Mt Whitney Zone
Posted By: Barbara what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/23/14 04:24 AM
I'm planning a 4 day backpacking trip next week to Whitney - staying at WP, Outpost, Trail camp, then most likely Trail camp again the night after we summit (unless we go further down). What do people normally leave at Trail camp on summit day? Tent, sleep pad and bag, bear canister? And if so, how do you secure it against the marmots! And also the wind? Is it best to leave it up (it's a Copper Spur 2) or collapse it? Thanks so much.
Posted By: saltydog Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/23/14 05:03 AM
Your biggest challenge at TC is the evil marmot genius. Take everything you normally would to the summit, leave everything else behind: tent, bags, bear can, cooler, George Foreman Grill, BUT pack all food, smellies, etc in the bear can. If you have any smellies you do not want in the bear can, take em with. Leave the bear can outside the tent and leave everything as open and unzipped as you can. Tent pockets, pack pockets, extra clothes, everything. Where you see a neatly zipped-up pouch or drawstring-closed bag the marmot sees a big flashing neon sign and hears an announcement "Attention Trail Camp Shoppers! Blue Light Special at Campsite 3! Somebody is hiding something! Chew Here For Tasty Reward!!!"

And no, nobody but a marmot is going to rip you off.
Posted By: GandC Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/23/14 05:26 AM
Pretty much what saltydog said. Pack everything you can fit in your bear bin, and leave the tent unzipped, your sleeping bag unzipped, etc. Just last month we left all of our gear at TC while summiting, and when we got back, there were marmot tracks all over our sleeping pads. And that wasn't half as annoying as the little turd one of them left just inside the front door of the tent.
Posted By: wagga Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/23/14 06:08 AM
Hope you didn't take that little turd with you, because a marmot poop is a feast for a whole family of pikas.
Posted By: Joe the Hiker Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/23/14 04:09 PM
A marmot chewed a hole through my friends foam sleeping pad.

I purchased a summit pack on ebay and only took what I would for a day hike to the summit. I had a gps though so I marked where I stashed the backpacks. Just don't go short on the water.
Posted By: Barbara Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/23/14 05:58 PM
Thanks for the replies. I'm concerned that leaving the tent unzipped may make it more likely to take flight in the wind - am I overthinking this?

We'll leave tent, sleeping bags and pads, and bearcan, and take packs with water, day food, and clothing. We'll leave the Jetboil in the bearcan.

PS Turds, lovely.
When I did Whitney in June I had the exact same 4 day plan, but the winds were so bad (70 MPH+) at Trail Camp, I decided to make a 3-day trip. 1 Night Outpost, 1 night Trail Camp, and then I left my heavy gear under some rocks and Trail Camp, along with my canister, summited, packed up at Trail Camp and marched out to the Trailhead. I would recommend doing that, OR spending the last night a Outpost. Take down your tent if you decide to stay at Trail Camp, my tent poles snapped there... frown
Posted By: Barbara Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/23/14 09:12 PM
Thanks for the advice and info - pole-snapping was a concern, tho the wind forecast is a little less crazy than yours. I'm not sure how we'll react to elevation, so we might summit, or not, or stay the 2nd night at Trail camp, or go down further (my preference if we can.)
Posted By: NoUglyOneYet Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/25/14 07:01 AM
We left everything unzipped, but it was so windy that we decided to collapse the tent, and placed our packs on top of it to hold it down! We didn't have any problems.
Posted By: wbtravis Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/25/14 04:04 PM
Know the forecast...say it again!!!

Make sure everything is secured. If the tent has to come down, take it down, if it needs to be guyed...guy it.

I take up what is required for this trip. 4 L of liquids, clothing required to spend the night on the summit uncomfortably and the 10 essentials.
Posted By: Barbara Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/26/14 12:51 AM
I'm ocd about checking the weather - in fact I'll be doing it yet again right after this post. We've hiked most of the JMT but not the last 50 miles or so, and not Whitney, and I feel like Whitney is a whole other deal. No prob about turning back if needed. All help about what to take/leave much appreciated.
Posted By: Wiff Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/26/14 09:10 PM
And when sleeping at Trail Camp, do you stash your bear can a distance away from your tent, under rocks or something?
Posted By: Steve C Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/26/14 10:20 PM
> And when sleeping at Trail Camp, do you stash your bear can a distance away from your tent, under rocks or something?

Wiff, I don't think any bear has ever visited Trail Camp. The canister is required to keep the marmots out of your food. So just leaving it nearby your campsite is good.
Posted By: wbtravis Re: what do you leave at Trail Camp? - 08/26/14 11:44 PM
Wiff,

Canisters are great but don't short cut'm. That means closing the good old Bear Vault past the stops and coining shut the Garcia.

The only time I have lost a major amount of food was at Trail Camp when I forgot to put my breakfast foods back into my Ursack. I'm pretty sure a marmot family is still feeding itself from that act of stupidity.
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