Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Onion Valley-Whitney Portal, June 30-July 5, 2012 (w/photos)

Thanks to all the great trip reports here, I've been wanting to approach Whitney from the JMT via Kearsarge Pass for a while. This was a fabulous trip. Without the advice and ideas I have found on this forum, I could never have imagined such a wonderful adventure could be within reach. Some highlights:

-Meeting a large number of PCT'ers (we saw at least 40 of them during the hike), including Magic Bag, Treble, Papa Smurf, Walking Stick, Viking, Chow Down, and Wondering. We also met Bowl Leg when we stopped to do a short hike at Ebbett's Pass off of Rt. 4 on the drive home.

-Watching my friend experience the transformative power of a first Whitney Summit. I first summitted 2 years ago, the same week I hit my Weightwatchers goal weight, and the experience changed me forever. I saw a similar effect on my friend, who has lost 80 lbs through physical training and diet since October, for whom this trip would have been impossible less than a year ago.

-Seeing a bear near the junction of the Kearsarge Pass trail and the JMT.

-Having generally great weather, and then enjoying a dramatic hail storm from the relative safety of Trail Camp. The forecast had been so good (a forecast that I confirmed with the ranger at Crabtree on July 3) that I was planning to sleep on the summit of Mt. Whitney on July 4. But the clouds that morning made us nervous so, when we reached the JMT/MT junction, we dropped our packs so as to do a speedy-as-possible summit. The summit was beautiful -- warm, sunny, etc., but still clouds all around in the distance. Ultimately, a storm did hit the crest, and we encountered hail just as we got to Trail Camp. From the comfort of our tents, it made for good photographs.

-Meeting SEKI rangers Laura (Tyndall Creek) and Rob (Crabtree), and Inyo ranger Brian. All the rangers were enthusiastic conveyors of information. Brian, by the way, was checking permits, and checked ours. Oh, and another highlight: after we had talked for a bit, Rob said I reminded him of Moose; while I quickly pointed out that I lack Moose's superpowers, I enjoyed the compliment.

View into Kings Canyon NP from Kearsarge Pass


Lake West of Bullfrog Lake (near where we camped night 1) with view of Mt. Rixford


East Vidette and Vidette Meadow


Black bear near junction of Kearsarge Pass trail and JMT


First view of Forester Pass


View looking back at Vidette Meadow from trail up Forester Pass


Alpinglow hits Mt. Stanford (?), view from campsite No. 2


Approach to Forester Pass


Snow Pilots on the way up to Forester Pass


Marmot on the way up to Forester Pass


Lake at about 12,100' just below Forester Pass


Getting nearer to Forester Pass


View south from Forester Pass


Crazy switchbacks carved into the cliff on the south side of Forester Pass


First view of Whitney (from Bighorn Plateau)


Bighorn Plateau


Whitney getting closer ... from south end of Bighorn Plateau


Timberline Lake and Mt. Whitney (near our fourth campsite)


Mt. Hitchcock at dusk


Timberline Lake, Mt. Hitchcock, at dusk


Backside of Mt. Whitney and Timberline Lake at Dusk


Full moon and start of alpenglow at dawn near Timberline Lake


Guitar Lake


View from Switchbacks up to JMT/Whitney Main Trail Junction (Guitar Lake, Hitchcock Lakes, Mt. Hitchcock)


View looking Northwest from Top of Mt. Whitney (Mt. Hale and Mt. Young?)


View West from top of Whitney


What is left of the Whitney summit snowfield (with Keeler Needle in the background)


View West from Trail Crest (Mt. Hitchcock, Hitchcock Lakes), weather building!


Snow pilots on East side of Trail Crest/97 Switchbacks on the Whitney Main Trail



Weather building on Sierra Crest

More photos that did reproduce in the first post

Cables on the 97 switchbacks/Whitney Main Trail


After the hail storm (at Trail Camp)








For those interested in doing this trip:

WATER ISSUES: Water was generally available, but the section from Wallace Creek to Crabtree was bone dry (the Sandy Meadow creeks were dry where they met the trail). There was no water above the cables on the switchbacks. There was a little trickle of water at what is left of the summit snowfield.

