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Main Trail to Trail Camp, First Timer With Dog July 23-24
#6290 07/25/10 09:39 PM
Joined: Apr 2010
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Akichow Offline OP
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I have permits for Labor Day, which was to be my first time at Whitney. However, through some serendipity (Tioga Pass campgrounds all full), I ended up at the permit office on Friday and scored an overnight permit. Since my dog (Sasha, 40 lb mixed breed) was with me, I knew we wouldn't be going past Trail Crest. Because it was my first time on the mountain, and her first backpacking trip, I set Trail Camp as the probable goal. We had an absolute blast on the trip, made it to Trail Camp, and even met Bob R. from this board.

FRIDAY: Trailhead to Outpost Camp
Having scored the permit Friday near noon, we didn't leave the trailhead until after 1 p.m. My backpack weighed in at 30 lbs ... definitely not an ultralight, but better than I imagined since I had not packed specifically for Whitney (and was carrying Sasha's food to boot). We enjoyed a lovely hike up, albeit in the heat of the day, up to Outpost Camp.

Sasha was a hit on the trail with her little red backpack and matching boots, and posed (sort of) for many photographs.

The booties were annoying to us both as they had a tendency to fall off, but wanting to avoid carrying a 40 lb dog down a mountain in a backpack was a powerful motivator to keep putting them back on.

I was particularly awed by the beauty of Lone Pine Lake ... since people don't mention it that often, it was a bit of a surprise. I enjoyed the beauty, serenity, and collegiality of Outpost Camp, but wished I had brought earplugs to muffle the noise of the parade of hikers going through the camp starting at 3:30 a.m.

SATURDAY Outpost Camp to Trail Camp and back to the Trailhead
By Whitney standards, we got a comparatively late start of 6 a.m. from Outpost Camp. I used my backpack as daypack, and figure it probably weighed about 10-12 lbs with water, food, gear, etc. I enjoyed this part of the hike immensely, too, and I think it was much more fun in part because I was not carrying a full pack (plus it was cooler since it was the morning). I also think having Sasha with me helped with the altitude, because she definitely slowed me down (she was on a leash, but clearly interested in the wildlife off the trail, so keeping her focused took a fair amount of energy). We both made it to Trail Camp feeling great.

When we arrived there, a marmot clearly set off an alarm ("dog in camp! dog in camp!"), so all the other marmots made themselves (temporarily) scarce. I noticed that this happened at other places on the mountain -- marmots definitely have a specific warning call, and it became very familiar to us.

Since it was only about 9:30 am or so after we had our break, I played around with going up to Trail Crest. I ran into Bob R. around this time, and discussed the trail conditions with him. When I checked Sasha's paws, however, I noticed that the rear paws (on which I had not put boots) showed more wear than did her front paws (which had been booted). Turning around would mean a fun day for all; to push on for Trail Crest carried too much risk, especially given how rocky was the trail at that point. So I put booties on all four of Sasha's paws for the trip down, and we headed back to Outpost Camp. We packed up our camp, and headed back down to the trailhead. (Note for dogowners: the boots stayed on much easier going down than going up.) By the time we hit the log crossing, Sasha had become a pro at it. My pack weighed 25 lbs when we got back to the trailhead.

When we got back to Lone Pine, I noticed that the summit was no longer visible as it was engulfed in grey clouds. A ranger told me that it was "probably hailing up there."

Sunday, we did a short hike at Tioga Pass (Gardinsky Lake), and then headed back to the Bay Area.

So, a fantastic if unexpected trip up to Trail Camp. Really enjoyed meeting folks on the trail. Looking forward to Labor Day, and going on up to the summit if conditions and acclimatization permit it.


Re: Main Trail to Trail Camp, First Timer With Dog July 23-24
Akichow #6294 07/26/10 01:06 AM
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S
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Sasha is a good looking dog!

Congrats on the trip. Glad you had such a good time.

Maybe a mini-bungee cord fastened between that doggie pack and the booties would help keep the booties on.

When you go in August, consider carrying a lot less water, and refilling along the way. You can get the last water on the switchbacks above Trail Camp -- and you should take about three liters there. And if you do as Bob R, you wouldn't even need to filter it.

Re: Main Trail to Trail Camp, First Timer With Dog July 23-24
Akichow #6295 07/26/10 04:52 AM
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So if you were carrying Sasha's food, what was she carrying in her spiffy red pack? Your beer?

Pretty girl!


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: Main Trail to Trail Camp, First Timer With Dog July 23-24
wagga #6297 07/26/10 06:22 AM
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Akichow Offline OP
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Hah, and some ice perhaps? She was carrying the wag bag, a lot of extra plastic bags, and her booties whenever I had to take them off her (e.g., water crossings). Her pack was pretty light, as she is still getting used to it.


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