Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Current trail conditions

I was surprised not to see any posts about the trail conditions this weekend with all the fuss about the snow.Any report? I have a permit for July 3rd RR

Well, if a picture is worth 1,000 words here are 64,000 of them from our June 3-4 summit:

[LINK REMOVED]

They're in chronological order and captioned, so you should get a decent idea of trail conditions, certainly better than if I sat here and tried to describe them

Warmerdm:
Many thanks for those pics; they're great!!
Don......

Great photos! Looks like there has been quite a lot of melt since we were there 3 weeks ago. For non-technical hikers however the route from trail camp and up still looks to be very challenging - probably prohibitive without crampons/axe. Any sign of significant melt on the switchbacks?

Many of the switchbacks (including the cabled section) were visible to our left during our climb to trail crest - we (and another group) actually discussed the possibility of cutting over to them about halfway up, but didn't because it wasn't clear exactly how much of the trail would be usable.

I suspect that by next weekend the switchbacks will be easier than the direct path up the snow. There was only a foot or two of snow left and if it remains as hot as it has been you should see some significant melt. I wouldn't quote myself on that, though :-)

As for crampons and ice axe, I wouldn't have done it without them, but I saw some people who managed it.

WOW! Some really great shots. I am heading up there on the 16'th and will be with people who don't have any snow mountaineering experience - hopefully the 97 switchbacks are open by then.

Superb PICS. Thanks..

Should have mentioned, I wasn't the one who took most of the pics - I'm the one starring in most of them, as my brother was taking them But he reads this board so hopefully he'll see the kind words.

EXCELLENT PHOTOS!!!!

Thanks so much - I am going on Thursday. Can you tell me what parts you used crampons on? Did you Keep them on across the ridge from Trail creat to the summit?

On the way down how long did it take from Trail camp to the portal?

At trail camp could you get water from the pond or did you have to melt snow?

Congrats on you summit and the excellent photographic record of the trip!

Thanks so much - I am going on Thursday. Can you tell me what parts you used crampons on?

We used them when we went off-trail between Lone Pine Lake and Outpost Camp - we went left instead of following the trail right, and it involved some steep snow climbing. We ended up bailing out of that route because I got scared, and climbed back down - depressingly - into the swamp/meadow thing before Outpost Camp. Oops. So you may or may not go that way. I believe we didn't crampon again until the long slope leading up to Trail Camp. The second day, we cramponed between Trail Camp and Trail Crest, and then again on the slope below Trail Camp. On that slope I ended up taking mine off, because I was having a heck of a time getting them to fit right that day, but the others left theirs on. I slipped and slid like a drunken sailor but that slope isn't steep enough for it to have been dangerous - just inconvenient to my backside!

Did you Keep them on across the ridge from Trail creat to the summit?

Nope - the majority of that section was dirt-and-rock trail, with only occasional portions covered in snow.. I'm not sure what conditions will be like Thursday, but in our case we just had to step very cautiously on the snow-covered sections. We weren't the first up, and there was a fairly well beaten path in those areas that we could follow.

On the way down how long did it take from Trail camp to the portal?

Three hours and twenty minutes. The whole trip down from the summit, including breaking camp, took about six hours or so, perhaps a bit longer. We definitely didn't break camp as fast as we could have, though - I'd say we took an hour to do it at least. We were a bit wiped out!

At trail camp could you get water from the pond or did you have to melt snow?

There was a section or running water that was peeking through, so we used that. The only time we melted snow was on the summit. We drank all our water during the ascent, so we then had to procure water by melting snow that had piled up inside the summit hut!

Thanks Warmerdm22,
Your pics gave me a good idea about the current conditions. We are planning to climb next week (Mon-June 13-Wed - June 15). I read a few recent posts which highly recommended snow shoes during the early part of the hike where the snow was very soft and knee deep high. Did you encounter such conditions.

Also, how many other hikers did you encounter at the trail camp? Reason I am asking is that I have never pitched a tent on snow and wondering if there will be any tent sites on the firm ground left by the time we reach.

Regarding poop, if the toilets were still closed, from where did you guys collect the poop bags?

And one last question, did you guys carry bear can for food storage? Just trying to avoid any un-necessary weight.

