Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Snow conditions on Crabtree Pass?

Am planning on crossing Crabtree Pass July 22nd. Wondering if anyone has some recent info on snow conditions on the north side. It seems like alot has melted in the last 2 weeks. Thanks.

i posted this same question about a week ago. might be up there this weekend and will post conditions if i end up in that area.

just found this from july 5th.. better than nothing at this point.

link

edit - click the link at the bottom of the tr for the rest of the pictures for a couple of more shots of the north side of the pass.

i cant access the photo site from work so i am looking at the pics from my blackberry...small and hard to tell much.

Thanks for the link Salad. It doesnt look too bad. Im sure alot of that has melted (and will melt more with this heat wave)since the 5th.
I was over a snowfree Crabtree once in 2001 and I recall it being fairly easy. Descending a steep snowfield or cornice can be another matter though, and we wont be carrying ice axe/Crampons.

Not exactly first hand information but maybe it's worth a little. Two weeks ago we ran into a couple of guys intent on dayhiking Whitney from Sky Blue Lake. I'm pretty certain they didn't have any ice axes. Near as we can tell they made it okay.

Interesting idea to dayhike to Whitney. it looks like a short distance as the crow flies, and around 4-5 miles each way as the hiker walks. Guess to would be the 4600' gain that gets ya. But about half of it is on trail.
I know the route up to CT pass is cake, what's it like traversing over to Trailcrest?

I haven't done it myself, but I don't think its any big deal to traverse up the sandy slopes of discovery pinnacle to get to trail crest. As a matter of fact, you might not have to drop all the way down to the bottom of crabtree. Perhaps you could contour to the eastern side under Mt. Mcadie thus not losing to much elevation?

My wife and i were going to do it about 15 years ago from sky blue, but decided to hike out and grab a steak and go up via the main trail car to car.

I might be attempting this Sunday. If I do, I will report conditions with images.

Here a link to an excerpt which describes the jaunt up Discovery as arduous and steep:

http://books.google.com/books?id=xIwNj8h...lt&resnum=1

Arduous and steep? It looks like a big sand slog. From Crabtree Pass it does appears steep and miserable but it can't be all that bad. I did it once in the winter with pack and skis and it was just a whole bunch of elevation to gain.

One motivation for those two guys was that no Whitney Zone permit is needed. But the beauty of the area is a good enough reason by itself. It will be interesting to see those images, salad.

Again, Thanks for the info. I'll have to check out your posting when I get back. The latest forcast is calling for some thunderstorms this weekend so be careful.
We leave for Cottonwood TH on Sat. Am going Old Army, past upper Soldier, and spend 2 nights in Miter Basin. Then going over Crabtree pass, and do 2 nights at Crabtree lakes. Our final night will (hopefully) be spent on Whitney Summit.
Did the same route in 2001, but had to rush through each day. This trip we'll be able to take some time to stop and smell the Sky Pilots.

Sorry guys I never even made it to the trailhead. My car broke down on HSM road late Friday night. Epic day getting back to San Diego.

Have a friend who got pretty wet Saturday afternoon fishing in the area...

I crossed Crabtree Pass from Miter Basin and climbed the south side of Discovery Pinnacle on 7/16 to 7/17. I had been to Miter Basin before and this time had set a goal of getting over Discovery Pinnacle from the south.

This is my first post and I haven't learned how to include pics yet. So, here is a link to a few that I took:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43992436@N00/sets/72157621651231822/

My itinerary was as follows:

9:30 a.m. 7/16: Start from Cottonwood Pass Trailhead (no Whitney Zone permit required), pass Chicken Spring Lake, turn north from PCT to Soldier Lake (clouds of mosquitoes everywhere!), climb up from Soldier Lake to Miter Basin (always beautiful) and head north (no mosquitoes).

7:30 p.m. 7/16: Camp at the north end of Lake 12129 (as labeled on the Tom Harrison Whitney Zone map). This lake is at the very north end of Miter Basin above Sky Blue Lake. BTW, getting up to Lake 12129 from Sky Blue was a bit of a route-finding challenge and took more than an hour of scrambling.

6:00 a.m. 7/17: Wake up, pack up, and eat.

7:00 a.m 7/17: Head north for Crabtree pass (which also involved some route-finding and took about 40 minutes), descend down to Upper Crabtree Lake. I had seen reports by others who recommended not descending all the way down to the lake, but rather staying high and heading right from pass in order to scramble up some of the rocks on the south side of the Pinnacle. I thought I'd give it a shot and spent about 2 years scouring the internet for the most accurate photos and Google Earth renderings I could find to guage the grade and the condition of the sand/scree/talus.

