Mt. Russell
July 9, 2016
On Saturday, five of us (Peter C, Julian, Sarah D, Paul A, and I) summitted Mt Russell (14088 feet).
Sarah got there a day early and managed to score five walk-in permits for us. Great job!
At Sarah's insistance, we started incredibly early in the morning. We set a pretty fast pace up the North Fork route, getting up to 11000 feet in about two hours. I wanted to try the north-side Rockwell approach that Steve at WhitneyZone suggested, but I didn't research it well enough and didn't want to attempt it in the dark. The north fork route is pretty cruiser, and the two creek crossings were easier than expected, given the higher water flow this time of year.
Around 11200 feet, we left the standard North Fork route and turned northwest, up the sandy slope of Mt Carillon's southeast face. Our pace slowed as we took numerous food breaks and admired the alpenglow and beautiful sunrise over Lone Pine.
At 12800 feet, the slope levels off into a sandy plateau and it's a mild half mile to the Russell-Carillon saddle. It's here that the fun begins. Russell's east ridge is a class 2-3 affair with growing exposure as one gets closer to the summit. The scrambling along this ridgeline is fantastic. One can choose to stay at the very spine of the ridge for maximum exposure, or keep to the north of the ridge for a safer scramble.
From the saddle, it's a half mile to the lower east summit. The photo opportunities here are sublime, especially where the fishhook arete meets the crest. After a rest on the east summit, we continued to the true summit. It was a nice, sunny day with a gentle breeze (which, as forecast, would blow strong the next day). We spent over an hour and a half on the summit, napping, eating, taking photos, and admiring the amazing views around us. Mt Whitney looks amazing from up here!
Our rapid ascent and my inadequate caloric intake left me feeling pretty crappy and moving slowly. The scramble down the ridge line was fun (though punctuated by two bouts of vomit), and the sand down Carillon's southeast face provided a quick and soft descent. From here, we descended back down the north fork route, stopping occasionally to snack and wait for me to catch up (thanks guys!).
The descent always seems so much longer at the end of the day. I finally got to finish and see Whitney Portal in the light! In all my previous climbs up Whitney, I've always started and finished in the dark.
Mt Russell Timesheet
0143 - Start
0155 - Carillon Creek
0201 - North Fork turnoff
0234 - Second creek crossing
0308 - LBSL
0355 - Base of southeast face of Carillon
0620 - 12800 ft plateau
0709 - Russell-Carillon saddle
0913 - False (east) summit
0950 - Summit!
1130 - Depart summit
1146 - False (east) summit
1300 - Russell-Carillon saddle
1325 - 12800 ft plateau
1412 - Base of southeast face of Carillon
1454 - LBSL
1536 - Second creek crossing
1607 - North Fork turnoff
1613 - Carillon Creek
1624 - Finish!
Early dawn, headlamp at the top of Whitney
The needles, Whitney, and Russell
Thor Peak, Mt Irvine in the center
The sandy scree slope up the southeast face of Carillon
Sunrise
Sunrise behind a gendarme
Sunrise behind Lone Pine Peak
Unnamed lake and Mt Irvine
Up the sandy scree slog with pretty flowers
Alpenglow
The sky getting lighter
Mt Whitney shining brightly
Russell's shadows and the fishook arete in the sun
Russell-Carillon saddle
Whitney
Whitney-Russell saddle, foggy lens
Tulainyo Lake
The beginning of the east ridge
Polemonium flowers
Me with Whitney in the background
Serious exposure
Peter on a tower
Jumping the notch
View of the summit from the east (false) summit
Looking west to Mt Morgenson
Looking south to Mt Whitney
Summit group
