I had done the MR twice before so I led from the North Fork to the Magic Tree that signals the cut-off to find the Elephant's Ear. Turns out finding the Ear was harder than I expected in the dark and the willow damage from the winter melt made it tricky. Just as I was feeling we were lost, Phil shined his headlamp up and “there it was!” From the Ear, the E-ledges are easy to find and we continued up as we saw another party on the other side of the drainage and wondered if they knew where they were? Just before we arrived at LBSL we enjoyed the alpenglow and slowed down to take photos. After passing LBSL we donned our crampons and motored up the slope below the Whitney Icefall and around to the cliff band above UBSL. We took a break near the cliff band and then continued on. Jim led at this point and we stayed close to the cliffs on the right and we all watched as ice broke off and fell several times from a thin icefall on the cliff band. As we reached the next rise signaling Iceberg Lake and not wanting to loose elevation by crossing the gully and not knowing if the snow slope at the base of the east face of Whitney was solid, we chose to climb the steep icefall from Iceberg Lake before us that was still covered in snow. There were other boot tracks on the slope so we were not the first to choose this route. It felt a bit sketchy as we didn't know how solid the snow was adhered to the ice underneath so we moved quickly and it held.
Iceberg Lake is still under snow so we took a few pix and were on our way. We began by ascending the chute on the left of the MR and in no time realized at 10:45 am this was gonna be a hellacious post hole epic. Jim offered to lead and did the grunt work 8) of breaking trail. It sucked! What should have taken us 2 hours took 4, because post-holing is slowww and I was feeling like this was not worth it. I had a melt-down
and we discussed our options and choose to continue on, though as we ascended we could hear the wind increasing in volume. We pretty much knew the winds forecasted with gusts to 41mph were sounding bigger than that. Before the notch we put on all our layers and headed into the gale above. The notch was fiercely cold and we all climbed the first boulders of the Final 400. The 400 looked daunting with more rock exposed than we had expected. Phil and I had brought alpine harnesses, Phil a 30m 8mm rope and our atc's. In crampons, Phil climbed a pitch of rock until he found a point to create a belay station. I went hypothermic while waiting exposed in the wind and it wasn't a pleasant sight. 
I was again feeling that this was a mistake and Jim slapped some sense into me (metaphorically.) Phil then belayed me while Jim simul-climbed the class 4 to the right of the chute. We all continued on the rest of the 400 as Jim took the lead and some photos along the way. The wind was so strong that twice while I was climbing, front-points in and the pick of my axe in the snow, I was hit by wind it and it turned me sideways. That's strong!I crawled over the lip of the 400 and when I finally tried to walk toward the summit got knocked to the ground by wind. Geesh! Phil and Jim made their way to the summit hut while I tried to find rocks large enough to hunker down in and wait for them. Didn't happen. There was no way to get out of the wind. The guys had decided we would descend the main trail instead of down-climbing the 400 and it sounded less scary but with the wind that we now were in the direct line of, either option sucked. With water frozen and the temp too cold to want to eat we all headed down the back side of Whitney hungry, tired, dehydrated and cold. When we came to the first window between Whitney and the Keeler Needle the sound of the wind was deafening. I chose to crawl on the trail since I felt like I could get blown over. I have never felt so exposed and weak.
We made it to Trail Crest safely in what seemed an eternity and plunge-stepped down to Trail Camp as the slope was too icy to glissade. By the time we reached Trail Camp it was time to turn on headlamps. The final hours were a painful re-run of the last 3 hrs as we continued on zombie-like in the fierce wind tired, hungry and dehydrated. A group that was descending at the same time said the temperature was -0- degrees with wind chill putting it at -20F. I'm sure the wind was a constant 60mph and Jim said there were gusts to 75mph. On the backside of Whitney we were in direct line of those gusts and I can honestly say I have felt the pain of being chilled to the bone.
This was my 3rd time climbing the MR and my least favorite. I loved my partners they are great guys and mountaineers, but the elements we endured made it not fun and took me to the bad place as Tinaballina so aptly named the unwelcomed feeling that became my companion that day.
I have to thank Jim and Phil
for kicking me in the ass so I continued on but I gotta admit, I hope I never have to climb in weather as bad as last Saturday, ever again.Final stats: way too cold, way too long. Jim 20 hrs, me 21.5 hrs and Phil enjoyed the misery a bit longer.
The SGMDF Trio at 3:36 am
Alpenglowing up the North Fork
The Whitney Icefall above LBSL (photo courtesy of Jim)
The MR waits above
Jim leading the post hole effort
Sometimes grabbing onto rocks made the effort easier
Me and Phil working our way up (photo courtesy of Jim)
Nearly to the notch (photo courtesy of Jim)
Working our way up the Final 400 (photo courtesy of Jim)
Through the cut in the cornice and we'll top out (photo courtesy of Jim)
4:21 pm The boys making their way to the summit hut
Beginning the long, laborious and uber-windy descent via the main trail (photo courtesy of Jim)
rest of my pix are here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma ... yMRMay2011#
Survival of the fittest! Seriously, very important lesson learned. when hiking in darkness, with our without wind, only hike as fast as the slowest hiker. it was so freakin cold i was following the pace of the person before me, but unbeknownst to me i got out a bit ahead of Jim & Phil as i continued on with the group we joined up with from Trail Camp. when they went left while on the winter traverse, i stopped to see Jim & Phil's headlamps way behind and was too cold to stand there and wait, so i continued on with the group, "assuming" that Jim and Phil would catch up. i never saw them again until i met Jim at the TH. i stayed with the group since i knew it was safer than striking out alone to find them at that point. the wind was so loud that you could not yell or whistle over it to attract attention. plus it was snowing so everyone had their heads & ears covered up. yeah, i forgot to mention it started snowing at Trail Camp. quite a night!
