What an awesome hike!!
Here’s a link to a .GPX (GPS Exchange) file of the complete track log (mountaineer's route and main trail) exported from Garmin Mapsource and ready for import into Google Earth. You might have to right-click the link and chose 'save target as' so it will download in it's native format rather than try to launch in another browser window.
Whitny MR-MMWT Track Log (400K XML file)
Since there is so much invaluable information already available on this forum concerning the MR, I'll just indicate some key points that I thought needed to be emphasized, rather than duplicate what's already here.
I hit the portal at 3:30am and while cruising looking for a parking space, I spotted a mother bear waiting patiently with her cub for the hikers to leave the overflow lot, so she could teach her baby how to make a living breaking into cars.
I started on the trail at 3:45, bright and early, grateful that I had hiked to the ELedges the afternoon before, so I was already familiar with that part of the route and how to climb them.
One thing that I should point out about the ELedges, in case you’re trying to find the route for the first time. When you’re still heading up on the eastbound switchback and looking for the turn to go west you’ll come to a large rock with a set of cairns. About 15 feet past this you go up a series of smaller ledges on your left. It’s confusing because as your standing right in front of these smaller ledges there are two other ways that appear more likely to be the way to go, one directly ahead and up, another just to the right of that which descends a short ways but seems to go back up a little ways further on. Go left and up the smaller ledges at this point. The rest of the ledges are obvious past this point.
From that point until the falls below Iceberg Lake the trip is pretty straightforward. That’s where I ran into trouble. I was staying high on the slope and out of the gully on the ridge south of Iceberg when I came to the falls.
I was pretty high up on the slope and didn’t want to lose any elevation going down in the gully, so once I crossed the stream from the falls, I noticed a trail going up to some wet ledges, just west of the falls. This was an obvious trail and I could see it had been fairly well traveled, so I decided to follow to try to climb those ledges. I don’t advise anyone to try this because after an hour trying several different way to climb up those slippery, wet ledges, I finally gave up and resigned myself to losing about 100’ of altitude and go further down the gully (it’s amazing how stubborn I can be and would rather risk breaking my neck than give up a little altitude!).
As I was walking from the wet ledges heading west and down into the gully, I noticed I was descending another well traveled path. Obviously, I was not the first one to fail on an attempt to climb those ledges!
About 500 feet further west I found some dry ledges that were much easier to climb to get to Iceberg Lake.
At the lake I met 3 great guys. I can’t remember names even at sea level so at 12,500’ they wouldn’t stand a chance, but I do remember that they were from San Diego, San Francisco and Atlanta. They were three of the most helpful guys I’ve ever met. As it was my first time they where extremely helpful in pointing out the best way to go and waiting for me at the notch so I could see their ascent up the final 400. Somehow I lost these guys at the summit, but if any of them read this post, please let me know.
Although the climb up the chute up to the notch was fairly straightforward, it was excruciating and the most physically demanding part of the trip. I’ll never complain about the 97 switchbacks again!
Once at the notch I met up with the 3 fellows I’d met at the lake and got to watch them ascend the final 400. If anyone is attempting this for the first time and you’re solo or no one in your group has done it before, I would suggest waiting for another party to come along to see how to start up the 400. Once you’re on it, it’s fairly obvious, but getting started is probably the most difficult part of the climb and you might be missed if someone doesn’t point it out.
Another thing I should point out. The chute and final 400 are much more difficult than the ELedges. If anyone (like I did) is pre-judging the difficulty of this trip based on the ELedges, be forewarned, this route is not for the light hearted. If you find the ELedges difficult, you’re in for a rugged, scary trip!
Anyway, I survived the final 400! After I rolled over the final boulder and on to one of the flat rocks on the summit plateau, I could barely find the strength to stand and stagger over to the hut. It was a little after 12:00 and I’d made the climb in about 8:20, eight of the most exhausting hours of my life! I sat stunned on the summit for about 20 mins and really didn’t start to feel the elation of what I had accomplished until I started back down the main trail.
I got back to the trailhead at 5:30, and needless to say, I was done for the day. I couldn’t wait to get back to my motel room at the Best Western to rough it in the whirlpool bathtub.
Oh, what a feeling… !
