Two friends and I are planning our first trip up Whitney via the Mountaineer's Route next week. We're all experienced at climbing Colorado 14ers on snow. The recent Whitney trip reports have been helpful and I hope we'll see one or two more before we head up a week from Wednesday. I do have a few questions.
It looks like the trail crosses the North Fork several times on the way up to Upper Boy Scout Lake and I assume the creek is flowing high with the current snow melt off. If crossing the creek on snow bridges is not an option as recent reports suggest, is a wet crossing likely the only option at this point or are there bridges or jumpable narrow sections to get across the creek? Would bringing snowshoes, at least up to Upper Boy Scout Lake be a good idea?
We are planning to camp at Upper Boy Scout Lake and debating bringing 4-season versus lighter 3-season tents. Are the camping options around Upper Boy Scout Lake somewhat sheltered from the wind making 3-season tents a reasonable option there?
If the weather is good, following a successful summit of Whitney, I am considering a climb of Russell from Upper Boy Scout Lake the following day. Based on TRs I've read, this sounds quite reasonable later in the year when the slope up to the Carillon-Russell saddle is dry. Does anyone know if snow on that slope would likely help or hinder the climb and descent?
It looks like the trail passes under some pretty steep slopes below Lower Boy Scout Lake. Are there sections of this trail where the avalanche danger is high at this time of year? We're debating bringing avalanche beacons and shovels but would prefer to go lighter if the avalanche danger is not significant.
I'll appreciate any thoughts about the above questions.
Hoot
