Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hike to UBSL, 24 April

Four of us hiked to Upper Boy Scout Lake and back today. We had no goal in mind, just to start up the North Fork and see what evolved.

First was a stop at the Lone Pine Ranger Station. Ranger Carole told us a few interesting things: (1) Day permits for the Mountaineer’s Route are required starting May 1. I should have asked if there was a daily quota, but didn’t think of it. I suspect not. (2) The aggressive female grouse around Lower Boy Scout Lake has gone to grouse heaven. Not the grouse’s choice. (3) I asked Carole if she knew the cost of the citations for being on the Portal Road when it was closed a few weeks ago. She didn’t, but mentioned that someone had to pay $3000 for driving on some other closed road. She said she would try to find out and send me an e-mail. She did point out that the Portal Road sign is regulatory—black and white—and not simply advisory.

We started up at 9:20. We finally ran into some snow after leaving the main trail. Once in the North Fork, we stayed on the north side of the stream all the way to the Ebersbacher Ledges. There was some snow, but it caused us no problems. Except for the first 15 feet getting up to them, the Ebersbacher Ledges were completely dry.

At Lower Boy Scout Lake and above, we were on snow almost fulltime. But it was pretty good snow. There was evidence that one person had used snowshoes recently, but no one else (including us). Even though it was midday, we were usually sinking in only a few inches as long as we were following tracks. Rarely, we post-holed through.

I suspect the snow will be noticeably down or consolidated in a couple of days, especially in south-facing areas.

The temperature was nice. I was in a T-shirt the entire day. We got back to the Portal around 4:30. Since there were very few cars there, we had been able to park across the road from the trail starting point. While we were taking our boots off, that guy Doug always talks about walked over. He asked, "Do you know where the start of the trail is?"

In the morning the WP Store was boarded up, just as it has been all winter. When we got back to the Portal the barricades were off the windows and it looked as if work had been done.

<a href=http://rockwellb.smugmug.com/gallery/2759780#146802212>Pictures</a>. I uploaded them with captions, but the captions don't display. I can see them by clicking on "Photo Info" where SmugMug calls them Filenames. Do I have to type these all over again, for every picture?

For some reason I thought #3 was going to be:

Grouse makes for a good, hearty lunch when grilled properly....



Thanks for the report. Good news about the Ledges and the snow conditions. Thanks for the permit info too..although I'll probably still stop by on Friday to talk to the folks there anyway..

Looking forward to the photos..

Chris

Thanks Bob for confirming that day hike permits will be required on the NF/MR. I updated the New for 2007 thread. The Inyo NF web page with the 2007 changes has not been updated since November 2006 (so it still says "requested").

A few years ago, there was a post about a grouse attack between upper and lower Boy Scout Lake. I think it was SanFranMan, if I remember correctly. After being chased for a few hundred yards, they eventually took the bird out. Others posted similar aggressive behavior in the same area. One wrote he thought the bird was cute until it pecked his lens cap. Another mentioned getting pecked on the arm or leg.

Others were critical of killing the bird. He and his post left the message board.

It is interesting behavior since most of the time they don't seem to care about people. Maybe it is a nesting territorial thing.

I think when you see grouses being agressive they are attempting to protect a nest. I'm guessing that if you look at the time of year you are seeing this behavior it'll usually be early season.

We saw the one just below Lower Boyscout Lake on April 4 while ascending. I was guiding a MR trip. It attacked my leg repeatedly and I just lightly shook my leg and kept walking. It wasn't even a hard enough bite to tear my pants. On April 6 a couple of my guides were coming up the North Fork with another group and told me they found it dead and told me it was obvious it met a rather untimely and violent death. I looked for the carcass on the way down and couldn't find it.

This is very disturbing what I am reading about the death of this poor grouse! Who would do such a cruel and heartless thing?? What if this grouse has a nest and now those babies will die..This is really horrible to read this..and to think a fellow hiker did it....someone who you would think would respect the wildlife that lives in this area.