Thanks a bunch in advance.
A

I read a few recent posts which highly recommended snow shoes during the early part of the hike where the snow was very soft and knee deep high. Did you encounter such conditions.

We postholed occasionally but never felt the need for snowshoes - definitely not worth the extra weight for us. By next week conditions may have changed, of course.

Also, how many other hikers did you encounter at the trail camp? Reason I am asking is that I have never pitched a tent on snow and wondering if there will be any tent sites on the firm ground left by the time we reach.

The night we camped there were four other tents, and space aplenty on dry earth.

Regarding poop, if the toilets were still closed, from where did you guys collect the poop bags?

Rangers provided them when we picked up our permit.

And one last question, did you guys carry bear can for food storage? Just trying to avoid any un-necessary weight.

Yes, we did.

warmerdm22 -

You dont know how good it is to get this first hand info!! I sure you felt the same last week wondering what to expect. I want to thank you for the valuable information and details. When I did this back in 2001 it was a hike so the snow had me worried. But you pictures and details now have me really excited about this trip.

One more question (I am sure I will have more )-
How were the conditions at Trail camp overnight and then on the summit the next day? I have been seeing the weather reports of winds in the 20s and am having a hard time deciding on what to wear to the summit. My current plan is silk liners and thermal bottoms, shorts over that and then zip off water proof pants which are Mountain Hardware rain pants so they dont breath but they are way lighter then my goretex pants. Then silk top with a long sleeve shirt, fleece and goretex top. Any comments would be a big help.

Again thank you so much :up:

It got pretty cold overnight - I have a 15 degree rated sleeping bag (Marmot) and had to get fairly well bundled up to stay warm - the ThermaRest was crucial! I'm not sure exactly how cold it got (was too huddled in sleeping bag to check temp ) but the condensation on the tent was frozen when we woke up in the morning at around five.

As for the conditions on the summit day, it varied quite wildly during the approach so that layering is a must. When we left at about six AM I had two shirts, a sweatshirt and gloves, and was wearing plain nylon backpacking pants. By the time we reached trail crest the sun was shining warmly and I layered down to just one shirt, which was fine until the summit. Once at the summit, when we relaxed a bit and body heat lessened, it got a bit chilly and windy and so I layered back up It never got to be what I would consider cold, but you definitely want something to protect from the wind at the top. My two hiking partners wore heavier jackets and pants, and they were comfortable, but I was quite comfortable in the sweatshirt and thin nylon pants. I think it depends on how "hot" you normally get when you're hiking. I have a fairly high tolerance for cold.

The only thing I would have done differently is brought some thicker, waterproof pants - the glissade down soaked and numbed my backside! THAT was cold. Both my climbing partners wore waterproof pants and I think they enjoyed their glissade considerably more.

Also, keep in mind that the sun was shining the entire time on our summit hike. I can imagine it getting cold very quickly if the clouds rolled in, and I probably would have wanted a heavier jacket in that case.


You dont know how good it is to get this first hand info!! I sure you felt the same last week wondering what to expect. I want to thank you for the valuable information and details.

No problem at all. I was VERY apprehensive about our trip, because I have a lifelong fear of falling to my death off a mountain, so this website was a godsend in the weeks leading up to our adventure. I'm happy to return the favor. Of course I probably spent more time finding scary pictures and frightening myself than I did finding reassuring information, but nevermind

Also, I'm glad you find my advice useful - keep in mind as you read it that I am a relative newcomer to this, and take my impressions as such. Have fun and BE CAREFUL!

Bob,

I'l be doing Thor from Outpost the same day. Hope to meet you on the summit. Or you could meet me at outpost Sunday morning and show me the way up the Stemwinder route?

bj

Sounds good you guys. I am bringing a small group in from the Sequoia side and will be at the Western base of Whitney on June 19th-21st. With any luck we will see the summit of Whitney on one of those days. The pictures were a big help and showed some crucial area where we will approach from...ie Forester Pass to Crab Tree. I will post some pics early July.

Have the conditions of the MT changed much since June 6th?

How much melt since last weeks photos? RR

I went up to the top on Saturday I think that the conditions were about the same as last weeks pics. I will post some of my pics later today.

My apologies - I had to remove the link to our pictures, as the bandwidth alloted to us has nearly been exceeded! We thank everyone for their interest in our pictures.