There are two ways to get to Mt Russell:

1. When you reach Upper Boy Scout, bear right around the lake and walk up the canyon. Mt Russell is right in front. After two waterfalls and a dry lake, you reach a sandy plateau. (There is a use trail on the right/eastern side of the canyon). Then scramble up the scree and the rocks. The route winds its way clockwise (northeast) to the top of the gully. Mt Russell is on your left all the time. You surface right at the base of the east ridge, near the saddle between Russell and Carillon.
2. (Pictures of this hike). Before Upper Boy Scout, a "trail" heads up north up a gully. This is basically just a wall of scree. Scramble your way to the top. Initially the use trail takes you to the right of a wall of rocks. Then you should try to move back towards the center of the gully. A good reference point is a huge rock that looks like the temples at Petra: you want to end to the left of it. At that point, any direction is good to reach the plateau.
   At the top you are on the Russell-Carillon plateau. Mt Russell is the "hill" to the left of the saddle, Carillon is on your right (although you don't see its summit yet). When you reach the upper ridge of this plateau (the "saddle"), you will see two lakes: an unnamed (and always icy) lake right below Mt Russell's north side, and (to the right) Lake Tulainyo, the highest lake in the contiguous USA (3906m).

   From the saddle, reaching the summit of Russell involves climbing up the eastern ridge to the East Summit, and then traversing to the West Summit. Neither is easy and in between it can be deadly.
   The eastern ridge is relatively easy rock climbing for about 20-25 minutes (best is to stay to the left of the ridge). Then there is a false summit and the first exposure. If that scares you, go back because it is just an appetizer. After this first false summit, move to the right of the ridge, where a use trail has appeared. Now you should have a good view of the East Summit, which looks like some kind of twisted kitchen tool. The "trail" stays to the right side (the side of the lakes) with minimal exposure, but nonetheless the drop is quite intimidating. At the very top (about 45 minutes from the plateau) you have to climb one sharp rock. Then you have a good view of the eastern summit, which looks more like a regular mountain summit but, alas, is connected to the western summit via a deadly blade, an extremely thin layer of rock with a gigantic drop on both sides. There is a flat rock of about three meters that you have to walk on with absolutely nothing to save you if you slip: it is a good idea to leave the backpack here and proceed on all fours. But those three meters are still "safe" compared with the very next step: you have to slide sideways holding on a crack while your feet have no real support. Again, it's only a couple of meters, but absolutely nothing will save you if your hands don't hold. Then it gets a bit easier because (you can't see it from the East Summit) there is actually a lower layer of rock below the blade. In fact, you are better off immediately descending one or two steps and then start climbing up. For a while you have no choice but to climb straight up. At some point a ledge allows you to cross over the face of the West Summit and reach a gully (very visible even from the East Summit) that takes you very near the top.

   From crossing from the eastern to the western summit count one hour.

   Mt Carillon is much (much) easier to reach from the saddle. From right where you are taking pictures of Lake Tulainyo, follow the ridge to the right (east). There is a trail below the talus rock if you prefer sand over rock. Either way you should reach the top in 20-25 minutes.

   Note: as of 2008 the fascists who run the Inyo National Forest have extended the "Whitney Zone" to the entire Whitney mountaineering route above the Lower Boyscout lake, so that hiking Mt Russell not only requires a permit (yes, even for a day hike), but the permit is the same to hike Mt Whitney (good luck getting one). You are no longer hiking legally if you hike Mt Russell without a Mt Whitney permit (as demented as this may sound).

   Milestones to Mt Russell on the eastern route and suggested times:

   • Ledges/waterfall: 1 hour
   • Lower Boyscout Lake: 2 hours
   • Base of gully: 3 hours
   • Top of gully: 5 hours
   • Saddle: 6 hours
   • East Summit: 7h
   • West Summit: 8h
   Getting down through the same eastern route:
   • One hour to get down from the Summit to the plateau
   • One hour to get down from the plateau to the trail
   • 30' to get to Lower Boyscout Lake
   • 1h30' to get to the parking lot
   Getting down through the northern route:
   • Russell plateau: 8.5 hour
   • Canyon: 10 hour
   • Dry lake: 10.5 hour
   • Upper Boyscout Lake: 11 hour
   • Base of gully: 11h15'
   • First lake: 12h15'
   • Ledges/waterfall: 12h30'
   • Main trail junction: 13h
   • Parking lot: 13h15'

   ---

   
   (Click to enlarge)

   ---

   Weather