Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Jackass seeks advice from Seasoned Whitney Enthusiasts

First off, I am so impressed by the knowledgebase of the people who post on this site. You are all rockstars and I bow down to you.

I am a jackass in that I keep reading books on Mt. Whitney and I still can't get a clear handle on the gear I need for my forthcoming trip: a friend and I are going to take the Cottonwood route to Mt. Whitney on Memorial Day weekend.

Do we need crampons?
Do we need ice axes?
Do we need snow shoes?

I feel like I could get by without any of them (I went climbing in Nepal last year without any equipment, and while I could have fallen to my death at a couple of junctures (further proof that I am a jackass!), it was all good in the end. This gives me a sense of hubris that I am seeking to overcome by asking more knowledgeable folks their (superior) opinions about the preparations that the reasonable person would take for the Whitney trip.

Additionally, do I need to buy those bear tubes for food that are available at REI? I never learned how to do the throwing a rope over the tree to hang food thing: is the bear tube/cannister a substitute for doing this?

Thanks for your time spent weighing in. I know that these must sound like simple to the point of "is she retarded?" questions as far as some of you are concerned: my apologies for the annoyance.

Which pass? New Army will have a snow cornice at the top. Cottonwood should still have some snow on it but my guess is the west side should be clear. Have you called the RS for current conditions? You are close to 3 weeks away a lot can happen in that time. Ask your question again a couple of days before you head up to Lone Pine.

You can rent a bear canister at the RS in Lone Pine or at the Portal Store and you are required to have it as soon as you reach Trail Crest. This is how you will protect your food from creatures small and big. It is a substitute for the counter balancing method. One thing you will have to do is repackage your food, if not a 6 days worth of food will *not* fit in the canister.

Good luck,

Bill

As an addition to Travis, yes someone in the party must have a bear can for the party to enter the Whitney Zone, however not all need them. Since it is your last day, you only need to have one in possession to be legal. Best to rotate carrying it and share the load. As for the rest, outside of NAP, at the cornice, you do not need any additional snow protection, and even there, you can get by without it. All may change however. Keep an eye on the board to keep up to date.

For people traveling west to east, there used to be a sign at Trail Crest warning that if you didn't have a bear canister you needed to make it to Whitney Portal without camping. Maybe there still is. Since your prior night's camp was probably down in the vicinity of Guitar Lake, this means you need to get from there to the summit and down to the Portal that day. This is easy to do, so I wouldn't bother with a canister for your trip.

You certainly won't need snowshoes. And there would have to be strange weather conditions indeed, between now and Memorial Day, for ice ax and crampons to be required. The operative word is "required" and I am keying on what you said about Nepal. Some may feel a little insecure in a couple of spots on the 97 switchbacks without crampons. But I bet that most people you meet will not have them. (Of course, without an ax you shouldn't glissade down the chute.)

The others are right - watch this board when your trip gets closer - but I'm venturing a guess on what the conditions will be like when the time arrives.

Bob is correct, if you go all the way from Guitar to the Portal in one long day, you do not need a bear can. However, if you plan to stay at Trail Camp, or? (in the zone overnight), chances are that a ranger will ask to see one. Better to have all the facts before hand.

Mark, Bob, and Bill, thank you for your advice!

Mark, thanks for making sure that I understood that someone--not everyone in the party--needs to have a canister; Bill, I appreciate your instructing me that the canister is a substitute for the counterbalancing method (actually, until I read what you wrote, I thought that one was supposed to do both: put food in the canister and then do the counterbalancing thing); and Bob R, thanks for being such a reading-between-the-lines kind of guy. Actually, I think I learned my lesson about required equipment versus smart thing to have, so I’ll go ahead and get outfitted with crampons and an ice ax. Even if I just need it for a few chunks of the trip, seems like it would be better to feel secure and safe than flying by the seat of my pants.

One other question. While I think trekking poles look stupid, at the end of my trek in the Himalaya my knees were pining for them when doing steep (but still walkable) descents downhill. Do any of you guys use trekking poles, and if so, what sort of features should I look for? Any reasons not to take them on my Mt. Whitney trip?

Again, thank you SO much for your responses!

Mero,
For 20 years I used to think like you, until I tried poles and once I did, I was hooked. I was wrong not to use them before. On uphill, you get to use your arms for power and traction. On downhills, they save the knees. Now I won't go anywhere without them.

Agree with what Mark said. The one feature I think is most important is a good ergo angle on the handles - don't get a straight pole. The spring loading is optional, depends on personal preference. I think it's nice to have, saves some jarring.

Regarding poles: If you're a photographer, look for a style that has a knob on top that unscrews to reveal a 1/4-20 thread. That way, you can attach your camera to the pole and use it as a monopod. Makes for a much steadier platform and sharper photos.

Personally, I just use one pole, not two, and have one that has a straight handle, not angled. I don't find it objectionable, but I've never tried one with a more ergonomic handle arrangement.

Good luck on your hike...enjoy!!

Always use poles, now, for every hike. They convert a hiker into 4 wheel drive. Should you have a minor injury, such as a sprained ankle, they can turn an epic into a managable problem.

I've used all different types. Frankly, I find little difference. Buy what is on sale.
I've been happy with this pair, $30:
http://www.acmeclimbing.com/pd_3.cfm
I would NOT spend $140 for your first pair
By the way, they have a deal on a set of ice axe and crampons for $99. Although I don't think you will need them, and probably shouldn't take them.

meromaine-

If you are going to take an ice ax and crampons, I strongly suggest that you have someone show you have to self arrest, otherwise there isn't much point in carrying an ax?

I'm a 2 pole person, particularly useful when carrying a heavy pack. You should not feel at all embarrased about them, some top Everest climbers use them even on easy climbs. Your knees will thank you. I recommend telescoping poles, since you can collapse them and stick them in your pack when you're not using them.

One other suggestion on the bear canister - Bearikade weighs about half as much as the plastic type. There are several places that rent them.

I think there's some great advice above and my two cents is only about the use of trekking poles. I love them and take them on every hike/climb. Besides the extra wear and tear they prevent on my knees they also prevent the development of "sausage fingers" caused by carrying heavy loads with your hands hanging at your sides. If you are an ultralight camper you can use your trekking poles with a variety of lightweight shelters so you don't have to carry tent poles. Having used straight handled poles and canted angle poles I much prefer the canted angles such as found in the higher end Leki poles. There are also a number of combination pole/axe systems. In my opinion these systems are not a substitute for a real ice axe, but they may be just the ticket if your concern is about a small stretch of marginal trail.

Trail Crest Does Require a bear canister. Check out http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/permits_res/quotas.html

Trails listed in BOLD are ones that require bear canisters.

Excerpt from that web page:

>>"Trailhead names which are listed in boldface have bear canister requirements. All overnight users must use an approved bear-resistant canister in these areas."<<

Note that the requirement, as mentioned above, is only for overnight users, not day-hikers.

I resisted trekking poles and used them only because they were a gift. That was until my first high angle long distance descent.

Now its, don't leave home without the Makalu's.

Bill

I wish I could bake a big batch of co****s for everyone. Thanks so much for your responses; it's beyond helpful to hear your perspectives. Will certainly get poles after such an outpouring of support for them. Ken, thanks much for the link to that equipment website--it was a new resource to me.