Howdy All
I met Karen in the boarding area and she recognized Arthur, Jeff and Andrew from previous hikes. They're from San Diego and post frequently on the Whitney Portal Store forum. Karen and I chatted and made our way sans snow shoes. We decided to forgo the Sid Davis route and stay on the well-traveled trail. Compared to last Sunday, the snow was much more compact. Although colder than last Sunday, the warmer weather (compared to Saturday) was causing ice to drop from the trees.
We caught up with the guys in Round Valley sitting on a downed tree to put on their snow shoes and decided to follow their example. As we introduced ourselves, they asked if I was the "Ellen" in the hut. I really have to start wearing a disguise. As Arthur and Jeff described their forum posts and screen names, I realized that I've read many of their trip reports on different hiking forums. Arthur (the crew chief) and Jeff have also hiked extensively with Laura (aka Moosetracks).
We discussed our respective plans for the day and the guys kindly let me tag along with their group. Arthur led and we made our way up through the trees following ski tracks. I took over leading from Arthur. Once we cleared the trees and reached the south face, the incline became quite steep. I tried to traverse towards the Miller saddle but wasn't making much headway. Arthur had the same problem. We opted to go pretty much straight up.
The snow was firmer than last Sunday but we occasionally slipped backwards as we climbed. At other times the crust was firmer and you heard the reassuring crunch as our snowshoes made good contact. Crampons would have been useless. I had a bad moment emotionally when I kept slipping backwards and couldn't seem to gain purchase either laterally or vertically. Andrew was with me and took over leading, which helped tremendously.
We were very happy to reach the top of the ridge and found ourselves positioned perfectly for the San J summit. Arthur's water bottle picked this particular moment to jump out of his hand and shoot down the slope. He vowed to find it on the way down. Arthur also saw that I hadn't used the elevators on my MSR Lightening Ascent snow shoes. He showed me how they work so that I could test them out on the final climb up to the summit. Wow, what a difference! I look forward to using them the next time.
It was wonderful to ascend up the mound of snow covered rocks to the summit. I was ecstatic and screamed when I saw the sign. The weather was cooperative (high 40's and virtually no breeze) so we were able to have a leisurely lunch and get the requisite summit photos. Right about the time we were leaving, another group of four (two men and two women) came up. They had ascended near the saddle between Jean and San J. It turns out they were also on the first tram but took the Sid Davis route (my initial plan) and wound up post holing -- at times up to their waists.
I had hoped to descend via the more gentle Miller saddle but decided to stay with the guys. This involved going downhill the same steep slope in snow that had grown even softer with the afternoon sun. This was not my finest hour -- I was afraid and moved very slowly until we reached the gentler grade in the trees. Arthur glissaded down-hill like a madman. On the positive side, Arthur did find his water bottle and my next snowshoe descent will be more fun.
We removed the snowshoes at Round Valley. The snow was softer so we did post hole more on the return. I had the usual celebratory beer at the tram and dinner at Las Conseulas. I've eaten there so often one of the waiters thought I lived in Palm Springs.
Thanks again to Arthur, Jeff, and Andrew for a fabulous hike -- I look forward to joining you again soon.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
by Ellen » Sat Dec 27, 2008 5:07 pm 
