Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mystery Spring, Is It Really There???

Two weeks ago a group of friends and I hiked the cottonwood spring trail to Whitney.

On the way up New Army pass, we met a solo hiker coming down that seemed both friendly and helpfull. He told us not to bother filling up at High Lake because there was a spring next to or inside a stone shelter a third of the way up.

We errored on the side of catution and filled up at High Lake and NEVER NEVER EVER saw this mystery spring. If it exists.

Has anyone seen this spring on Newarmy Pass or was this person just trying to give us bad advice.

"Modified Donner Quote"
Don't take no short cuts, and don't count on mystery springs.

I never saw it..... Only moisture we saw was snow melt near the ridge.

Thanks for your comments. I think this guy was worst than a joke, bad advice like that could really hurt people in the backcountry.

I wonder if he duped any one else????

That seems odd that there would be a spring there, on the way up to New Army pass. We came down that way, after summiting Cirque peak, and I don't remember a stone shelter or water anywhere above high lake. There is a spring on the other side of the ridge, where the NAP trail hooks up to the trail coming from Chicken spring lake to Soldier lake. Bit your description doesn't sound like he could be referring to the other side of the pass. High lake would seem like your last chance for reliable water. Good thing you didn't listen to him.