Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Tehipite Valley

yep, once you know what crosscut shavings look like, they are pretty distinctive. Don't know about the 1/2 size bar in the context of the original poster's description...a perfectly smooth cut all across. I've often had to use a short bar to cut a tree, but I can't get it to come out perfectly, as a rule. My understanding is that this is, though, the new preferred technique--using a short bar.

As for reporting a violation---who do I report it to, myself? I believe that the discussion was relayed to me by my supervisor, anyway!

You know, the more I think about it, the more I lean toward the chainsaw theory. I have never seen the large shavings generated by a large crosscut saw before, and I don't remember seeing them there. Since I specifically looked at the freshly cut logs, wondering who had cut them on an unmaintained trail, thinking of them as being cut by chainsaw, and given my interest in wood in general, I think those shavings would have stood out. If it was normal chainsaw sawdust, it would have fit my mental image and not stood out. I could be wrong, but that is my feeling on it.

Hello,

I've done the Muir trail a bunch of times and been in and around the mineral king area, but I've never heard of this place. I better get another map. thanks for the photos and the Mather Pinchot loop idea.

When are you heading out there? I'll probably be out there late august doing the JMT again. And Rattlesnakes??? doesn't sound at all impossible and as soon as the dry creek bed was mentioned I remembered back to a hot summer in 1974, doing my first teen solo hike in Mineral king and I went off, lost, on an unmaintained trail that soon became a dry creek bed . . . rattlesnakes everywhere. Don't think I stood that still for that long, other than when I was in basic training. THanks for the memeries.

Will I need any permits for going in frrom Wishon?

Yes, you need to get a permit from the Sierra NF ranger station in Prather. Call them at 559-855-5360. It will cost $5/person. The good news is that the Rancheria trailhead has no quota, so you don't have to rush to get the permit before the quota is filled.

I took a group of Boy Scouts last August. We had planned to go down into Tehipite Valley, but never made it. We used the Crown Valley trail. Many horse trails criss-cross the trail, making navigation difficult. Downed timber and disappearing trails didn't help either. It was a good excercise for map & compass work though. (I would suggest Rancheria trail, as there's about 1,000' less elevation gain into Crown Valley).

We made it to Crown Valley just before sundown, low on water. It was a dry summer and most of the streams on the map were dry.
A few of the boys were scouting for water near the Cow Camp cabins in Crown Valley, when the owner came out. The boys explained the situation and he let us come onto the property and get fresh spring water. They were having a big family gathering there at the cabin and they invited us all to dinner. What a treat! He did jokingly say that if we were not Boy Scouts he would have shot us. He WAS packing though...

The owner went on to talk us out of going down into Tehipite. Difficult unmaintained trails, and an abundance of rattlesnakes were his main reasons. We took a vote and the boys decided to head up to Geraldine Lakes instead.

We had a great time, but I am now haunted by Tehipite Valley.
I plan to go either this year or next. I'm going for the fishing.
Good luck, and post a report when you get back.

You must have gone in very late in August last year. I entered at Rancheria last August 11, and there were several streams between Rancheria and Crown Valley with decent flow. Rodgers Creek also had good flow, as did two of the three small streams between Rodgers Creek and Hay Meadow.

If your scouts were young and inexperienced, you probably made the right choice, the trail into Tehipite is in bad shape and would be a challenge for inexperienced hikers with full packs. You will really like it there. The scenery is great, the fishing is great, and the solitude is complete.

For those of you who might be planning on making a trip to Tehipite, the trail from the west has just been closed due to a small fire. It appears that the fire is not growing significantly, but, since it is right by the switchbacks dropping into the valley, they have closed the trail as a precaution.

http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/...=firemanagement

Pictures of the fire in Tehipite, taken from the top of the Obelisk, by some friends of mine:

Did the fire get all the down in the valley? The 23rd of July was the date planned for my week long solo trip down into the valley. As luck would have it I had to have major surgery on my shoulder on July 15th. Maybe someone was watching out for me. I will definitly be there next year.

When it was 62 acres, it seemed to be on the north flank, but I think it is now up to 165 acres, and the activity is described as
"The Tehipite Fire is currently 165 acres and spreading on the eastern flank as “roll-outs”—burning material that rolls down the steep terrain and ignites fire outside on the fire line—are creating control issues. Fire fighters began a burn out operation on the northern flank to control the head of the fire and keep the fire within the park boundary. However, efforts are also now focused on the eastern flank where the fire is burning into a drainage that is inaccessible. The fire is in steep terrain which continues to make direct fire response unsafe along much of the perimeter."

So it sounds like it is rolling down into the valley, proper.

62 acre fire map of Tehipite Fire

Wow, thanks for the great information. Where do you find such detaled info? Much appreciated Ken.