Linkage!!!

Guest blogger Peter Coward reporting on Sunday's climbing. The goal was to do Russell, then Whitney, then Muir. Jacki set a fast pace from the trailhead, avoided getting lost in the devious lower section of the North Creek trail, and had us at the Whitney-Russell col around 7:30am. GI distress (mine) delayed us for a few minutes before we stashed our packs and set out for Russell. An hour of the usual loose scree and steep sand had us at the base of a short but cool 3rd class section, and shortly thereafter the summit. We retraced our steps back to the packs, I dealt with an additional bout of GI turbulence and we headed for the N. Face of Whitney. After yet more delays on my part, Jacki, wearing crampons, kicked steps up a reasonably steep snow field and I followed in my running shoes armed with ridiculously ineffective instep crampons and our only ice axe. An exciting exit onto rock, 200 feet of somewhat interesting 3rd class and we were on top. Muir was next, and we celebrated our third 14er tick with a Chile Verde GU (dinner leftovers squeezed out of a ziploc bag). After yet another brief delay in open view of the trail, we set off down the Whitney Trail to Whitney Portal and beer, burgers and fries. An all-time day in the mountains and Jacki's 11th, 12th and 13th 14ers this week. Only Langley is left......

Final stats:
Start @ 4:05am
Summit Russell 9:36am (5:31 elapsed)
Summit Whitney 1:03 pm (8:58 elapsed)
Summit Muir 2:12 pm (10:07 elapsed)
Finish at 6:17 pm (14:12 elapsed)