Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Summit via Cottonwood Pass questions

Hi hiking people,

Before I fill in this application for back country, I need to know something, I'm not sure what to put on the form.

I haven't tried to summit via Cottonwood Pass and there is a slot on the form asking where my first camp will be. I have no idea!

I am planning 5 days starting around June 25 with a summit on day 3 via Guitar Lake. So where do I spend the night on night No.1? (Night No.2 is a gimme) I was hoping to split the 20-something mile hike to Crabtree into two parts if I can so I have time to fun around in the rocks after my tent is set up.

Also while I'm at it, talk to me about water availability between Horseshoe Meadow and Crabtree.

Thanks!

Hi, this question is tough- given only 3 nights. May I suggest: First night High lake or Long Lake, just before NAP. Second Sky Blue below Crabtree Pass. Third Night- Guitar.
I believe 4 nights would be better. First -any of the lakes below NAP. Second night- Soldier Lake. Third -Sky Blue or Upper Crabtree Lake,Fourth night-Guitar.
There are some long days and tough miles on this trip, but it is a great route. Add in that it is all above 11,000 ft. and you get the idea. Crabtree Pass is a long Boulder field of 1/4 mile and really tears up the knees.

If I read this correctly, you wish to cross COTTONWOOD Pass and not New Army Pass (NAP). This being the case, Long Lake and High Lake are out of the question. Most likely, you'll want to camp 1st night at Chicken Spring Lake, Just over the pass. There is not much water between CS Lake and Rock Creek, so you'll want to stock up. Also, Be aware that the Cottonwood Pass trail is quite sandy and can somtimes slow (and annoy) your progress.

You might wish to consider (as markskor is suggesting) going over New Army Pass. There is A LOT more water along this route. Although, in June, you are likely to still have a good deal of snow to cross at higher elevations. Keep in mind that there are SEVERAL route options, including NAP - down rock creek and around to Crabtree meadows. Plan a route that suits your abilities best.

Summiting on day 3 is a bit ambitious, but do-able. Be sure to check your mileages and verify that you can do that much each day.

Hope this helps.

If I was trying to split the trip to Crabtree via Cottonwood Pass into two days I'd make the push for Rock Creek crossing on Day 1 even though it is almost 14 miles. I did this as part of a run two years ago and it was my opinion that after the grunt to the top of Cottonwood Pass it was reasonable contouring to the divide NW of Siberian Pass followed by level, rolling contouring, and downhill miles all the way to the crossing at Rock Creek. This would leave you about 8 miles on Day 2 to the Crabtree Meadows area near the ranger station. For a two day push, Chicken Springs Lake will leave you a long one on Day 2. There aren't many options between Chicken Springs Lake and Rock Creek crossing - only one that might work and not leave you a dry camp. A few maps, including USGS and Harrison, show the PCT contouring between two very small unnamed lakes about three miles from Chicken Springs Lake. On my run I explored down to the lower one at about 11,300' and found it to be more of a spring. I did get water there in June. I'm in Bob R.'s camp on filtering water and did not do so with no problems. If you are studying these sources on TOPO or your maps or want a pretty accurate number for a GPS they are at approximately UTM 387760E, 4037125N or 36 degrees, 28',23" North / 118 degrees, 15',10" West if using lat and long. I saw what might make an adequate campsite there, too. I suppose the chance you take is that if the water isn't flowing you have a ways to go to get to another source and this would leave you about 15 miles to Crabtree on Day 2.

You asked about water and here is what I remember. There is Chicken Springs Lake, the spring I listed above, Rock Creek, and Guyot Creek. There is another seasonal flow closer to Crabtree and maybe something else I have forgotten. I'm sure someone on the board will fill in any gaps.

You really have no option, if I am reading you correctly. If I understand that you are taking 5 days, third day summit, return over cottonwood area, to make this work, you will need to camp lower rock creek nite #1, a very doable hike, basically level/downhill after the ridge above Chicken Spring Lake. You REALLY want to camp at the trailhead the nite before day #1. The spring mentioned above is reliable, and I have camped at that location, but it is too far for you to use for that. Rock creek is a lovely spot to camp, and the water and fishing are great. Camp #2 I'd normally suggest above Guitar, but since you do not need to carry your pack as though you were coming down the front, I'd think in terms of Crabtree area, the first water. You'd have the option to push to Guitar, and save a couple of miles of hiking in the morning, if you felt very strong. I have not found Guyot to be reliable water. Camp#4, I'd suggest lower Soldier lake, via lower rock creek. You'll be more acclimatized, and feeling better, and can add the few more miles for variety. Alternate would be back to lower Rock Creek, if you're feeling punk. I, then go back over either NAP or Old Army Pass, depending upon conditions, and as you approach the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead, take the lateral to the Cottonwood Pass trailhead, making a nice loop out of the whole trip.

