July 4, 2002

This report starts at the top of Mt. Whitney. See the Mt. Whitney and Mt. Muir reports for the prologue. Scotty and I left the top of Whitney, headed for the north side. We descended toward the Mountaineer's Route, but instead of taking the right turn down that route, we went straight for Russell. The north side was unexpectedly steep and difficult, but careful route finding kept the descent in the 3rd-easy-4th class range. The descent to the base of Russell took 1:15 and involved over 2,000 feet of elevation loss. We then headed up the South Face of Russell in a chute just right of the Fish Hook Arete. At the top, we chose the left-hand option, rated 5.0, but it seemed easier. It was definitely steep and somewhat exposed, and a fun and interesting route if you don't have a rope with you. At the top of the face, we were midway between the 2 summits, and we scrambled first for the higher West Summit to sign the register. The ascent of the South Face involved about 2,000 feet of scrambling and took 1:15. We traversed over the East Summit and down the East Ridge. The East Ridge is a long, narrow, spine of rock with fun (and wild) exposure on both sides that is all the more fun because of the moderate nature of the route. Looking down from the top, I would never have guessed it to be as easy as 3rd class. At the bottom of the East Ridge, we hopped in the Russell-Carillon saddle, and began our ascent of peak #4 for the day, Mt. Carillon. To get Scotty's take on this peak, click here.