Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums Active Threads

So, are they treating this thing as a Controlled Burn...?
Weeks ago, it was nothing...in fact, as I was heading down, there was no visible sign of remaining fire...

Yes at 98% containment having burned a little over 4500 acres.

From what I understand, the Horseshoe Meadows Road currently passes through a large active fire zone, with debris and snow on the road.

Jim

Looked at the Inyo Roads PDF...
HM Rd is closed...not going to complain...means it's mine for the next few months...
It said Upper WP Rd closed below the Switchbacks...go to hear it's farther up...

BTW, I've seen that the gov't is now prosecuting based on videos...I guess I won't be posting any incriminating evidence anytime soon...

Upper gate closed yesterday , we have had some rain and snow with this new system but the last one a few days ago was very light rained in the Portal but more loke a drizzle.

Watch the web cam for snow coverage , Also don't trust weather reports about the amount of moisture they are often wrong , temp and wind seems to be close , not the wind gust but just that we will have wind during the system . I use town and just before Lower Boyscout lake as the best indicator if it is windy in either location expect wind on the mountain. Thence DRIFTS big drifts above Outpost camp and Lower Boyscout Lake Temps Take a jacket !

Have a great winter

Here's a video of the condition of 164 (Owend Peak TH Rd)...
Scroll to 1:53..
I cut over to the Aqueduct Rd at about 2:13...

Indain Wells Canyon

I think a skilled driver with high-clearance (2wd) could make it up...
(There are enough detours around the really extreme damage.)

Oh well, it looks like '24 is coming to an end...
(weather forecast view)

Life (chores) got in the way again and (I don't use alarms very often anymore) I woke up late this morning...

BTW: if you've never made the turn to Trona Pinnacles on the way out, or back, from Death Valley, it's well worth the 15 minutes of ***t roads...
Here's 10 minutes of (mostly) raw drone (very inexpensive Neo) footage:
https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Drone-Footage/n-bBvJNT/Trona-Pinnacles/i-CSJWjXQ/A

Richard, I remember our hike, with you, BobR and Ron.

We came up the backside (from Horseshoe Meadows). With BobR leading the way, BobR took us down all the short cuts from the top to the Portal. That was my only complete shortcut route. Totally fun experience. I doubt I remember all of them now.

Thanks for sharing.

paul

And a BTW...
A few of the mapping companies are now providing Turn-by-Turn Navigation for trail riding/hiking...
Curious to try it...

I'd suggest that the next time the FS Trail Crews are up there:
-Follow the "trail building" that I seemed to see a lot of in the National Parks...rocks (sometimes logs) lining areas that are not well defined...

A few spots that would be really helpful for Rookies heading down in the dark:
-The Cascade Turn below the Log Crossing (missing it leads to another of the SAR alternates that is REALLY complicated...I wouldn't show this one)...it's hard to get lost on the way up because you'll end up in the stream if you don't turn on the way up...
-A few of the turns below Trail Camp...you can see that things aren't well-defined because the are now multiple paths leading down...and it's easy to end up in the gully that leads down to Consultation Lake (which is an alternate I love)...where Rookies could have a REALLY BAD time...
-The Crossover onto the Ridge (above Mirror Lake/below Trailside Meadow)...when you cross the stream and need to make the left to stay on the trail, it is really easy to miss the left...

If I make it up there before the storms make it impossible, I'm going to try and take the time to make a few "shorts" that show these problem areas...and any more that I can think of...

In other countries, they paint arrows on the rock...I don't think that we want to get that rediculous, but adding a little more "guidance" could save a few SAR missions and maybe even someone's life...

Doug, As one who has taken advantage of the fact that the Main Trail was established to allow hikers with very little or no mountaineering skills to reach the summit and down under my own power many times, I second the strong suggestion of staying on the trail. Stuff happens! Especially important if you are hiking alone. Even with having stood on top of Trail Pass more than 20 times, I prefer sticking to the trail. I really don't want to find myself in need of rescue. Stay safe out there!

