Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Whitney Trail: July 3-5 Trip Report

Hi there,

Just a few notes from our trip this week.

July 3:
- got to the whitney portal camp in the afternoon. the camp was busy, but it wasn't too crazy
- at around 5pm it started to rain shortly followed by a thunderstorm coming from the direction of the summit. The weather forecast called for 10% chance of thunderstorm. The rain lasted for about 45minutes.

July 4:
- left the portal at 9am. it was warm and sunny.
- at around 10:40am it got cloudy and started to rain. By 11am there was a thunderstorm coming from the direction of the summit. The weather forecast called for 20% chance of thunderstorms. It got quite cold and we had to put on extra layers and gloves.
- just before the trail camp, there is a steep snowfield which many climb (or fail to climb), but it is much easier to look around and notice that the trail actually doesn't lead through there. Instead there is a easy-to-miss switchback that goes away from the snow field and then turns back and ends above it. This is a much easier route.
- we made it to the trail camp at around 2pm (very easy pace, several breaks due to rain). There were plenty of spots free, which was a pleasant surprise.
- we met a bunch people who were coming down from the mountain. Some of them made it to the summit before the thunderstorm, others turned around after climbing the chute and the rest were silly (and lucky) climbers who made to the summit despite their "buttons and zippers buzzing from the static electricity that was in the air". Many reported that during the storm it snowed at the summit and was very cold.
- the weather in the afternoon was sunny and warm once again. the sky cleared up and we had gorgeous views of all the peaks.

July 5:
- because the weather forecast called for 30% chance of thunderstorms and our weather observations from previous days we decided to start early - alarm rang at 3am.
- we left the camp at 4am, the sky was clear and it was still dark outside
- we took the lower section of switchbacks and then put on crampons and traversed to the bottom of the chute. This wasn't ideal. I wish we took the"lower" route that bypasses the traverse and is in a much better shape.
- climbing up the chute was a lot of fun with our crampons and ice-axes. to my surprise this section was not as steep, long or technical when compared to Mt. Shasta.
- we reached Trail Crest at around 7am when the sun was already high. The views in both east and west direction were spectacular.
- afterwards the trail didn't require crampons at all
- we finally summited at 9am as the first group for that day. At this point clouds were rolling in from the east and we didn't get to see much from the top
- we spent 20min at the summit and headed back
- glissading down the chute (with ice-axes!) was a lot of fun and sped up the descend. we reached the trail camp at around 10:30am, just in time to pack our things and watch black clouds roll in from the east and south, soon followed by a thunderstorm at around 11am.
- it then rained on and off during our descend to the portal which we reached at around 4pm.


It was a great trip and I'm glad we timed our ascend well and avoided the thunderstorm, many others were not as lucky and had to turn around due to the weather.

During our trip we saw a lot of people being on the mountain without proper gear (crampons and ice-axe) and/or doing stupid things like trying to climb in a thunderstorm.

The switchbacks are still partially covered with snow. We saw a few people take the switchbacks route up, but they really struggled (and some turned around) at the final section where switchbacks end with a traverse through the top of the chute to Trail Crest. The snow is quite deep there and there is (or was) no well established path through the snow field. This is also where the chute is the steepest, so any error here can have bad consequences. I haven't seen anyone successfully made it up via switchbacks, but I wouldn't be surprised if some crazies actually made it (while wearing shorts and *wet* tenis shoes).

In my opinion the switchbacks route is not yet ready and chute is the way to go. You'll need crampons and ice-axe if you want to climb the chute safely. It's not that difficult and it is a lot of fun compared to boring switchbacks - especially when going down :-)

Hey Igor,

Nice trip report! Glad you all made it down and home safely.

For the rest of the people reading this report - my husband and I did a 3day/2night trip July 4-6 - also summiting on the 5th. Igor's description is right on. With the rainy weather, summiting early is a must! Tuesday afternoon it rained hard for a good 3 hours at trail camp. One couple spent the whole afternoon in the hut on the summit - watching it snow! (fortunately for them - no lightening strikes this time!). Another individual started out for a day hike on the 4th and ended up exiting from Cottonwood 3 days later.

The point is -- be careful and plan ahead. Having the appropriate gear and timing makes a ton of difference in how enjoyable and how safe your trip will be.

Portal to Trail Camp:
Not much snow on the trail. We took the shortcut from trailside meadow up to consultation lake and up to trailcamp rather than going right up the "steps" away from the snow. Just be careful if you choose this option as the snow is melting quick and the snow field takes you over the creek. (we didn't need/use crampons for this section). Consultation lake is mostly covered in snow - but the tarn at trailcamp was mostly free of snow - as were most of the campsites.

The switchbacks:
We talked to some who had used them - said that they passed through on the outside of the cables. As was previously mentioned - the very last switchback is obliterated in the snow field and is VERY steep. (you end up either crossing the steepest part of the chute or scaling the rocks above the trail. By the time you navigate that, the cables, and the dozen other snow drifts and washouts on the main trail - you might as well take the chute. Probably 75% of the main trail is free of snow -- but I still wouldn't recommend it just yet. Give it a week .. . maybe.

Chute:
The chute was not bad. Starting early is good both for missing the rain and so the snow if firmer. Some were saying not to start too early as the snow will be icy -- but with all the cloudcover up there recently - this has not been a problem. Coming down was not hard either - the snow was so slushy that stopping our decent was not difficult. (Of course ice axes made it even easier!)

TrailCrest to summit:
The trail is clear from trail crest till you rap around the back side of Whitney proper - there a large snowfield covers the trail. However, there is a clear path in the snow that was easily traversed w/o crampons.


For those interested - you can see our pics at the following link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jjmundall/WhitneyJuly462011?authkey=Gv1sRgCM6D0O2t8Jy1Og&feat=email

Happy trails to all!

That is my Son and I crossing the creek. I remember you passing us, thanks for the picture!


For those interested - you can see our pics at the following link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jjmundall/WhitneyJuly462011?authkey=Gv1sRgCM6D0O2t8Jy1Og&feat=email

Happy trails to all! [/quote]

...Some of them made it to the summit before the thunderstorm, others turned around after climbing the chute and the rest were silly (and lucky) climbers who made to the summit despite their "buttons and zippers buzzing from the static electricity that was in the air"...

I'm trying to understand the thought process of someone stuck in a thunderstorm between Trail Crest and the summit. You would think buzzing zippers and buttons would stop most people in their tracks. Why do some go on summit anyway? i would love to hear their arguments for moving forward versus retreating or hunkering down.

I couldn't agree any more with you,,,,,,,,,.............

Thanks for the TRs and very nice pics guys!

John

Hi Jennifer,

Glad you made it to the summit and back safely. Cool pics.