Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 2025

Adding a little more...
As Lost said, some type of traction devices will help on the packed (icy in spots) snow...I wouldn't want to boot it in these conditions with an overnight pack on...

RE: Water, if you stay left in Bighorn Park (instead of following the rediculous tracks that look like they are going to cut out Outpost Camp, but then double back to the camp) you'll pass the Rockwell's Finest Spring...which is probably the last running water on the moutain...the waterfall at Outpost is frozen solid...the creek at the far end is frozen...you may be able to break thru...

I have some video of yesterday's trip...I just need to find the camera...

BTW, I was amazed at the lack of a billion tracks in a billion directions...there were very few signs of people short-cutting, or thinking they're smarter than the bunch...if this keeps up, we'll have a really fun Winter... (modern day mapping is probably responsible...)

Richard & Lost, excellent photos and video! We just missed seeing both of you, we went up Saturday and got dropped off at the closed gate, fully intending to camp at either the Lake or Outpost. I think getting a bit of a late start didn't help matters, but we ran into some terrain issues (I took a pretty nasty fall) on the final switchback before you make the push to the log crossing and we decided to come back down.

Then with headlamps on, hit a nice patch of ice (twice) that finally convinced me (yes, idiot, put them on sooner next time) to take out the microspikes, still feeling the punishment in my hip today...

A bit irritated that we were just minutes from LPL and had hauled all that gear up, but there's always next time.

My "living vicariously" fix for the day is taken care of.

I once dislocated a finger while prepping for the Final 400' on the MR...Speedy was nice enough to hike down the Main Trail with me...and provided some pain killers...that was a $900 visit to the RC ER the next day...they gave me a Local and the Doc spent about 15 seconds pulling the finger out and putting it back in place...OUCH!!! (to the OOP expense - I think I cheated on my taxes that year and called it a Donation...)


Hiking Up The Old Trail

How often do you go up there? My wife and I would love to meet you for a hike up sometime (we wouldn't be going near as far as you do). Doug talks about you often and knows us, we're in Vegas but we can often make it to Lone Pine in just over 3.5 hours. Tempted to go back this weekend but then I saw the weather forecast, so I think football & nachos will occupy my Sunday instead.

I'm not the type to plan many things, so I go when the urge strikes me...
Let's talk to Doug and see when/if he's going to do a trip up to the Store...maybe a mini-Group Hike (like we used to do on a regular basis)...really I want him because he has keys to the gate locks...:-)
Doug is one of the Greatest Story Tellers I've ever met...

BTW, I'm not longer fast...2 mph max speed on flat trails when I'm acclimatized...less when I'm not...

SMX has started and we're only a few weeks away from the start of the MotoGP season (which takes away Saturdays now and Friday-Sunday when the GPs are happening), so I'm real close to being a mid-week only hiker...(I'm a big motorcycle Nut...although I've become a drone nut and may sell off one of the bikes to purchase a Matrice...thinking I'll get the required Certs and then volunteer to the SAR groups. Doug knows the places where people often disappear and it would be a simple matter to create Waypoint Missions (that could even be flown at night with almost zero risk to anyone) to scan those areas...he probably also knows the people required to give permission to launch in the Wilderness...battery life is still a limitation...east side missions could be launched from outside Wilderness (I'm not going to tell you how I know because I'm scared of the Agencies...some amazing video in my personal collection now...), but west side would probably require a Wilderness launch...)


Another section of the hike:
JM Wilderness Sign To Outpost Camp At 5x
I was chuckling the whole time I watched it...

I enjoyed watching the sped up video to see exactly what we missed. There was a nice dry spot there at Outpost we could have used.

We aren't fast either. You weren't taking many breaks in that video, we often stop to catch our breath. But yeah if there's a Saturday or Sunday hike up with Doug, we'd definitely come out for that. And now that I've seen what we missed out on, if this storm doesn't dump too much I think we're going to come back out on the 1st. Looks like snow shoes might even be overkill for now?

Snowshoes definitely not required up to Outpost Camp.
I'd caution that it's dang cold right now...19 in RC this morning...and it looks like there's some single digits in the Sierra...

Yeah, I don't stop...it takes a long time to warm up and I don't like cooling down.

Those videos are great! We are headed up Saturday morning going to hike up as far as we can get hoping to maybe get to Trailcrest before turning back. One of your videos mentions going up the old trail is that something different?

My understanding of Whitney History is that The Old Trail (pass the store and look for tracks heading up the snow at the "top" of the loop...it passes left of a BIG boulder...) was the Human trail while the current trail was for the Mules...when the Mules were banned, Humans started using their trail...

We take the old trail up usually (right now its more snow covered than the regular route to the sign, though that might be about to change after this weekend). The old trail allowing you to bypass the first water crossing is a bonus, I'm "that guy" that always manages to somehow get their feet wet.

It shaves what, 4/10th of a mile off the hike? On my last two tracked hikes to Outpost, the mileage recorded the same on both trips, 3.28 miles.

Portal Map

The green trail is the Main Trail...the brown trail by the Picnic Area is the Old Trail.,,the red trail is the NRT down to Lone Pine Campground.

Excellent thanks

Whitney Portal Road construction closure is open. Road closed at the lower gate for winter closure , some are driving around but don't take a chance on the weather and getting your car snowed in .Tickets and very large tow bill if you get snowed in.

2 stories...

I once had to make a REALLY LARGE donation to Inyo County for being up past the Road Closed sign, so take Doug's advice seriously and if not be prepared for the fine...

One of Miller's Guys was really nice to me and let it be a Standard AAA Visit...My wife had got us stuck off the pavement and he said that usually they have to charge the Off Road Tow Fee (which I've heard is Outfrageosly Ecpensive)...I would imagine that it would be even worse if you were up past the Road Closed sign...


This car sat there for weeks:




I was up at HM again...There were vehicle tracks and then ski tracks, so someone has keys to the gates...

Here's a Southern Sierra Pano from yesterday morning:

As Planed a buddy and I headed up early Saturday morning. Seeing the forecast we knew it wouldn’t be a summit day. We parked at the hard closure and began up. Hit the Gully when it started snowing lightly. Forecast had called for the front to hit like 12pm but by 8:30 Whitney had disappeared follows by a lone pine an hour later. By 11 we turned back at Upper BS not knowing how long this would last. About midway down the gully the snow stopped clouds cleared but at that point our decision was made and we got down. Had a nice Chat with Blair at Big Willi’s, met 2 other guys for dinner @ Merrygoround that had camped at UBS the night before and got to Iceberg before being overtaken by clouds, then had a great night at Turtle Creek Campground camping in the car. Sunday morning the views of the next front were breathtaking and we shot back to Vegas to hit Red Rocks for 5hrs before flying back to MN. As always Lone Pine and Whitney never disappoint!

So, I did a Proof-of-Concept this morning...put the drone outside the car doot and gave it a Go command...it works...
Now all I need is for the Regs to catch up to the fact that this technology is Safe When Autonomous...especially in remote regions...
And this isn't even a high-end drone...

Here's a video from the flight at 3x..it's a bit choppy, but the scenery was beautiful...
Five Fingers South.

Waiting... 80-81 degrees in Lone Pine Sunday Monday runoff running off one canyon south of Lone Pine very little snow in the Portal Cayden shoveled 6-8 inches off the flat roof of the store Friday , said it was tee shirt weather .

We do have snow just above the Portal but a mix of snow surface and ice due to the melting and freezing System Sunday Monday was high wind and looked like canyon near Cottonwood maybe have a little moisture coming down . Mammoth had rain a few days ago , report upper 1500' had "good Snow" new system coming in Thursday- Friday so will see if we get a dump. Report from Alabama Hills local 0.14 " yesterday and last night.

Permit lottery open now and seeing many questions about picking dates to hike July- August always prime option but that means more apply for that time frame .May and late season prime for experienced climbers NOT someone expecting a warm dry trail with little or no winter travel skills . June things are still in transition some snow/ice can be snow free but ice around the North facing slopes ( 99 switchback area cables and top long switchback before trailcrest.

We will see a guided trips starting shortly and early season climbers going before the quota season starts (Permits still trquired) during this period we often have accidents and a recovery. Slips and falls off route and rapid change in weather conditions,. very short day light hours and often high down canyon winds .


I often read reports person had"little experience" and the next report "very experienced" "The leader had" So after many years and many accidents in the area we understand accidents will happen and each person should consider all the elements they may encounter .

Pretty colors and an amazing amount of Spin coming off the summits this morning...snowfall totals for the sensors I looked at are disappointing...sure there's going to be some really deep drifts...sure wish the wind would settle down...new 4 season tent is still sitting in its packaging as I'm not bold enough to head up into this kind of crappy weather any more...