Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Photos For Those Who Have An Early Permit...

Doug mentioned in another post that early permit holders should be OK this year.

Here's what the Main Trail looks like with Quota Season three weeks away...


Above the Lone Pine Creek cascade.



The Log Crossing.



Entering the Permit Zone.



Entering the Permit Zone.



Approaching Outpost Camp.



Approaching Outpost Camp.



The switchbacks above Outpost Camp on the way to Mirror Lake.



Looking up from the ridge above Mirror Lake on the way to Trailside Meadow.



Looking down from above Mirror Lake.



Trail Camp and the 97 Switchbacks.


[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-4Q77VpL/0/XL/i-4Q77VpL-L.jpg[/img]
Some of both the east and west side Main Trail.


[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-4TM4zc3/0/XL/i-4TM4zc3-L.jpg[/img]
The west side trail as you approach Mt. Whitney.


[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-pRg859F/0/XL/i-pRg859F-L.jpg[/img]
Outpost Camp as I hiked down in the afternoon.


[img]http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/i-RFVvBSf/0/XL/i-RFVvBSf-L.jpg[/img]
Dry trail below Lone Pine Lake.
It's mostly a real late-Spring/early-Summer hike to the lake now.


There's still plenty of snow up high, but it looked to me like climbers are already working the Switchbacks.

Yesterday, the snow was firm in the morning, soft in the afternoon. Hard to call it postholing because there is so little snow depth. I did happen to find some holes between boulders on the way down thru Trail Camp and went in to my thigh a few times.

You can see the rest of the album at: http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Mt-Whitney-April-7-2012/22334133_xd8JfK#!i=1784621791&k=fSW2MDS


BTW: this was weekend 20 in-a-row for me...

wow those are some great pics. it is very helpful to see those pictures , since i will be doing my trip at the end of June. I can get some perspective on what i will see when i go. I actually will be going down through that area, since I will be starting at shepherd pass and coming up from the west side. Thanks for those pics!

Very nice pictures indeed. Thanks for posting them.

Thanks for the pics RP and congrats on 20! Bummer about the snow this year (state says 55% of normal) I had started to like the late spring express trips up the high traverse...not this year.

There is less snow there than in mid-May 2007...the year of the last dry winter.

Good news for unskilled fair-weather day-hikers like me...

I post a thread about dry conditions, with lack of snow, and then the forecast calls for multiple feet of snow... we'll see.

Richard,

The ground is warm. If there are a couple of feet of snow, it won't be around long especially at the lower elevations.

All the SoCal storms in the last month have melted out pretty quickly on both the south and north sides the mountains.

Richard, first of all I enjoy reading all of your post.

So here is the Question. I was unsuccessful getting a Day Pass for mid June. looking at your pictures it seems like the Trail might be Clear late May.

Any Prediction on if the Switchbacks ( Cables ) would be clear by then??


Chris

Thanks.

My guess is it'll be an icy trail in the morning and wet in the afternoon... I'm also guessing that there won't be any major snowfields to cross on the way to the up.

Tonight and tomorrow could prove me wrong, but just like all of the storms this "winter," this one doesn't look to have the punch that the forecast would lead one to believe.

Hopefully this doesn't post 3 times: for some reason it keeps disapearing.

Anyways Thanks for Replying. So if we don't get any real winter storms between now and then, it sounds like we should be able to take the Switchbacks instead of the Chute. Of course with a Set of Microspikes. I have never gone early enough in the Season to have to go up the Chute. To me it seems like the chute would take longer. Not to mention I would need to learn a New skill, which at somepoint I should do.

I look forward to seeing more of your pictures Especially of Cables.

Chris

Thanks so much for your report and pictures. I compared the pictures of my stopping point from last year, just after the permit needed sign. I hiked on 6/18/11. Your pictures look like the thaw this year is just about where it was in June last year. Due to this i've scheduled my second attempt at whitney for june 9th. hopefully the dump from this weekend's winter storm melts quickly. thanks again! your pictures are so beautiful!!!

There are some photos of how the conditions changed with the storm in my other thread. Snow down low started disappearing in a hurry with the sunshine. Up high, there's a lot of fairly deep drifted snow that may take a while to melt. The west side had more snow than I've seen this season, but the days are long, so I don't think it'll last.

I'll try and point the camera up at The Cables if I head up that side this weekend.

Great pics, looked liked a fun day!!

What about the road and parking conditions? Is the road closed sign still up? Can you park at or near the Portal??

Thanks

Thanks.

Someone had moved the sign to the side of the road by Sunday evening. I don't know whether it was some prankster or someone official.

It looked like the road work was complete, other than a lot of gravel on the road.

Don't quote me as saying the road is open though, 'cause I don't know that for a fact. You'd have to ask the FS or CHP.