Enjoy.

Hike,

Your first camp has to be somewhere between drop off of Siberian Outpost to Rock Creek Crossing. Your 3 night schedule doesn't work any other way. Just tank up at Chicken Spring Lake because there is no water between there and almost Rock Creek.

Someone mentioned the trail was level and contouring after the Chicken Spring Lake climbout what they didn't mention the thing is really, really sandy with one 1/4 mile section of beach sand just before you climb one last time before dropping down to Siberian Outpost. He did it as a trail runner I did it with a 45# pack, it was the most miserable day of the trip by far.

Good luck,

Bill

Thank you all for your responses to my question about this route, I think making a big push on Day 1 to Rock Creek, by studying the maps, looks like the way to go. That's about 15 miles from Horseshoe Meadow, definitely doable. That way it's only 7 or 8 miles to the next tent setup and will allow me rest time to prep for the push from Crabtree/Guitar to the summit and back in one day. Night 3 I'll sleep well I'm sure, night 4 back at Rock Creek area and probably will take NAP up and up to make sure at least some water will remain available to me if I need it, or, just return the way I started.

Thanks!

I'm applying for 2 passes, if I have one extra, stay tuned if I can't find any friends to partake in this 60-mile, 5 or 6 day adventure!

Last year I took my 14 year old daughter over the same route (last week in July), except that we hiked out on the fourth day to the Portal.

My daughter carried a 25 - 27 pound pack. I carried the remainder which was about 60 pounds. The reason for the excessive weight was that the trip was originally scheduled to be 7 days..... my daughter had other ideas.

First day, we left the trailhead at Horseshoe Meadows for Cottonwood Pass at 7am. As mentioned, the first 2 miles is level, in and out of trees, on a sandy trail. About the 2 and 1/4 mile mark, the trail starts to climb, easy at first then more moderate. We reached the Pass in 2 hours. Then another 30 minutes to Chicken Spring Lake, arriving at 9:30am. So, 2 1/2 hours for 5 miles. We were scheduled to camp there but my daughter decided that another 6 miles to upper Rock Creek was doable. We left CS at 1:30 and arrived at upper Rock Creek at 5pm. Once you meet up with Rock Creek coming out of Soldier Lake, the trail drops dramactically for about 1/2 mile. We camped at a site at the bottom (water and okay for fires if so desired).

The next morning, it was about 4 miles downhill to the Rock Creek crossing. We left the site at 8am and arrived at the crossing at 10:30. From there we made the difficult climb out of Rock Creek towards Guyot Pass. We arrived at Carbtree at 5:30pm. The section over Guyot Pass was the most difficult.

Now, in previous years on another hike, once reaching Crabtree, I made a one day climb to the summit and back to Crabtree in a day. I left at Crabtree carrying about 20 pounds around 7am. I was at Guitar at 7:15am. At the Junction 10:30. And on the summit at 11:45pm. We were back in camp at 3:30pm.

Good luck. I hope the info provided was useful.

Correction.... arrived at Guitar at 8:15. Impossible to hike from Crabtree in 15 minutes.

paul - Just above your posting with the incorrect time in it, if you click on the icon that looks like a little piece of paper with a pencil coming into the top right corner of it, you can then edit and repost that posting without having to make a subsequent correction as a separate post. Then, once you correct "7:15" in the original post to "8:15", clicking on the same icon above your subsequent correction posting will also allow you to entirely delete that subsequent posting. Hope that makes sense. Just one of this board's features, FYI.

CaT

thanks, paul!

I'm familiar with typoes

Just food for thought, and it would make a really long 2nd day.

Instead of laying over at guitar lake keep pushing uphill for a couple of miles(Aprox) and you will cross over a sandy strech of trail above two small unnamed lakes.

There is a spring off to your left (going up) and this would be the last water before the top.

Camp here and just summit with day packs.

Warning, if a storm comes in at this location, you'll be slammed.

Also, my group came in over New Army Pass from the trailhead. The post summit downhill trail to lower solider lake was a LOTTTT of decomposed grainte/sand. We all agreed that it would be a real pain to go back on that trail.

Good luck
Jim