Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Main Trail Dec 2, 2020

2020 continues to be a crazy year. This morning from Lone Pine, the Sierras to the west looked nearly as dry as the Inyos to the east.

Yesterday (Dec 2) I took advantage of the favorable conditions (for December) to hike up to the Summit by the Main Trail.

There was just one car in the lot when I arrived in the early morning darkness at Whitney Portal. With the exception of the Summit, for the entire day on the trail no hikers or tents were seen. When I arrived on the Summit, four other hikers arrived nearly simultaneously: Anton whose car I had seen in the lot had camped at Trail Camp the night before, and a friendly dog Copper who had guided two young men up the Mountaineer's Route. We marveled at the pristine conditions and clear views in all directions. Smoke from a fire far to the south was just a barely discernible speck in the distance. When I returned to the TH in the early evening darkness, the number of cars in the lot had escalated to four.

Snow: Most snow patches on the trail were on the switchbacks and usually offered decent traction for my road running shoes. Poles added additional points of contact for insurance. Micro spikes never left the pack.

Ice: Two areas of ice needed to be addressed. (1) Below Lone Pine Lake ice makes the trail difficult for about 30 yards. This is easily dealt with by passing on grass to the left. (2) The stream crossing below the waterfall in Bighorn Park is frozen. Get down on all fours and shuffle 10 yards to cross.

Availability of running water: Sources include the Spring in Bighorn Park, the outlet of Mirror Lake, and Consultation Lake (which is still struggling to freeze).

Lone Pine Campground (no fee) was used for three nights. One night I was the only camper. On the other nights I was joined by two other parties. There are multiple portable restrooms. The water is off, so bring your own or use the creek. Bring your own firewood. Possibly a California Campfire Permit is needed. There is a good cell phone connection.

Wishing everyone good health.

Jim

Thanks Jim , went up to the Portal today for a quick look , Parking lots almost full in the upper area 0 cars in the overflow lot , looks like a few campers in the lots also , temps holding very mild for this time of the year


The hammer can come down any day now , watch the storms north of Whitney as any of these can drop down , go to 0 temp and dump inches to feet of snow . The next 2-4 weeks are our start cycle for activity and the calm for a few weeks after that , The cycle the last 5 years or so is we get late snow , ,April May and into the first few weeks of June making winter conditions later into the summer season on the upper elevations .

Well if you are new to the Sierra wind over the ridges can be very strong , and will create whiteout conditions and snow loading on the slopes , Always check the ridge line from the valley before you head up , check for spindrift , this makes the back side dry many years , but the snow will end up near Outpost to trailcrest some times chest deep.
Take Jackets and Snacks! Park your car in the upper lots back in heading down the road if we get snow when you are hiking , the lower lots can be very slick or deep snow and hard to get out of. Upper lot facing down the road you only need to get several hundred feet and into the clearing the gets sun., also watch the area just before the campground , it is in the shadow all day now and the snow will be stiff and deep.
Very short day light hours sun down about 3:30 up about 6 . Have a contact before you go and touch base when you get back down . Winter hiking is harsh and demands your full effort. Summer is very forgiving , winter isn't.

Forgot an old rule of thumb 15/15=0 15 air temp /15 mph breeze = 0 degrees. Dress so you don't over heat or loose body heat that you need to stay warm , You are the heater, clothing is the protective element that keeps the heat in / wind out.

In his above post on December 2, Doug Sr admonishes,"Winter hiking is harsh and demands your full effort. Summer is very forgiving, winter isn't."

Indeed, on the Mountain, some refer to winter and its shoulder seasons as the "dying seasons."

One recalls a young man trying to set the winter speed record on the Mountain on December 14, 1974. The snow conditions were ideal for fast travel and the young man was fit and very familiar with the area. However, he sustained a serious fall above the Cables. He survived by eventually crawling and falling back to his car.

No longer quite so young, he recently wrote,"Pray that you are never faced with that scenario, but plan now for what you need to do if you are. Do you wait and hope the bus comes? Do you assess your injuries and create a plan of action? The experience you bring to the plate when something of this magnitude happens will often determine the outcome."

