Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Irvine, Mallory, LeConte Traverse...

I was looking at a map today and was considering trying a traverse of Irvine, Mallory and Leconte. Has anyone done this? I've heard of these being linked up, but only by descending and then reascending. Is it possible to follow the ridge between the three summits without the use of ropes?
Any beta on this would be greatly appreciated.
Gusto

Click <a href=http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002423>here</a> and <a href=http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002423>here</a> for a couple postings here on the Board.

Thanks for the links. In addition to the above question, any guidebooks or webpages that describe the Mallory, Irvine, LeConte traverse would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Gusto

Gusto,

From the topo it looks like it would be easy doesn't it? From Mallory to LeConte it is. The only difficulty is the short waterfall pitch (assuming you go up LeConte's Northwest Chute).

Between Irvine and Mallory however it is a bit more complicated. The easiest route is to not attempt to follow the ridge between them but to descend down a bit (about a quarter mile down on the East side of Mallory) until easier terrain is encountered (loose class 2). The Northwest Ridge of Mallory is supposedly just class 3 though careful routefinding would be necessary to not exceed this level of difficulty.

The following photo will probably be helpful in your route planning. It was taken from below the summit of Mount Irvine and shows both the East and Northwest Ridges of Mount Mallory.

<a href="http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/viewphoto.asp?ID=48712">Mount Mallory Photo</a>

Two resources you may find helpful are R.J. Secor's book "The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails" and the summitpost.com website.

-Rick

Thanks Rick. I was just about to drop you an email. It does look pretty easy from the topo, but those 40 foot contours can be deceiving! Thanks for the photo and links.
Gusto

Ah yes, the Corcoran to Irvine Traverse, a worthy climb/scramble. I did this last summer, August I believe? Anyways, its nothing more than class 3(exposure is minimal). If you would like I can give you some details of the scramble, also I have links to my pictures below, if you just want to look at some of the route. It's a good challenge, and if you want to really push yourself, hit Corcoran or McAdie as well(McAdie is a bit spicy).
Eric J Lee
http://community.webshots.com/album/88186874suEJfh

http://www.summitpost.org/cgi-bin/trip_report.pl?trip_report_id=669&mountain_id=1649
Sorry, here is my trip report with some details on the route finding and other specifics. It is part of Summitpost, the site Rick mentions.
Eric J Lee

Eric,
Thanks for the links. The pictures really help out a lot. What was the time frame for all 4 peaks?
Gusto

I camped out at Meysan Lake the night before and scouted my approach to the Leconte plateau. It took me around 7h to do all 4 from the basecamp at Meysan. I could have made McAdie time wise, but I ran out of juice going up Irvine's sandy slopes. It can be done as a single push dayhike(I believe Matthew Holliman of Summitpost did it), but that's an extreme and grueling affair. Good luck.
Eric J Lee

I see I have a photo of your summit entry Eric ...

http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/viewphoto.asp?ID=40512

Corcoran and McAdie were both very rewarding.

Here's one of my photos of the class 3 section where you drop down from McAdie's middle peak on the way to the north summit. This spot has a bit of exposure but the handholds were plenty.

<a href="http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/viewphoto.asp?ID=48714"></a>

Sounds like you made very good time Eric. I agree, a lot of that terrain is pretty draining. I originally attempted to do those 4 as a dayhike from the trailhead but after getting charged up and chased off LeConte by lightning I vowed to return another day with a different strategy. Thus I returned in August to bag McAdie/Mallory/Irvine one day and LeConte/Corcoran the next (with a base camp at Meysan Lake). That seemed to work rather well but next time I'll make sure to go earlier in the year when the snow in the chutes is more optimal.

-Rick

Eric and Rick,
Thanks again for all the great pics and links. Rick, I didn't realize, but I was going through some of your pictures of Gorgonio and remember you posting them on the sgwa.org site. The reason I picked them out was because of those huge stress cracks on the summit ridge. Man, those things were scary! Anyway, now you guys have me thinking I should throw in McAdie and Corcorin. I'm going to have to check permit availability for Meysan Lake.
Gusto