Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Cottonwood or Symmes?

My Pop and I are talking about hiking Mt. Whitney. He did it 35 yrs ago, right after i was born. he wants to do it again before he's "too old".

We are talking about hiking in and over whitney and out the portal.

I am curious to know if one would be advised more than the other route.

1. Cottonwood. old army or new army? How far is it? Is one way more gradual to help w/ aclimating?

2. Symmes Creek to Anvil. over the pass to Wright Lakes. one map i saw had a cross country short cut between Wright lakes and JMT (or PCT?)

any ideas? suggestions? we wanna kinda take it slow, but we don't have a full week.

Thanks!

I did this hike last year. stayed at Horseshoe Meadows to acclimate then up and over Cottonwood pass. Down into Rock Creek Basin, up to Crabtree Meadows and then up to the Summit with a Trail Crest exit. we planned on taking 5 days but ended up only taking 4. There are lot's of routes out of that area so you really can't go wrong. Approaching Whitney from the west is absolutely beautiful and well worth the miles. Overall mileage was under 50 for 4 days. Very casual pace.

Sisterwolf:

While I LOVE the Symmes Creek/Shepherd Pass trail, the elevation gain and strenuousness of the initial part of the trail is significantly larger than that of Cottonwood. You are starting at just over 5K for Symmes Creek, in the desert, and climbing 6K to get over the Pass. IT IS GORGEOUS, but depending on what you and your pop are looking for, can be a hard trek.

The route from Cottonwood is equally gorgeous and a lovely walk.

Just a few cents,
Laura

The cut off after Shepherd Pass summit going down into Wright Lakes is the Rockwell Pass route named for our own Bob R. Yes, you can go this way and drop down to JM Trail by Wallace Creek but I would agree with Laura that Shepherd would be more difficult mainly due to more elevation to climb vs Cottonwood area, also longer, but absolutely gorgeous.

CMC

Thank you all for your advice.

so what about the difference between Old Army Pass and New Army Pass. or the South Fork trail.

Pop is in his mid 70's, and i want to make sure we take the easier route.

i have looked at pix of the cottonwood trail route, and it looks BEAUTIFUL!!! I am waiting for my topo maps to come in the mail. looking for maps of the trails.

thanks again for the advice!

Well New Army is a much more gradual climb up compared to Old Army which is a bit more steep and in places cluttered with rocks since it is no longer maintained, I personally prefer Old Army because it just feels like you reach the top allot faster and New Army has a few hundred feet more climbing to due which as soon as you climb it you drop straight back down and in the case of climbing Langely you drop right down to where Old Army is.

They both have their own features when it comes to views, from New Army you have views of the South Fork Lakes and Telescope Peak in the distance (on a clear day) while Old army you have a view of Lakes 4 and 5.

New Army Pass, while a couple hundred feet higher in elevation ,will probably be easier for you and your pop since it is a much better trail. You will probably find it easier to use the main trail and not take the South Fork trail. I much prefer the South Fork trail when heading up to Cottonwood Lakes because it is less traveled and a little less sandy/dusty. However, you have to be a little creative once at the South Fork Lake getting back to the New Army Pass trail. If you wait too long you will be navigating a boulder field to find the trail. You can also just cross-country over the hill that separates South Fork lake and Cottonwood lakes #1 and #2. But in the end, your mileage is about the same or more if you take the South Fork lakes trail.

Have fun! It's beautiful country.

Thank you all for the advice!!!
i'm not sure how well Pop would do on a boulder field w/ a 20pound backpack.
I am loving seeing everyone's pix of the trips and trails! I actually got the feeling of vertigo the other day looking at some of the summit pix!

my pop and i make a great hiking team. We hike slow. we take LOTS of stops and breaks. to rest and to let me photograph the place! It's great. He keeps saying this might be our last REAL backpacking trip. we have hiked with other people, family and friends. we find that we are the best match. all of our family and friends like to race to the top. and do long "death marches". So, that's a little about me and my dad.

thanks again, for your ideas, suggestions, advice, and pix.
so what about between New Army Pass to Guitar lakes. is it pretty mellow, or is there anything i need to worry about between the two. we won't be doing any extra day hikes up Langley or anything. should i plan one night or two between the two points? any must see photo spots?

