Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Route finding on the Mountaineers Route

As stated before, I have climbed Longs via the Keyhole. Route finding was easy because, well it was the only way up and the more technical sections were marked with cairns or painted bull's eyes. I am worried about finding my way up Moutaineer's particularily in the early morning as we are doing a one day hike.

Right now (baring any more "big" storms, just follow the boot track.

Later this summer (when you're going(?)), there is a use trail that is easy to follow if you keep you eyes open. The FS folks have put lots of big cairns up to keep you on track.

Follow the links posted in this thread:

  Mountaineers route questions, map

And this thread:
  Mountaineer's Route 5/25/2007

You mean the ones I always kick over as I pass?

It's true... It's true...



Far be it from me to EVER make Steve mad. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end...

There are enough rookies heading up there that I wish you'd re-think you policy of knocking down the markers. There's been plenty of damage done the the lower North Fork and making it a little easier for most to stay on the right track will prevent additional damage. My personal opinion is that you're contribiting much more to the creation of an eyesore than having a few cairns in place ever will.

Ok Folks Put on your gloves! It's time for the Duck vs No Duck Fight to begin.

I gotta agree with Richard on this one.
And I am no longer seeing the "temple" sized markers of a couple years ago - so better some markers than tearing up the lower section of the North Fork.

Yup!

Aw, c'mon guys, chill out! The only place I've ever knocked down a duck in the NF was on the E ledges, and those were stupid and misleading markers. It doesn't help the environment for people to build a duck every ten or twenty feet, marking routes that are only a few yards apart. Especially not in an area that's only about 100' wide anyway. Nobody thought to build a cairn to mark the best spot to exit the ledges on the uphill side, which is the only place that seems reasonable to me. That would help channel traffic to a single use trail that connects with the switchers coming down from LBSL.

BTW, Laura's wonderful photo catching me doing the evil deed was from the Meysan Lakes trail, where somebody built a cairn right next to the trail. Not like that one was going to save the planet...

Sheesh, Steve-o, sorry about that. I guess I forgot for a moment that a light, teasing air just ISN'T ALLOWED. STOP HAVING FUN RIGHT NOW!!

Yup, Meysan Lake Trail, Mt. Leconte last June. Ducks every twenty feet, in full view of about three more, for the middle section of the TRAIL.

As for towers on the MR, there were PLENTY of them in the boulder section above LBSL last year. I dunno, maybe we should install a concierge who can point people in the right direction at each section.

The ducks there are fine, but there is a good path. Just keep paying attention.

I was not directing my comment to Steve in paticular - it was more a general statement based on years of observation in the NF. I too have laughed at the some of the cairn building in the areas of the ledges - at one time several were built large enough to sacrifice a lamb or first born.

No sweat Laura. And thanks for posting that photo. It's good to know I've still got decent form on my side kick. Did I ever tell you the story of how I got hassled by a couple of self-righteous Sierra Clubbers for collecting firewood in the NF of Big Pine Creek? It was legal back then...

And if anyone from the FS is reading this, please tell me my tax dollars aren't going towards random cairns in the North Fork. It's bad enough that the overnight quota is so low there... I'm irked, I tell you, irked.

I would have made the comment whether the ninja photo was there, or not.

Knocking down cairns on along an established trail is one thing (that I wholeheartedly agree with), but the North Fork of Lone Pine Lake is not an established trail. It is a bunch of scars leading up beyond LBSL. Helping people who can't seem to find their way (and, yeah, this is an insult to people who seem to easily get lost up there.) is something that us veterans should support by leaving things alone.

Now, I'm moving on...

Ducks or no ducks, what a great action shot!!

We are going July 17th and doing a one day climb.

What time do you think we should start in the am? We started Longs @ 2:15 am?

Early is always good. You almost never hear "Damn - I started too early to make the summit", but frequently hear "I hit my turnaround time before I made the summit".

You're traveling a long way. The higher you are before the sun comes up the more spectacular the sunrise. You'll have a better appreciation why the Sierra is called "The Range of Light".

And another vote for "don't knock down cairns".

2:15 seems particularly early. How fast do you climb? The distance is short, only you have 6,500' to ascend.

If you start that early, you REALLY need to pre-hike the section up to Lower Boyscout Lake the day before (no permit required). Finding your way to and through the Ebersbacher Ledges in darkness will be tough unless you know the way. Likewise the section between Lower and Upper Boyscout Lakes. If you timed it so you left Lower Boyscout as dawn was breaking, the light would help identify the landmarks you need to follow the route.

I have updated my post above with a link to another thread that includes lots of pictures of the MR.

My first time up the Mountaineer’s Route was in 1972, accompanied by my 10 y/o son. Since then, I have averaged precisely once a year, so I know it pretty well.

In 1972, there were no GPS tracks, writeups, innumerable pictures linked to on this message board and elsewhere. Or ducks or cairns. With my compass and 15-minute map, the route finding was uneventful.

Regarding time to start, in my younger days it took me about 8 hours for the round trip, or 9 if I descended the main trail. Now, as a septuagenarian, it’s more like 12 and 13. That’s without hurrying, just enjoying the climb.

I’ll probably be going again mid-July as well. I’ll start around sunrise, shortly before 6 am. That means I’ll be on top early afternoon, and back to the Portal well before sunset. I’ll watch the weather predictions, and if thunderstorms are possible, I may start up a couple of hours earlier.

Underscoring what Steve said, the biggest problem with an alpine start is negotiating the Ebersbacher Ledges for the first time in the dark. You could check them out the day before; it would involve a couple of hours. Or, as some others on this board have said: Start an hour before sunrise, to arrive at the Ledges as it is just getting light.

Route finding the day before sounds like a good way to acclimitize. We will definately do that