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

I made a comment a few years ago about Coyotes above Trail/Cottonwood Passes...
Figured they were moving up due to warming temperatures downhill, but your comment about disappearing Marmots...
Easy pickings for the yotes...I wonder how long it will take for the Marmots to realize there's a new predator around...
If they survive...
I'm guessing the same would apply to the Pikas...and squirrels...


Completely different animal...I once followed bear tracks up the North Fork...it crossed Whitney/Russell...

Yeah actually now that you brought up the other animals, we spent about a day and a half at Outpost and didn't see much wildlife either. Normally we're having to play the shoo-away game with them during and after eating but it was pretty desolate there too.

Two full days at Trail Camp, I can't even remember if I saw any smaller creatures. One Marmot at Trailside Meadow, and saw one at Trail Crest. It will be sort of sad if these things get decimated, even though they're absolute little demons when they decide they want to chew something up.

Hiked the Main Trail yesterday (Sept 4).

Clear skies, but very windy and chilly. No evidence of some recent snowfall at the higher elevations. Creeks running very low. No issues at the Cables. Spring at 23rd SB a trickle, frozen on ascent and flowing (with water obtainable with a little effort) on decent.

Many hikers on the Trail, but not many tents at Outpost Camp and Trail Camp.

Hint of Fall Colors in Bighorn Park.

During a short Summit visit, briefly chatted with Lizzie Fowler in the Summit Hut. Lizzie is attempting a FKT of the JMT (north bound).

Jim

Summited yesterday. Here is a recap.

Fri Sept 18- In the afternoon hiked up the Main Trail and set up camp at Outpost Camp. The weather was great and there were Fall Colors below Lone Pine Lake and in Bighorn Park. By the evening, there were a remarkably large people camping at Outpost Camp.

Sat Sept 19- After six hours of sleep, arose to a stunning display of stars in the sky. Sunrise over the Inyos was at 6:43. Trail Side Meadow is still a good water source.The Spring at the 23rd Switchback is now done for the season. Still many hikers coming up from the West Side. Reached the Hut at 8:45 to join the crowd of hikers there. In all directions the Sierras appeared very dry. Some Summit Notes:
* A fellow proposed to his girlfriend. She accepted and showed me her beautiful new ring. Congratulations!
* A fellow who reportedly slept overnight in the Hut seemed a bit dazed and was requesting help to descend.
* A party was concerned about a member who had disappeared. (So this was possibly SAR Case #2 for the day, and the day had just begun.)
Descending the Switchbacks, I observed a helicopter landing on the Summit. Returning back to Outpost Camp, I had dinner and chatted with other campers about their adventures.

Sun Sept 20- After ten hours of sleep, arose to cloudy skies. Conditions seemed to be changing. Hiked out and had breakfast at the Whitney Portal Store: Enormous pancake, scrambled eggs, bacon and coffee. Enjoyed the company of the Thompsons. Awesome way to finish the outing!

Heading home, stopped at the Eastern California Museum to pick up a few books. Still so much to learn and discover about this splendid area.

Jim

I just wanted to take a second to say how much I appreciate your reports and recaps, Jim, even those we'd consider a regular "up and down." Very much living vicariously as you visit and revisit all the areas and peaks that have been in the blood for 35+ years. (Also appreciating Doug Jr's continued romps on FB). It does a heart good when we're stuck in an airport on the other side of the world. Cheers!

Thank you for your kind words, Jeff. They are appreciated.

Wishing you safe travels and success in your endeavors around the world.

Jim

It probably happens quite often, but it was really cool to watch it land on the summit. They picked up the hiker who stayed overnight in the hut.

Thanks, Jim. Keep on truckin' and hope to see you on the mountain again soon.

Hello All,

I'm on track for 1 day summit hike in a few days. The weather forecast showed varying predictions of snow for this past Monday night (9/20) but not sure how that turned out.

I was hoping for a new update on the trail conditions e.g. any ice, where it starting to accumulate, snow accumulation, how does Trailcrest section look, etc.

With temperatures dropping on the overnight, I'm thinking not much thaw will occur even with the sun out in the day.

An update would be very helpful for us shoulder season hikers!

Thanks to all the regular posters that keep everyone informed.

Looks like it's going to be a good day on the mountain...

Hiked the Main Trail yesterday (October 7). Indeed, as Jeff predicted, it was a good day on the Mountain. Some notes:

Currently, there is a massive display of intoxicating Fall Colors below Lone Pine Lake. My neighbors at the Whitney Portal Campground spent much of the day hiking up to Lone Pine Lake with their kids (all under 10) to enjoy this opportunity to witness the Fall Colors. However, the current show will soon be retreating, as in two days snow, rain, wind, and falling temps are predicted to stop by for a visit.

The Summer season is over, but there are still quite a few hikers as the Shoulder Season launches. Very few are coming up from the west side. Easy to get a primo parking spot across from the TH.

The weather was great, but a bit windy and chilly from Trail Crest to the Summit. One hiker in shorts turned back due to the chill.

The Trail is in superb condition. Starting just below the Cables, there are a few hints that there was some snowfall not too long ago.

There is still good flow in the creek at Trail Side Meadow, providing an opportunity to fill the canteen for the Summit push.

Jets frequently passed overhead during the day and a paraglider was noted over the Summit in the early afternoon.

Unfortunately, two days before this outing, there was a body recovery on the Mountain. The circumstances have not been revealed.

Jim

We caught a fantastic and quite honestly unbelievable weather window, we were up there from October 2nd to the 6th, completing our 7th summit on October 6th and came down late. On summit day, we got a very late intentional start from Trail Camp (nearly 10am) and were the last ones down the mountain that evening. Tiny amount of ice/snow at the cables, only a few wag bags seen and for the first time in quite a few trips we didn't see a ranger anywhere. We had to assist a few struggling hikers, providing water to one mother/daughter descending from the summit who were still about 1.5 miles from Trail Crest - both were completely out of water. Headaches were trending heavily that day, my wife (who carries more than we need) gave out around 30 of our ibuprofen. Spending a few nights relaxing at Outpost and Trail Camp (plus Diamox) works like a charm for myself, no headaches, no "I can feel the elevation", 14,500 feels like 3,000 feet.

From Trail Camp, we noticed heavy chopper activity on October 5th and it seemed to be coming from the north and west side of the mountain. The news going around was that the body recovery was that of a 52 year old reality television personality who was an avid hiker, but it is speculated that the incident took place west of Whitney. My wife and I also come from a reality TV survival series, so this hit close a little close to home (and we're older than he was). You never know when a day is going to be your last day, so at least he was out doing something he loved, but still gone far too soon.