Hey folks:

Long time reader, first time poster. In any event, some friends and I will attempt the summit in 2 weeks and we have a few "newbie" questions that were not covered in the orientation notes (or if they were, I didn't manage to see them).

First, we plan to leave from Trail Camp on the morning of our ascent. We assume we can leave our tents, gear, etc. at Trail Camp and just take what is needed for the summit in day packs, but we wanted to make sure this is kosher. In other words, we don't need to attempt the summit with all of our gear, do we?

Second, are there any water sources above Trail Camp, or is all of that below Trail Camp?

Third, are there any monsters on the summit that we need to be on the lookout for? Do any of these creatures grant wishes?

This is a great website and an excellant resource. Kudos to the administrators for the great work, and thanks in advance for your answers!

To answer your questions...

1. Gear...yes, leave your gear in place. Just make sure it is secure...Trail Camp does get windy. Also, make sure your food is stored properly, the marmots will take advantage of any mistake. Leave all zippers open, if there is food in the pack pocket or tent, marmots will chew through the nylon to get to their meal.

2. Water...yes, but it so low on the Switchbacks it only comes into play on the way down.

3. Monsters on the summit...yes, they are called marmots. If you leave any food about it will be gonzo.

You can leave your gear at Trail Camp, perfectly okay. You never know if you might need to spend another night due to late arrival from summit, fatigue or just want to stay again.

Make sure you leave no food in said tent, the marmots love to chew holes in Nylon, take your food and leave surprised behind. (Heard a story of a marmot chewing a hole in a guy's tent, eating his candy bar and leaving some fecal matter where his head would go on his sleeping bag).

There is water flowing on and under one of the lower switchbacks (often icy in the early morning), but it's rather close to Trail Camp. Above that, nada.....

Thank you both very much. It's greatly appreciated. If I catch a Marmot, I will make sure two of the three wishes he/she grants is that both of you live long and prosper.

If you can't catch a marmot at Trail Camp, you ain't trying.

while there is water flowing at switchback (24?), it is often frozen in the morning, on your way up, so no help.

Others replenish their water by adding snow along the way.

But for most, carrying all the water for the day is probably the best maneuver, if you don't know the mountain. Some like 3 quarts, some 4. Some stash a quart near the junction on the west side for the return trip.

Lotta ways to do it. Most wish they'd had more water.

Ken wrote:
> But for most, carrying all the water for the day is probably the best maneuver

Just to clarify, Ken is talking about the day above Trail Camp. There is no reason to carry more than a minimal amount below Trail Camp, since there are plenty of sources below.

(You can find links in the Reference Forum, "Links to important Whitney information", on water sources, etc.)



From my hike last week:
...showing my method of (no) water treatment. Bob R's caption, "Steve's gonna die."
That's my hi-tech "Sierra Cup", a Snow Peak 600 titanium, works for both water and dinner, using this stove: