Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Weather in Mid-Late October

From your experiences, can you guys give me an idea of what conditions you have found yourselves in the month of October? Im trying to take my wife up but we'd like to know what were in for. Cold im sure, but when does the snow start to accumulate? Ive been up twice and know that the weather can turn on a dime. So i dont want to ask what the average weather is.... Just what you've actually encountered. And what time of the month it was.
Thank you for you're time.....

Why are you going so late? If you check the unused permits from last year, you can see that there were many unused / no-show permits available in September, and even in August.

Last year's unused permits thread is here: 2007 unused permits

I started a new job at the beginning of summer.(While still working another one!!) To make the proper preparations for myself and Wife, this is the earliest we can throw it together and get time off. Im pretty set to the fact that we will not summit. Trail camp would be great. And if weather permits, maybe we go all the way up!!

I've been in the Sierra in mid-October most of the last 12 years. The weather is most crisp in the mornings and reasonable during the day...that is most years.

I've run into snow a few times...everything depends on weather fronts.

I may also be looking at an early October summit attempt. My only previous trip (and successful summit) was in September 2006 and the weather was absolutely perfect.

One adjustment that I would make would be to leave earlier in the morning (0300ish) so that your descent is in daylight. I found it tricky descending in the dark.

Also Can crampons be rented in Lone Pine?

My first attempt was last October in 2007 on the 6th. I don't know what the averages are, but on that weekend it was cold and stormy.

At 3am at Portal it was in the low 20's. By the time we reached Outpost Camp it was around 10 degrees. Even with an insulation sleve the valve and tube on my water bladder was freezing solid. Keeping the valve in my armpit solved that eventually. I was picking ice out of my beard the whole way up to Trailcamp. At 9am it was still only in the 20's at Trailcamp. By this time I was exhausted and cold, I couldn't sit to rest because I would start to shiver and shake. I turned around at this point, but my friend I was with went on to summit, he used crampons most of the way up the switchbacks and a good portion of the way from Trailcrest to Summit.

I tried again this July and summited no problem, now I was 40 pounds lighter and in a good deal better physical shape, but I know the cold really sucked a lot of energy out.

The day before we went it snowed from Outpost up with 30-50mpoh winds. So if you go in October keep a close eye on the weather reports.

I am sure people could post trip reports where it was 50 an beautiful with no snow on the trail.

One thing to consider if you are hiking then, it boots, I had three season boots that were just not warm enough even with good socks.

Have fun! I am super glad I tried that time in Oct. even though I did not summit, it was a great learning experience.

Dean

You can look at several trip reports from last year on Page 42. I day hiked to Trail Camp on October 8 and the weather was great once it warmed up.