Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Glenn Pass

Does anyone have advice whether l should carry my microspikes to go over Glenn Pass the end of this week? I'm planning a lollipop over Kearsarge Pass to 60 Lakes Basin and returning down the JMT to the Kearsarge Pass trail. Thanks for any info.
Burt

I’m planning a similar trip Friday or Saturday, and I haven’t decided what to bring. Hiking/ski poles and MICROspikes are both on my “maybe” list. Snow might be dicey early in the morning and soft enough for easy walking in the middle of the day.

There are discussions that you might find useful on Summit Post

Burt and Bob,

I hope you give a conditions update at the conclusion of your hikes. I plan to cross Glen Pass on August 9 (northbound) and August 11 (southbound).

Looking at some trail journals from PCT hikers, Glen Pass looks OK if the weather is not bad. Just do not expect to speed over the pass due to some snow.

Rather a bigger concern might be water levels after you get down the pass. For example leaving 60 Lakes Basin over Basin Notch and returning to the JMT just north of Arrowhead Lake could put Burt in a swamp.

In any case, it is an awesome area and I am sure you guys will have a blast.

Jim

DUG had a "shitshow" when he went over on July 27. I'm going to wait at least another week before I go.

OK,I went over Glen northbound last Saturday and returned 2 days ago. l heard that things were bad on the Rae Lakes portion of the JMT so l spent 2 days in 60 Lakes and ditched the idea of a circuit. l used microspikes going downhill on the north side and thought they added to the problems when they snagged on a rock hidden in the snow. Coming back south l didn't use them or feel the need for them on either side of the pass. The scree and loose dirt were bigger problems. All in all, a great trip and l love my new pack!

Burt,

Your update on Glen Pass conditions is much appreciated. I plan to be heading over it in five days.

Jim

Thanks for the information, Burt. If I understand correctly, DUG had his “shitshow” on July 27, you easily went over Glen with spikes on July 29, and you came back without spikes on August 1. Conditions must be changing really fast!

I want to climb Mt. Cotter soon, and I’m wondering how much snow and water is in Sixty Lake Basin. I plan to leave the trail where it heads north and probably start up Cotter from the outlet of Lake 3304. Any idea how much water I will encounter? Thanks!

Edit: correct date

I didn't go over Glen "easily" in either direction but I felt that when I wore microspikes going down the two steepest snowfields on the north side the spikes actually got in the way and made me feel less sure of my footing. Aside from the "O Sh*t" factor when I looked down the first really steep boot track from the top of the pass it really wasn't that hard. The snow is firm and the boot tracks are deep. There wasn't much difference in the amount or consistency of the snow between my north-bound and return crossings, 3 days later.

As for 60 Lakes Basin, I didn't go far enough north to give you good information. From what I saw it is incredibly beautiful and well worth a trip focused on that area.

Thanks, Burt. Maybe I wasn’t too clear. When the trail from Rae Lakes to Sixty Lake Basin turns north, I plan to leave it and head west to Mt. Cotter. If you were in Sixty Lake Basin, I’m guessing you were right where I’m going. Any word on snow or stream crossings? Yes, that area is beautiful. I was there in 1,994 on the way to Clarence King.

Bob, when I decided against doing the 60 Lakes - Rae Lakes lollipop I got real lazy and spent most of 2 days hanging around my camp, reading, and doing a little laundry. I did go a little way up the 60 Lakes trail, up over the ridge that divides the 2 basins and then a little further. I went up / down some snow fields in that short hike in the Basin, nothing like those on Glen Pass, and I had no problem with stream crossings as far as I went. I don't know what you'll find beyond that. A Ranger confirmed what I had heard from other hikers, that there are some real difficult stream crossings on the Rae Lake portion of the JMT, but that doesn't tell you anything about conditions in the 60 Lake Basin.
Have a good trip and successful climb up Cotter.

Thanks again, Burt. I’m trying to decide whether to do Goat Mountain or Mt. Cotter next. It sounds like Cotter is doable, but Goat might be the better choice. There is a Sierra Club trip to Goat this weekend, so I’ll ask them when they get back.

DUG did indeed have a shitshow on/near Glenn, but it had more to do with sand and poor trail conditions than snow. Though the return shitshow was caused by breaking a carbon fiber pole at the start of a snowfield. I would say that anyone with more snow/winter experience than my near zero should have no problems going over Glenn. As I reported before my hike, the word I was getting at the Kersarge TH was Glenn was either a nightmare or nothing to worry about. It just depends on who you are talking to in the moment. Had I not broken a pole I might have reported it as not that big of a deal, even with my limited snow talents.............................................DUG

Went over Glen pass northbound two days ago (August 9) in the early evening and returned southbound over the pass this morning (August 11). Both times the weather was favorable. Trail runners and no hiking poles will do the job if one stays focused. Basically, it is finally summer up on the pass,

I met some hikers who took the shortcut out of 60 Lakes Basin to the pass. They said it was quite doable. It appeared they found hiking poles sufficient to make forward progress.

JMT hikers coming from the north had some interesting stories, especially relating to the Muir Pass area.

Jim

I hiked Muir Pass exactly 10 days ago, on August 2. Snow for miles. But, snow was soft, and we didn't really need microspikes. A lot of intact snow bridges at the time and we used them ... but we could see some snowbridges losing integrity (which we avoided) at just the same time as alternate routes were becoming manageable. So for us, nothing too technically challenging if you are comfortable walking on snow (and not hewing directly to the trail, which was under many feet of snow in places), but you have to stay alert and aware of surroundings.

I just got home from dayhiking Mt. Cotter yesterday. I went over Kearsarge pass, over Glen Pass, and then took the trail to Sixty Lake Basin and climbed Cotter. There were two patches of snow on the east side of Kearsarge, and there were several patches of snow on both sides of Glen Pass. All of the snow was either easy to bypass or easy to walk across with light hiking boots. There is a fair amount of loose rubble on the north side of Glen Pass.

I made all my stream crossings by hopping across rocks and never got my feet wet. I heard that there was a knee-deep crossing beyond where I turned off the JMT and headed for Cotter. I assume that this is the same crossing that DUG reported as “waist-deep.” Either DUG is very short or the water has subsided considerably.