I went w/ my 2 boys, 11 and 13, from Onion Valley to the Portal from Weds to Sun 6/30. We camped at Onion Valley on Tues night which helped greatly with acclimitization.
Camped at Kearsage lakes Weds night and only saw 1 fisherman. The next day we hiked to just below Forrester Pass and camped near the ponds. We saw 3 northbound thru hikers early in the day and a trail crew near Forrester but noone else.
The next day we climbed Forrester Pass which had more snow than I was expecting but can be easily done without ice axe or crampons (By the time anyone reading this can get to the Pass the snow should be gone). We continued on and camped at Wallace creek. My advice to anyone hiking this route now would be to camp somewhere else with more elevation/wind. The mosquitos were the worst I have ever dealt with even with Deet.
Sat morning we went from Wallce creek to the ponds above Guitar Lake. We saw 4 hikers coming off Whitney in the afternoon but did not see any other campers in the area. This was very strange since the last time I was at Guitar it was very crowded.
Sun we got on the trail at 5:40 and made trail crest in 2 hours. We then went to the summit and made it by 9:50. The weather was perfect and I was surprised at how little we were affected by any smoke. We made it out to the portal by 3:10 for cheeseburgers. As has already been posted there is no snow of significance coming off the mountain.
Overall it was a great hike and I am extremely proud of my 2 sons. By the end of the trip they were waiting on me. I was also surprised at how few people we saw and at how little the fires have affected any of this route. I realize winds can and do change but over a 5 day period we were never really affected by smoke.
One more thing: I've seen alot of questions about shuttles. The last 2 years we have used Richard to get us from the Portal to Onion Valley and he charges a little over $100 depending upon the number in your party. He doesn't like long term plans but he can give you several people to contact if your trip is further out. His number is 760-876-4443. He caretakes a ranch on the road up to the portal so he picks you up quick.
Also for those who need to call their shuttle I got service on top of Whitney and then again at the portal. You have to walk about 200 yards down the road towards the bathrooms but you can get a call out (Verizon).
Hope this helps.
