Elevation: 13,517 & 14,088 ft.

Date Hiked: 9-12-2010

Trip Report:
This was my third 14er trip this year and I was hoping my second successful one. Mark and I planned to hike Mt. Russell and Mt. Carillon via Mt. Russell’s East Ridge. This trip involves over 6100 feet of gain from the portal, not an easy day considering it is only 12 miles round trip. We camped at Horseshoe Meadows on Friday night and then at the portal on Saturday night. We left the portal at 2:30 AM on Sunday morning under clear cool skies.

Mt. Russell West Summit

The beginning of the trail up to the north fork follows the main Mt. Whitney trail. We followed this a short while before breaking off on the north fork. It was a dark night with no moon so navigation was more difficult. Mark did an excellent job leading up to the ledges.

Ebersbacher Ledges

Past the ledges we made good time to Lower Boy Scout Lake. It was still dark outside and on the way down we noticed we had missed the path a few times up to the lake. Past Lower Boy Scout Lake we hiked to Upper Boy Scout Lake to fill up on water and take a break. It was just beginning to get light on the eastern horizon. We had to GPS coordinates to the scree chute so we followed them. At this point I was feeling good and moving quickly. The hike up the scree slope was difficult. Every step required concentration because everything was loose. Halfway up the chute we watched the sunrise on Mt. Whitney.

Mt. Whitney

Looking Down the Scree Slope

Where we are Headed

Mt. Whitney

We continued to make progress up the slope and finally knew we were close. The rocks became larger near the top and required easy scrambling.

Mark and the Top of the Scree Slope

Looking Down from Near the Top

Finally we crested the slope and were on the plateau between Mt. Carillon and Russell.

Mt. Whitney from the Plateau

Mt. Russell from the Plateau

Mt. Whitney Mountaineers Route

We headed for the saddle between Mt. Carillon and Mt. Russell. As we made our way over we stayed as high as possible on Mt. Carillon to avoid having to gain extra elevation. We picked our way through the boulders on Mt. Carillon and eventually made it to the summit. The view from the summit was amazing. It was slightly windy and cool but not to bad.

Mt. Carillon Summit

Mt. Russell from Mt. Carillon

We made our way down to the saddle and slowly began to climb the ridge to Mt. Russell. The first section of the ridge was easy to follow. We stayed along the right side and followed a good use trail. The exposure on the north side was intense, this is my favorite type of terrain.

The East Ridge

Higher on the East Ridge

Mark Thinking About our Next Move

Looking Back Toward the Saddle and Mt. Carillon

Mt. Whitney North Face

Eventually we made it to the east summit. From this point it is only a quartor mile to the higher west summit. Halfy way along the ridge we found a few cairnes marking the 3rd class path down the south face. This was the way we were planning on descending.

The Final Section

Looking Down the South Face

Mt. Russell Summit

Myself on the Summit Ridge

Marks Photo

The next obstical was a large block which two a few careful moves to surmount. From here it was only few minutes to the summit. On the summit we enjoyed the view and took some photos. It was a very clear day and Mark said he could see the San Gabriels.

Myself on the Summit

The Kaweahs to the West

Mt. Williamson and White Mountain Peak

Mt. Russell East Summit

Mt. Whitney North Face

The Summit Register

We stayed on top a few minutes and then began to descend. I had a headache and wanted to get lower. We followed a series a ledges down to the scree on the south face. I would rate this as difficult class three if I were climbing up.

The 3rd Class Chute to the Summit Ridge

The scree slope down the south face was similar to the one above Upper Boy Scout Lake. As I was descending I wished I had gators to keep all of the sand out of my shoes. Eventually we made it to the bottom and began the assent to the saddle above Iceberg Lake.

Climbing Down the 3rd Class Section

Marks Photo

Marks Photo

The 3rd Class Chute

The Scree Slope

The Fishhook Arete

Mt. Russell from the Saddle

Iceberg Lake from the Saddle

We made our way down to Iceberg Lake and saw a few people finishing their climb up the Mountaineers route. There were a few others camped near the Lake. We took a short break and continued down the mountain

The Mountaineers Route

Last Look at Mt. Russell

Our Last Look at Mt. Whitney

We made it back to the portal a few hours later for a round trip time of 12 and a half hours. This was an awesome trip and I hope to visit Mt. Russell again sometime.

Mt. Carillon Panorama

Mt. Russell Panorama

Mt. Whitney-Russell Panorama

Mt. Russell West Summit

Mt. Russell Summit Panorama

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Marks Photo’s