CAMPSITES: We camped at established campsites, with easy water access, at the following locations, and it worked well for us: (1) near a lake that is west of Bullfrog lake; (2) at the treeline (approx. 11,200') on the approach to Forester Pass; (3) off of Tyndall creek, about .25 miles down the Tyndall creek trail from the JMT junction (but well before the ranger station); (4) up the trail about .25 miles from Timberline Lake; (5) Trail Camp (had planned for Whitney summit bivy, or else Consultation Lake, but weather changed our plans).

Hello Akichow,
I am scheduled for OV to MW in mid-August. Great intel on the water sitch, though I suspect it will be different when I head out on my trip.

Did you do any fishing along the way?
Tom

We did not fish, but we saw trout jumping at Timberline Lake at dusk (it was like watching popcorn). Also, we met some JMT hikers on the trail up to Forester Pass who said that they were regularly supplementing their diet with trout.

Such a pretty hike. Such nice pictures! Sure glad you shared them.

The pictures and report make it sound like it was such an easy trip, but we know how much careful preparation and planning it takes to pull off such a success. Congratulations!

Wow, great pics! Makes me want to go right out and do this hike now!

Karin, great TR and excellent photos! It sounds like you had a superb time and definitely got your friend hooked on the best of all possible hobbies. And speaking of the transformative powers of the mountains, you're a classic case yourself. Could you have believed 3 years ago that you'd have this backpack under your belt, along with mutiple Whitney summits, Shasta, and Kili?! You'll be chasing Laura down before you know it!

Maybe it's time to jump in to a day or two of the Sierra Challenge?

Bulldog, thanks! Backpacking is such a confidence builder. I had a typo in my trip report ... first backpacking trip as an adult, and first Whitney summit, was only two years ago. Then I got bit by the mountain bug! Now I want to go back, camp on the Bighorn Plateau, and then do a cross-country hike to explore the Wright Lakes.....

Steve, yes, a strenuous trip, and you are right that a lot of planning went into it. Yet, after all that prep and training, I found hiking 10 miles a day easier than I thought it would be, and often had energy to spare after setting up camp for additional exploration. One of my favorite detours: the morning we summitted Whitney, we dropped our packs for a bit before hitting the backside switchbacks to explore the Hitchcock Lakes (a detour that became a necessity after we learned that one of our members was only carrying 1.5 liters of water for summit day, which we remedied at a tarn). For other newbies, here is some of what I think I did right:

-LIGHT PACK! My pack was 30 lbs at the start, not including water. My pack was 25 lbs at the Whitney Portal, but I still had a liter of water left, so figure 23 lbs. I used an REI Flash Pack 65; a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 tent; and a Big Agnes insulated Air Core sleeping pad. I used a Steripen for water treatment. The Flash Pack performs best at 30 lbs or less.

-BOUGHT/RENTED A BEARIKADE: Best decision ever, for a bear cannister, I bought a Bearikade Weekender, pricey, yes, but you can rent them too, and one of my friends did so. Plenty of room for 6 days/5 nights, and so light and easy to use/access.

-MAP/COMPASS: I got better with my map/compass skills, and that was important for planning camps and water access. Also made the trip more fun.

-USED A PACK LINER RATHER THAN A PACK COVER: I used a pack liner, which weighed less than a cover, and meant that when rain/hail came, I did not have to make any adjustments. My sleeping bag and other clothes were fully protected the entire trip, from my water bladder, rain, stream dunks, whatever.

-TRAINING: I focused my training on preparing for Shasta, figuring that training for Shasta would also suffice for this trip. It did. For me, Shasta remains the most strenuous trip I have ever done (more than Kili or this trip). But, by comparison to some training regimens listed here, I am a lightweight. I do weight training 2x a week, an extra 30 minute cardio workout on the elliptical trainer another 1-2 times a week, and at least one 10-14 mile hike every weekend (with at least 2,000-3,000 feet of elevation gain) with a heavy daypack. Recent training hikes included: (1) Yosemite Falls; (2) Cloud's Rest; (3) Marietta Falls (Bay Area); (4) Mt. Diablo (Bay Area); and (5) Mission Peak (Bay Area).

