Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board The spring by the 97 switchbacks

I thought some might be interested in details about this spring.

The picture below was taken from the summit of Wotan's Throne last December. There had been little winter storm activity up to that point, so the snowfield outlined in red - source of the spring - is much smaller than it was earlier in the year. (Enhanced by the snow, portions of the old trail can also be seen.)

The water melt from the snowfield goes underground and emerges at the beginning of the blue line: the spring. If you have access to Wayne Pyle's map, it's about 40' SW of switchback #25. Look for two obvious large boulders, and <a href="http://a5.cpimg.com/image/29/1A/38577705-70cb-02000152-.jpg">this picture</a> shows you can easily fill your canteen there.

The water then flows past several switchbacks as shown, until it goes underground again.

The spring is at an elevation of almost exactly 12,400', so about 400' above Trail Camp. If the temperature drops close to freezing at night, it will usually not be flowing early in the morning. However, this changes quickly when the sun hits the slopes. Last Tuesday night it was in the mid-30s at Trail Camp, so the spring was frozen when we started up. But it provided a delicious drink on the way back down.

It's a reliable source of water, well into September usually.

<img src="http://a6.cpimg.com/image/BA/9A/58628026-5ce6-02000180-.jpg"width=600>

bob, excellent picture of the switchbacks.

i see, at the bottom of your blue line marking the spring, there appears to be a trail that branches off to the right of the switchbacks. i recall seeing those trails and a separate switchback route through that valley as I was in the cable section of the 97s (on the right). any idea where those trails go? front route up muir?

I believe that is the old trail that Bob refers to, used until the current heavily switchbacked trail was constructed.

That is also where a lot of people hike out after glissading from Trail Crest. At least that is what it looked like to me, but I also think that is where the old trail is. Only my observations but i would bet Bob knows.
Matt

Ken and Matt are correct. Here is roughly how things evolved: Gustave Marsh built the original trail in 1904. From Trail Camp it went due south, up the slopes shown in the first picture below, to Whitney Pass on the skyline. Then it dropped down on the south side and circled west around Discovery Pinnacle to join the trail west of the crest as we know it today. The second picture is a view showing pieces of this trail somewhat faintly, and the third picture clarifies things somewhat.

In the 1930s this section of the trail was rerouted over to zigzag up the chute we now use to glissade down from Trail Crest in winter and spring. This trail, the lower portion of which is visible in my first picture above, got to Trail Crest and avoided the elevation loss on the other side of Whitney Pass. But the chute has snow in it quite into summer, and is also subject to rockslide damage. So, in the early 1950s, the 97 switchbacks were constructed.

These pictures are all in my Club Photo albums, so if you are sufficiently interested you can peruse them for high resolution versions.

My estimates of the chronology can easily be off by several years. But the sequencing should be correct.

<img src="http://a6.cpimg.com/image/3A/43/13572666-214e-02000180-.jpg"width=480>

<img src="http://a1.cpimg.com/image/C5/61/26890181-1bda-02000180-.jpg"width=480>

<img src="http://a5.cpimg.com/image/55/65/26890325-08bb-02000180-.jpg"width=480>

Here's another view of this area of the switchbacks. This photo was taken on Saturday from Mount Irvine.





Larger versions of the above can be found here:

<a href="http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/viewphoto.asp?ID=40629">Photo 1</a>

<a href="http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/viewphoto.asp?ID=40630">Photo 2</a>

Thanks for the photos and the insight. Just out of curiosity, did you notice two consecutive turns around switchback #9 that were less than 150 degrees? It looks pretty apparent in the first photo. I remember them from my trip in July and how another group ahead of us was counting aloud. They were two higher in their count about this point and my count matched Wayne Pyle's map. Ironically, that is the difference between 99 and 97.

Fred

Just to keep this thread alive, did anybody notice the two mystery turns by switchback #9? I remember them coming down in July and the first picture supports my observations.

Fred

The first switchback in view (see picture in the original post) is #9, per Wayne Pyle.

When the line-of-sight is other than perpendicular to the ground - here, from the summit of Wotan's Throne, it's perhaps 30 degrees - apparent angles get skewed.

I, too, was interested in these turns. So the last time I was there I lined up my hiking poles with the axis of the trail before and after them. Then took pictures from directly overhead. The first one after #9, when viewed from directly overhead, looks like this. Wayne calls it #10:

<img src="http://a1.cpimg.com/image/61/1B/38577761-1173-02000156-.jpg"width=360>

The next turn (see below) he does not count:

<img src="http://a3.cpimg.com/image/4F/1B/38577743-88c4-0200014E-.jpg"width=360>

If you haven't seen it before, this is enlightening: <a href="http://www.ridgenet.net/~rockwell/Climbing/WaynePyle97Switchbacks.xls">97 Switchbacks</a>

Thanks Bob,

I was wondering how Wayne could have not counted two turns and still have switchback #11 on the left side. Now I understand that he counted the first one because it was over a 90 degree turn. The diagonal line between #10 and #11 in his map is not really where the trail goes.

That still does not explain why the group ahead of me had a count two higher than me around switchback #20 with the odd switchbacks on the left. Maybe they counted another turn in the trail as well.

Fred

Thanks for all your good observations about the switchbacks and my map.

My original purpose was to merely count the switchbacks out of curiosity, because I had seen so many different counts over the years.

However, since I used my Garmin 12 to record each switchback, plus my Suunto watch altimeter, I would be better able to prove the 97-count with a map.

Back at home I had the longitude, latitude and altitude recorded in my Garmin, plus the Garmin's bread-crumb trail that it recorded as I walked the switchbacks.

I had to scroll thru about eight different screens on my little Garmin 12 to see the entire 97 switchbacks. To help in the mapping, I photographed each screen and printed out the photos. Then I taped all of the sheets together into a mosaic that was about three feet long! Not too good for carrying around in your pocket.

Long story short--I recorded each latitude-longitude point onto a worksheet in Excel, then I had to connect all the dots. This turned out to be no easy task, as many switchback segments were not straight. Curved lines are very problematic when drawing by hand.

Originally, I just drew a straight line from #10 to #11. When I passed the chart to Bob R. for his review and input, he pointed out my omission. However, thanks to the current discussion, I see that my map needs further improvement, so I modified the map between #9 and #11. It should be posted fairly soon.

My rule of thumb for counting switchbacks was that they had to be an acute angle--less than a 90-degree turn. However, I made this determination by eye-balling each segment. I did not use my compass for this.

The bottom line is that I had to manually connect all the dots. As photos became available on this Board, I modified the map accordingly. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get back to the trail since I recorded the waypoints two years ago. If I could, I would make all kinds of changes. In the meantime, I rely on your comments and the photos you submit. The chart is anything but perfect, but I think it gives a reasonable facsimile.

Happy climbing, and enjoy the switchbacks!

With special thanks to Scott M., Bob. R., and VersatileFred, I've re-worked SB #10 and it's following bend to SB #11. You can see the Excel map here: <a href=http://www.ridgenet.net/~rockwell/Climbing/WaynePyle97Switchbacks.xls>Revised Map of the 97 Switchbacks</a>. You'll need Excel or a program that can read Excel to view it. I've also included a new spreadsheet that shows all the dots that I had to connect. I suggest printing out that sheet and you connecting all of the dots, just for the fun of it; and you'll also begin to see what I faced trying to do it.

Enjoy the switchbacks, and the great spring water between SB #23 and #24!