Note: the driving route changes every year depending on road conditions. Check out this page for my most updated info. Click here for directions to the George Creek trailhead in 2012. | As you approach from the north on highway 395 |
As you approach from the south, the turnoff is just after this bridge |
The turnoff off highway 395 |
Turn right here |
Four way junction: turn left |
15-ton bridge |
Turn right at this colossal junction |
Turn right |
Turn right |
Cross the creek |
Turn left where the car is in order to get to the George Creek trailhead, turn right to go towards the Bairs Creek trailheads |
The road to the trailhead |
The road to the trailhead |
The tiny parking lot |
The trailhead (not much of a trail, eh?) |
The beginning of the trail |
South Bairs Creek route |
South Bairs Creek route at dawn |
South Bairs Creek route at dawn |
Almost at the spherical spire |
The trailhead down below |
Your plastic at work. This is a route rarely traveled by humans, and it already has plastic garbage. |
A splendid sculpture of wood and stone |
At the spire |
The notch |
The notch |
The notch |
The notch |
The spire |
Further up |
Cactus (a reminder of how low you started) |
You can barely see the spire from the foresty other side |
Not much of a use-trail going up |
Not much of a use-trail going up |
Not much of a use-trail going up |
The tunnel rock |
The tunnel rock |
Not much of a use-trail but intuitive where the passage is |
The creek is down there |
The creek is down there |
Steep uphill and the cirque is not even visible yet |
Steep uphill and the cirque is not even visible yet |
Steep uphill and the cirque is not even visible yet |
Owens Valley down below where my car is |
At the top you can see the ridge that separates the North Bairs and the foresty northern branch of the South Bairs |
Stay to the right of the granite slabs |
Lots of bouldering |
and some shade |
At the split |
At the split |
At the split, crossing the southern tributary |
At the split |
Cactus flowers |
Ascending the foresty northern branch (not the best route but just to check out the view on the northern side of the Bairs ridge) |
Foothill Rd down below where my car is |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
You can also ascend this chute |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
Up the foresty branch |
View below |
View below |
Owens Valley in all its glory |
The North Bairs route from the ridge that separates the two |
The North Bairs route from the ridge that separates the two |
The pre-cirque chute to the George Creek route |
Down below |
Coasting the ridge |
Avoid all these peaklets by staying lower to the left |
Owens Valley |
The route so far |
The route so far |
Wildflowers |
Mt Whitney in the distance |
The cirque that you need to reach (the George Creek route) |
The route involves some saddles, up and down |
Mt Russell (the mountain with two horns) and Mt Whitney |
Just passed one of the saddles |
Another saddle |
The use-trail is down there |
The upper route almost connecting to the George Creek route |
The last section of the upper route |
Most of the chutes at the cirque are impassable |
Passing the last peaklets |
The last saddles |
The last saddles |
At the northern tip of the cirque |
You can guess where the pre-cirque chute is |
Scrambling towards the George Creek route above the cirque |
Whitney |
Finally the first view of the summit |
The cirque (the pre-cirque chute is to the left of this picture) |
Option 1: The pre-cirque chute |
Option 1: The pre-cirque chute |
Option 1: The pre-cirque chute |
An easier chute to get to the ridge |
An easier chute to get to the ridge |
An easier chute to get to the ridge |
Not an option: The chutes of the cirque itself are all impassable |
View from Whitney to Versteeg (Trojan in the middle, Barnard slightly in the back) |
View from Versteeg to Williamson, the summit in the middle |
Russell, Whitney and Trojan |
Trojan and Barnard |
Versteeg |
Up the George Creek route |
The final headwall... |
...or the chutes |
The North Bairs route and Owens Valley |
The North Bairs cirque from above |
The chute from below (exit to the upper right into the summit plateau) |
The chute from the top |
The top of the chute to bypass the headwall |
The summit plateau and the east horn |
Owens Valley |
The summit is all the way to the left |
East horn |
East horn and summit |