Jim

The observations and advice above are outstanding.

My first time up the Main Trail was 12/18/74 - 12/20/74 with an overnight in the summit shelter...I had no idea of this accident and near tragedy just 4 days earlier...There was much ice at the cable section (with the cables and posts removed for the winter at that time), and sketchy on the traverse to Trail Crest...Indeed, Winter is the time to reflect on skills and decision making on the ascent...I know...

Doug,

I still vividly recall your post on this Message Board on Dec 15, 2006 when you posted about your experience "Whitney Summit Survival Dec 9,2006 to Dec 12, 2006." The report of your experience ("nightmare" as you later referred to it) and the many comments and followup makes for a very educational read.

Good to hear from you.

Jim

Thanks Jim,

I'm also out and about in the Eastern Sierra this winter taking advantage of the early season dry conditions with easy day hikes and overnight trips trying to get back into shape...It has been a long, sporadic road back, mentally and physically...

Only did a couple of loops up the MT and down the old...
but, the County (or maybe Doug, out of the goodness of his heart) is "rocking" the road, so you can still drive up to the Portal (if you're careful-there is ice.)

Based on what I saw down low, I'd think that a trip up the MT is "doable."

Met a couple of guys heading up... said they would post a report on Friday.

Saw Mara at the Hostel...nice to see old friends...
Talking thru my motorcycle helmet (mask) wasn't much fun...
Get me (and everybody else) a shot(s) so we can end this...

It was the night before Christmas and the new year is near,let's see if we
can follow the guidelines,were mask and take part getting the shots,really never before has it been more what can we do... I hate to rant but several hours ago we found out one of our cousins took the last fishing trip and our own Mark A is in the Hospital.

Hope to all in 2021 we can resume the hikes and the get togethers Thanks from the Portal Crew.

First off, sorry to hear about your family member's passing.

I also hope Mark has a full recovery. (Assuming it's covid, he's the first person I know to get it.)

I was really surprised to find that I could make a reservation at the Hostel and not surprised to get the call that it was being cancelled.

I went to LA to pay respects to my Mom and Dad yesterday and was amazed at the number of people heading north on 395 while we were driving home... I get the feeling that it's going to get much worse before it gets better...hardly anybody seems to be listening to the stay at home order.


On Wednesday, I rode around the gate up to Horseshoe Meadow...
What a thrill... ALL my own!
(Forgot my phone...don't carry a camera anymore...so no photos.)

Highlights:

- Scrawny coyote on the road at about 9k... Typical of a wild coyote, it was a ghost in about 5 seconds at the sight of a human.

- Lots of bear tracks on the 3-4 inches of powder on the road from about 9500 feet.

- Bear tracks leading up to one of the bear boxes at the Trailhead. (Must have smelled something inside...I didn't look.)

Cirque and Langley looked really cool with the light dusting of snow that remains.


I'm going again soon...


BTW: it's really interesting that my YouTube feed has had a lot of climbing videos lately...

To Doug, my condolences on the passing of a family member. And to Mark, wishing you a speedy recovery.

Everyone can pitch in and help fight the Covid attack. Do it for your family, friends, and country.

Appreciated Richard P's update on Horseshoe Meadow.

A short historical note on Horseshoe Meadow: 92 years ago today (Christmas 1928) there was no road up to Horseshoe Meadow. But on that day Orland Bartholomew started up the trail at the bottom of Cottonwood Canyon, first hiking and then skiing. On April 3, 1929 he finished a 300 mile winter odyssey ending in Yosemite Valley. He was the first to complete a successful winter ascent of Mt Whitney and to travel the John Muir Trail in the winter.

Seasons Greetings to all.

Jim

PS: For a good read, consider "High Odyssey-the first solo winter assault on Mt. Whitney and the John Muir Trail area" by Eugene Rose, published in 1974 by Howell-North Books (Berkeley, California).