Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Finding water in the Dark

Looking forward to a hike up the main trail on Sunday. Been reading these forums for a few months now in anticipation. Great info here, thanks to all.

Planning on a 1am-2am start up, what I'm worried about is arriving at Trail Camp while it's still dark and needing to re-fill water. So I'm wondering, while it may be plainly visible in daylight, how on earth do you know where to go when it's dark?? I'll have a headlamp, but the last thing I want to do is go off the trail exploring, not to mention tripping over people camping overnight there

Any pointers or tips on the best place to refill? Or any specific GPS coordinates I could lock on to?

Thanks in advance,

Kevin

It's kind of tough to miss. You'll leave Trailside Meadow and pass a stream crossing (the outlet to Trail Camp Lake). You'll head up through a little "canyon" (actually more like a gap between rocks). As you come out of the gap (maybe 1/2 to 3/4 a mile) you will be at trail camp. Look to your right. You'll see some smallish no camping signs (green plastic things as I recall) on wooden posts, and a clearly marked trail(s) going to your right. Tral Camp Lake is maybe 20 yards to your right.

In all honesty, you'll have a tougher time finding the trail as it meanders through the granite once you pass Mirror Lake.

I'd echo what Glenn has to say about the relative difficulty of finding the trail between Mirror Lake and Trailside Meadow. In the daylight, it just requires a brief pause and survey of the landscape. In the dark, there could be several false starts. If you feel like you're not on a trail within 100 feet, backtrack and try again.

As for water, you will have absolutely no trouble finding it fairly frequently up to Trail Camp. I never carried more than a liter between the Portal and TC.

Have fun.

First, check your map thoroughly, so you know where the water is.

If you are afraid of missing the water at Trail Camp, stop at Trailside Meadow and fill up there. This is my usual watering hole for going higher.

By the time you reach Trail Camp the sun will be making its presence felt.

With all that said, it's pretty hard to miss that pond on your right and sound of the water flowing under your feet.

and if the sun rising in the east is too faint, you might have the moon setting in the west (although the mountain will be in the way). Your date Oct 4 is full moon - coincidence or plan?