Summit register placed there by the person whose name appears on the cover with the elevation and the date.June 12, 2010
Start: 0830. Mt. Whitney Trailhead
Summit: 1430 via Mountaineer's Route and Secret Route
End: 1900. Mirror Lake, Mt. Whitney Trail, Old Stock Trail and Whitney Portal Store.
Total: 10.5 hours
Approximate distance: 12 miles (approximate).
Members: Bob R (ranger), Jay (counsel), Steve C. (computer programmer), me, and my wife.
Pre-hike meal: Biscuits and gravy at the Alabama Hills Cafe.
Post-hike meal: Fries and a cold one.
Notes:
No issues with acute mountain sickness. Not even a headache. Not bad for not acclimatizing.
Used no filter for the water. Drank straight from the source.
High Sierra Cafe: Will never eat there again. The service and food were lousy. The crowds are gone. They only accept cash.
Alabama Hills Cafe: Next to the laundromat has gone from serving pastries to cooking up some very tasty food.
Subway: If the Moose Burger at the Portal Store is too much to your tastebuds, you can head downhill to the Subway across from the grocery store.
Whitney Portal Hostel: Four bunkbeds to a room. Towels, sheets, pillows, mattress are provided. Our room did not have a television, microwave, refrigerator, iron and ironing board, and hairdryer. There was a clock radio. No closets. For $59.00 a night (not including tax), it was worth it. You can move the bunkbeds together or place the mattresses on the floor. The lobby of the hostel has items you can find at the Portal Store, except a hungry bear. You have an option of the alpenglow or the alley view. The alpenglow comes with truck traffic, the alley view comes with an alley.
Espresso Parlor: Still serves up delicious hot coffee.
La Florista: The one and only floral shop no longer exists.
Lone Pine Film History Museum: For $5.00 you get your money's worth!
The Dirty Half-Dozen.
Canyon.
Going up the switchbacks at the start of the Mountaineer's Route.
The start of the MR.
On the MR.
Long way up.
Bob contemplating his next move.
The "other" side.
Steve and Bob.
Smile.
This is fun.
Maybe we wind up there?
Getting ready for the "thicket" of things.
More brush.
Chainsaw not needed...yet.
Taking a breather.
To the E-Ledges we go.
Steve and Bob.
Owens Valley.
Class 2 climbing.
That's a long way down!
"If there are no mountains in heaven, I'm not going there." -- Bob R
Steve.
Owens Valley.
Heading up.
Spectacular vistas.
Two options: You can stay to the right of the stream, or you can venture up the left of it.
We stay to the right.
A perspective.
Can you spot the other hikers?
Looking back.
Owens Valley.
Waterfall.
Steve documenting the route.
Fantabulous.
Cascade.
Walk this way.
Thick brush up ahead.
Getting my machete.
Maybe not.
Getting closer to Lower Boy Scout Lake.
At LBSL.
So far, so good.
Tranquility.
We came from there.
Refilling our water bottles. This is the last place to get water before the summit. No filter required.
Resting.
Granite walls.
I know that mountain!
The igloo that isn't there...
Okay, now what do we do?
We are going up there somewhere.
I think we are suppose to go this way.
Lower Boy Scout Lake below.
Kickstepping.
A walk into the clouds.
Ooze.
Are we there yet?
Storm clouds moving in.
We will eventually stop up there to rest.
Awe inspiring.
Our path is up that brown strip.
Yeti?
This is fun.
Almost break time.
Mt. Whitney in the background.
Literally breathtaking.
We came up from somewhere down there.
Owens Valley and the White Mountains.
Just above tree line.
Getting ready to move out.
Mt. Whitney in the clouds just to the left.
Objective: Thor's Peak summit to the right.
Looking towards Owens Valley and the Alabama Hills and the holy city of Lone Pine.
Mt. Russell looming way in the background. Of all the California's fifteen 14ers at 14,088 feet, Mt. Russell is the hardest to climb. Mt. Carillon ( 13,552 ft.) is the peak to the right.
Getting to the summit is just "half" the fun.
Getting there eventually.
Jay resting up for the final push to the summit.
"Never grow up." -- Bob R
Getting closer to the summit.
Chilling out...literally!
Granite sentinels everywhere.
My beautiful wife with Lone Pine Peak in the background.
Bob R. signing in. He has climbed to the top of Thor Peak 80 times. Yes, 80 times! “The worst day mountaineering beats the best day fishing.”
Nice saddle.
Steve surveying below.
Upper Boy Scout Lake and Mt. Russell in the background.
Bob R., my wife, and Steve.
This is where we start going down.
Another look towards Mt. Whitney.
The way down is this way.
????
One step at a time.
Another peek at Whitney...yep, still there.
If we only had rock skis.
Mirror Lake
Mirror Lake.
Being careful not to step in bear scat. No bears were sighted.
Fresh air.
The stream crossing.
Fallen log, raging stream.
Looking down at Bighorn Park.
The trail down to Outpost Camp.
The purest water in the world percolates here at Bighorn Park.
Wotan's Throne in the upper center of the picture.
We were waaaaaay over there.
The "Sidewalk." This is a shortcut that takes you from Bighorn Park down to between the Lone Pine Lake junction and the log crossing. It saves about 3/4 of a mile.
Down the Sidewalk.
The Sidewalk looking back.
Log crossing.
The Cascades. It is here another shortcut starts.
This shortcut is known as the "Bush Growing over Boulder. " Look for a bush growing over a boulder. Stay to the left, you get down safely. Veer to the right and you are in for a very long day.
