Hello,
my name is Erhard, I am from Austria. I am planning to hike in the Whitney zone in early September. My starting point is Onion Valley CG, in 5 to 6 days I would like to do the route Kearsage Pass - Charlotte Lake - Forester Pass - Crabtree Ranger Station - Mt. Whitney - Whitney Portal. I've got an Inyo forest 'exiting Mt. Whitney' permit with starting at Kearsage pass so I think it is allowed. My planning is almost finished but I have a few questions.
- where is the last possible campsite before starting the hike to the summit of Mt. Whitney? Is it at guitar lake or is there another place after guitar lake? I would like to leave my tent there but when going down I don't want to hike back a longer distance to pick up my tent.
- How cold could it be in the night in that elevations in the first week of September? Is snow possible? Are thunderstorms or longer phases of bad weather possible?
To answer questions you may have: I have experience in hiking. Last year I did a rim to rim to rim hike in Grand Canyon for 5 days and two years ago I did a one week hike in the Austrian Alps. I also do often day hikes in our mountains. But I know the elevations around Mt. Whitney are extreme, so could altitude sickness be a problem?
thanks in advance!
regards Erhard
