Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Shepherds Pass Trail Conditions

Anyone been up recently? I'm primarily interested to know creek conditions at the 4 crossings as well as snow conditions between Anvil Camp and the base of the pass.

Thanks!

bump

I'm heading up there over Memorial Day Weekend. I'll make sure I post trail conditions when I get back. Of course this doesn't help you if you are going before then.
I'm assuming there will be water in the creeks, maybe enough to take my shoes off and get wet. As long as the water isn't moving too fast and it's not too deep I'll cross. I'm hoping for snow further up above Anvil Camp and if there were deep snow in the Williamson Bowl, that would be good too.

Otis, thanks for the information. Our group is planning to climb the two 14ers within a three-day period, last week June. What do you think about the following schedule?

Day 1: hike to Shepherd Pass and set up camp

Day 2: climb Williamson

Day 3: climb Tyndall and/or Day4: hike back to trailhead

Will be very interested hearing about the trail conditions.

If you have never done this pass before, which with your asking about your schedule I am guessing you haven't, the first day is a killer. In fact, even if you have done it before, it is a killer. Be ready for the hardest day of the trip on the first one.

Thanks! You guessed right - have not done this one before.

And with the information from other posts, we are expecting it to be very hard. my favorite quote from is from summitpost.org "the people who built the trail must have been on crack"!!

We plan to take it slow. In March we started training for this, 40+lb packs, hopefully it will pay off.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

If you are only going for one of the peaks, I would consider camping at Anvil and doing your summit climb from there.

If you want both Willy and Tyndall, add a day and carry over the pass from Anvil on day two. Shepherd Pass in a day with a full load on your back is a royal PITA! (Something I've never done...)

I tried it 10 years ago, and couldn't do it (dehydration got me)

I don't know who originally built the trail, but the current incarnation was worked on by the Sierra Peaks Section of the SC over a decade ago. When I climbed it, I had not started my trail work career, so I had not developed the "trail eyes" that I now have.

Even so, it looked like a lost cause. Above the camps, it crosses talus/scree fields that do not appear to be particularly stable, so the "trail" is almost conceptual rather than reality. "Route" describes it better. To really build an enduring trail would be astonishingly difficult---basically a major dry masonry job. However, due to the instability, I think the trail would end up buried, anyway.

I've backpacked over Shepherd Pass a few times. The first time we went to Mohagany Flat the first day, the second time I went to Anvil Camp the first day, the third time I hauled the 40 pound pack up to Shepherd Pass the first day, and the fouth time I went up to the saddle at about 9100' in the evening instead of sleeping at the trailhead the night before. I hadn't planned to do this, but it was too hot to sleep at the trailhead when I arrived; so I figured I would just head up the trail. It wasn't dark yet and I could tell I'd be in the shade before long on the trail.

I found the fourth method to be my favorite. There's no water at the saddle, but it's not too hard to haul an extra liter or two up from the last creek crossing, and you'll be able to get water not too far after you start hiking in the morning where a stream crosses the trail. It'll just take you a few hours to do the hike up those first 2800', which are mostly in the shade later in the day (or in the dark if you're really late), and it's a lot nicer to start out from 9100' in the morning than down at the trailhead - it makes getting to the pass a lot easier. There's also a campsite where the stream crosses the trail past the saddle, but if someone else already has nabbed it there isn't really any other good spots until you get to Mahogany Flats.

I had not thought of heading out early afternoon on the first day and stopping after a few hours. That really makes more sense to me than sleeping at the trailhead.. That is great advice, thanks!

My concern was water availability at the Anvil. The post said, granted is was an old one, about the lack of good water there. They suggested to keep going to the first lakes at the pass.

The full load does have me worried. But perhaps the advice of starting the night before to get a head start, may just be the ticket.

