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No Country for Old Men: The 2015 Los Alamos Mountaineers trip to the High Sierra

Date: 
Wed, 2015-10-21

Please join us Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at the Fuller Lodge (Los Alamos) for an exciting presentation by Michael R. Altherr, a Los Alamos native and avid outdoorsman. Social and reports of recent and upcoming trips at 7:00 pm. Program at 7:30 pm.

The title of the talk is not meant as a judgment but rather as a self-effacing reflection of the speaker. An approach hike of 4,300 feet in four miles with a full backpacking kit, four days food, and climbing gear will do that. Like the movie of the same name the trip was interesting, a bit surreal and somewhat disturbing. Eleven members of the club participated in the trip with nine reaching the summit of Mt. Whitney (the highest point in the continental U.S.) from the East via the Mountaineers Route or the technical East Buttress. Non-technical summits were also achieved on Mount Russell, Montgomery and Boundary Peaks. An unexpected change in the weather made for interesting climbing conditions in the ‘Whitney Zone’.  Organizing trips of this type is becoming more challenging due to increasingly regulated nature of the backcountry. Altherr and others will share their experiences in planning for this type of endeavor, and share anecdotes their adventure.

Photo: The 2000’ foot East Buttress of Mt. Whitney poses a conceptual scaling dilemma. The beauty of the place is phenomenal.

 

Trip Location: 
United States
36° 35' 24.63" N, 118° 17' 25.8" W
US

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