Standing on top of Crabtree Pass on Friday morning, however, the rocky portions of the so-called "Sand Hill" looked unstable, nearly vertical, and in some places were overhanging the sandy slopes below. I could see no readily feasible route and did not want to risk wasting considerable time by trying the "high road" only to get stymied and have to descend and go the long way, especially since I was carrying my full pack and wanted to cross over the Pinnacle by noon in order to have a shot at Whitney. So, I descended from the pass, headed around the far (north) shore of the lake and made my way west before turning roughly due north to slog up the hill.

I passed over the Pinnacle at approximately 12:05 p.m., took a few minutes to get down to the Main Whitney Trail, spending most of the delay waiting for hikers to pass below me so that I didn't rain sand and rocks on them as I skidded my way down. Once on the trail, I started slowly heading for Whitney, still carrying my pack. Within about 20 minutes, the clouds darkened and hail, sleet, and rain started to fall.

I passed the Needles and Windows and was about a mile from the summit when, at 1:22 p.m., thunder and lighting started just west of Mt. Hitchcock and began moving slowly toward Whitney. That was my cue to turn around and get down quickly.

Rather than going back over the Pinnacle and returning to Miter Basin, I descended the main Whitney trial. Although a light rain fell for most of the trip down to Trail Camp, talking to two hikers, Lincoln and Brandon (seen in one of my pics as the guys who made the wise choice not to glissade from above the switchbacks down the soft, rain-slicked snow), on the way down made the walk rather pleasant. They were good company.

I left them at Trail Camp to pack up their gear and continued down to the trailhead, getting rained on for most of the way to Lone Pine Lake. When I reached the Portal Store at about 7:30 p.m., the folks there were dealing with a rescue situation for some hikers caught unprepared up on the mountain. I ordered a burger and fries and sat down to rest for a few.

As my car was still at the Cottonwood Pass trailhead, I asked the staff at the store to call one of the shuttle services - some guy named Dave, they said. Dave, however, never answered his phone despite multiple calls from Nick (who also cooked dinner). So much for the shuttle. I know, I didn't have a reservation, but, hey, they said Dave usually takes calls until 9 p.m. Back on the trial Lincoln had generously offered to give me a ride into town, but he and Brandon hadn't made it out yet.

So, at about 8:00 p.m., I put my pack back on and started to walk down the road, hoping to get a lift to Lone Pine where I planned to stay the night and try the shuttle again in the morning. Just as I started walking, I ran into a fantastic young couple from Nevada, Danny and Tricia, who I had seen at the Ranger Station on Thursday morning when I went to pick up my permit. Danny and Tricia got a walk-up permit for Whitney, which they had just finished climbing via the Mountaineer's Route. They were heading down to Lone Pine to find sushi and have a few celebratory beers and amazingly agreed to drive me all the way up to the Cottonwood Pass trailhead. I couldn't have been happier and insisted on giving them some money for their dinner and drinks. I hope they had a good time!

At about 9:30 p.m. on 7/17, I started the drive down to town, hit the gas station, and headed for home.

Over all, I had a great couple of days. The Crabtree Pass to Discovery Pinnacle approach to Whitney, however, was not quick or easy. Even if I hadn't been a little tired from walking all the way from the trailhead to Lake 12129 on day one, and even if I had chosen to leave my pack behind, the climb up the south side of of the Pinnacle would have still been a long slog. In any event, I was glad I brought my pack with me when the weather suddenly changed my plans half way from Trail Crest to the summit.

Sorry for the long post, but I know some folks may be trying this route in the next week or so.

Thanks for the photos. That's a nice set.

Just curious: how does the "no Whitney Permit required" work?

I know you used to be able to head up the North Fork and exit the Main Trail without a permit, but would think this trip of your's requires a Trail Crest Exit Permit?

Good point for clarification. If you intend to exit the Crest - which I did not - the exit quota applies. This is not to suggest that anyone should play word games with the permit requirements, however. I fully informed the Rangers of my intended out-and-back itinerary, including my plan to go to Whitney from Discovery Pinnacle. No Whitney exit permit was required. Nonetheless, unforeseen weather changed my plans.

Here is the information from the Inyo National Forest Website:

For overnight trips going to Mt. Whitney, but starting on a different trail you are not included in the lottery. This includes starting on the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek trail (access to the Mountaineers Route, East Face/ East Buttress, Mt Russell, etc). 40% of the quota will be set aside for walk in permits. For reservations, you can reserve six months in advance of your entry date. The $15.00 per person reservation fee will apply instead of the $5.00 per person fee because you are entering the Mt Whitney Zone. If you will exit or descend along the Mt. Whitney trail an exit quota will apply, called Trail Crest exit.

