Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board When to start on MR

Hi,

a friend and I will in 18 days try to climb Whitney on the MR and return on the main trail (we have one day permit).

We are planning to leave the trailhead around 3am. I can see on the map that it gets steep rather soon. Is there an issue in passing the terrain in darkness with headlamps? We expect to arrive at Ebersbacher ledges around twilight (5 am).

Thanks,

Morten

Hi Morten,

Don't know how much you have trained but my guess is that it will still be dark when you get there. Trail is obvious to most up to the ledges but make sure not to get 'tunnel vision' with your headlamp...Look around! Don't want to ruin the fun of finding the route but look for a waterfall. =) Also don't forget the bugspray as the skeeters are thick already.

You've planned a really neat trip there...Just did the same 'loop' two weeks ago and it was fantastic. Bring your cameras as you'll be seeing much of the Whitney quad and have LOTS of great photo ops. Have fun!

The trail is not too steep anywhere prior to the E ledges and should be fine for climbing with headlamps; it's been done many times. However, route-finding may be challenging with only headlamps, so you may find yourself bushwhacking in places before it becomes light. Since you are basically walking up a canyon, you can't go too far wrong as long as you are going up. If you miss the entry to the E ledges, you can always just continue bushwacking up the canyon. The only place to exit the canyon at the top is along a streambed leading to Lower Boy Scout Lake.

I suggest that you make sure you can see clearly when on the E ledges, since there is a long enough drop off the side to injure yourself. I've come down them in the dark, but it wasn't much fun.

The turn off to the North Fork only takes about 20-25 minutes. After that another 45 minutes and you will be at the EB ledges. We usually start about 1 hour before daybreak. 2 hours would be too much. Often day hikers arrive at Lower Boy Scout Lake in 2 hours. The start of the EB ledges is somewhere between 50 -65% of the way to the first lake.

RichardC,

I would be interested in your time estimates to reach other locations on the MR. Specifically, how long does it take to get to UBL, Iceberg Lake, the Notch, and the summit via the first chute?

We are medium speed hikers not fast but steady. We try to take lots of small breaks but no long breaks. Long breaks just wear you down.

Actual travel time from place to place

2 hours to Lower Boy Scout Lake (2000 feet)
1 more hour to Upper Boy Scout Lake (1000 feet)
1 1/2 hours - to Iceberg Lake (elevation starts to slow you down) (1300 feet)
2 - 2 1/2 hours to the summit. (1900 feet).

Add in the small breaks We usually get to the top in 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 hours....never shorter but occasionally a little longer if we have a slower person in the group.

Morten,

I did the same route last weekend. We left the portal at 4:15 and reached the ledges just after first light. The following link will lead you to Bob R’s photo album of the MR route.

http://members12.clubphoto.com/robert634908/943486/guest.phtml

I found it very helpful to identify the route. We got off route between the main trail and the ledges. It only cost us about 10 minutes.

I highly suggest you take the shortcut up the waterfall (second) up to Iceberg Lake. As you approach it your intuition will send you up the ledge to the left. After the first member of our group got above the waterfall he noticed a better route. He told me to start to the right of the waterfall and cross the icy and moss covered ledges of the fall. It seemed nuts to me, so I gave it a try. The ice was easy to bypass or to clear with your ice ax. And the wet mossy (looking) ledges had a 20 grit sandpaper feel. What looked like a ridiculously stupid route was easy and safe! The real crux of the shortcut was a third class move at the top of the ledge.

The whole trip took us 19 hours due to a couple of real slow members of out team. 14 to 16 hours is much more realistic.

I thought the route was a lot more fun then the main trail, but it does require rock climbing, route finding, and snow travel skills.

BJ

Morten, whenever you start I'd recommend scouting the lower part of the route the day before. I'm assuming you're not just driving up, hopping out of the car, and starting your hike? We did this last year, went as far as the end of the ledges the afternoon before our hike so that we were familiar with the in and outs of the route while in the dark the next morning. It sped things up a lot and I'm sure saved us a quite a bit of searching for the right path.

Also, Doug has posted a detailed description of the route which was very helpful, if you do a search you'll probably won't have much trouble finding it.

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I am planning to scout out the route on the day before as suggested. Is it a big issue doing the ledges in twilight? Or perhaps we should just start at 4 am.

Thanks,

Morten

The North Fork has a thin winding trail, compared to the regular trail. Even though I have been up the trail many times, I still have a little trouble in the dark, especially to the point where you get to the Ebersbacher ledges. Above the ledges it is easy, even in the dark. My first trip up the North Fork I got off the trail twice and ended up bushwacking, and that was during the day.

I feel no problem doing the EB ledges in the dark these days, but not the first time. You have plenty of time to get to the top and down, so you don't need to push it on the front side. Start at 4:00 am and there won't be a problem with the ledges. And besides, it is easy to come down in the dark, since the trail is big and wide.

Chances are if you start at 4:00 am you will summit by about noon and that leaves you 7-8 hours to get down before it gets dark.

The only reason it would matter is if you run into an "afternoon" thunderstorm. They become more of an issue in the "afternoon," especially from the middle of July to the middle of August.

If you want to start early, ask around the portal. Maybe others are heading up the North Fork early. Last time I was there we started 2 hours before light and we were not alone.

BTW. how bad are the bugs? Should I bring a headnet?

Morten

Morton,

I did the MR last year for the first time, and this website was very helpful. But, I would not advise you doing the ledges until you can see without a headlamp. Why take the chance of screwi ng up your whole trip by trying to save an hour? The ledges are tricky. Be safe, size up the scene, and protect your party. Good luck.

~swifty

Morten, you mentioned you have a one day permit. My understanding is there is no need for a permit as it is not required for a day hike on the North Fork route and if you start on the North Fork you can exit on the Main Trail without a permit. Just curious.

georem,

our original idea was to do the main trail. When I got the guide book and studied the topo map we decided to go up on MR instead. We got the permit before changing our minds.

My understanding, though, from reading the permit web site is that even if you only return on the main trail you still need a permit. Perhaps the rangers are not enforcing that?

Morten

georem is correct. If you enter on the MR, you may exit on the Main Trail without having a permit. Be prepared to explain this to the rangers when they see that you don't have a hang-tag. (I usually have the camera ready to show pics, just in case they don't believe me.)