-READ OTHER PEOPLE'S TRIP REPORTS and asked a lot of questions.

-PICKED COMPATIBLE HIKING BUDDIES. We were a total of 3 hikers, aged 43 to 63. We hiked at somewhat different speeds, but were generally compatible in hiking style, expectations, etc.

-BROUGHT LOTS OF THINGS TO MAKE HOT DRINKS: I enjoyed an evening or morning pick-me-up. I had tea, packages for hot chocolate, packages for hot apple cider, and bouillon cubes. I used all of it.

-TAPED MY HEELS AND OTHER KNOWN TROUBLE SPOTS: I had tried my boots out on other trips, including Kili, so I was aware of potential trouble spots. I used duct tape to tape my heels before we started the trip, and surgical tape on toes prone to calluses. I did not get any blisters, but the tape sure took a beating; when it started to wear through, I would replace it.

-CARRIED SERIOUSLY GOOD CAMP SHOES: Yeah, extra weight, I know. But I actually did evening hikes in my camp shoes, North Face Hedgefrog sandals, including a long acclimatization hike a mile up Forester Pass, and it was great to give my feet a break from my otherwise wonderful Asolos.

-GOT LUCKY ON WEATHER: I got the permits when I knew it was a low snow year, figuring that we'd have a chance at nontechnical conditions this early in the season. It worked out well. And we largely had sunny days with no precipitation, which made the trip that much easier.

-TWO NIGHTS AT 9000-plus before starting trip: One night at Tioga Pass, and one night at Onion Valley Campground, helped with acclimatization. But still, that first day climbing up Kearsarge was tough.

-HITCHHIKING! We had only a partial car shuttle -- one car left at Onion Valley, one car in Lone Pine itself, which was too old to get all the way back up to OV. That meant relying on the kindness of strangers at the end of the trip to get from Whitney Portal to Lone Pine, and then from Independence to OV trailhead. No problems there -- folks were incredibly generous, both with their cars and with their regional knowledge! I got some great ideas for future trips!

Here is what I know I did wrong:

-TOO WARM A SLEEPING BAG! I vacillated between my 10 degree and 25 degree bags, and finally chose the 10 degree (because of the possibility of sleeping on the summit). I was HOT every single night. The only thing that made it bearable was using the sleeping bag as a blanket. I still sweated. And I do not usually sleep hot! But, at least for our trip, temperatures were generally in the 40s, occasionally slipping into the 30s or near freezing in the 4-6 a.m. period (but only on two nights).

OMG....I LOVE YOUR TRIP REPORT...TIPS....& PICS...YOU'RE KILLING ME...I SO WANT TO DO THIS TRIP.....I never knew what a snow pilot was before reading your photo Captions and I lovethem..they are beautiful flowers...and I applaud your quick response to capturing shots of a black bear and marmot in so vividly clear focus...congrats on your WW Goal and your friend shedding 80 lbs...I bet you both floated up and down the trails with such a burden gone from your backs and heart...good job...

...Tell me please how many miles total did you trek...how many days...I am not sure I understood exactly from your report.

Karin, congratulations on a beautiful trip.
Looks like no snow on Forester -quite a switch from last year!
No mention of periodic breathing at night so it sounds like your AMS worries that we have discussed were chased away by those pretty polemoniums.

Lynn-a-roo, I am glad you enjoyed the pictures! I met my WW goal back in 2010, so each return to Whitney is a celebration of that event. We hiked about 50 miles, with a cumulative elevation gain of about 12,000', in six days/five nights. That doesn't include various evening hikes that I did for acclimatization and to keep the muscles loose....

Harvey, I know this is a favorite route of yours, and thought of your prior trip reports from time to time. Your reports are part of what planted the seed for this trip. Someday I'd like to meet you up there, maybe on the Bighorn Plateau!

