Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Cottonwood Lakes

How are the cottonwood lakes? Free of snow yet? I was thinking of doing a 2-3 day fishing trip. Let me know the conditions. Thanks.

mrtbones

One of my forest service buddies hiked the South Fork trail today, to scout out the trail for the work project we're doing on the trail next weekend. when I hear (early next week), I'll post what I hear.

Five of us went up New Army Pass yesterday. We took a rope and pickets; also a shovel if we needed to drill through the cornice.

We didn't take crampons. However, I think most people should, especially for descending. We could kick our steps about halfway in, then encountered hard old snow/ice.

The mosquitoes are out, but they seem yet to discover their role in life.

Pictures: Army Pass Point

Looks beautiful. How was it down by the lakes? Do they have any ice at all? I will be going from cottonwood lakes to whitney in september, but was thinking about taking 2-3 days to fish at the cottonwood lakes later this month. Thanks for the pic and update.

mrtbones

Too bad - the register was there in early August last year. Thanks for replacing it.

Hi Bob,
I think Chris and I were the party of two in the background of your picture. We were descending from an attempt on Langley that we cut short due to our turnaround time. There was another party of four in front of us that did summit that day. I was definitely glad to have crampons for both ascent and descent and would not have attempted it without them. We had looked over in the area that you ascended for a way up but felt that it was too exposed so we ended up following the other party up a snow chute to the right of your line. It was about 60 feet up with a little class 3 rock on top with nice crunchy snow in the morning and super soft snow later on. Here's a picture of the other party descending:



It was an absolutely beautiful day to be in the mountains. We didn't have a clue you guys were so close right over there!

More pictures, uncaptioned as of now: http://markirving.smugmug.com/gallery/5085635_H7AL2#306386031_Qu2T8

Mark, I don't know which picture of mine you were referring to. If it's #60, that's actually Brad and Doug; they delayed leaving the pass and we were waiting for them.

But your picture above shows a party with a guy in orange and another in yellow. They must be the same as in my #54; they had successfully summited Langley. We talked briefly with them as we walked past on the way to Army Pass Point. That was about 2:50, and they started down shortly thereafter. You were ahead of them so you must have been descending in the rocks, out of sight to us, as we were ascending the snow. (That jives with the time stamp on your picture, which was 2:56.)

Yeah, we knew it would probably be easier the way you went. But we wanted to make a route for others to follow that went the way of the trail. The sign at the top of the pass was about 30' to our left when we topped out.

When we got back down to Long Lake, at 4:30, we saw a couple of people in the trees at the west end of Long Lake, at their camp. We thought it was that orange / yellow party, but perhaps it was you. It could have been someone else entirely.

Also, back at Long Lake, we looked up again toward the pass. We saw a person at the top. He seemed to be looking for the way down. So there were several climbing parties in the area on Sunday.

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mrtbones, I can't tell you any more than what's in my pictures. The lower lakes are ice-free, including Muir, but the upper ones still frozen. There is a little bit of water showing in Lake 5.

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hightinerary, I've quit replacing registers since they have been disappearing so quickly. I didn't think this one would walk away, since the "peak" is so obscure and most people wouldn't give it a second glance. However, the last time I was there, I left the register in one of those throw-away Glad sandwich boxes, so I wanted to leave a more substantial one. Luckily I had taken a notebook and pencil as well.

Maybe I'll go back next weekend to see if it is still there.

Climbing steep snowfields.....that is living large. Great trip I am sure.

Great pictures Bob and Mark, thanks for the trip reports.

I am planning a backpacking trip from New Army Pass to Mount Whitney next week via Miter Basin and Crabtree pass. We have ice axes and crampons, but did not plan on having to rope up during the trip. Do you think its reasonable to travel this time of year, given the recent snow, through new army pass, miter basin and crabtree pass without rope? Also, would snowshoes be helpful?

Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Matt

Hi Matt,

I normally don’t address questions like this because so much is unknown. How to predict the conditions beyond New Army Pass when I haven’t seen it. What the weather might do between now and then. I also don’t know you or your party--your skills and experience--and all that that entails. But my wife is in the next room with seven of her bridge lady friends for the evening. I need to get my mind off the cackling.

First of all, leave the snowshoes home.

Next, a glance at the NOAA web site suggests no real change in the currently nice weather for the next seven days. So let’s assume that the weather holds, and the snow will continue to melt—snow that is already not much of an issue anymore.

I think that almost anyone who has minimal ice ax and crampon experience can go up NAP the way we went, without a rope. Three of our party of five had never done anything like this before. You may have to time it so it is between midmorning and midafternoon, so the snow is slushy and good for stepkicking. At worst, you can manicure the footholds somewhat with your ice ax. Be careful, of course. If it looks too sketchy when you get there, which I doubt it will next week, you could instead ascend 100 yards to the right like Mark I. and the others did. You could ask Mark for details on his route; it is likely easier.

The rest of your trip is on south- and west-facing terrain, where snow should be minimal. Except possibly for the section after Crabtree Pass. But this is at lower elevations, so the snow should be less of a problem than higher. When you get there, if it is, you can time it during the warm hours of the day.

I don’t think you’ll have any problems-—but there are all of the usual caveats.

The big “problem” for me is that this is the best season in the Sierra, as far as I am concerned. Spring snow to ease the travel over what will be boulder fields later, generally nice weather with little threat of thunderstorms, balmy temperatures, crispy clear skies. I am getting out as much as I can, but when I read about yours and several others’ trips, I start thinking how I might arrange things to come along too. But there are too many choices.

I hope I’m not sticking my neck out by making these recommendations. Please take them in the general sense. But the thought processes I’ve gone through may be useful.

Oh, don’t forget the mosquito repellent.