Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board MR Sat 10/31/03

Just got back from the mountain.
We took the MR. There was snow on the ground ranging in depth from 1"-6" in some areas. We didn't make it to the top. We thought that there was too little snow for crampons and too much snow for no equipment at all so we ended up turning around a bit before Upper Boy Scout Lake. Tracking the trail was a bit tricky at times. Most of the time we just followed the trail that didn't have any vegetation sticking up - just snow. When we got to the water crossings it was handy to have trekking poles which were used to test water depths and to differentiate between rock and ice. The weather was sweet! As you hiked up a times you could see the valley shining in the sun while flurries fell around you. It was a nice addition to the high I already had from the thinner air! Below is a small list of things that I learned ( I posted earlier that I am a ro**** when it comes to winter hikes)
-wear gators-I used them this time and it saved by socks from getting nasty

-if you use camelbacks, keep in mind that if you don't drink regularily enough the line will freeze.

-dress for cold weather-when you start the trail the temperature is very different than further up the trail. Also, when you stop for breaks, you'll notice that your body was sweating and you'll start to get really cold if you stop too long.

-wear gortex or similar waterproof boots-my dad who was hiking with me had stepped in some water which made his feet damp. Damp feet + cold weather makes for very cold feet.

-pre-hike- I had a tougher time this time because I strayed from my normal prehike routine. (ie sleep, acclimatization, energy and fluids). As a result the hike could have been more fun at the higher altitudes. My advice is that whatever you do to prepare for your summertime Whitney hikes is that you AT LEAST do the same for the winter hikes. Colder weather means that you'll be wearing more gear and packing more gear. Make sure you can handle these seemingly subtle changes.

-weather-the winter weather was great to hike in. The scenery was spectacular etc etc. One thing that was smart that we did was turn around at a point that allowed us to go down and traverse the ridge before the temperature dropped and the melting snow turned to ice. I could imagine crossing those ridges if they were any trickier than they already are! Thanks RBirk.

-be happy for being there-It was a smart decision to not say $#%& it and try to summit. When the weather is cold like it was, you have to be smart enough to know when to turn back.

Thanks to all who answered my questions earlier. And thanks to Rbirk and his son.

Canuck

In addition to frequent drinking, I've found 2 tricks for using camelbacks in freezing weather. 1. They make a neoprene sleeve that slips over the drinking tube and mouthpiece that helps prevent freezing. 2. Put hot water or tea in the bag. It quickly thaws anything frozen and helps keep you warm on really cold days.

Rainier Mountaineering doesn't let their clients use camelbacks because of the freezing problems, so be careful.

Great hiking with you and your father Canuck. A perfect description of the weather for the day. Thank you JPR, TomC, Sierra Sam and spc, for the pre-hike coaching it was all very helpful giving my 13 y.o. son and I the preparation and confidence necessary to make the hike. My son and I pulled into the Whitney Portal parking lot at 10:00pm Fri evening. We went to fill our Camelback bladders and found the water spout near the bathrooms to be frozen. Thankfully DOUG (Thank you soo much), King of the Whitney Portal Store and Message Board came to the rescue with a pot of hot water to unfreeze the spigot.

We uncomfortably slept intermittently in the car intending to leave the trailhead at 5:30am for leisurely hike to Iceberg Lake (a survey hike for future MR summit hike…) but at 5:00am it was snowing and my son was sleeping and since the goal wasn’t to summit, I gave him another hour to rest. Hitting the trail at 6:30am we immediately ran into two young hikers who said they had started at 1:30 and found the E Ledges to be too icy and would not continue without ropes. I figured we’d hike to the famed and feared E Ledges anyway. We meet one more hiker one the way up to the ledges who said it looked to scary for him to continue. Then almost to the ledges we were joined by Canuck and his father. Canuck had done the MR before so we followed them to the E Ledges where we found it wet though without ice. The difficulty and fear factor though being very careful were lower than expected.

Thinking the possibility of icy ledges by 4:00 or 5:00 pm on the way down, we decided that we would be extra-safe and hike until 11:00 am, have lunch and descend. At 11:00am above LBSL and under the cover of the Large boulder in the middle of the talus field, we had lunch watching the clouds move in and out over LBSL. In retrospect and considering it only took us 2 ½ hours to descend (Whitney Portal by 2:00pm), we could have continued to climb for another couple of hours safely.

Being that it took 4 ½ hours for us to reach the Large boulder in the Talus field above LBSL (seemed like most of the hardest part was past us), does anyone have an idea of how much longer it may have taken to get to Iceberg Lake? In any case, as Canuck noted, it’s better to be safe…. And we had a great hike!

It was nice weather to hiking in as described by Canuck above, a good portion of the rocks under newly fallen snow were icy accounting for one bruised shin while walking and looking through the viewfinder on the camera on the way up and bruised patella on the way down. Charles, my 13 y.o. along the way kept saying “this is easy,” and we kept saying well you’re only 13!

We were mildly anxious about the condition of the E Ledges on the way down when we realized we had past them :-) So much for the feared ledges. Don’t worry, we’ll still always be careful at the Ledges.

In any case it was a great hike. We’re talking about going back in January and making the trek in full snow cover (It also makes me want to climb Shasta..). Which reminds me, I was in La Sportiva Glacier mountaineering boots, built for cold and my toes would get cold an numb if we stopped for greater than about 5 minutes. It seems that cold toes shouldn’t have been a problem in those boots. Any suggestions?

Also, regarding the frozen Camelback tube, we figured out the problem could be solved by putting the tube inside the jacket for a couple of minutes!

If I can figure out how to place photographs on the board, I’ll get back in the next day or two with some photos.

Thanks again everyone!

rlfstop

RLfstop: Glad to hear you braved the elements and made it above Lower Boy Scout Lake. It sure makes a difference when the winter finally shows up. Based on where you said you were and how long it took, you would not have made it to Iceberg lake and down before it started freezing back over. Deeper snow up higher would have slowed you down more and more.

Even though it is light until about 5:00 pm the temperature drops quickly after 3:00 pm, when the sun goes to the other side of the mountain. If you hit the EB ledges within a hour of the time before it gets dark, they could easily be icy and more dangerous.

RL, looking at the map, it would seem that you are describing having done about 1/2 of the route to Iceberg, from the take-off of the North Fork.

However.....you also need to understand that you will be in deeper snow, as it is higher, it will be colder, it will probably be windier, and the altitude will affect you more. In addition, there is some minor route finding at the takeoff from UBSL, and again, to gain Iceberg. You were likely to have more trouble with your feet getting numb, even when walking.

From the Portal to your location, approx 2,800 feet of gain. From your location to Iceberg, almost another 2000 feet, *at altitude*. If you had taken 4 1/2 hours to get where you were, another 4 hours would not be out of the question.
I think you turned around at the right time. A common mistake is to think that if you get back with NO safety margin, you timed it right, but not true! One should always figure a margin in, especially when weather is a definite factor, and people who may be experiencing severe tiredness.

Yep, I think you did it about right.