Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Descend MR or hiking trail?

Hi: I'm aiming to go up MR in September, and was planning on descending the hiking trail. However I read the following post: Whitney Mountaineers Route: Easy Walk Off from the Notch, and am now wondering if descending MR would be a good idea.

We're quite fast in descending hiking routes, but 11 miles is still a long distance. I've also read trip reports where people get a bit lost on the descent of MR.

For those that have descended both routes, in summer conditions, which is your preference, and why?

Thanks,

K

I hope others will give you their input, but answering the difficulty of descending:

If you successfully go UP the MR, you will not have any trouble finding your way back down. There are only a few key places that you need to pay attention, and once you have found your way, getting home is easy.

Maybe some people find descending the "Final 400" above the Notch intimidating, so if you have trouble descending, maybe the "Easy Walkoff" route would feel safer.

Thanks Steve, that's reassuring. Would you happen to know how much quicker (approximately) it is to descend MR than the hiking trail? I imagine the part between the final 400 towards Iceberg Lake would take a bit of time.

Over 20 years ago I did the MR approach to get to one of the rock climbs, and we descended the hiking trail. At the time I used to do my approaches in Tevas. We were running down the hiking trail and I ended up twisting my ankle pretty badly. I have a memory of sticking my foot in a stream just off the trail, some time after the twist. So that ate up the time we had saved by our previously quick descent. I remember all the people we had passed, were passing me. Nowadays I'm in hiking boots.

K

Several years ago, I descended both routes on the same day. I went up and back down the MR, took a short break, and then went up the MR a second time. I was concerned about making a route-finding mistake in the dark while exhausted, so I descended the main trail. It took a lot longer than the MR would have taken, but there was less chance falling or getting lost in the dark. If I did another double, I would stick to the MR. However, you can always make that decision on the summit.

I've taken as long as 7 hours descending the main trail -- had major toe pain. But 5 hours is pretty good time.

Going down the MR is quicker, if your quads can handle the steep descent. The main trail just seems to go on forever with those switchbacks and gentle descent.

You will meet far more people descending the main trail, if that is what you want. The MR is much more a quiet wilderness experience.

In 2012 a companion and I hiked up the MR. My companion returned via the MR, while I came down via the Main Trail. We both arrived at the parking lot at the same time. Our time down was 5 hours. I did stop to refill water at switch back #22/23 (10 minutes). My companion said he "took his time" and took several pictures while descending.

For me, the MR is not a good choice for the descent. There are many places where you need to take long steps down, and I find that after a while my knees object to this. You may not have this issue.

I have seen indirect references to people losing the trail while descending, so pay close attention to the route while you are going up. Remember to watch for the pine tree when going back down the E ledges.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated. I guess I'll keep an open mind, and decide at the top. It will also depend on the time we summit and how we feel, as I wouldn't want to descend MR in the dark. Our permit date is Sept. 1, and I don't want to start in the dark, as I've read some reports of people starting the MR in the dark and getting lost.

K

if you start with enough time to get to the e-ledges when the sun is rising, you should easily have enough time to summit the MR, then go back down the main trail before dark.