I have one area of concern: Have you and your dad hiked places over 10k elevation? If not, please be sure you get to Horseshoe Meadows a day before you start hiking, and just kick back and relax. There are plenty of car camping places there, so get up there and take it easy, and let the altitude acclimatization process proceed. Doing that will greatly increase your chances of enjoying the hike.

You could even drive back down to Lone Pine for a restaurant breakfast the morning you start your hike, but spending most of the hours at the high elevation will be extremely beneficial.

My son & I are going in from Horseshow Meadows at Trail Pass, hiking the PCT to Crabtree Meadows and then up & over Trail Crest with a summit. We've allotted 5 days including an acclimating day at HSM. We're not into pain/gain "death march" hiking either; hence the route we picked. We'll let you know how it goes.

yes, Pop and i have been over several passes that were over 10K. we have done some 14k mountains. We do plan on a day at Horseshoe Meadows. I would like to wander around that area. maybe stop at Bristlecone forest on the way down.
Acclimating is very important!!! FOR SURE!!! i have had my fair share of altitude sickness!!!

> maybe stop at Bristlecone forest on the way down.

That is a good idea. Only the Bristlecone pines are in the White Mountains, which are the next range to the east, on the opposite side of the Owens Valley. That is a great place to acclimate before your hike. Getting there is about a 2-hour drive north and then east from Lone Pine.

Check the maps -- north to Big Pine, then east to Westgard Pass, then north. After the first Schulman Grove, the road is unpaved with washboard issues.

i am hoping to make it to Horse Shoe slowly, or take the day to get there. i would really like to hit the bristle cones @ sunset, so i can get some good shots. last time i was there, i took slide film, and my friend has them. somewhere. i really want/need images of those trees. so it would be a little side trip on the way. i remember the dirt road. I have new gear, and want new images of those trees. (tree hugger + Photographer)

it would be so weird to come all the way to California, and not seeing Yosemite. so we might do the first night in Tuolumne, then drive down to Horse Shoe. take pix of places on the way. camp a night in Horse Shoe.

thanks for the ideas and advice.

sisterwolf,

if you cannot get to the Bristlecone Pine Forest...

the slopes of Cottonwood Pass are covered with Foxtail Pine. a relative of the Bristlecone Pine. not quite as old, but they also have a beautiful character, like the Bristlecones.

here's a link to a photo: http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma81/Trailmaster52509#5340389494787049938

Norma, i really enjoyed looking thru your pix!
Oh yeah, i will be photographing some of those lovely trees, too!

WOOHOO!!!
I got permits!!!

still don't have an exit pass from Trail Crest. I guess I just have to keep calling/trying to get one.

So, what would be a quicker/easier route to exit if I don't get the exit permit? Symmes? or back to New Army Pass?

Another kinda odd question. If i have my 4 nights pass, do i need another permit to do Whitney from guitar lake as a day hike?

Yeah! i got some dates and permits.

Permits, but which trail? Sounds like you are going in from Horseshoe Meadows, right?

Whatever entry permit you have, you don't need another permit to climb the back side of Whitney. You only need the Exit permit if you want to hike out on the Whitney trail but you enter on another trail.

Some exit permits are available for walk-in requests, so you have a good chance of getting one of those. Also, ask for the day before and day after your planned exit. I believe they won't hold you fast to the exact day.

When you get here, there are often overnight Whitney main trail permits available due to no-shows. So if that might be desirable, you could keep that in mind as a last minute switch.

Oh, and an alternate exit would be to go around Whitney to the north side, over Whitney-Russell pass, Iceberg Lake, and follow the Mountaineer's Route down. It is not a trail, but not too difficult, and shorter than the Mt. Whitney trail.

thanks Steve.
i didn't even think of exiting the mountaineer's route out. I haven't researched it, because i thought it was harder. I will be going with my 75 year old dad. i am a super flexible person. I am fine with just flying out there (i live in Kansas City), and figuring it out when we get there. but my dad is not that way. he wants to know every detail. or as much as possible.
thanks again for the idea/tips...