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Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
#16872 07/30/11 08:46 AM
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My partner and I are safe at our motel this morning after a frightening day hike on the trail yesterday. We had just reached Trail Crest when the extreme weather hit and spent the next 5.5 hours double-timing back down the mountain amidst rain, hail, thunder and lightning. After innumerable treacherous creek crossings and some help from some fellow hikers, we made it out relieved for ourselves and very worried about those still on the mountain.

The first part of the hike was routine. It was to be my first summit, my partner Matthew's third. We left at 4:15 a.m., making reasonably good time through lovely country. We made it up the switchbacks by about noon. We saw some rain clouds forming but decided to push on because they didn't look particularly threatening. The view west of Trail Crest took my breath away, and we were both eager to make the summit.

We we wrong, and in retrospect wished we had turned back sooner. A few fat raindrops started to fall, soon turning into stinging hail. We hunkered down against the ledge waiting for the initial burst to pass. The hail was pea-sized and fierce enough to rip little holes in my $5 poncho. When it was over the trail was white with pellets, and the beginnings of real alarm showed in the faces of hikers around us. Matthew and I decided to turn back. Our disappointment at not making the summit was quickly eclipsed by anxiety as we raced down the 99 switchbacks, exposed to repeated flashes of lightning. I don't think I have ever been as scared in my life as I was crossing the cables section, fearing at any moment to be fried by a bolt drawn to the metal rods.

The thunder, lightning and rain continued as we threaded our way through Trail Camp. We considered finding shelter and waiting for the storm to pass, but several factors dissuaded us:
--It became clear that this storm wasn't the passing kind
--We knew the longer we waited, the colder and wetter we'd get
--As we traveled lower, we saw that the rain was turning formerly charming streams into dangerous torrents, and knew we had to move quickly if we were to cross them and get back to the Portal

The rain-that-would-not-stop not only swelled Lone Pine Creek but turned the trail itself into a series of streams. The drainage above Lone Pine Lake was filled with rushing, chocolate-milk colored torrents. At many points along the way, the trail was washed out altogether and we were forced to make our way across these fast little rivers. We teamed up with a kind gentleman (a solo hiker) and helped each other across a number of these, often up to our knees in the muddy water, with unstable footing. We took risks we never would have taken under other circumstances, but felt the risk of holding back (and getting stuck on the mountain) outweighed the dangers of these crossings.

Along the way we passed a number of hikers who were struggling, on the verge of hypothermia or simply freaked out by the danger. One young man raced ahead of us, saying his father was getting hypothermia and he was going for help. We later heard from another hiker he was almost swept away crossing Lone Pine Creek, but saved himself by grabbing a rock and pressed on down the trail. (Back at the Portal, Matthew saw the father, apparently in good shape, but we never did know if his son made it down safely).

At the last Lone Pine Creek crossing, Matthew and I were among about 15 hikers stopped dead: here was a crossing that was definitely too risky to attempt. One of the hikers had called 911 before we arrived, and within a few minutes an obviously capable young man arrived and spoke the most blessed words I had ever heard: "I'm Mike from the Portal Store and I'm going to lead you out of here." He showed us the back way (the Old Trail?) down to the Portal, then raced back up the mountain, apparently to help hikers stranded higher up.

At the Portal, there was streaming water and mud everywhere, along with emergency vehicles and law enforcement personnel. One of these men told me he had been in the area 30 years and never seen such a storm.

Biggest lessons:
--start down the mountain at the first sign of trouble--you have a long road ahead
--the $5 poncho was the best investment for the money I ever made; while we were both shivering as the day wore on, the poncho kept my core dry and probably saved me from more trouble
--we believe our rigorous training before this hike paid off, affording us the physical strength to get down the mountain fairly quickly, and, more importantly, the mental toughness to believe we could

Finally, we offer gratitude to those who helped us along the way: Mike from the Portal, and the gentleman hiker whose name we never learned.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
jhiker #16873 07/30/11 08:57 AM
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Amazing story. Glad you made it out safely. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
jhiker #16881 07/30/11 09:20 AM
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jhiker,
Wow... sorry to hear your hike went bad so quickly. You made the right decision turning around. There were thunderstorms earlier this July. I recall another poster whose group was pelted by hail and surrounded by lightning after trying to plow through the initial rain. Glad you got off safe. The mountain will be there next year.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
DonCoqui #16884 07/30/11 09:34 AM
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For newbies - if you are planning on Whitney, read this TR very carefully. Twice or more. It is pure gold. Keep it in mind when you set out.


