Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Trail Report - June 19-20

We did an overnight trip over Saturday, Sunday, Monday, with a summit on Monday. We drove from Southern Utah and camped at the portal on Saturday night. We started around 7 on Sunday morning and hiked to Trail Camp. The trail is fairly clear of snow up until the switchbacks above Mirror Lake. We had to climb some slopes just above Lone Pine Lake, but it was pretty easy to get up and over and back onto the trail. We made a couple of quick traverses and got water just below Trailside meadow. The meadow is still under snow, so we strapped on crampons and took the snowfield around the meadow, up next to Consultation Lake, which is still frozen solid. It was a bit of a push to get to trail camp through the slushy snow, but the crampons helped a lot. Trail camp was virtually empty, and there were plenty of spots that are clear of snow. We saw three or four other parties, but no one was even close to use. There is a lot of open, running water available at trail camp as well. The sun sets over camp around 6:00, but stayed light till after 8:00. We got an alpine start waking up around 3:00. We planned to hit the chute at 4:00, but were delayed, as one couple in our party were suffering from AMS. We all pitched in to get them packed up and on their way back down the mountain. We got to the snow around 4:45. We were able to make it up to the base of the chute without crampons. The crusty snow made walking easier, and some kind soul(s) had cut some really nice steps in the slush the day before. We had an easy time. We geared up at the base of the chute and set off. It took us about 3 hours total from trail camp to trail crest. We are all pretty average, inexperienced hikers. All but one of our party that reached trail crest have summitted before (from 1-4 times) and none had trained very heavily. The back side of the ridge is quite clear. There were one or two spots that are still blocked by snow, but can be quite easily (and carefully traversed). They are not very technically difficult, but the cost for a mistake is high. Travel carefully. There is a large snowfield just before the summit, but we made it up without crampons (though I wouldn't recommend you do it, we regretted not putting them on once we got on the slope. While on the summit and the back trail we met a lot of cool Pacific Crest Trail hikers, who were hiking the summit that day. Also, as we were sitting down to some lunch, two climber came up over the East face, out of nowhere. We had just been telling the PCT hikers how incredible they were, but I think they were outdone by the climbers. It was pretty cool to see. One of the highlights of the trip was the glissade down the chute. It was the perfect consistency around 1:30 when we made it back. We took it slow and had plenty of control. The brave ones in our group rocketed down the slope. Ice axes were a must, both for the climb, and to perform proper self arrest while glissading and in case of a slip. We were able to slide almost all the way back to trail camp, though sometimes we had to use our axes as makeshift "paddles" to push us through some of the flatter sections. It gave our legs a rest, and was quite entertaining. We were able to take some shortcuts after trail camp through the snow fields. It was a little more work, but shortened the trail quite a bit. Post-holing is a problem, so avoid rocks. There is quite a lot of water running under the snow, and postholing into a running stream could be disastrous, depending on your equipment and preparation. Wool socks are highly recommended for when you get water in your waterproof boots. I had gaiters on over my snowpants and waterproof shoes and still managed to get water in them. I was glad I had my Smartwool socks. I managed to lose my wallet on one of our shortcuts somewhere between Trail camp and the portal. It was in my back pocket, secured with only velcro. I told myself while packing at Trail camp to put it in a secure zippered pocket in my pack, but like an idiot didn't listen. Maybe some kind-hearted soul will find it and use some of the cash inside to USPS it to me. All in all we had a great trip. The mountains are beautiful and summiting is worth all the effort and pain. My first summit was a day-hike and the round-trip from portal to portal took us just under 13 hours. We more than doubled that time on this trip. It just depends on what you want to get out of your trip. I brought my wife this time who just gave birth to our second son 4 months ago. She had been pregnant for 12 of the 14 months prior to his birth and on quasi-bedrest for most of the pregnancy. She was trained for and ran a 10k the week before we left. She was a trooper on the mountain and made it all the way. We had a great time. If you would like to see some of the pictures of our trip and assess conditions from the photos you can view them here: https://picasaweb.google.com/adammerlinlarsen/MtWhitneyJune19202011?feat=directlink

Great trail report. Doug has something for you I think.

Great TR. Did the PCT hikers say anything specific about conditions on their climb, between Crabtree and the summit? Several parties making west side approach in the next few weeks could use the beta.

thanks

Hi Thanks for the trip report , We may have your wallet Thanks Doug. We also have a very nice ladies watch turned in yesterday

Thanks Doug. One more reason I love the Whitney Portal Store, and all the great hikers on the mountain. Nothing but good experiences. I called and confirmed the wallet. As the PCT hikers say, a "trail angel" miracle. Thanks for all you guys do.

