Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Anyone want to go to Mt. Williamson ???

Not to hijack the thread, but does the snow at Sheperd mean I should look for the same at Kearsarge or Forester?

I was hoping to take the JMT down from Onion Valley to Whitney next week in summer boots with a 40-degree sleeping bag and no crampons or ax. Does that sound like a bad idea?

Thanks in advance. This board, the hostel and the Portal Store are great places to get an education.

Phil

Thanks, Richard and Kurt! Here is a trip report: http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/528506/williamson-and-tyndall-at-age-60.html

I got the Big Willy / Tyndall Double done yesterday. I finished it a wee bit faster than Bob, but that's to be expected. After all, I've got seven more years of youth on my side.

Thanks Kurt for the heads up on the snow conditions. I carried my light aluminum crampons, and I'm glad I did. At the early hour I was heading up the gully, and with the boots I wear in summer, they were a good thing to have. (They also allowed my to downclimb some of the snow slope on the Northeast Face of Tyndall. As much fun as the Northeast Rib is, I'll take snow over rock any time!)

Here are a couple of photos:


Snow in the Williamson west gully.


The last of the snow at Shepherd Pass. It's a trivial crossing now because of the BIG rut.