Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Consultation lake - water temperature?

Can someone give me an idea about water temperatures in Consultation, Mirror and Long Pine lakes in Aug-Sep?

Thanks

at what depth?

the warmest Sierra lake (in a JMT book) is said to be Dollar Lake, but I don't know if that source included east slope lakes which are not on the JMT.

My friend Casey just swam in Dollar 2 weeks ago, while saying to us "if this is the warmest lake in the Sierras, I would not want to be in the coldest."

Surface. I am planing a swim (in a tri wetsuit).

Why?

Because it's there

Because the wetsuit is there? (This time of year we usually just dive in, but to each his own...)

Consultation...will be very cold...hey at 10k and with limited amount of sun exposure during September...

Mirror Lake...not as cold but cold.

Lone Pine Lake...tolerable.

Look forward to the "temp" report.

I think you should swim Lake Tulainyo or the Caltech Tarn. Why not swim in the highest year-round lake in the US?

Thank you for your input. Perhaps I did not state the question definitively: it is about TEMPERATURE rather than how the water "feels" and if it is possible to "dive in" LOL ... my g/f thinks 60 degree water is extremely cold, even when she wears a full body suit.
JeffM, somehow I highly doubt that can you "dive in" and swim a mile lap in Consultation lake at 11K+ feet above sea level without a wetsuit.

Whoa, my bad. You never said anything about swimming a whole mile! That's definitely one for the record books! Are you sponsored? Don't forget the GoPro and make sure to post a report here! Will you be hiking in the wetsuit? That would be an awesome first, too! Good luck!

I can assure you that the water temperatures are between 40-50 Fahrenheit at all three lakes if not colder in certain areas. If you are doing the New Year's version of the "Polar Bear Dive," then have fun. When we had our pool there weren't no way I was going to dive in it around Xmas and New Years when the thermometer read 50 degrees (this was at 1500 feet). Nope, I like "certain areas of my body" to remain in their places!

At my age, 64, taking a dip in either the creek or lake is quite an event, however, I still do it, more so to get the sweat and dirt off my body and avoid having the sleeping bag stick to me. With that said, I was up in Center Basin 10 days ago and camped at the middle lake, about 160 feet below the magical 12,000 level. The timing, and mindset was right and I went in.....Now, it wasn't until my 4th time in that I was sufficiently usde to the water temperature to actually go under the water. The fifth time was the best and I actually swam around for a couple minutes. Oh so refreshing. I slept well that night.

For me, the mindset is the most important variable, "if it feels right mentally, I can overcome the water temperature."

I have swam in Guitar, Rocky Basin Lakes, Kearsarge and many others.

Like I said, it usually takes a few times to actually get in..... You have to work up to it.

paul

On July 29th, the water temp at the edge of Consultation (below the campsites adjacent to the trail) read 54 degrees.

From our campsite my buddy and I also saw two guys diving into and swimming in the lake about the same place I had taken the temp reading and fished (the catch-and-release fishing was very good, by the way). Mind you, the temp reading was from a depth of only 12-18".

While this is information from neither August nor September, it may give you an idea as to what you'll find up there a little earlier in the season.

BruinDave

BruinDave,
Thanks a lot - your reply is exactly what I was asking for!

Given the elevation, the annual mean temperature, and the prevailing ground temperature, I would expect the water temperature near the shore and at shallow depths to vary based on wind&sun, but to rarely exceed 45-50. At any depth beyond a few feet, I would look at the highest density of water temp. to prevail, and that would be 39 degrees F. Alpine/Arctic tarns generally stabilize at that level because the densest water sinks and water is densest at 39...

Adrian

Last year I swam the length of Timberline Lake and back (no wetsuit) in mid August. It was in the mid-high 50s. A bit colder than my Alcatraz swim (59 deg), but perfectly tolerable for a decent swim. Bubbs Creek was a fair bit colder than Timberline Lake. I would recommend a thermal cap and goggles. Photo: http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/86961586@N02/7964165312/

If you want really cold, go to Tahoe in late March/early April. This spring it was 39 degrees, and I had to cry uncle. Lake Ediza was chilly at Labor Day weekend (low 50s), because the water is coming from melting glaciers, so I didn't manage to swim all the way across. You need to find a small high altitude glacial lake for it to be really cold in mid summer. Upper Davis Lake (11200ft) which we visited this August would be perfect.

do to my age I only do lone pine lake these days, however its a very refreshing 57 degrees, also the creeks along outpost camp can work as well

has anyone gone swimming on the hill latley