Day hiked on Sept. 3rd. All water crossings were easily managed. North Fork still had a good flow but it was very easy to rock hop even in total darkness (3:15am). There was only one spot in Bighorn Park where it was a little sketchy (as described earlier) but even then, with rocks and tree limbs, I did not see anybody get their feet wet. The heavy storm from August 31st must have dumped a lot of rain to raise the level of the water crossings but have now receded. Overall, my feet stayed dry for the entire trip. No big difference in water levels between early morning and mid afternoon. The snow patch just before the summit was really easy to navigate. No need to make a detour to avoid it. The snow was getting a little slushy (9:30am-11am) but it's a short section (30 feet maybe). Dark clouds began forming over the summit at 11am precisely and another storm broke out later that afternoon/evening. I only got a little sprinkle on the way down the switchbacks and around Trailside Meadow. Another amazing day on Whitney, one lucky girl even got proposed once their group made it on the summit!
