A friend and I (and possibly two more) are considering hiking Mt. Whitney from Horseshoe meadows through Miter basin during memorial day weekend.
We plan to take 3-4 days, with the possibility of 5 if snow conditions are not favorable for a decent pace.
Given the current snow conditions is such a trip feasible?
We will of course be using crampons, ice axes and most likely snow shoes to help us cross any softer snow.
Here is a tentative plan:
Day 1: Very early start at Horseshoe Meadows, and make it over Army pass into Miter basin. If the chute on Army Pass is too soft to be climbed we may attempt the chute behind Cottonwood Lake #5, which on the map appear to be much less steep. We will descend into Miter Basin, and set up camp. If we do not make if over the passes, we will set up camp at the cottonwood lakes, and climb Army Pass in the morning.
Day 2: to head up Miter Basin, over Crabtree pass and set up camp at upper Crabtree lake.
Day 3: Climb up to Discovery Pinacle, down to Trailcrest, summit, and climb down to the portal.
Of course, any foul weather in the forecast cancels the trip.
Areas of concern:
-Too much soft snow making progress impossibly slow even with snow shoes
-Limited snow travel experience. (We climbed Whitney last year over memorial day and had an excellent time climbing up and down the chute to trail crest, but are more or less novices as far as snow travel goes)
-Is the climb up discovery pinnacle safe so early in the season?
-Will the road up to Horseshoe meadows be open? (If not we can hike up the road, making the trip a little longer)
Please give any input you might have on the route, snow conditions and the climb. We have decent route finding and navigation experience and are in pretty good shape, but don't want to get in over our heads. Are we asking for trouble even considering this route so early in the season?
