Lone Pine Peak, Deva (NW Face) Route

We made it to the ranger station before closing, got a permit, and tried to get route conditions. People at the ranger station had no info, as usual. We need a climbers' information board in Lone Pine.

We got Whitney Portal campsite #1, right on Lone Pine Creek just feet from the creek. There was lots of soothing noise of water rushing by. The tent was set up, and dinner prepared. Deva prefers the tent to sleeping out with the bears. I got my pack prepared for the next three days and we were asleep by 9:00.

During the night, four friends, Ellen, Jim, Michael, and George arrived and stayed in a site nearby. Ellen had been on Lone Pine Peak the prior year and they were back to finish the climb. She had started up the North Ridge of Lone Pine Peak from the 6200 ft. level at the start of the switchback on the road to Whitney Portal. She had descended off the ridge after the first tower on the N Ridge route. They were back to follow the descent route and finish the N Ridge route as a day climb.

I woke at 3:30 a.m. and was off to Meysan Lake at 4:15. I met my group of friends in the campground just as they were getting breakfast going. I wanted to be well ahead of them since I had a 45 lb. pack, and they were day tripping. I hoped to meet up with them on the summit of Lone Pine Peak, my first planned peak on this trip.

By 5:00 my headlamp was no longer needed but it was a slow going morning with the full pack. I was working hard when Jim caught up with me just before the flat campsite area at 10,000 ft. The pack weighed a lot and I decided to drop the extra gear and would day climb from there. I'd return after the climb and camp that night at 10,000 ft. I unloaded my pack, bringing rock climbing gear, clothes and lunch for the day.

We crossed the stream and began ascending the 2nd chute right of the buttress below the N Ridge route 1st tower. At the very beginning there is a 3rd class move where we found a bale off hex. It was the last sign of people on the route I would see until the summit.

A short way up we parted company. The four of them went left onto a steep slope leading to the first tower. I continued up and right on 2nd and 3rd class chutes. I stayed right of a very steep chute and generally turned small buttresses on the left from the right running chutes. Higher up I encountered 3rd class buttresses with 4th class moves.I was able to look north and could see very tiny figures on the buttress involved in roped climbing. I shouted and waved, wondering if they were off route.

I was about 300 ft. below the summit and could see the steep headwall with a buttress in the foreground. I realized I had seen no sign of a previous party through this area and wondered if I were the first along this way. Surely someone had been there before?

I sat down and decided to write down where I had been. I had read no information on the NW Face of LLP and decided to name it "Deva". The dog would live on in the thoughts of climbers.

The finish to the top required a 3rd class lieback up a left facing dihedral. It took me to a point about 80 vertical ft. below the 12,994 ft. summit, and south of the high point. It seemed to be a minor summit just to the south. After a short walk north, I arrived at the summit at 12:30.

It was a perfect summit day with full sun and no wind. Lone Pine Peak has some of the best views of the range from Langley northward past the Whitney group to Williamson. I could set the maps out on the summit and they stayed put. I saw the group of four on the top of the first tower. After 2 r hours on the summit, I grew tired of waiting and began the traverse to the descent to Meysan Lake.

I turned down the slope a little early on the West Slope route and missed the 2nd class descent route. (The true descent route is a long traverse past the top of two buttresses that end before the western plateau. Turn down after the 2nd buttress.)

By beginning the descent early, I soon encountered scree covered ledges and incredibly unstable, steep rock. I had been standing on nothing that I could trust and at one point made a rappel from my 25 m rope. Farther down, just 200 ft. from the base, I downclimbed a 4th class chimney that was falling apart. The whole thing was ready to let go.

I managed to get down to within 30 ft. of safe ground when I was stuck on a ledge. I made a 5th class downclimb and was finally on tierra firma. Yes, what a happy feeling that was. I hiked back through lower Meysan Lake, and found my gear stash.

I set up camp and went down to the creek to filter water. Surprisingly the filter cartridge came loose and quickly floated down the stream. With no reliable water, I made another decision. I'd boil water to cook dinner and return to Whitney Portal for the night. The mosquitoes weren't too friendly here anyway, and I had left both the bug juice and bivy bag screen behind.

I finished supper and arrived back at the campsite at just after 9:00 to a surprised and pleased Jana and Deva.

If you want a more pleasant way to the top of Lone Pine Peak than the scree infested West Slope route, this is the way. Good route finding is very necessary on this one.

(Note: R. J. Secor is including "Deva" the Northwest Face of Lone Pine Peak as a route in a future edition of his guide The High Sierra.)

Comments?