Shepherd Pass is long and moderately arduous, but is never particularly steep, making it fairly ideal for a carry up and over. It's a little over 11 miles from trailhead to pass, and you'll spend a lot of time slowly trudging up flat switchers just to reach the Symmes Creek saddle. The "trail makers on crack" segment follows, where the trail dips about 600 vertical feet (take 800mg of damitol and you'll be fine) before reclimbing to Mahogany Flat, and then Anvil Camp. Water should be no problem at Anvil, although the season creek in the aspen at the bottom of the dip in the trail may not be running well this year. You then wind slowly through the Pothole and its rolling hills of talus (great trail) to reach the headwall. From what I've seen on other shaded, north-facing slopes so far this spring, there should be a good snow slope to kick steps to the top (the only steep part).

Shepherd's is indeed an ass-kicker, but if you take your time on day 1 (and it sounds like you've been training), you may indeed be able to make the pass.

I may scratch an itch up there this weekend or the next, and I'll be sure to post pics if I do. Depends on ski conditions up north...

-L

I'm not sure if I'll climb up to the pass on Saturday or Anvil camp. I'll figure it out when I get there. I'd like to get to camp around or before 6pm. I normally get up at 4:30AM for work anyway so I figure I'll just stick to that schedule. I can start hiking within 30 minutes of getting up. That gives me 13 hours to get to wherever I end up camping the first night (I like to take naps on long days)
My big concern is I won't have much of a chance to acclimate before hand. I'm heading up to MT Shasta the weekend before, but I'm not sure how much acclimatization I'll have left over. Friday night I'm camping at Onion Valley. In the past I've done well at altitude, but you never know.
I've been training for mountain bike racing for a while and have introduced carrying a 55 pound pack up Mission Peak in Fremont once a week. It's 6 miles round trip with 2000 feet of elevation gain. I usually add on another 6-8 miles. It's a fraction of getting up over shepherd's pass, but it's also 25 pounds more than I'll be carrying.
I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. I seem to have lost my camera and will most likely replace it with a new one. The old one was on it's way out anyway. It had sand in the lens and I dunked it crossing a creek heading south from Lake Edison last year during the crazy snow melt. It works but shuts off randomly.
Anyway, I'm super stoked to be getting into the mountains.
Happy Trails

Would appreciate the pics and thank you for the info!

Otis -- sounds like you are ready! We have been doing similar training, Iron Mt & Mt San Miguel. Not great with the elevation gain, but we can get the distance. It's tough getting the altitude here, but like you, it has not bothered us too much in the past (knock on wood!!).

Thanks for the info and will look forward to hearing 'bout your adventure..

Kathy's solution of sleeping at the saddle on night one could help as it would get you higher than the relatively low elevation of this trailhead.

I carried 50lbs+ to the pass on two occasions last summer, it's a slog for sure however if it's your only goal of the day it is very attainable. That said, we did have an unpreprepared tagalong on the first trip that fell dead asleep, face down in the middle of the trail at Anvil Camp. Made for a good picture...which is cruel of course, but necessary. He righted himself and too was able to make the pass.

Based on the sounds of your training you should be fine. On your descent do give care to the long(ish) snow traverse at the head of the pass, it tends to ice in the afternoons a bit.

That said, I need to get back up to Versteeg and I'll do my damndest to make it a dayhike :-)

I'm heading up that way shepherd pass to mt whitney, june 27th to july 1st.....i will be hiking the same day i drive down from northern california, placerville area. I have been doing some hiking , mt ralston, with snow shoes and plan on hitting freel peak and possibly hitting pyramid peak in tahoe before I go. I already expect a tough slog, but my pack will be around 40lbs, and i know pyramid is quite a steep climb, (4000 foot elevation gain in about 3 miles) I have been training with weights and doing hills with my pack loaded with about 50 lbs, any more pointers , as far as preparing?

also...it should be noted, i plan on making camp at mahogony flat the first night, tyndall creek the 2nd night and possibly the hst and jmt junction the 3rd night with a guitar lake camp on night 4 with a summit on july 1st. If things go well, my group may try to summit on day 4 and spend the night up there, we'll see though.