Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Pictures from Thor Peak, May 26

A friend and I climbed Thor from the SE side, then descended the E couloir.

The <a href=http://members12.clubphoto.com/robert634908/2338900>pictures</a> may be of some use to anyone interested in how much snow there is on the Mountaineer's Route, and on the main trail, currently.

I wore lightweight boots and my friend, approach shoes. No ice ax or crampons. We weren't on snow much, but didn't come close to needing them. People going higher than 12000', or early in the morning, will probably find the conditions more challenging.

Hey Bob,

I take it that you didnt go over 12000 ft. on your climb?? I was wondering what you think about asending Mt. Whitney via the main trail without crampons and ice axe on June 15th given the current snow conditions...

Thanks a lot.

~Adam

Yes, the summit of Thor is 12,306'.

I would think that by mid-June the switchbacks will be pretty free of snow, except at a few corners and the cables. And just before Trail Crest. Whether crampons are needed on these sections, or just nice-to-have, will likely depend on the time of day and your comfort level. You will be following nice steps made by countless persons before you.

The "chute" will still have a lot and it may be quite icy by then, so an ice ax will be required to ascend/descend it safely. Crampons, too, early in the morning.

There will be a lot of posts between now and then, from people who have just made the climb. So watch for them.

Hello Bob,

Due partly to your influence, I recently decided that every trip to the area does not require a Whitney summit. I spent a couple of nights at LBS last week and did some exploring. Thor was my only summit for that trip, but it was spectacular. The weather was some of the best that I have had. I did use crampons for a small snowfield early in the morning but on the return it was a sweet standing glissade. I only ran into one other person on thier way out.

Thanks for the photos. They have cut the route that I use to get to LBS on the MR to a pleasent minimum.

Do you ever encounter shortage of permits? Walk in permits seem to never pose a problem, but that could be because of my midweek schedule and the fact that I prefer winter and shoulder season trips. Is it tougher in the fair weather?

I have been told that a digital camera may be in store for Father's Day. Having spent too much time gazing at your albums, I really want to start capturing some of what I experience.

Thanks again for the inspiration.

Bill

Thanks, Bill!

I have 2 - 3 reasons for posting as much as I do, and you have discovered one of them. The others should be equally obvious.

I have never failed to get a walk-in permit. Once in a while I have to "adjust" a little but, since I am never fixated on a peak, it just means a minor change. A year ago I called the RS in the morning, asking how many openings they had for a day hike up the main trail the next day. The answer was "one." I drove up around 4 PM, walked in, and 5 more had opened up in the meantime.

Again a year ago, 3 friends and I had our sights set on an overnight up the MR. We drove up in the morning and found no openings. None the following day, either. But they had quite a few no shows for the main trail that same day (this was a weekend in September) so we took them. And had a fine time.

There is just so much up there! Tomorrow, with some friends, I am climbing Dragon Peak and traversing the ridge to Mt. Gould, coming down the Kearsarge Pass trail, a wonderful loop trip. Monday I am for sure getting out for an easy 2-dayer, but haven't decided exactly where. It will probably be Whitney since I haven't climbed it yet this year. Which route? That will depend on permit availability Monday morning. But I'd prefer not to carry a BRC, so maybe I can hook up with a group already going in. Or do the MR.

The following week it's Thor again, with one of the many fine people I have met on this board (Wayne). I have quite a few plans for the Whitney area this summer, but I won't bore you with them now. I will post pictures, of course, if they will provide useful information on the conditions.

Digital cameras are a great invention, but I sometimes seem to spend more time organizing and editing, than with the climb itself!

I noticed Bill McVay in the Thor summit register Wednesday - you?

Bob,

If it's Wayne Pyle that you are going to climb Thor with next week, I want to invite myself!

You hit the nail on the head with your comment about organizing/editing/captioning the digital pictures we take. I've been working on the journal for my Nepal pictures for most of the day and I'm still working on getting to Day 1. (Dating the pictures was time-consuming - I forgot to reset the date the camera was set to - and the Introduction is running through two pages already.)

Hey, my ol' buddy Richard! I think you ought to hook up with us! Email Bob for details.

Yes, that was me. It was a beautiful day. Some of the posts since then report new snow. I would like to have been there for that.

My next couple of trips will be overnighters. Too much work going on. Coming from sea-level puts a little challenge on a short trip. My new goal is too find out how far I can travel out and back in one day.

The lesson for me will be to learn to lighten up,literally. I always seem to plan for a week solo, but take enough gear and food for two people for two weeks.