Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 2024

You've used the word 'hike' in a couple of your posts - keep in mind that in April it won't be a 'hike' but a full on winter mountaineering trip where ice ax, crampons (not microspikes), and helmet will be needed - especially with the rather large storm coming through this weekend dumping another foot+ of snow.

Wind started yesreday morning looked like light snow around the upper elevation , then a sucker hole in the aftrernoon, wind today and system in this afternoon , .
Guide group went up yesterday but I am sure they came down today Overnight temps around 10 with strong winds.


Waiting for the storms in May if we are back in the cycle!

Anybody have a guesstimate on current snow depth up there(UBSL, Iceberg)? We've received a bunch of snow again this year! Woo!

Guide report about a foot at of fresh snow Lower Boyscout Lake Friday and storm over the weekend dumped more, reached down to the valley last night to about 5000'
Several warm days will clear the lower elevation , but above will hold longer , south facing slopes will clear first .

Road work last week cleared the rocks and snow but work will continue and the lower gate may be locked without notice!

If people want to call it a hike, it's a hike for them. We get enough warnings on Facebook from the safety gatekeepers trying to become "harbingers of danger warnings". Let's not turn this place into that too.

I took a quick look at the HM Snow Sensor over the weekend and this morning...about a foot (new) on Saturday and about a foot-and-a-half (total new is now just under 5') this morning...

I wanted to come up this morning on the big bike, but it wouldn't start (cold winters are tough on little batteries)...Maybe tomorrow, since I took the time to install a trickler lead and have the battery charging...

In regard to the other post...I didn't see anything wrong with the hike vs. climb warning...and yeah, you can call it whatever you want, but even a quick browse of this LONG thread...if you think it's a stroll/walk/hike...you're a Dolt/Numbnut/ID10T...not to mention that we're seeing multiple Guide Reports as Epic Fails...with the Fail Rate close to 100%...but that doesn't mean you can't have a S/L of fun up there!!!

Besides that look at the last web cam capture tonight what we call a light breeze across the ridge 4-1 -24
try the 24 hour( time lapse) to see how the day goes also.

04.02.2024 Road Conditions:
========================

Rockfall Gate (up above the 2 switchbacks) is LOCKED...

Road Crews (at least they didn't yell at me) were working the upper road...

It's mostly done all the way around the Portal...a Front Loader is still parked up there, so they must be planning other work...

Here are some photos:
















I did ride around the locked gate...well off of the road on dirt...one of the Road Crew saw me, drove down and told me to get out...I moved the bike down to the Upper Turnout and hoofed it up from there...

Lower Boy Scout Lake (Climb) - 04.02.2024
=====================================

Put in a snowshoe track up the Old Trail...
There were plenty of tracks heading beyond the JM Wilderness sign...
I crossed the NF and headed up the MR...
Essentially the same track used for the past couple of months...
Same crossing of the stream at the place I played Tarzan...
(At least 2 Guided Groups have crossed here, so what's my problem?)
Still not trusting things, I stood there for probably 15 whacking away at the remaining snow...
Ah, there's a big Willow Branch keeping people from falling in...

A climber surprised me as I was getting ready to cross...
He made The Notch and said the snow up there is VERY DEEP...

(The track above "smelled" like a KW Work of Art.)
As I wished, it contoured up into the Forest on the South side of the Canyon...

There are some pretty steep sections, so below freezing temps, with crampons would be preferable to snowshoes in the afternoon...

Oh, and the climber reported that there is a bear up at LBSL...

Here are some photos:


Old Trail Terran.



North Fork Crossing.



Terrain above the stream crossing.



E-Ledges.



Whitney finally snows up...






Heading down.






Main Trail on the way down...lots of dirt showing...

Hey saw your scooter at the mid gate , Doug and I went up to check locks gossip was new locks but found the old ones below .
We will wait several weeks and start moving back in should open late april ???? or mid when ever

Nice alpenglow on the webcam this morning.

What will conditions be like on mid-whenever?

Again, thanks for the pictures.

Actually, I will be spending the weekend up in Lone Pine this weekend. It's my 75th birthday which leads to my 60th year of hiking in the Sierras this Summer. I have 6 trips planned so far. My first trip was 1965 at the age of 15. It was a nine-day trip over Kearsarge Pass.

