Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Sleeping bag? below the chute

When I was up there 2 weeks ago we went up through the pass between Whitney and Russell to try the north/northwest side of Whitney. There was a sleeping bag (or something to that effect) below the chute on the MR. I couldn't check it out closer because of the snow and ice and lack of crampons, but I was curious about the story behind it.

On another not with crampons this route seems to be a viable option without the consequences associated with the MR (not quite the exposure). It is a little further but very nice.

> There was a sleeping bag (or something to that effect) below the chute on the MR.

That's my Thermarest mattress pad! ...well, actually, I doubt it. But I lost one down that slope in June of 1998. It came loose from my backpack as I was just clearing the last rocks below the summit toilet. It tumbled down the chute and disappeared out of sight past the notch where the slope steepens. I figured it probably tumbled all the way to the bottom.

Losing that pad caused me to spend one very miserable night on the summit.

But I am probably not the only one who has lost gear in that area. Unfortunately, others have lost a lot more than their gear.

Hi, in the May, this year, my friend and I headed toward Iceberg Lake with plan to climb MR. On the way up we bypassed EB ledges, it was still enough snow in the "canyon" to do that. I made break on the place just below exit from the ledges and there was one inflatable pad (can be your's Steve C) I think it was green (one side). It was half under the dirt and snow. Below that in the creek were two climbing helmets and some bottles. I was alredy enough loaded and was thinking to take stuff on the way back and bring to portal. Anyway, on the way back I was looking for things but eather I missed the spot or somebody else took it.