Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board weather in May

I am considering a camping trip with young children in mid-May at Whitney Portal with some day hikes up to Lone Pine Lake. Should I expect snow at this level in May? I am hoping that it will mostly melted by then?

As you know, the portal campsite opens in about the middle of May. My experience has been snow above where the trail passes the first river (North Fork - 9000 feet) in late April early May. By late May the snow line can easily rise to above 10000 feet. So I would guess some snow in front of Thor peak, thinning out and scattered up to Lone Pine Peak in the Middle of May. Your children probably wouldn't mind some snow and there would be a well worn path through the patches of snow up to Lone Pine Lake. Sounds like it could work well...unless we still get a lot more snow in the next month.

Thanks. Hopefully in a few years they will be able to go all the way to the top with me. A trip to lone pine lake might get summiting in their blood. Anyone know what the the typical starting age is for kids to attempt a summit hike up the main trail?

Search through the list archives...there are several threads on young hikers. My son was 13 when we did Whitney in 2001 (see trip report under "highpointing" on my <a href="http://www.mtritter.org">WWW site</a>). Kids several years younger than that have made it, usually as multi-day backpacking trips like we did, not dayhikes.

When we were up there in '01, we saw a German family on the summit with some kids that looked to be in the 8-10-year range, plus a 9-month-to-1-year-old in one of those baby backpack carriers. I commented at the time that there was no way I'd ever consider taking a pre-verbal infant that high...kid couldn't tell you if he/she had a headache or other signs if developing AMS. Not a good idea...

That said, my son started backpacking with me when he was about 5, and now that he's 15, he can be my pack horse and shoulder more than 50% of the load...make up for all those times he carried 10# and I carried 60#...

Make sure you treat your clothes with Permethrin and have your industrial strength DEET because the mosquitos will be at full bite by then.

I was up the trail in late April last year and the snow level was about 9,100'. My guess is you will run into remnants up to Lone Pine Lake.

Bill