I'll probably hike up to the Portal starting at the lower gate. The reason is to just get some exercise. If I drove up as far as I could go, it wouldn't help my exercising.

Also, a great trip report.

Paul

Happy 75th, Paul! Pretty much the best way to spend a birthday---and the best way to exercise. Have a great weekend. (But don't post pictures! It will only make some of us jealous ;-)

Yeah, Happy 75th...
I hope you get better weather than we've been getting down here in RC...kind of cold and really windy...with surprise rain showers.

Thanks guys....

I hiked both days, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I hiked from the closed sign at the bottom to the Portal. Quite a few people offered me ride up. However, I had to explain each time that I wanted the exercise and that I appreciate their offer.

As Richard posted, there was no snow or ice on the road until about 200 feet from the store, and then it was ice. I did fall once on the black ice.

On Sunday, I toured the family campgroung. There were lots of bare spots.

I decided to see for my self the closure on the Whitney Portal Road. It's been almost a year and couldn't understand why it is taking so long.

I was blown away on how much damage there is. On some parts of the road next to where the creek would normally flow under the road, there must still be a foot or more of boulders and debris still on the road. Some portions of the road have been undercut by the water.

There is a new, very impressive culvert, under the road, but that is about all. I still think the road openning is several months a way. Maybe Doug could shed some light on what is going on.

Getting back to the road conditions, I am hoping that the road to Horseshoe Meadows opens early May.

Paul

Spent the day looking over the Portal , snow holding in the tree covered areas. still need a week or more of warm days . So how this works: if we have a system for several days the melt slows or stops the last month we have had several systems and have lost several weeks of melt.
Road is clear and dry in the south facing area but still some ice and snow in the upper Portal area and the campground.

Guide groups going up often now so a good track is in for the north fork. Still most turning around before the summit slow travel and cold/windy conditions.

On the Portal Road update , no real update gossip is not June not August maybe Oct maybe no real update now . I gave a talk last fall at the supervisior meeting about the road and supported the Federal plan to rebuild , the pitch then was mid june paving now mid April ...

We did getan update on Lone Pine Campground open sometime this coming summer , not today.

The snow /runoff / avalanches and past fires are the major delays for many of these projects plus lack of a full workforce.

We have water to the store but no futher down canyon , some valves covered by snow cleared off the parking areas and road and frozen sections we couldn't find , the plan is check early next week on flow below the upper Portal. This is about how it goes every year so not a problem .

Different opening dates for the road so watch Inyo County Road updates .


Many cars at the mid parking area so space will be very limited for the weekend .

Wet Slides in the area so be on the lookout for slides stay clear of the run out areas Lower Boyscout lake for sure may slide soon. (south edge of the lake and onto upper on the north facing slope.

I know it is really early and things can change quick but I have a trip planned on Mt. Whitney at the end of July. We were there last year at the end of June and couldn’t make it to the top with the conditions and the amount of snow that the area got last year. Just wondering….in comparison to last year is there as much snow in the area? Seems like last year was a record year for snowfall on Whitney?

Hi LSU Tiger,

Indeed, last year was a big snow year. As you discovered when you were there last year in late June, trying the switchbacks then was not a good idea. At that time, the Snow Chute up to Trail Crest was still the consensus route.

When you will be here this year in late July, it seems reasonable to expect that the switchbacks should be clear of significant lingering snow from this winter. But there still could be some fresh snow from a recent passing summer storm. Moreover, I would guess that negotiating the snow field near the Summit will be easier this year in late July.

In summary, planning a trip now for late July seems very reasonable.

Jim

Hoping to clarify a few things I've read about the road to Whitney Portal.

For the people who are parking outside the gate is this because it is not open because it is out of the permit season or is there repairs/clearing going on? It seems like both are happening but I am not certain.

We are permitted to hike on May 5th and I am wondering if they typically have the road open by the time anyone with a permit hikes or is it still up in the air depending on weather.

Thanks!

All of the above Road is cleared but we always have repair sweeping and more snow .
I would plan on road open ,What the main issue is we still have deep snow on the main trail this creates many false trails,many people will try the next few weeks before the permit season .Example Saturday night low forecast 5 degrees and storms all weekend.
With snow skills should be about an average winter hike.Could be some warming the next several weeks and if a track is in travel goes OK stay in the track.
We are going up often now (to the Portal) so will put a few reports on.