Jay.The following photos are compliments of Bob R. and Jay. Steve and mine to follow. There may be some duplicates but I am in the process of putting them in chronological order.
The start. The gentleman on the far left, Dave, hiked with us for only a few moments before turning back.
At the summit area.
At Lower Boy Scout Lake. This is my "obituary" picture when Bob took this.
Group photo at the summit.
At Outpost Camp Spring. Purest water in the Sierra Nevada.
Coming down. Yes, no ropes.
Coming down.
My wife lending a hand.
Having fun in scree and talus and falling rocks.
Trailhead
Into the clearing. Gearing up for Elephant Ears.
Second thoughts floweth...
My wife getting a foothold.
"Let's 'doo' that again."
Bushwhack time.
Scrambling up.
Foot by foot.
Now, the fun part begins.
Close to the start of the Eberbachers Ledges."
On the E Ledges.
E Ledges.
Finishing up E Ledges.
Well, at least Steve anyways.
Just another yard.
This ain't easy.
Bob encouraging my wife.
And away we go...
Now, where is that trail?
Oh, it's up there!
Follow me.
To the next level.
Allowing our hearts to return to our chests.
Getting easier.
Sidling.
Making our way up.
Through more brush.
Wait! I think the trail is this way!
Stream crossing.
Lower Boy Scout Lake. The water is so pure, you don't need a filter.
Me snow traversing.
My wife and I snow traversing. It was her first traverse in the snow.
Lower Boy Scout Lake waaaaay down below.
Postholing. God, I love it whenever I posthole!
Maneuvering on the scree.
More snow traversing.
A perspective.
In the middle of it all.
The summit is the last outcropping on the right. Doesn't look like it from here, but it is.
We are lost.
More scrambling.
My wife and I looking at the 99s. I kept inverting my cap to keep one side dry. Note the tag sticking out.
My wife and Whitney covered by the cloud. I love this shot.
Steve and Bob at the true summit, while I prepare to grab the summit register and my wife looks towards Whitney.
On top of the world while taking a moment to relax and take it all in.
We are halfway there. We are at the "getting down is mandatory part." During our summit stop, snow started to fall.
Mt. Whitney. Been there, done that.
Heading down.
Steep descent.
Going down.
Making our way down the talus.
Resting and taking it all in.
Here we go again.
Down, down, down. Mirror Lake is to the bottom right.
Mirror Lake above Outpost Camp.
Leaning in.
More to go.
It is here my pack prevents me from descending.
The pack comes off and I hand it to Steve.
“If religions disappeared, would wars too?”-- Bob R.
My wife retying her show after dumping out the grit in her boots. Note the reflection in Mirror Lake.
At lake level.
The log crossing at the east end.
Coming down to Bighorn Park and Outpost Camp.
The log crossing on the Main Trail.
This picture was taken right at the start of the hike. The saddle is where Lone Pine Lake is. Weather forecase called for windy and cold conditions. Doesn't look like it here...
In the clear.
Not in the clear. I carried both ice axes. Kept getting "limbed" so I had to back up and crawl lower.
The Elephant Ear ahead. We had no idea that we were in for...
...some 3rd class climbing.
Jay heading to the little ledge.
I wanted "1st class," not "3rd class."
Steve answering his cellphone. Not really.
On the Elephant Ear. If you are acrophobic, you don't wanna do this. You can opt for the trail on the other side, but you have two stream crossings.
Almost to the start of the Ebersbacher Ledges.
Almost to the end of the Ebersbacher Ledges.
Thor's Peak dead center ahead.
Clouds coming in at the crest. We came across two female hikers. They said it was white out conditions near Upper Boy Scout Lake.
Lower Boy Scout Lake.
Steve getting water from LBSL. No filtration needed.
Bottoms up!
The "Secret Route."
Here we go a "kick steppin'."
We are heading up that way!
One misstep and I go for a slide. LBSL is down there at the upper right of the picture.
Thor's summit is so close yet so far to go.
Our rest stop will be the just beyond that brownish saddle.
Almost to the top. At this point, in order for me to take my mind off from the 1,000 feet to the summit, I started counting steps. I stop at 50, look up and recount again. Considering my wife and I didn't acclimate, we didn't suffer any acute mountain sickness...not even a headache.
The 99ers. On this day there were hikers going up the chute on either side of that spur of exposed rock on the northern flank.
Mt. Irvine and Mirror Lake.
Looking towards Trail Crest way in the back.
Clouds capping Mecca West.
Upper Boy Scout Lake.
Coming down.
Steve down the chute first...
...while we follow.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeee in the scree!
Mirror Lake below.
Descending down a dicey part.
There, almost done.
A much deserved break. "Will climb for food," says Bob R
Yes, we were up there.
The northern shore of Mirror Lake.
The "Sidewalk" from Outpost Camp down to the Lone Pine Lake junction. Notice Lone Pine Lake just to the center right of the picture.
No escalators here.
This is fun.
Doe in the distance. I was ready to protect my wife once more!
Who is that behind me? Why it's Dan! Where'd he come from?
Dan, Martha and TJ finished the Stemwinder of Thor. Stemwinder requires some rope.
Reward. That is Bob R.'s plate. My wife and I split an order of fries. They were delicious. When you are on the trail for more than 10 hours, you deserve it. As Bob R will say, "Will climb for beer."WHAT A GREAT DAY!
Wherever I may roam...
