Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Main Trail conditions

I will be hiking MT on Fri Aug 5 with my nephew. It will be my 2nd time on Mt Whitney, hopefully 1st time to summit!! (and safely back to Portal...yes, summit is only half way there). My first time we turned around at 14,200 ft...so close but yet so far. I am an experienced day hiker.

I would appreciate any info re MT conditions:

1. Any need for microspikes? Any really tricky spots due to snow/ice? Last time I was not crazy about walking on ice at cables before dawn on the way up but it was slush and very easy on the way back down.

2. Where is the LAST place to get water? Trail Camp or somewhere partway up the switchbacks? I heard at Trail Camp don't use the small lake even with filter, go to Consultation Lake - true?

3. Any tricky creek crossings that require wading or getting wet vs. the basic walking on rocks balancing with trekking poles?

Thanks very much for any info or suggestions.

Note we plan to acclimatize in Yosemite. I posted on a Yosemite message board questions about conditions there which I will repeat here just in case someone reading here has relevant info. Thanks again in advance.

"I am interested in current conditions for Clould's Rest (from Sunrise trailhead), Mt Hoffmann and Mt Dana. Next Fri (Aug 5) my nephew and I will attempt Mt Whitney (14.5k) and planned to use these 3 Yosemite peaks for acclimtization (10k, 11k, 13k). I am an experienced hiker and have done all three hikes before, my specific questions are about current conditions due to the heavy snows last winter.

Specifically:

Cloud's Rest (from Sunrise trailhead): I heard recently that the outlet from Tenaya lake means you have to wade through knee deep water. Still true next week? I assume the current is slow so the issue is not getting swept away but getting cold and wet? Is the wade for 10 meters or so...or more like 100 meters? Would taking socks off (to keep them dry and then putting wet boots back on over dry socks) do it?

Mt Hoffmann: I drove along Tioga Road a couple weeks ago and it looked like Mt Hoffmann had a LOT of snow and at the time could only be summitted by winter mountaineers (which I am not). Any guess if this will be true next week? If so, could one get close to the summit (up to the nice view of Half Dome, etc.) without the need for crampons, ice axe etc?

Mt Dana: When I drove past Mt Dana I saw more snow patches than I am used to in the summer (no surprise). I asked the ranger if one needed either crampons or microspikes to summit, and he said no, just be careful. Can anyone confirm this?

Once again I have done all 3 hikes before, I am just not a winter mountaineer so was inquiring about conditions.

Thanks in advance for info on any or all of these 3...or other acclimtization suggestions if these 3 require crampons etc."

Brian, just did both Whitney and Dana last week. Here goes:

Dana has several large snowfields between 11K' and 12K'. We used micro-spikes for two that were considerable uphill slogs, but they're doable without the spikes. There were quite a number of smaller snowfields between 20' and 60' in length that were just nuisances.

Whitney - several snow crossings, but the only one of consequence is the one just before Trail Crest and directly above the snow chute that is used to access the mountain in winter conditions. As of last week this chute is still completely filled with snow. You'll find that all the other snow crossings are trenched - i.e., deeply trod footpaths that give you a sense of stability. The snow crossing above the chute I'm referring to was not trenched, and gave a number of folks the willies. It's 1600 feet down the chute if you slip. We saw several people turn back at this point and call it a day. Spikes will help here, but really only when it's crusty earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon. You will want trekking poles, as well. My wife and 11 YO daughter crossed this chute, but were very nervous doing so. Use extreme caution and small steps, and you should be OK. Get across it on the return before it loses the sun and turns icy.

Water from the pond at Trail Camp is fine for filtering. Trail Camp has seen relatively few campers so far this year, and the steady snowmelt stream from the chute above is keeping it flushed pretty well. We filtered there both last year and this year. Also, it's really a challenge to get down the ledges to Consultation Lake for water - I've camped there three nights within the past year and never even tried. All our camp cooking water came from a snowmelt stream directly across the main trail from Consultation Lake.

The last place to obtain water is around the 23rd switchback between Trail Camp and Trail Crest. It's source is a spring and is flowing strongly during the daytime hours, flooding a number of switchbacks in the area, but it can dry up in the evening. Go ahead and tank up at Trail Camp with 3-4 liters per person, and you won't need to worry about the switchback stream.

The cables are a non-issue. Wide, dry path all the way through. The switchback immediately prior to the first cable post is snowy, and may require a 10-foot uphill scramble to re-access the trail, but it's not a challenge. It may be melted out by the time you're there.

Hope the beta helps. Have a great hike!

bulldog, thanks for very helpful info! yes, I remember that traverse above the chute...got the willies there myself 2 years ago.

I just went up the Main Trail on Thursday the 28th. Microspikes, crampons, and ice axes are all non-issues. This is my 8th ascent and the latest in the year I've ever gone, and there really isn't that much snow. What is there is deeply tracked.