Appreciate the update, John. I've gotten a very detailed route description on the shortcut that Doug Thompson and Dave Kirk scouted out a few years ago, and may take a look at that once we're at the lakes. It appears to be a semi-direct line from Lake 6, or even Muir Lake. Apparently the trick is taking the correct cirque - the other is described as boulder hell.
I hiked out to Cottonwood Lakes back in 2009 but didn't go beyond them. Had a date with Whitney 36 hours later so I kept it pretty light that day. Looking forward to getting up past the crest this time. My biggest concern is how fatigued my legs will be by this point. I've got a Whitney North Fork dayhike planned two days before Langley, and another two in Yosemite in the days before that. Don't know if 16K' of gain is doable for me in the space of a week, but we'll see. I'm not getting any younger.
Mike, good to hear from you, and I appreciate the thought. How long will you be in the LP area?
