Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports TR for July 20-22 - A Family Affair

** This was Barb and Brianne's first trip up the mountain, and also their first time backpacking, so we took it slow and steady, with regular breaks. I was carrying 36 pounds (big-ass bear can!) and Barb had 33 (she can never have enough water). Joe had 31 and Bri weighed in with 17.

**After clearing the 97th switchback, the long traverse to Trail Crest has 3 snowfields. The first two are deeply trenched and supported by rocks and boulders just beneath them, so they were not an issue. The 3rd one, however, has the real risk and exposure. It is directly above the snow chute that is used to access Trail Crest in winter conditions, and the chute is still completely filled with snow. This area is not trenched and is maybe a foot wide, so there is nothing to stop a mistake from carrying you 1600 vertical feet into the boulders at the bottom of the chute.

**A lot of people were wigging out over this crossing, and some were turning back, so we left it up to Brianne to decide whether to continue on or call it a day. Although she was clearly scared of the exposure and slippery footing (damn those spikes back in the car trunk!), she voted to continue. Slow, careful baby-steps on the soft snow trail, using trekking poles for stability, got her across fine. Bri even received a big hurrah when she completed the traverse from a group gathered on the opposite side waiting for their turn to cross, and that made her feel much better about it. I can honestly say, though, that the prospect of Bri having to repeat that one snow crossing was constantly on my mind the remainder of the day.


** Brianne began to show signs of real fatigue. We'd stop every 10 minutes or so for a brief break, and she would lean on something. That's not normal for her and indicated to Barb and I that she was reaching her limit. We also ran across Rob, the Crabtree Ranger, and he advised us to be back across the snow chute well before the sun got off of it.

** We were a bit over a mile from the summit at this point. Barb and I discussed it and decided that, given the way Brianne was flagging on her pace, that it would be safest to turn back. We didn't want her crossing that chute when it was icing or while she was exhausted. Bri didn't like the decision and shed a few tears at not being able to tag the summit, but again, this trip was about introducing my girls to Whitney, not necessarily summiting. Getting back down safely was the priority, so we turned back with the summit hut in view. I don't regret it one bit - we got across the chute safely, but by the time Joe hit it on his return (yes, he summited again!), it was icing and getting a bit treacherous. He didn't care for that crossing at all!


**The best part of this year's Eastern Sierra visit, though, was watching Barb and Bri mature as hikers and take on a challenge that neither could have comprehended a year ago. Last year they hiked from the Portal to Lone Pine Lake, and Barb told me that was the toughest hike she had ever done in her life. Now she's knocked off Kearsarge Pass, Cathedral Peak, Mt. Dana, and nine-tenths of Mt. Whitney. You've come a long way, baby! I'm so proud of Barb and Bri for the way they tackled this mountain - at this rate I'll be chasing them up Whitney next year.