I didn't catch anything specific about trail conditions. The Hiker we spoke with ("Rhino") was wearing what looked like Montrail Masochist trail shoes, and shorts. He had some microspikes on his pack, but no axe or crampons. The John Muir trail looked pretty clear all the way up the mountain. There is still a lot of snow down around Guitar Lake and I could see several of the PCT hikers trudging through the snow down there. Timing will probably be the difference between needing crampons or not. It is beautiful in the morning, but the sun only takes about 30-60 minutes to start turning the snow to slush. Sorry I don't have any more information than that. Many of the hikers are maintaining blogs on www.postholer.com. They all go by their trail names, and you could look and see if any have found enough cell service to post anything about trail conditions. Some of the names I recall are Rhino, Viper, Dirtmonger, Mother goose, Outpost, Echo, wet sheep, to name a few. Good luck.

Adam - Thanks for the awesome trail report and pics. We will be climbing up on the 27th thru 29th. I am a first timer bringing my wife and son in a group of 11. Really looking forward to it! Can you give me an idea of what we can expect as far as temperature... nights at Trail Camp, mid day trailcrest/summit? Also, do you think gaiters and shell pants are necessary?

I wouldn't use the word necessary in conjunction with the gaiters and shell pants. That being said, we had them, and just about everyone else on the mountain had them. I used shell pants on the chute, both up and down, and still got wet. The sun and wind dry you off pretty quick though. My wife did not use a shell, and just had water-resistant nylon pants. She never complained about the wetness or cold. She did wear a thermal layer under them our second morning as we were climbing the chute, but complained of being too warm the rest of the day. She changed at Trail camp on the way down and was glad she did. Keep your eye on the weather reports, as it can vary greatly. We had just about as perfect weather as you could hope for on Whitney and it was warm the whole time. We noticed some odd temperature fluctuations during our night at Trail Camp. It got quite cold until around 11:30 or 12:00, when it warmed up to around 33. We had some terse bursts of wind around 3:00 which dropped it back down to 27. I got up around 2:50 and started breakfast and it was definitely chilly, but I had my layers on and felt fine. I didn't really notice it being that cold when I took off my gloves to 'prime' my little alcohol stove and light it. We were in an REI Half-Dome plus and stayed toasty warm in our 0 degree bags. I ended up unzipping mine and sleeping with it over me only from the waist down. This being said, everything will depend on the weather and the wind. Your current forecast calls for it to be warmer for you than it was for us with similar highs. 44 on the mountain can feel like 70 with no wind and sun bouncing off all the snow, or it can feel like 20 with a stiff breeze. I've experienced both. Just be prepared for the cold. In a word: layers. Getting wet is only a problem if you are wearing cotton or some other slow-drying, heat sucking natural fiber. Our nylon/polyester wool combos performed perfectly. We did get wet, but dried just as quickly and stayed plenty warm. You can find a lot better information here on the forum from other more experienced hikers. Everything I know I have learned from either the mountain or the forum. The Tips for first timers from first timers has a lot of great tips on clothing and how to prepare and stay warm if you are concerned about it. Good luck. I hope your trip turns out great.

Thanks for the TR Adam,

I'm headed up Saturday the 25th. I wasn't going to bring my shell pants (Marrmot Precip) But you changed my mind. Extra couple of oz. won't kill me and keep me semi dry.

I think you are going too be too hot in shell pants. We summited on the 22nd with gaiters on. It was a good balance of keeping dry most of the time and keeping cool. Just make sure you have quick drying hiking pants and smart wool socks.

Point taken, thanks. We are making final preperations.The home stretch. Had to go through my pack 3 times to get rid of non essential stuff. Down to 40 lbs. including 3 liters of water and enough food for 4 days, ice axe, and crampons. Had to ditch the Sirus XM boom box, and the 12 pak of Sierra Nevada. Just kidding. We will be at the Dow Villa Saturday night. Leave early for Horseshoe Meadow for the day, then camp 2 nights at WP. Leave early Tuesday for Outpost for the night. Then Wednesday head up to TC take it easy the rest of the day practice some technique on self arresting and relax. Then Thursday go for broke.

Rodney: You could get that down to 36 lbs., maybe 34. Check out how much water you hit till Trail Camp.

I was really considering that, thanks. You convinced me, maybe a liter and a half.

ok, maybe not on Whitney, but on Mist Trail in Yosemite or anywhere else in the Sierra, that is essential gear, just like the cinch shopping bag style day pack.

Thanks for a great TR, and your summit Adam. I recognized one of your hiking team mate, Tony. Sent you PM about it. Awesome pics and videos especially the glissading part.