Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Whitney in the moonlight 10-6-2009

I've always enjoyed hiking on moonlit nights but words cannot describe how beautiful the Mt. Whitney area is under the light of the full or nearly full moon. If this is something you haven't done before I highly recommend it. I started from the Portal 10 minutes before 1:00 AM and began to ascend the main trail. At times in the lower elevations I would briefly turn on the headlamp to go through the creek crossing or areas that were shaded by a lot of trees but for the most part I was able to do the entire hike without using the headlamp for more than a few minutes. I ran into a total of four people coming down. Definately no big crowds on a Tuesday in early October. One of the ladies I managed to startle just below Trailside Meadow. She thought I was a bear at first since I didn't have my headlamp on. Shortly after I nearly soiled myself and screamed when I was startled by a large black figure. It was just a guy that had walked out of his tent and was about to toss his cookies because of nausea. We both laughed and apoligized to each other. In my opinion Trailside Meadow is the best place to get water now. The flow is very low. The pond at Trail Camp was frozen and the spring at the switchbacks is no more. Now I don't get cold easily and I had managed to do this with just a long sleeve polypro shirt but when I saw the frozen pond at Trail Camp I put on the fleece jacket, light gloves, and a beanie. Once at Trail Crest it became a bit cooler. I was now at the limits of my clothing. The fleece jacket has Polartec WindPro fabric which helps cut down on the wind that bleeds through the fleece. I was a little cool but not uncomfortable. I kept telling myself that this is the winter when I will finally get a down parka. The gloves were thin but fine, I have very warm hands, so my wife says. The beanie may have to be upgraded to something that blocks wind a bit better. What concerned me the most was when my nose and lips began to sting and were actually kind of hard to the touch. On the summit the low got to 12 degrees. I need to get a balaclava also. I summited in about five hours and 50 minutes. I was hoping to get under five hours but oh well. I was on the summit in time to catch a beautiful sunrise. It was so cold though that I went into the hut to lay down for 10-15 minutes. Although it was warmer in the hut I still found myself shivering so at that point I decided to head back. As long as I was moving I could stay warmer. Once past Trail Crest on the way out and into the sunlight the nose and lips began to feel much better. I can't say the same about the sunscreen. It froze. My Powerades became slushies as well. Overall a fantastic day. Round trip was 10 hours and 40 minutes. I was hoping to crack 10 hours. Maybe another time.

In addition to the beauty, it is a little eerie some times, isn't it?

The other night, when we had the "harvest moon," I wanted Candlelight to move out of the way, so we could see the moonrise. By the time it came over Candlelight's shoulder, it had been up for at least two hours.

It did provide enough light so that you probably could have walked without a headlamp.

eerie indeed. Specially when you are alone for a long stretch. From Trail Camp to the summit and halfway back to Trail Crest I had it all to myself. I couldn't sign the register since the ink in the pens wouldn't flow but I did see your signiture.

Rafael...

Moonlight hikes provide unexpected beauty. On occasion, I've seen the glowing eyes of deer, as they browse in meadows. (Deer eye are at about human chest height...lower down the eyes might belong to other creatures...)

Plus, no mosquitos, uncrowded trails, less sweat...

Rafael - I was up there a week ago and that spring on the lower switchback was running slightly on the way out, but I started a bit later than you. One thing that surprised me was how many people were hiking on that Monday, and as Doug Sr pointed on a previous thread, they were predominately older hikers. My WAG was that at least 50 people summited that day.

Kevin

I can't stop thinking about this moonlight hike. It turned out to be one of my favorite hikes of all time. This may become a yearly tradition for me. I spoke to a friend on the phone the other night and she is interested in doing it as well.

Rafael...

You might have to make it a wpsmb group hike.

I second that! Been wanting to do a moonlight hike for quite some time now, and this past weekend was supposed to be it, then family obligations got in the way...

That's not a bad idea. It would have to be in late September or early October since there is a greater chance of getting available permits.

Rafael....

Hiking at night is fun. Had a similar experience a couple of years ago. My brother-in-law and I wanted to see the sunrise on Whitney a couple of years ago. When we left the portal it was nice summertime weather. When we got to Trail Crest, much different and the summit was very cold and windy. We took some pictures, signed the book (probably illegible) and sat in the hut to have a snack. That year the door to the hut was off its hinges. The snacks almost frozen. We waited a big longer and realized the wind was not going to let up so we headed down. Once on the switchbacks, it was warm, practically t-shirt weather again. Had a nice portal store breakfast when we got back down.

Hiking in the moonlight is great, a couple years ago, my son and I hike up Mt San Jacinto in the moonlight in October; looking east from the peak you could see the line of cars coming from Arizona on I-10 from out as-far-as Desert Center and the Marine base beyound Jousha Tree NP, unfortunately, a cloud bank was covering the coast, but you could pick out all the cities in the Inland Empire and it wasn't as cold, only in the low 40's with a slight breeze-still short pants weather.

And greater chance of a harvest moon... I hiked Whitney in late Oct. '87; descending with a full moon. No need for head lamp with a few exceptions (back then I carried a mini maglite). The moonlight shining on the white granite was spectaular... definitely one of my favorite hikes.

Nice job rafael. I think you made great time (it's all relative)

Something one has to consider but is never mentioned is moonrise and moonset times. I was lucky to have the moon high in the sky during the hike. This made for the best lighting. I did a moonlight hike on Tehachapi Mountain last Spring that started at 10:00 PM but the moon didn't rise until two hours later so I only caught the moonlight for an hour on the descent and at a low angle. It was still pretty but not the same as having good overhead lighting for the entire hike. If I haven't said it before I'll say it now. This was one of my favorite hikes ever. I can't get it out of my mind. It was very rewarding and a fantastic way to take a mental health day away from work. Another thing I enjoyed was basking in the sunlight on the shore of Lone Pine Lake for about 20 minutes on the way down. The Portal burger at the end was nice too.

Rafael...

Moonless hikes are pretty interesting too. I've done a couple of New Moon hikes on the Whitney Trail and, if you let your eyes adjust, you begin to pick up starlight and the glow of the Milky Way on the granite walls as well as very gentle shadows along the trail.