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
jhiker #16885 07/30/11 10:04 AM
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Jhiker, great TR - thanks for posting so quickly so the rest of us have an idea of what is was like up on the mountain the past 24 hours. My family, I, and Quillansculpture were up on the mountain for a couple of nights barely a week ago, and it we couldn't have had more perfect weather. Your TR is a cautionary tale of how quickly conditions can change for everyone who hikes the Sierra.

Glad you made it out safely and, looking at Doug's most recent report on the WPS, it appears SAR is pretty much done on the mountain and everyone is down OK.

For the record, that was Myles from the Portal Store who assisted your group (and others) in directing you to the old trail just before the North Fork creek crossing. Under the trying circumstances, I'm sure it was easy to get "Mike" out of that exchange. He's the evening cook at the store, but also a very skilled 5.10-plus climber and all-around great guy. That's one of the wonderful things about Doug and the Portal Store crew - they don't hesitate to head up the mountain to help when it's called for. Your situation was one of countless others over the years where Doug and/or his crew dropped what they might have been doing and bolted up the trail to provide assistance for others.

Glad everything turned out OK. Any chance you got pix that you might post?

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
jhiker #16889 07/30/11 11:12 AM
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We were also on the mountain yesterday. We left at 4:00AM and made good time up to Trail Crest. Shortly after leaving Trail Crest we noticed some hail dropping but since this was my first attempt we decided to push on to the top thinking the storm would move away. By the time we reached the summit the hail was pounding us and starting to obliterate the trail. We signed the register, took three photos, put on out parkas and headed down in a hurry. We left the summit at 12:15 and there were still people coming up. We tried to discourage them but some wouldn't listen. I am still wondering about a man and woman who had two small children(4 or 5 years old) insisting on making it to the top. The children had shorts, sweat shirts and tennis shoes on. There is no way they made it down the mountain last night. We were pummeled by hail all the way to the Portal but we knew we had to get off the mountain. The lightning strikes were close and the thunder deafening. We saw three land slides that were awsome but unnerving. Rocks the size of Volkswagons bouncing down the hills. At Outpost Camp three campers asked if they could follow us down the trail because they were scared. We told them OK but we weren't going to wait for them to pack up. They said they were leaving everything they just wanted out. The camper staid with us for about 20 minutes but decided we weren't going fast enough and left running down the trail. The lower we got the more water we encountered, most of the trail was now a running stream and the crossings we hopped across in the morning were running 50 ft. across. We forded dangerous streams running waist deep something I would never do under normal circumstances. When we got to the crossing at Lone Pine Creek there were two men blocking off the trail and diverting people to the old trail as that creek was impassible. We got to the parking lot at 6:30 and several sections of the road were washed out, no cheeseburger. We got to the campground and were changing into dry clothes when the camp host knocked on my tent trailer door and informed us that the campground was being evacuated, several bridges were already washed out. By the time we made it down the hill Caltrans was closing the road just out of Lone Pine. All the motels were full in Lone Pine so it was a long drive home after all the excitement. I would still like to know how many people stayed on the mountain last night and how many are OK. The thought of those two children still haunts me.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
cowpie #16890 07/30/11 01:57 PM
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It was a scary day to say the least. Left at 6:00 am 7/29/11 from portal parking lot and made the summit around 1:00 pm amidst lots of lighting/pea-sized hailstones. Met my new best-friend Dean for the trip back. Left the summit immediately and started down but noticed a couple on thier way to the summit with what appeared to be a 1 yr.old baby on the mothers back. Also saw the couple with the two children on the trail as well. witnessed a huge rockslide with car-sized boulders coming off the mountain. Had to cross several rivers that were waist-deep with raging water on the way back and lost both poles in the process. Saw that the last river crossing was blocked and arrow pointing to alternate route down to the parking lot. Got back to car at 7:05 pm. I pray that everyone made it off the mountain safely.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
cowpie #16891 07/30/11 02:01 PM
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Frightening stories.It has always been said that the weather in the Sierras can change in a moment without any warning or notice.I fear for those who tried to cross some of those washouts and flashflood rivers. Thanks for your reports.We all can learn from this.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Rod #16892 07/30/11 03:47 PM
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All I can say is !!!!!!

I'm glad everyone made it down ok. That sounds terrifying. I'm racking my brain to figure out what I would do encountering waist deep water. I think I would have to stop and wait for the storm and water to pass or for rescue, probably hitting the 911 on my SPOT, assuming it could talk to a satellite under those conditions.

