Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board day hikers at "OUTPOST CAMP!!"

We got to Outpost around 735am and noticed most tents appeared "asleep": so we quietly set up next to the one tent that had awake people by it in an attempt to avoid disturbing others.. We actually went to sleep for awhile and then went up, definitely helped us acclimate more. There were a lot of us who got back to Outpost well after dark, planning to try and sleep until 6 or 7... then came 4am...
yes hooray, you made it to Outpost Camp by 4am... even better it is not your first time up the mountain and this time you have brought friends... So i get it, you are excited to show them that you all have reached OUTPOST CAMP!! .. at 4 o'clock in the morning... but do you have to shout at the top of your lungs? must have had 5 different groups pass by between 4 and 430 am, each one had a leader who thought YELLING "OUTPOST CAMP" to the group was appropriate?? You've obviously been up the mountain before, you should know how wiped out the people camping are... please give them a break thanks//

thorn,

Your observation is appreciated.

Prior to the Mountain becoming "civilized," we get a snapshot of an earlier era in a 1930's Mt Whitney Pack Trains Brochure:

"another 20 minutes (past Lone Pine Lake) and we arrive at Mt Whitney Outpost Camp, located at 10,300 feet, just below timber line, In the wondrous setting of towering cliffs and green meadows of Ibex Park. Here those on the more leisurely two and three day trip, as well as those wishing to take advantage of the excellent fishing in the near-by lakes and streams, are served delicious mountain cooked meals and furnished with clean, comfortable beds during their stay."

Jim

PS Given all the elbow room in the Sierras, I have never understood why such a large subset of campers sleep so remarkably close to the trail. The concept of "stealth camping" never seems to have gained much traction. Or maybe I just do not see the stealth campers as they are doing a great job at staying off my radar screen.

re: people along the trail, i dont get it either// at Outpost we were near the trail because like i said we didnt want to wake anyone.. but in general Roxana and I walk the extra 200 yds and find a private spot in the Wilderness.. while majority camp right along the trail which is typically not even legal.. But as far as the people shouting OUTPOST CAMP... it didn't matter how far you were, these folks were LOUD, over and over.. yelling to people way behind, one group was even using a very loud walkie talkie...