Mount Ritter Peak Ascent (13,157 ft)
October 15-16, 2005
Stanford Redwood Club Trip
The Group |
Fall Colors |
Mt Ritter |
View from the Summit
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Saturday October 15
- 4:45 am - wake up at Stanford
- 5:30 am -begin drive to Mammoth
- 12:00 pm - arrive at trailhead at Agnew Meadows just outside Mammoth
- 1:00 pm - begin 7 mile hike to Ediza Lake, after bringing cars back up to Minaret Summit since no overnight parking allowed due to incoming storm.
- 4:30 pm - arrive at Ediza Lake and set up camp
- 6:00 pm - dinner
- 6:30 pm - crampon fitting session. Trouble fitting crampons to everyone's hiking boots. Realize the importance of fitting crampons prior to leaving on trip.
- 7:00 pm - go to sleep
Sunday October 16
- 3:30 am - wake up
- 4:00 am - get out of sleeping bags
- 4:30 am - begin hike to base of Ritter
- 5:30 am - put on crampons at bottom of gully below Landmark Dome on SE flank of Ritter; group splits (Party 1: Steph, Josh, Chris, Venkat, Jonas; Party 2: Natalie C., Natalie D., Zurab, Stephen
- 6:00 am - Party 1 traverses high shelf to snow bowl SE of SE glacier
- 6:30 am - Party 1 traverses snow bowl to SE glacier,
- 7:00 am - Party 1 crosses 45° wind ridge between snow bowl and SE glacier
- 7:15 am - sunrise, Party 2 traverses high shelf to snow bowl SE of SE glacier
- 8:15 am - Party 1 at base of Owen's Chute at end of climb up SE glacier, Party 2 crosses 45° wind ridge between snow bowl and SE glacier
- 8:30 am - Party 1 at top of Owen's Chute, begin final push to summit, each going at own pace
- 9:15 am - Steph, Jonas, and Chris reach summit, head back down to Owen's Chute to wait for rest of group
- 9:30 am - Natalies decide to head back for camp at Ediza Lake rather than trying for summit. They take a steep alternative way down a gully below the SE glacier. This route is not recommend to others especially when icy unless highly comfortable on class 3 and class 4 stuff since pretty steep drop-offs and exposure); Zurab and Stephen head up Secor's Chute (Class 3 alternative to Owen's Chute)
- 9:45 am - Josh reaches summit, heads back down to Owen's Chute to wait
- 9:50 am - Steph, Jonas, and Chris meet Zurab and Stephen coming up out of Secor's Chute; Zurab joins up with Steph, Jonas, and Chris, and Stephen continues to summit
- 10:40 am - Venkat reaches summit, heads back down to Owen's Chute to wait
- 10:45 am - Stephen reaches summit, heads back down to Owen's Chute to meet up with rest of group
- 12:00 pm - Natalies arrive back at camp; everyone on mountain reconvenes at top of Owen's Chute and head down chute to begin descent down SE glacier
- 1:00 pm - summit group reach end of SE glacier, and begin traverse across snow bowl
- 1:30 pm - summit group begin traverse across shelf to ascent gully
- 2:00 pm - begin descent down ascent gully
- 3:00 pm - Steph, Jonas, and Chris arrive back at camp
- 3:15 pm - Josh and Venkat arrive back at camp
- 3:30 pm - Natalies leave camp to get to cars early and bring them closer to the trailhead
- 3:45 pm - Stephen arrives back at camp
- 4:15 pm - Zurab, who was waiting for Stephen but lost sight of him, arrives back at camp
- 4:30 pm - everyone leaves camp as a group
- 7:30 pm - everyone except Stephen arrives at trailhead just after dark
- 8:00 pm - Natalie's car leaves while others wait for Stephen
- 8:30 pm - Stephen arrives back at trailhead
- 8:45 pm - Venkat's car leaves trailhead
Monday October 17
- 2:00 am - Natalie's car arrives back at Stanford
- 2:15 am - Venkat's car arrives back at Stanford