Richard, Many thanks for your video log of the Main Trail including the 'off trail' shortcuts. Never had anyone to show me where they were it. Didn't get in enough trail time this year to attempt another Whitney summit day-hike. But am really looking forward to next year, particularly the Lone Pine Lake bypass.

Thank you HikeAlongRichard.

Here's 17 minutes of Electric Solitude...
Monache Jeep Trail: SNF, INF, Kern Wild & Scenic...
I saw 1 vehicle all day...

This is on the Monache Jeep Trail and more...it crosses thru the Sierra National Forest (I think) into the Inyo National Forest. skirting the South Sierra Wilderness, and enters the Kern Wild & Scenic River (don't know the official title) area...fantastic fun with the few iches of new snow...

I just hope this isn't amother one of these "we need more quotas" things...I was planning on starting a go fund me to hire some attorneys to make the Whitney Perit system fair...read on the official website that they don't release unused permits back into the system...if true, it's bs...can't tell you the level of frustraion with No Permits Available and then going to the Portal and seeing not nearly the number of vehicles that a sell-out would entail...

A few minutes of off-trail travel (and yes, gain the Navigation Skills required prior to even thinking about it..or just learn how to use a track-back...) anywhere in the Sierra will get you all the solitude you could ever want...

I did a quick look at each area , My concern is we have many that have trouble following the established trail and get lost a few feet off the trail , rescues often fail to locate lost hikers quickly off trail and several have become recoveries or they have failed to find the path out of Trailcamp/ Outpost or take the trail down to Lone Pine Lake then cliff out on the north side of the lake getting back to the main trail which you can see just below you But you don't see the creek and the rock/scree down climbs and if following the slab routes they can cliff out if you don't know the area very well . One can also run into ice one the slabs as you need to traverse from slab to slab (point of recoveries and rescues).

I would strongly suggest staying on the trail , experienced mountaineers will do fine on the north fork to cut the distance to 3.4 miles and experince the wilderness. the main trail was established and maintained to allow hikers with very little or no mountaineering skills to reach the summit and down ,off trail isn't part of that plan .

Mt. Baldy got snow.
Please get the update at: https://10064ft.com
You may see some activities on Ski hut camera this weekend.
Unfortunately, Mt. Baldy is still closed till 12/31/2025
Local Mt. Baldy regular, Jim, sent a letter with 10 reasons several weeks ago to the Deputy Forest Supervisor at Angeles National Forest requesting for timely re-opening of Mt. Baldy. The letter was well received on several points, but the decision had still remained the same. There may be a possibility to reopen one of the trails by the end of 2024 according to the response card from ANF.
If we express our views more, they may reconsider their decision sooner.

Icehouse canyon, 3T, and Manker flat/Fire Road loop are open. We can hike Ontario, Bighorn pk, Cucamonga, Etiwanda, Timber, Telegraph, and Thunder Mountain.

All fire departments have done extraordinal efforts to save Mt. Baldy community. We must thank you for their great efforts. The lower part, 7500 ft, of Bear canyon trail was completely consumed by the fire looking from Ontario peak.
Please spend as much money possible even a cup of coffee at local businesses in Mt. Baldy community.

Have a great hike except Mt. Baldy.
P.S.
Hi Snacking Bear,
I didn't know whether the pack was unattended or not.

Back in the day, there was a dude who carried video gear up the Main Trail...
I got a cheap GoPro 4K that basicly weighs nothing that I've started carrying everywhere...
I'm not editing, but if you're bored, here are segments that lead up to Trail Camp...
You'll have the opportunity to learn some of the SAR Alternatives (because there are sections of the Main Trail that I can't stand hiking)...

(I'll edit to add descriptions of what the Parts cover...assuming I can edit...)


