Mt Whitney via East Buttress

The East Buttress on Mt Whitney has been on our to-do list for a while but it's a bit tricky getting a last minute permit and weather/time window to align. We made it to the ranger station at 11 o'clock on the dot just in time for the permit lottery, drew the lucky number 7 and were on the trail that evening.  The hike up to Iceberg Lake took just under three hours which left us plenty of time to enjoy the view, scope out our route, filter water and wish that we had brought warmer sleeping bags. Denver led the route except for the top few pitches when we were able to throw the rope in the pack and put a move on things.


A perfect view of the East Buttress. You can see some headlamps of a party descending the Mountaineers Route.



 
           Approaching Iceberg Lake                                        At the base  of the climb


At the summit