What is Trail Crest? If your trip to Mt .Whitney will begin on some other trail on Inyo National Forest, and you will exit the Mt Whitney Zone along the Mt Whitney trail, your exit point will be called “Trail Crest”. This is the only exit point on the Inyo National Forest with an exit quota. From May 1 to November 1 the Trail Crest exit quota is 25 people per day; 40% will be set aside for walk in permits and 60% can be reserved.You do not apply for the Mt. Whitney Lottery. Reservations for Trail Crest exit can be made up to six months in advance of your entry date along with your entry trail. When using Trail Crest exit the $15.00 per person Mt .Whitney Zone reservation fee will apply instead of the $5.00 per person fee. For a full list of trail names where Trail Crest exit would apply, see All Other Trails reservation availability. Trail Crest exit space does not apply if your trip originates in Yosemite or Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. A Day Use permit cannot be used as part of an overnight trip to pass through the Mt. Whitney Zone.

Why did you take your whole pack on your summit attempt? Were you already thinking of a possible escape if things went awry?

I had a couple of contingency plans in mind if things prevented me from getting back to Miter Basin as planned, including heading west to Crabtree Meadows from upper Crabtree Lake or via the JMT from above Trail Crest if I made it that far. From the meadows I could hit the PCT south back to Cottonwood Pass. The thunderstorm I encountered, however, came in slowly from the west. The lightning strikes seemed to start right above Crabtree Meadows and persuaded me to exit east via the main trial.

Another factor in my decision to bring my pack was water. I carry a 3L Camelbak bladder in the pack's internal sleeve and, in above-freezing weather, usually bring Platypus collapsible bottles rather than Nalgene-type bottles. The compromise is that, apart from my hands, the pack is basically the only means to bring my water with me. On the other hand, my gear was relatively light. My shelter and bivy bag weigh about 1 pound each, while my sleeping bag weighs about 1 lb 10 oz. The pack itself is about 2 lb 9 oz, which is about as much as my Garcia bear can.

We just finished this route. See my trip report for details, but i commented on how we lost about an hour due to our attempt to skirt the edge to do exactly what you mentioned (our camp was a few hundred feet above the lake edge, so we didn't want to go down, to go back up . . . mistake). The terrain and rock is much bigger and steeper than it appeared. Granted, we had full packs, and my tiny wife (5'5" @ 110 lbs) isn't the strongest boulderer, but looking back, i wish we had gone down to the bottom of crabtree and head back up the less rocky "sand" The book said it too, and i know why.

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/65954/page/1#Post65954

You can see all of my pics too: http://blakemiller.smugmug.com/gallery/9143728_M96kC/1/609868759_b5zon

We just finished this route as well, see my trip report noted in above post with links. We crossed crabtree on the 28th, then went up over discovery pinnacle on the 29th.

There is almost no snow left on Crabtree. It's safe and easily passable. There is a patch on the far left and far right sides, but the center is clear. My wife easily took the clear route. I did do the ~40ft section on the left side an existing footpath - moreso for the picture of it all.

Grigg, your post sounds sooooo familar to our trek. That hike up the side of crabtree lake is quite the experience. We had to take shelter about 1/3 way up due to rain, sleet and then snow. We finished the hike in the snow where it opened up and became less steep, as we didn't want to get stranded on the side, and we certainly didn't want to go DOWN that crap. Soon after we peaked next to discovery, the skies opened up and sun came out so we dashed for the summit. We left our packs there (it's a few hundred yards from Trail crest) and got them on the return.

That slope the side of crabtree, below McAdie . . . It was the longest 2 miles we've done!!!!

Ah the dreaded sand hill. I’ve done in both directions. It’s much more fun to go down than up.

We contemplated going to the North shore of the lake and heading up the far end and then back and around. But, even the approaches down either side of the lake seemed too far steep, with the south side a patch of snow right to the water's edge . . .a slide of death. Did you go across the northern edge or southern edge?

Just an FYI - we did just as the book and others said. While it did appear pretty rough, it's all much bigger to the eye. With the exception of two small (20-30ft) chutes, it was all relatively safe, IMO. Now, "easy" . . that's a different story. Even the 2 small chutes would have been a rough butt slide if fallen, nothing super dangerous. I just kept telling wifey not to look 'back out' just keep moving forward and up

The first chute (which we saw others' tracks too) is shown on your picture "South Side of Discovery Pinnacle" just above/left of the main snow patch in the bottom/center of the picture. Envision a b-line right across from that point 45deg to about 1/2 way up, then switch back opposite to just under the upper snow patch in the top left section of picture.

Awww, heck. I grabbed your pic and layed out our route via the green line (i shifted it up a bit to show the "chute" that we went through) The orange indicated where we took cover during the rain/snow (that i recall) it was in the big rock area with many shelter options.



Blake