Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Langley trip report: June 18, 2004

Arrived Horseshoe Meadows around 0200 on 6/18/2004, conked out for three hours in pickup bed then up and on the trail at 0615 with eighty-seven pound hiking partner, Oliver, a purebred mutt. Cruised towards Cottonwood Lake #6, stopped to check Old Army Pass - too much snow for running shoes and hiking poles, then around the lake and up the talus slope directly east of Langley's south face to notch beside a small peak then over to bowl alongside southeast ridge and up towards summit. Fun clamber up the southeast buttress (had to boost my partner a few times) and an undignified crawl over a small snow field just east of summit plateau to top out at appx 1300. Not a very speedy trip. Wish I could blame the dog! Nevertheless, a good tune up for Muir and Russell in three weeks. Two other summit register entries for the day. Leisurely stumble back down the talus and a soothing swim in a surprisingly warm pond above lake #4. Back to trailhead at 2200. High clouds in the morning, low clouds in the afternoon, no rain. First time in the basin this early in the year: wildflowers are profuse. As are the mosquitoes. Refilled water bottle direct from stream above Lake #6. No ill effects, so far. Route finding note for next time: more rock, less talus! Equipment note: charge digital camera before leaving house!

Congratulations to you and the mutt for a successful climb.

I've seen a couple of trip reports re: NAP and/or Langley where people had dogs along. It seems you could maybe get to Langley without stepping over the line into the National Park, but I'm not sure what the official word is on that.

Is Langley "dog friendly" (i.e., could I get a ticket)?

Regarding dogs and mountaineering in general: I'm pretty much a Class 2 mountaineer myself and my dog usually keeps up. Large boulder hopping can present an obstacle and I've had to lift him up/down sometimes. The 4-wheel drive gives him a definite advantage most of the time.

But on my most recent trip, I had to tie him up at the summit of one peak (Arnot Pk, off Hwy 108) because there was a steep drop down a snow-covered north-facing slope and I wasn't confident that he knew not to go too close to the edge. I suppose not going over the edge is pretty instinctive, but a dog can't tell you they understand it.

How does your dog handle dangerous situations (exposure)? Do you put him on leash? I avoid that because I don't want the dog tugging me the wrong way at the wrong time.

Anybody else have canine mountaineering stories to tell?

What other Whitney area mountains are dog-friendly? I'm thinking of bringing my dog along when I do Lone Pine Pk (I'm pretty confident he can do that). What about Thor? I'd really like to climb that but I'm not sure the dog can do it. I definitely would not put him on the Eb. ledges, so I'd have to use another route.