Thank you for sharing. I'm praying for good weather and clear skies for 8/20-22

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Jeff Rose #16893 07/30/11 03:47 PM
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Thanks for these reports! Glad you all made it out of there! These reports concerning these little children are horrific. Being a father of 2 little ones myself, I am greatly disturbed by this. Praying for the safe return of everyone...especially these kids.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Bulldog34 #16894 07/30/11 04:01 PM
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Thanks, Bulldog 34, for the correction on Myles' name. We certainly want credit to go where it's due! And thank you again, Myles, for guiding us all to safety.

We are working on pictures and hope to have them posted by later this evening.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
jhiker #16895 07/30/11 04:41 PM
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Please post those those pictures as we were going down hill as fast as we could to save ourselves and did not have the presence of mind to capture a experience of a lifetime!

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
cowpie #16897 07/30/11 05:04 PM
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@cowpie and jeff: thank you for the trip reports. Sounds really scary! I summited on the 21st after a failed attempt last year. I know what it feels like to fail and have to wait a year to make it up to myself.

Hopefully folks w/ common sense reading your TRs will get a better sense of what can happen if conditions on the mountain turn on a dime. Folks need to understand the weather doesn't wait or forgive to accomodate your need to summit. You need to pack thinking of the worst... can u survive the mountain if you start on a day-hike, but end up having to spend the night on the trail because of a broken ankle or worse yet a thunderstorm?!?

Plowing up the trail with children under those conditions is dum and IMO plainly irresponsible.

Glad you got off safely. And again... thanks for the TR... hopefully someone will learn from your harrowing experience.

Last edited by DonCoqui; 07/30/11 05:06 PM.
Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
DonCoqui #16898 07/30/11 05:23 PM
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They got back to the portal safely. That is a success. smile

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Akichow #16907 07/31/11 03:51 AM
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So all this was friday? When we were driving from LAS to Mammoth via Westgard Pass on saturday we saw hours of storm all up and down the range. We thought about anyone caught up there... But now I realize it must have been 2 days in row. Is that right?

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Akichow #16909 07/31/11 06:46 AM
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That is a huge relief. Did everyone make it down ok?

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Harvey Lankford #16910 07/31/11 06:56 AM
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For Matthew and me, it was a half-day ordeal, approximately 12:15 (when the storm broke and we left the Trail Crest) to six (when we hiked into the Portal) on Friday afternoon. As we drove back into Lone Pine around 6:30, the storm was clearing up, at least down below. I gather from the Portal Store forum that others spent the night on the mountain and walked out the next morning.

Saturday dawned sunny, but driving home to Reno that afternoon we were hammered again by another storm, complete with thunder, lightning and the most intense, sheeting rain I've ever experienced. We read in the weather reports this series of storms is particularly slow-moving, which makes for hours and hours of fun (?!). For anyone who had a Saturday permit that was canceled or delayed, please know it was better to be disappointed and safe--you were fortunate to not be on Whitney when the storm hit.

I am working on posting photos, but having some trouble with the length of time it takes to upload them. I hope to have this solved soon.

Thanks to all for your encouraging and supportive comments! It feels good to be part of a community.

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Harvey Lankford #16911 07/31/11 07:19 AM
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Harvey, if you go to the Portal Store site you can view stills from the Whitney cam taken every 5 min. You can see how the storm forms into some wicked weather. Saturday looked a little better.

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/webcam/2011_07_29/daily.htm

John

Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
jhiker #16912 07/31/11 09:20 AM
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Glad to hear you made it down safely. Hiked San Jacinto Peak yesterday and summited around 1130, not two minutes after getting to the top, giant rain drops began falling. Realizing that there was a storm on the way, we booked it down from the top, hail, thunder and lightning and lots of rain made for a wet descent. We are leaving for Whitney Portal on Tuesday for a summit attempt on Friday and praying for good weather, looking at the weather reports it looks like good weather should be coming in on Wednesday.

Thank you for the TR, first time hiking Whitney for our entire group, and very thankful for all of the information everyone has provided! Ill be sure to give my report when I am back!


Re: Harrowing Day Trip 7/29/11
Chris Andrews #16913 07/31/11 09:43 AM
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Granted /I was not there and am just going off the posted info.
BUT:

I've got to ask, why would you call 911, is it just because you can't cross the creek, now a river? Because you might be late for work?
Remember when you call 911 you are asking someone else to come and possibly risk their life, is that a reasonable expectation considering your circumstances? If it is then call, that's what 911 is for. IF not then why not just hunker down below the tree line, find shelter, make new friends and roast marshmallows?
You did remember to carry emergency supplies and equipment necessary to camp out overnight, a trash bag, space blanket, food bar or two, heat pack, candle,etc. Heck even if you had to stay out two extra nights was your life threatened to the extent of calling 911?

As a side note is there a map trace or can someone make one to show the "old" trail?

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