 deg F. Inside the hut we prepared our accomodations. Richard brought a small propane heater. This increased the temperature at least a few degrees. My stove helped too. I think we got the temperature all the way up to about 30 degrees (toasty!) while heating up water to make dinner. While both Richard and I brought freeze dried dinners we both opted for top ramen (in the cup) instead. I didn't really feel like eating much else. During the night the effects of going from near sea level to 14,500 feet took their toll. I thought the cold would be our biggest problem. Not so. We were plenty warm. In fact I was a bit too warm. Part way through the night I awoke with a splitting headache. I was also quite thirsty and probably dehydrated. I knew I had some ibuprofen somewhere in the bottom of my pack, but couldn't find my headlamp. So I gave up and for hours tried to live with the pain. The pants I had on didn't make things any more comfortable. The side zippers would dig into my thighs every time I turned onto my sides. I also needed to take a wiz but didn't want to leave my warm cocoon. As the headache grew worse I also became nauseous. Occasionally I would hear the hut's permanent occupant (a mouse) rummaging through our stuff or running by my head. Eventually (closer to morning) I found my headlamp and took some ibuprofen but (at least for me) it was a long and miserable night. By morning I was far more tired than when I first tried to go to sleep. In the morning after the sun came up it was again about 20 deg F. This was actually rather mild. The weekend before when I was at Upper Boy Scout Lake it was 14 deg F. Neither Richard nor I were much motivated to leave our warm sleeping bags. Slowly we got up, layered on the clothing, and gathered snow to melt for water. Melting snow for water takes forever but it was our only option. We didn't eat much for breakfast (just a snack or two). Once we melted sufficient water and repacked our backpacks we prepared for our long descent back down. The last thing we did (besides admiring the always stunning view) was sign into the register. I was the last person to have signed in from my trip up the Mountaineers Route the weekend before. At Trail Crest we put on our crampons and decided to head down the switchbacks. The snow on the switchbacks made for good footing and the cables section proved to be pretty trivial. The ice at the cables was buried by sufficient snow to provide a safe path. Just above the cables we passed a couple that was headed up. Back down at Trail Camp we rested in the warm sun. It was an amazingly nice day. Little or no breeze and pleasantly warm in the sun. We couldn't have asked for better. A few hours later and we were back down to the Portal. Next to burgers at the Portal, pizza at the Pizza Factory is a close second. Log 12/1/06 08:16am - Departed Whitney Portal trailhead 08:38am - North Fork Lone Pine Creek crossing 09:38am - Lone Pine Creek log crossing 10:15am - Outpost Camp 10:45am - Mirror Lake 11:27am - Trailside Meadow 12:25pm - Trail Camp 03:45pm - Trail Crest 06:15pm - Mount Whitney Summit 12/2/06 08:53am - Departed the summit 10:01am - Trail Crest 11:27am - Trail Camp 12:00pm - Trailside Meadow 12:51pm - Outpost Camp 02:17pm - Whitney Portal Trailhead Temps 30F in Lone Pine at 7:30am Sat morning 33F at the Portal 7:45am Sat morning 20F on summit Sat night @ 6:30pm 20F on summit Sun morning 33F at Portal 2:30pm Sun (but it was pleasantly warm higher up in the sun) Notes Pack weight: 27 pounds + 4 pounds water above Trailside Meadow