July 4th 2000
| The Running Springs Fourteener Hogs decided to climb Mount Russell, (14,086) this year for our July 4th trip. We are attempting to climb all the peaks over 14,000 feet in California and Colorado. There are 15 peaks over 14,000 feet in CA and 54 in CO. This year the trip would be different in that Gene was undergoing cancer treatment at Loma Linda proton treatment center. Our first day, Friday, would start with Gene picking John and I up at 6AM and heading to Loma Linda for his 32nd of 38 treatments. While he was being prepared and bombarded with protons, John and I received the royal tour. We undoubtedly saw more than Gene wanted us to. After a short delay because of a problem in the proton positioning computer, we were on our way. We needed to make more that the usual stops driving to Lone Pine so Gene could could re-adjust his body to something closer to normal. The remainder of Friday was spent picking up our permits & carbo loading at PJ's. Saturday started for us with the sun highlighting our destination just to the right of Mount Whitney. |
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| After about a mile up the Whitney Portal trail you turn right at the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek. Our guide book said to stay on the south side of the creek, so south side it was. If you make this trip use the north side trail, it has been improved since the book was published. The North Fork of Lone Pine Creek is narrow, alder filled, & extremely steep. The trail starts on the north side, crosses over to the south and climbs above the alder and brush. The foxtail pine marking Clyde's Traverse was easy to located on the granite wall of the north side. Cross the canyon again and the traverse will move you up & out of the creek bottom. |
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Lunch
and a short nap were a welcome break at Lower Boy Scout Lake Mt. Whitney and the needles can be seen just to the left of the tree. |
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Cross the stream again at the east end of Lower Boy
Scout Lake and and enjoy the pines here. They will be the last until
you return. Leaving the lake the steep boulder field on the south side
of the stream flattens to large granite slabs with cascading small streams.
The water level was down so we chose to stay on the granite slabs which
lead directly west to Upper Boy Scout Lake. There were several other
tents set up here for climbers on the Mountaineer's Route of Whitney.
We located a great camp site northeast of the lake.
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| Sunday started with a beautiful sunrise that bathed the mountain in a warn orange glow. We took the southeast approach from just east of the lake. This is a strenuous fight up loose sand and gravel to the Russell-Carillon Saddle. When the ridge is topped there is a great view of Tulainyo Lake, to the north, which was still frozen over. Turning west the ridge leads to class 3 rock with exposure on both sides which will turn around those who do not enjoy the airy ridge tops with 2,000 foot of exposure on both sides. |
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John on the north face ridge. |
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Gene on the top with the register in hand. Whitney can been seen just to the left of his leg and under the register. Gene has finished his cancer treatments and in August we will be celebrating his 70th birthday on Mount Sill. |
| These two pictures do not go together, they were taken some distance apart, but placing them together will give you the feel of the ridge. The left image is looking east with the north face exposure and Lone Pine in the distance some 10,000 feet below. The right image is looking southeast with Upper Boy Scout Lake below. You can see the north ridge of Lone Pine Peak in both images. |
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