Part 1 Started from up behind the WPS and headed up the Old Trail.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11


Started down from Trail Camp at Part 11...these are the descent (in case you're really, really, bored...)
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19

The initial draft proposal had the additional goal of ear-tagging each one, too. Not sure why that was taken out...

Thanks for the heads up. More specific details can be found in the November Newsletter of the Friends of the Inyo which is posted on their web site.

Also noted in the Newsletter is that this weekend (Nov 15-17) in Lone Pine is the Celebration of the Centennial of the Alabama Gates Occupation (Nov 16, 1924). The Centennial events are free and range from site visits to seminars.

Jim

I just received this from Friends of the Inyo:

Citizen Science Volunteers Needed: Collect Data Monitoring the Solitude of the Eastern Sierra.

The U.S. Forest Service wants to make sure everyone visiting our wilderness areas has opportunities for solitude. It all begins with research, and Friends of the Inyo is assisting. And for that, we need YOU! Help Friends of the Inyo conduct visitor data collection for the Forest Service in various designated Wildernesses on the Inyo National Forest. While we will be collecting data across the Inyo National Forest in 2025, for the end of 2024 we are focusing on just the South Sierra, Inyo Mountains, and Boundary Peak areas.

Hike specific trails in specific areas, recording how many other people you encounter: that's it! Interested?

Contact Friends of the Inyo’s Stewardship Director, Lindsay Butcher, at Lindsay@friendsoftheinyo.org.

A slight system moved throught Monday afternoon/night not much more than a dribble held on the north facing slopes above 12000'.
This next system looks north but you can never tell how far south it will drop watch for the pressure drop to be below the bay area before we get a decent coverage

Hey great day at the Heroes hike I like the new route
I think it gave many more people the chance to reach the top and cut some hours off of the day that could be spent at the notch. A big shout out to Patrick for getting us registered and all his help with the event
Great to see Mike Bob Ed and all the Whitney hikers we have met over the years Thank you

So happy!!!

Whitney Recon - 11.10.2024
========================

Here are a few screen grabs from a GoPro video of the hike up to Trail Camp:





Outpost Camp.



Mirror lake with Thor Peak above.



The view from Trail Camp.


Won't mean much if the current storm dumps more than a few inches of snow...

I was up at the Portal today...hiked up to Trail Camp...more in the '24 Thread later...
It was packed...even lots of vehicles down in the Overflow...
Campgrouds are closed...
WPS is boarded up...

The rest of the year (conditions depending) is going to be focused on Whitney...I'll be back up on Tuesday if the storm rolling thru on Monday is a weak as I'm hearing it will be...

If I go back up to HM, I may bring a chainsaw...hate to think about having to climb over those trees until next summer...

I was up there two weeks ago, I hiked with the grand kids, ages 5 and 7. We did Trail Pass to Mulkey and made it into a loop. The youngsters beat me to Trail Pass...no excuses. They're in better shape than I.

The day after the kids left, I did Cottonwood Pass to Chicken Springs and then South on the PCT to Trail Pass. I saw no one, and the parking lot only had 3 cars in it, including mine. Pretty lonely hiking.

What was interesting is that prior to this hike I was up there for 3 days of hiking two weeks earlier. No trees down. But apparently between the two hikes there was a major windstorm. One tree on the trail approaching Trail Pass. The tree was lengthwise, not perpendicular to the trail. The tree occupies some 5o or more feet on the trail.

The second tree was on the PCT, a rather large, 4-foot diameter monster perpendicular to the trail. Some good trail work come Spring,

Hey, Richard, good to hear that the road is still open. And for Inyo Road conditions, it would be nice if they gave updates, at least when the anticipated Portal Road might be completed.

Oh well....keep us informed.

I assume the store is closed since the water must be turned off. I spoke with Emily (camp host) prior to Halloween and they were closing down the week before.

Finally, I noticed tha the lower campground, Lone Pine Campground had trailers and such parked there when I dove by. Finally opened.

Richard, do you have any upcoming hikes?

Paul