Mount Whitney
Failed ascent of Mount Whitney (East Buttress, III, 5.8), with Lanier Benkard and René Renteria, May 12, 2000
Timeline:
The previous day we drove from the Bay Area around the southern tip of the Sierra Nevada to Whitney Portal. We then hiked up toward Upper Boy Scout Lake and set up camp in Clyde Meadow. On May 12, we left camp too late, which caused Lanier and I to fail on the East Buttress due to lack of time (we went up the first pitch and then rappelled down). However, René successfully climbed the Mountaineer's Route in very snowy conditions. The next day René and I hiked partway up toward the Russell-Carillon col. This was my first ever trip with René (but not the last).