Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Eastern Circumnavigation question

Hello All,

My buddy Tony and I will be making our first summit bid at the end of September (Mt. Whitney Trail permit dates 9/28 - 10/1). We'll arrive at Whitney Portal 9/25.

Rather than just going round-trip on the MT, I've been thinking more of the Eastern Circumnavigation described in several of the guide books: more scenery and, if I understand correctly, fewer people. We're both experienced backpackers, and know how to use map & compass.

Any practical suggestions and words of wisdom are greatly appreciated. We're pretty excited, even if we do end up sticking to the MT.

Daryl

I've gone up the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek, over Whitney / Russell, down thru the Arctic Lake drainage to the JMT up to the summit many times. Its not any longer than a round trip on the MT, but is a lot more interesting.

If you've got the skills to get up the Ebersbacher Ledges, you'd probably have the skill to choose to go down the MR, avoiding the MT almost completely.

Daryl,

If you select to complete your circumnavigation at the end of September by descending the MR, follow this Message Board to see how conditions are changing up there. Yesterday (September 2 at 10 AM) peering down the cute descending from the summit plateau to the Notch (the "final 400") on the MR, it was not obvious from above that the bottom segment was in fact clutttered with ice. In unusual form, yesterday the "easy traverse" was actually safe. Earlier this summer this traverse appeared to be an invitation to a sudden death (ironically, depositing one back at the small lakes far below which had been earlier passed on the circumnavigation route).

Of course, the MT always remains an option. However, at the end of September its condition too might not be optimal. For sure, though, there will be another full moon then.

Jim

PS: Verify that the permit reservations you currently hold will enable you to do what you finally plan. If you are not doing the circumnavigation in a day, you might actually need permits for the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek.

Thank you, Richard and Jim.

We'll let conditions (on the mountain, and our own) be our guide. We picked our entry dates in the MT lottery to coincide with the full moon; 9/28/was our first choice.

We arrive on Tuesday. We'll check availability of permits for the North Fork when we get to the Visitors Center.

Daryl, just completed the circumnavigation last week, but came down the "closed for maintenance" MT... took three days to enjoy the MW surroundings (not many mountains in Fla). First day, UBSL; 2nd night Guitar Lake... the Whitney-Russell Col is not a breeze with a pack (scree hill - two steps up, one step back)... a little boulder hopping around the "water holes" on the way down to Guitar (kept close to the right shore of them except for Arctic Lake, left side). Guitar Lake- second time I've been there, quite windy after sundown both times.
Hydrate and acclimate... Enjoy...

Thanks, FlaG8R. It sounds good to me!

We're leaving for the Portal today. San Jose's a wee bit closer than Florida.