Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board storing valuables?

Is there a place in Lone Pine (or area) to leave my passport, wallet, etc.?
I'm flying into Vegas and don't want to leave valuables in the rental car for 5 days. Is there maybe a place in town that offers secure lockers, or storage? Even a responsible person?

I'm not comfortable leaving them under a rock/outside either.

Thanks to all.

You're asking strangers to recommend a responsible person (another stranger) to keep your valubles. ARE YOU INSANE?

I've usually just taken all my valuables with me on hikes/climbs: cash, car keys, wallet, passport, etc. I just put it all in a small bag attached to the inside of my pack. Its not that much weight, and having it with me provides piece of mind.

One idea: If you're staying at a hotel/motel in the Owens Valley area, ask at the front desk if they have a safe they could keep it in for a few days.

I do what phydeux suggests - tuck stuff at the bottom of an inside pack pocket, attached by a harness hook.

Years ago (in more innocent days), when I hiked the High Sierra trail, I expected to hike both ways so I left my wallet and money in the car. Well, when I got to Whitney I knew I was not hiking back. No money, no ID and I hitched after borrowing $20.00 from some fellow hiker I met on the last day. I did mail the money back but, frankly, I should have had that stuff with me!!!

What I mean is a Forest Ranger Stn, or Fire Stn. Ultimately, a place with a lockbox is what I am asking for.

Perhaps us Canadians are too trusting?

not to be morbid, but....

if a bear bites your head off, an ID in your pocket would be helpful to identify the body

if you fall and split your skull and are unconscious, an ID in your pocket would be helpful to notify the next of kin

Perhaps one of the four others in my hiking party would be good enough to identify my remains.
Otherwise, this info could be read from the complete 'identification/medical history/travelling itinerary' card that we all carry in the top of our packs for these types of hikes

*I have done MANY hikes such as these in the past, as well as remote mountaineering, I just wanted my original question answered (as I don't know the Lone Pine area).

"if a bear bites your head off, an ID in your pocket would be helpful to identify the body"

When this happens, the bear usually doesn't eat the head and it can be retrieved and put in a bear canister with snow for identification later. But sometimes there are screwups. Like the time someone rented a bear canister, they opened it up and ... Hiking is so complicated.

Hang in there UrbanSherpa. I wish I could answer your question. The visitor center might have some ideas. Contact info is in the link "Orientation notes for Whitney first timers" which is in the upper left corner of this webpage.

Also, you might try contacting the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce.

BTW what did you do with your valuables on those hikes?

In any case, good luck and good hiking.

This seems like a perfectly reasonable question. I have always carried everything with me (phydeux's suggestion) and don't have a viable alternative to offer. But Doug should know if there are any suitable places to store valuables in the Lone Pine area.

Whitney Portal is not a high crime area. So leaving valuables in your car is not that risky. Things left lying around, like sitting on top of a car, have been taken, but break-ins are rare.

I would take the most important things like the passport and big bills, but they are lightweight. And then I would stuff my wallet someplace in the car, like behind the spare tire or under the back seat.

Bear break-ins on the other hand are NOT rare!!

Make sure you bear proof your car if you leave it.

Nothing that has food in it, has EVER had food in it, has ever even TOUCHED food gets left anywhere in the car. Nothing that has a strong smell of any kind gets left in the car.
Nothing gets left in view from the outside of the car. This means whatever you DO leave in the car gets put in the trunk or covered up.
If you have things you can't leave in the car then you'll have to place them in the bear boxes they have at the Portal parking lots.

Bears know what ice chests and backpacks look like. They associate them with food. If they see them in a car, the car will get broken into.

I don't know if things are as bad at Whitney Portal as they are in Yosemite, but I've seen enough at Yosemite to have learned that you can't be too careful.

I regularly carry a wallet with a few credit cards and cash, along with a couple grand in clothing and gear.

Why not just take the passport with you? Or are you talking about stuff you just do not feel comfortable in the trunk of your rental.

As a group, we regularly leave a bunch of high value extra gear think the trunk, or back of an SUV and think nothing of it.

Just don't leave any food in the trunk...I've seen the result of this mistake.

Depending on the days of the week you will need to deposit and retrieve your valuables, looking at the web site shows that El Dorado Savings' Lone Pine branch has safe deposit boxes at $25 per year. If the days, timing and cost work, that might be an option.

excellent option!

Thank you Fred Johnson,

That is the exact answer I'm looking for.
I will go there when I'm in town.

I would just call first to make sure they can accommodate you.