I have a group set to attempt Whitney via the Whitney trail on May 14-15. We were planning on camping at Outpost Camp (because I figured Trail Camp would be too cold and windy), but now I'm not even sure how feasible that is based on the recent photos I've seen. I've hiked Whitney before (July '05) and did not have to deal with nearly as much snow. Does anyone know what the temps might be like at Outpost Camp in a couple weeks (I know it's hard to predict) and if it will be possible to start a fire? Will it still be covered in snow? I've heard snow is likely to recede at rate around 500 feet/week. Anybody want to give a prediction?
Very hard to tell but even with sunny weather, I think it's safe to say the snow level will still be well below Trail Camp. I didn't check the elevation but as of yesterday, it looked like snow started between 9-9.5k.
Well Outpost Camp is at 10,400 so I'm hoping the snow will recede above that by 5/14 but perhaps that is just wishful thinking. Will it be possible to camp there and get a fire going at night if it's still covered in snow?
I am going to be climbing the Main trail on 5/21-22 and given the current report regarding the soft snow, are snowshoes necessary? Say, at least up to 12,000ft?