I haven't worried too much about AMS for a while now because experience at altitude has given me a sense of my body's sensitivities. I think it helps that I am not doing these Sierra peaks as a dayhiker, and that I build a lot of acclimatization into my trips -- in this case, one night at Tioga Pass (almost 10,000'), and one night at Onion Valley, (9,300') before I even set foot on the trail. This all based on excellent advice and research that I have received from you and others on this board.

I do think I remain susceptible to nighttime periodic breathing while acclimatizing, and I still use Diamox on a very limited basis to address this. On this trip, I took a small dose of Diamox (62.5 mg) twice before bedtime -- once at the treeline camp before Forester (11,200' or so) on night 2 of the trek, and once at the treeline camp near Timberline Lake on night 4 of the trek. I did not otherwise take Diamox. The second dose (night 4) was a mistake -- I was already sufficiently acclimatized by that point, but I experienced the diuretic effects of Diamox with a vengeance the next morning, which was our Whitney summit day. This necessitated breaking out the heavy duty electrolytes until it resolved (Cytomax, Nuun), which it did. So I didn't bother with a dose at Trail Camp on night 5 on the trail, and did fine. Of course, including the pre-trip acclimatization, that was now my SEVENTH night in a row near or above 10,000 feet, so I imagine I had plenty o' red blood cells coursing through my body by then....

Nice pictures from Trail Camp and the meditating marmot. I don't think you did wrong with the sleeping bag. It's better to be too warm than too cold, especially when you're backpacking and unsure 100% what the weather will be like. I had the same issues in the Palisades this past week; sweating my butt off in the tent and had to unzip the bag and use it as a blanket. I use Diamox too, but not on this trip. I still got a headache on the sixth day when I pushed it too hard. It was fine as long as I kept a steady pace.

Great trip report and photos. I am venturing into that area soon and appreciate the beta. Sky pilots are my favorite flower and your photo and vantage point captured them well.

Magnificent Trip Report. Loved the pictures.
I've always preferred day hikes to overnights. Do not care to schlep tent, sleeping bag, etc...
However, after reading and enjoying your pictures I may revisit this point of view.
John

Great job, Akichow! That is indeed a beautiful trip, and glad you got to meet Rob and Laura: super good people.

Great pictures, and congratulations!

-L

What type of food did you carry for your trip?

Food is one of my favorite topics! Glad you asked! Due to the length of the trip, going lightweight was important, but I wanted meals to be satisfying. For breakfast and dinners, all where hot, and all used a freeze-dried components. I repackedaged a lot of the meals, if the original packing was bulky or excessive, in 1 quart freezer bags, and used a cozy for cooking. Lunches were more normal food. For food, I have provided links for where I got some of it (mostly REI and Packit Gourmet). Here's the run down:

BREAKFASTS(FIVE) (doesn't include first breakfast, normal food at trailhead)

1, 2. Freeze dried pre-cooked Scrambled Eggs with Ham and Green Peppers plus whole wheat tortilla, and added tabasco (two breakfasts). The one Mountain House package of eggs lasted me two breakfasts. This was enough for me, but for heartier appetites, I recommend adding instant mashed potatoes and/or salami to the burrito.

3. Quick oats, packaged by me, with added dried milk, freeze-dried blueberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg.

4. Packit Gourmet's Jamaican Peanut Porridge, to which, based on prior experience, I added quick oats to the packaging before I left home. Delicious, but with out extra oats, somewhat liquidy.

5. Packit Gourmet's Santa Fe Breakfast Corn Pudding. Delicious, hot and filling, but has a little spicy bite!

ALSO: TEA OR HOT CHOCOLATE EVERY DAY!!!!

LUNCHES (FOUR) (doesn't include sandwich made at trailhead to eat on trail on day one)

1-2: Two lunches were (1) wholewheat tortilla, plus (2)salami, and (3) a couple of tubes of string cheese.

3. One lunch was (1) wholewheat tortilla, plus (2) tuna , and (3) shelf-stable mayonnaise

4. One lunch was (1) wholewheat tortilla, plus (2) salmon-in-a-pouch, mixed with (3) shelf-stable ranch dressing. This is a favorite!!!! (And the ranch dressing adds 210 calories to the salmon salad.)

