We summitted Whitney 8/4/17. Left portal at 2am and returned just before 4pm. We took the old trailhead to bypass any fears of getting soaked by the two water crossings early on. It was very easy to locate the old trailhead using this thread. http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/15657/Old_Trail_Trailhead The flooded meadow crossing just before outpost camp was ankle high. We navigated carefully and were able to escape with mostly dry feet. I wore mid high gore-Tex boots and stayed relatively dry throughout the day. I elected to not carry water shoes in order to save time changing shoes. I'm overall happy with my decision but this is a personal preference. In regards to microspikes or crampons in my opinion there is no need. There are a couple very minor snow crossings. This is the worst (Midway up on the switchbacks) https://goo.gl/photos/sc6oEjXC4gtsD8GP8
A couple weeks ago there was a treacherous crossing near the top of the switchbacks but it has since melted out completely. See photo. https://goo.gl/photos/VDeD4VJNG1vWuNUS8
With trekking poles and hiking boots there were no issues on any of the snow crossings. The weather was cloudy and cool. I wore a t-shirt and shorts most of the day but put on a light rain jacket and gloves at trail crest while waiting for friends to finish the switchbacks. I did bring a long sleeve shirt and pants as well but never put them on. A couple other things to note: The portal store was not cooking food nor offering showers due to "no water". We later discovered signs posted at the portal spigots noting E. coli had been detected in the water at the portal and they recommend boiling the water before drinking etc. Fortunately we had filled our bladders prior to our arrival and had extra food. But we were looking forward to a meal at the portal store the night before our hike. Lastly, there was a ranger on the trail checking for permits and wag bags. We saw her handing out citations to people who couldn't produce their wag bags. That's all for now. Safe travels!
