06-26-2015-West Face

The West Face via Hidden Valley is in decent shape. The very top portion of the WF gully is melted out. This means either a steep, short crux where you'll use your ice axe in the low/high dagger position or, a rocky scramble around knocking rocks onto climbers below.  The gullies of the West Face still hold snow, but the ridgelines are exposed rock. The trail getting over to Hidden Valley is melted out. The trail begins on the west side of Horse Camp and is easy to follow to the mouth of Hidden Valley. Talk to the Horse Camp caretaker if you have any questions!

Camping in HV can be notoriously windy. Anchor your tent well. Water is not available as of this past weekend. Dry camping is available in HV. Fill up water at Horse Camp and bring extra fuel to melt snow.

The route from Horse Camp to Hidden Valley is one long slowly ascending climbers' left traverse. If you ascend too high, you'll just have to descend into HV. If you ascend too low, you will have to climb up near the mouth of the valley. Where most people get into trouble is upon the descent. Climbers have a tendency, especially if skiing, to descend too low too fast. If you do this, you'll end up in either the Sand Flat area or more than likely in Cascade Gulch somewhere. While you'll come out eventually onto the Everitt Memorial Highway, it will add miles to the end of your trip and postpone the delicious brew that may be waiting for you. 

The West Face Route tops out near the bottom of Misery Hill, commonly referred to as the "Upper Mountain." During white out conditions it can be very difficult to find the descent route to the top of the West Face. This has caused numerous search and rescue incidents. It's very easy to wander off the WRONG side of the mountain. The Whitney Glacier and many other routes all converge near Misery Hill and the Summit Plateau. You may quickly find yourself in glaciated terrain which is not good if you are not prepared. Pay attention, don't climb into a white out, know your route.