ALSO: TRAIL MIX!!! I brought two types: (1) a premixed trailmix that I bought at the Berkeley Bowl, with peanuts, dried fruit, other nuts, chocolate chips, etc. (2) a saltier version that I made from smoked almonds and sesame sticks.

ALSO: OTHER SNACKS!! I brought a few Clif shots, a Clif Builder Bar, and a couple of Clif MOJO bars. I also brought extra string cheese and salami as snacks or in case we needed an extra day.

ALSO: ELECTROYLTES: I brought 3 packages of CYTOMAX (used two) and 8 NUUN tablets (used 3).

DINNERS: FIVE

1. Packit Gourmet's Gumbo. I added some salami to it. Delicious but a little spicy.

2. Packit Gourmet's Chicken and Dumplings . Filling and warm comfort food, if a little bland.

3. Backpacker's Pantry Spinach (pasta) puttanesca, to which I added some freeze-dried chicken. Not my favorite meal. Too spicy.

4. MaryJane's Farm Organic Chili Mac. I used the one that supposedly provides 1.5 servings. Hot, filling, not great, not bad, a good standby for me. Does not need repackaging.

5. Backpacker's Pantry Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken. This was the Whitney Summit Day, so I planned to (and did) eat the full two servings myself. Bland, filling and hot!!! (I figured that if for some reason we had to extend the trip, I could also split this in half for an extra meal).

I also had dessert that day (summit day), Packit Gourmet's Banana Pudding. Big meal! Fun!

ALSO: I BROUGHT BOULLION CUBES AND DRY MISO SOUP MIX so that I could have soup when I wanted it.

ALSO: I brought TEA, HOT CHOCOLATE, AND HOT APPLE CIDER MIX for dinners. I loved the HOT APPLE CIDER mix. You can see the product I used here , but I bought them at my local Dollar Store (6 packages for a dollar). I loved the cider (flavored sugar) so much on the trail that, when I got home, I went to the Dollar Store and bought two more boxes for future trips.

I think that's about it! Hope that helps!

Not trying to be obtuse, but what is a cozy and how do you use it? (I saw the picture, but there was no explanation)

It is a way to keep your food warm and cooking properly during the period in which the hot water that you add to freeze-dried food does its magic. (You still need to carry a means to heat/boil water ... I use a Snow Peak Canister Stove because of its light weight and convenience, and you can recycle the canisters if you punch holes in them first using, say, a Jetboil Crunchit Recylcling Tool .)

Particularly if you repackage your food in freezer bags, the heat dissipates quickly, while it is supposed to be "cooking." But if you put your freezer bag (with food and hot water) in a cozy while you weight the 10 or so minutes for the food to "cook," you will end up with a warmer (and maybe more cooked) meal.

You can also use a warm hat as a cozy, except then it will smell like food, and you'll have to store it in your bear canister, instead of wearing it when you sleep. You can also make your own cozy. Here's one approach: http://sectionhiker.com/diy-freezer-bag-cooking-cozy/.

During the day, I put things that are prone to melt in my cozy (e.g., trailmix with chocolate chips), and they stay cooler. At night, after I use my cozy, I put it in the bear canister.

"Freezer bag cooking" is one approach to cooking on the trail that can help reduce weight and post-meal washing time. It is discussed here, particularly here. When you are done with your meal, you put everything dirty in the freezer bag, seal it up, and throw it in the bottom of your canister. The down side is that you do accumulate some trash (lots of plastic baggies), and also, long-term I'd prefer not to eat food that has been steeped in hot plastic. But, for occasional backpacking, I don't sweat it.

Wow -- thanks for taking the time to answer so comprehensively! I am intrigued by the fact that you can eat right out of the freezerbag (I agree with your thoughts about over-using the heated plastic approach) You have not had any problems with Freezerbag meltdown? (I did not know what I was doing, and when I could not get the freezerbag food to cook, I immersed it in a pot of hot water, the bottom of the bag broke and all the food spilled into the hot water, thus, making a horrid soupy-version of spaghetti & sauce)