Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Expected conditions September 28 ?

Hi, first I want to say I have so enjoyed the info and sense of community here on the board over the last few years. This will be my 6th time on Whitney over the last 35-40 years. My last attempt 5 years ago I only made it to Trailside Meadows as I recall. I am leading a group of 15 friends, family and coworkers. Only 1 other besides me has been to the summit.Got skunked in lottery for first several dates, so 9/28 it is! I have a few questions:

1. Approximately what kind of weather might we expect at that time at the Portal? Freezing or below at night? We will be camping there 3-4 days?
2. How much colder might we expect the hike up and the summit to be then?
3. This will be a dayhike, so about how much sun can we expect.
4. For us senior citizens, is there a discount for the ski lift?

Thanks in advance!

Bob

Cograts on getting the spots. We will start on the trail that same day for a two night trip. This will be our first time for myself and my team. I suggest picking up the book " Mount Whitney, Mountain Lore from the Whitney Store", lots of good info. Never a guarantee but weather should be cold but clear. Good luck, have fun, be safe. By the way, we are coming sea level Long Beach also ya'll better acclimate.

John
Wolfpack Adventure Team

John, thanks for the reply and congrats to you also on getting a spot. I've done Whitney both ways, in 1 and 2 days, although it's been many many years since doing it as an overnighter. We'll be starting out about 3:30 am. I'll be the gray haired guy, huffing and puffing, leading a group of 15! Have fun, be safe and enjoy the views!

Bob

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

sun? either a lot or none - who knows? days are shorter. Check online to get exact numbers, but you're probably looking at a 12 hour day.

and what ski lift? The Starbucks on the summit still needs to be reached on foot

Thanks Fishmonger. Sure hope the meatballs aren't the big ones, they sure can hurt. If I call ahead to the Starbucks, will they have my hot tea ready?

Trying to get a feel for the approx day and night time temps both at the Portal as well as the trek up.

Thanks.

It'll be cold.

Strongly, strongly recommend a very early start. 15 is a HUGE number of people, and I'm sure you are sweating the logistics of that. I'd strongly recommend you look at breaking that up into at least three groups, by speed. You will certainly have some that will not make it, some that will be hit by altitude, and have to turn around. Gotta plan for all that, which you probably are.

The biggest problem, though, is that the senior discount goes off on Sept 1.

Ken, thanks for the reply. Last time I was part of a large group 10-12, we started about 3:30.That was about 13-15 years ago and I wasn't "responsible", just a participant. At 63, I will be the oldest, followed by a 60 year old, who has also been there several times. The rest are new to Whitney. Several in their 20's, then some 30's and 40's. I've been emphasizing conditioning, hikes, distance and altitude. And I've added another day of camping at Portal, so we get there on Sunday and hike on Wed. When you say it'll be cold, do you think we are talking 32 or below during the day, etc. Just trying to get a feel for what daytime and nighttime temps may be. Breaking into groups is definitely a possibility. Thanks again for the info. I sure am bummed that the Starbucks closes on Sept 1, just my luck.

I went on a Sept 20 in 2006. 24 degrees at the start from our 12,000 ft camp. No problem. But the bigger threat was the wind. Had we been 2 days earlier, it was "100mph" on the ridgetops as the first big blast of fall came through. I researched this "snap" in the weather beforehand, and was told it often occurs third week in Sept. Personally, I have witnessed that on 2 of 2 Sept trips. Locals on this board can tell you more about it, it's variability, and of course, that there are beautiful fall days in between, as we found. I am not trying to be discouraging, just answering the question.

h lankford, thanks for sharing your experiences. This does help give me a sense of what to expect. When are you going up next?

Regards,

Bob

FWIW, I went up to the summit on Sep 09, 2010. It was pretty warm @ Whitney Portal back then and I didn't see any patch of snow until the cables after Trail Camp. There was ice on the trail, along the cables. It was pretty cold like a wind tunnel @ Trail Camp. The summit was cold too (35-40 around noon). Other than that, the trail was pretty clear and dry.

But I think you should really wait and see the weather forecasts for this year.

Thanks Juggernaut, good info. I am just trying to prepare as much as possible, as early as possible with a group our size. I want our group to have time to budget for things like down jackets, lower temp sleeping bags, etc. I do realize weather can certainly vary from year to year, but there are usually some givens as well, such as hell doesn't usually freeze over! lol, sorry, wrong message board for that. Anyway, thanks again juggernaut. You take care.

Bob

I went up around September 14 in 2008. Warm at the portal, cool at Trail Camp, at night then brutal winds from the crest and about 20F, with ice everywhere inside my tent and on my 20F sleepin bag. I was freezing. Next day was fine, just like the one before, T-shirt at noon. I went north on the JMT and never had another night under 30F after that first cold night at Trail Camp, but that doesn't mean it will always be like that, plus that was 2 weeks ahead of your date.

This year, I plan to do a southbound Muir Trail starting in early October, and for that I am bringing a much warmer sleeping bag, a 4 season tent, and a down jacket, proper goretex shell and pants. I know many days I won't need that gear, but I plan to hike through, no matter what happens with the weather, and that late in they year you could run into a good storm or two.

For Whitney, if the weather turns that ugly, you could always just turn aorund, because it won't be any fun up high anyway. I'd probably bring a 0F sleeping bag, but a 3 season tent or even bivy should be ok for a short trip like that. I think your chances for nice weather in late September are rather good, just be ready for cold nights.

Thanks again Fishmonger. I'm just trying to get as much info as I can so I can pass it on to those in my group. Just had 3 friends cancel from our group and 1 of those is the only other in our group besides me to have been to Whitney before. So, I want all to be as prepared as possible and have time to secure proper clothing that will be very critical since we are going up later than we had originally planned. I also agree about your warning about turning around if things get dicey. Your trip in October sounds great, talk about an adventure! I haven't done any exploring in your Wisc, but have next door in Minnesnowta, I mean Minnesota. 3 times I've spent a week canoeing in Boundary Waters. Beautiful area.
Take care,

Bob

Bob,

We would like to add one to our group. Is there a way to use one of your cancellations? We have 3 reservations for same day as you. Just wondering, not sure how that works.

John
Wolfpack Adventure Team (Long Beach)

Malloy, check your messages as I did respond.

Bob