Who ever this person or person's were you need not to go into a wilderness where there is wildlife if you do not like it! Please remember it is also their home not just yours!
This is truly sickening to find this out & very upsetting! :(It is absolutly horrible!!

Mmmmm, grouse... Can I fit a spit into my backpack? OK, everyone just calm down. I don't randomly kill things that bite at me! But I do plan on fishing a bit this summer!

Bob: great pics as always. The captions showed up for me when I scrolled through each picture with no problems! BTW: THE MOST AWESOME T-SHIRT EVER! Did you make that yourself?

Can't wait to get up there again.
-L

I remember that SanFranMan post well. The group was on the shelf in the trees north of the slabs between Lower and Upper Boy Scout Lake. A member of the group had gone off to use the bathroom, so they couldn't leave the area. It was late in the spring, since they mentioned having their ice axes tied on the their packs. I seem to remember about May.

The female grouse walked right up to them. It was about the size of a gallon milk cartoon. At first they thought it was cute, and reached for their cameras. Then the grouse started pecking on their backpacks. They distracted the grouse enough to grab their gear and run. The grouse chased them a few hundred feet down the shelf. Finally they got up onto a large granite rock. The grouse followed them onto the rock. The first time the guy kicked the grouse it sailed off the rock, only to return. The second time the grouse flew up at him and he smacked the grouse with his fist/ arm. There was some discussion about resorting to a stick or rock.

After all was said and done, they felt justified. It wasn't a lack of appreciation for the beauty of nature.

Hey Laura - are you sure that the woman carrying the humongous backpack in Bob's photos wasn't you? We know how you hate traveling light...

As far as the grouse, an alternate definition of the word is to complain or grumble...obviously derived from the bird's behaviors.

Great shots, Bob. I am looking forward to my first trip up the MR later this year.

Ah, that it were... But it seems my ideals are spreading! Y'all know how I plan on singlehandedly debunking the myth that lightweight packing is the way to go! Ladies unite! :-)

But seriously, I wish it was me up there. A lot more interesting than the silliness I did this past weekend. Chased off by fog... cheez!

-L

I have encountered that grouse (or a similar one) on two occasions up there, although both times she just hissed and pecked but didn't really attack. Peter Croft had an experience similar to what Andrew relates, and he wrote about it in at least two publications (an article in Gripped magazine a couple of years ago, and in the new Whitney book coauthored with Wynne Benti).

I figured out how to do the caption thing.

The T-shirt was created by a fellow member of this board. He made three: one for himself, one for me, and one for someone else. I will wear mine with pride and humility.

The grouse discussion took away from the post.

Nice to see Bob R.'s trip report and pictures. It is a beautiful area, any time of year. I for one will miss all those photos stored at club photo. I went there often to scout routes and gather information.

Many of us would pay good money for that picture of the tram coming up to Mt. Whitney. Maybe Doug Sr. can start carrying those in the Portal Store

I saw "a" grouse last September when I was heading up the MR. He (she?) was right at the top of the North Fork right below LBSL:



RIP little grouse...

Chris

Andrew, send me a check! The Tram pictures are intact in this thread: Doug\'s Hotel . Fortunately sbslowpoke did not use Club Photo.

<img border="5" src="http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/144751598-S.jpg" align="left">I followed one down the Main Trail a few weeks ago. No aggressive behaviour from this one. It also showed no fear as I came up hehind it.

Thanks for the report Bob. Things look promising for a summit this weekend.

love that t-shirt

well I guess us young guys can thank the GS guys for breaking part of the trail for us in prep for the weekend

thanks Bob as always

My buddy and I ran across this fella while hiking up the main trail last month. We happened to walk between him and his lady friend. He wasn't too happy with us to say the least.


Thanks for the pics Bob.

HAIL to thee, blithe spirit!

This one was positively friendly.

This is why we love you, Alan! Let's raise a glass to the grouse! May she flap freely among the clouds (wait, they DO fly, right?)

Blond moment.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming, ie: Bob's report.

-L