Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board MR trail, June 19

I have neither technical climbing skills, nor any experience with ice axes and crampons. However, I have reasonable hiking experience. Previous strenuous hikes include Long's Peak Colorado (which has several class III sections), and Grand Canyon rim to rim day hike.

I am planning a day hike on June 19, and am considering taking the MR trail on the way up, and returning via the main trail. Any inputs on snow levels, climbing difficulty, required equipment would be appreciated. (I have ordered Doug's book from Amazon to familiarize myself with the route, but looks like it will take 2-3 weeks to arrive).

kanishka,

You'll definitely want to check via this message board on route conditions the week before you go for snow, etc. June 19th is about a month away and it appears snow is still up there in some sections based upon recent messages on this message board and summitpost.com. If you're looking for more descriptions of the MR route, there are plenty of sites on the internet and a DVD I made available at http://www.customflix.com/205683. Although it was shot during winter, the route is the same.

Good luck!

gosc

Even though there still seems to be quite a bit of snow left on the MR currently, by June 19th, it should be quite patchy. If you leave at 4:00 am or so, the remaining snow will be softened up by the time you get to it. Often you can stay out of the snow if you choose to, making ice axe and crampons questionable by then.

The normal MR doesn't require any climbing gear like ropes or stuff. I only recently read on the board that there are bolts up in the staircase section above the notch. I suppose they are there for safety in the winter. I have never noticed them before. A helmit is a good idea above Iceberg lake in the coulour because of possible rock fall. It is mostly class 2 with some class 3 sections.