Great information on this board. Everyone is great. I'm really excited, and actually starting to freak about our attempted accent and what to expect. I feel my brother and I are preparing well, and taking all safety precautions seriously. But, each time I read on this site, or see photo's of the switchbacks, I wonder really about our chances of success. I guess the "X" factor, which no one can know is how we (or I) will adjust to altitude, no matter how we prepare. But If I could, I would like to ask a couple more questions.
We have less than 24 hrs to acclimate to altitude, so I'm going to suggest we spend the night at Horseshoe Meadows. Do we need to(or can we) reserve a spot? I figure we'll get a better breakfast the next morning, instead of starting zero dark early.
I'm going to guess there will be snow at base camp......when can we expect to start walking in snow on our accent? 7k?, 10k?
I'm really hoping my brother, cousin and I will be posting a success story and photo's come the weekend after our attempt. And I guess I'll try not to keep "spasing" about what to expect, and just keep preparing.....Thanks to ALL for the endless advise and information.....
Will
No. There's a huge area to choose from. Plus, I don't think there's a mechanism to reserve a spot.
when can we expect to start walking in snow on our accent? 7k?, 10k? I hope to go up later in the week, and so can answer that question more accurately in a few days. However, based upon reports, my sense it that it's about 10K, somewhere below Lone Pine Lake. I was up there about 6 weeks ago, and at that time there appeared to be an average amount of snow for the Whitney area. However, what isn't "average" about this year are the continued succession of snow storms/squalls, and the below-normal rate of snow melt. As general rule of thumb, most years the snow level moves upward about 500' a week (per Doug Sr.) during June. But, between the continued snowfall and cold temps, it's slower this year. So, in a nutshell, the current snow level is higher than it often is this time of the year.
