Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Iceberg to Trail Camp?

Friends:

Is there any kind of established route one can take from Iceberg Lake (or, rather, the general area at the base of the Whitney massif) to Trail Camp? I imagine just heading south along the base of the massif and going needle to needle will get you there, but I'm wondering just how passable it is.

So, does anyone know? How discernible is the route? How difficult? How long?

Thanks

Iceberg lake is in the North Fork Canyon and Trail camp is in the canyon to the south. The Pinnacle ridge seperates the two. It is possible to cross the pinnacle ridge at the Pinnacle pass. That is class three cross country. Certainly not an easy task with a backpack. It would involve some climbing and crossing moraine fields.

The Pinnacle pass is the low point about 1/2 way between the Whitney crest and Thor peak...just a little south and west of Barney (Girl Scout Lake). Just next (west) to the pinnacle pass you will see a spike sticking up (called Pinnacle point). This will be obvious as you hike from UPSL to Iceberg lake. Say 1/3 to 1/2 the way between the two lakes off to the south.

http://members12.clubphoto.com/robert634908/2353168/guest.phtml In Bob R's photo album look at picture #71. This was taken from the Whitney Summit. Follow the ridge from Thor peak toward the low point. That is pinnacle pass. On the North side you can see a large snow field approaching the pass. What is out of the picture is the rest of Pinnacle ridge extending west to the Whitney crest. You can see more of the Pinnacle ridge and Wotan's throne in picture #72


If you prefer, you can carry your gear over the summit of Whitney from Iceberg lake and then go down the trail to Trail Camp. That involves some real effort also.

Staying at the base of the Whitney crest and just walking from one to the other is not practical. The Pinnacle pass is very steep on the north side at that point....class 4 or class 5 for sure.

hi ericb,
I went once from TC to Pinacle Ridge. No trail, but it is easy to find route beetwen Whitney range and Wotans Throne to Trail camp. Do not go to deep toward the peaks, you can end up in the snow field and small lakes (can be frozen). The side toward Wotans Throne is easier. From Iceberg go over Pinacle Ridge (find easy way over, may be easier by Clyde Meadow or under the Keeler Needle??). Study the map. See BobR's images, posted earlier, of the Ridge he took from Thor Peak.
You can see some images of the "back" area <a href=http://homepage.mac.com/artomis/PhotoAlbum61.html>here</a>. Scroll down 'till you find Wotans Throne photo.
Take care.
tomi

Both responses are excellent. On the South side it is easy to reach the Pinnacle ridge. You just have to cross some Moraine fields, passing closs to Wotons' throne.

On the North side Pinnacle ridge has a drop off of about 500 feet, mostly straight down from just west of the Pinnacle pass to the Whitney crest.

Crossing from one canyon to the other does not save any time on the way up or down. But it is interesting and hikers/climbers on this board have crossed the pinnacle pass to add variety to their exploration of the area. If I were to guess I would estimate hiking with a daypack from TC to Iceberg lake (or the other direction) to take about 2-3 hours, even though on the map they seem very close.