Mt Whitney Zone
Posted By: Jim Lasos Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/14/20 06:48 PM
When are they opening the gate and trail? Multiple campgrounds in Inyo have opened already so there aren’t any excuses on the lack of communication.
Posted By: penny Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/14/20 07:16 PM
No, there is no excuse for the lack of communication other than a lack of leadership and transparency. Inyo National Forest kept referring inquiries to Inyo County public health. But Inyo County moved to stage 3 last week. What excuses will they come up with next? INF last communication on their website on Whitney was dated May 22. That is over three weeks ago. That is ridiculous. Rather than leading, being proactive and providing effective communication they have gone into hiding behind closed offices and phones that do not get answered.
Posted By: Jim Lasos Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/14/20 07:23 PM
Exactly. I think there’s local political influence not to open in the Owens area.
Posted By: ilyawine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/15/20 04:08 PM
Not sure if this matters or not or if I just jinxed myself but got this yesterday (and nothing as of this AM)

We hope the anticipation is building as you prepare for your trip to WHITNEY PORTAL on Sun, Jun 21, 2020 and thought we'd reach out with a friendly reminder and some tips for your upcoming reservation.

Reservation Information
Order #: 0235922136


Sun, Jun 21, 2020
Check-In: 2:00 PM Tue, Jun 23, 2020
Check-Out: 11:00 AM Camping Inventory Icon 023, WHIT
WHITNEY PORTAL
Inyo National Forest
Posted By: LikeToHike Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/16/20 08:32 PM
I received this email at 9:00AM this morning:
We hope the anticipation is building as you prepare for your trip to Mt. Whitney on Jun 23 2020, and thought we’d reach out with a friendly reminder and some tips for your upcoming reservation.

As you’re going through final preparations, please take a moment to ensure you pack a few must have items — your reservation confirmation and any permits, passes, or tickets for your trip. Keep in mind, most permit locations require you to print your permit and bring the paper copy with you. It is important that you have all necessary entry documents and the details from your reservation confirmation at the ready when you arrive.

If you haven’t done so already, we also encourage you to review the need to know information and change or cancellation policies in your reservation confirmation email and on the Mt. Whitney page on Recreation.gov. This will provide you with helpful tips and details to get the most out of your experience.

You can also review this reservation or any other reservations that you’ve made by visiting the "My Reservations" page on Recreation.gov.

Enjoy your upcoming trip, and we hope you bring home an amazing story!

And then my permit was canceled a couple of hours later :-(
Posted By: Baja Dave Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/16/20 09:30 PM
We received an email "congratulating us" on our Whitney Over-nite hike June 23 for 3 days yesterday... Today, a cancelation notice with refund.

WHAT A STUUUUUPID thing to do ! What if we bought plane tickets to come do our hike ????

Complete Breakdown FUBAR
Posted By: LikeToHike Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/16/20 09:46 PM
Originally Posted by Baja Dave
What if we bought plane tickets to come do our hike ????

I do have a plane ticket to come hike. Although I also have backup plans if Whitney doesn't work out.
Posted By: Jim Lasos Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/16/20 10:59 PM
Lol
Posted By: Jim Lasos Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 02:07 PM
My day permit is for next Saturday (1.5 weeks). I’ll be headed up regardless and park at the lower gate. Inyo hasn’t said I can’t.
Posted By: bobpickering Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 03:02 PM
Originally Posted by Jim Lasos
My day permit is for next Saturday (1.5 weeks). I’ll be headed up regardless and park at the lower gate. Inyo hasn’t said I can’t.
Do you have an actual day permit, or do you have a RESERVATION for a day permit. The permit allows you to enter the Whitney Zone. The reservation allows you to get the permit, if they ever start issuing them.
Posted By: Jim Lasos Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 03:38 PM
I have a RESERVATIONN WOAH. Why even attempt to get the permit. Who cares tho - no rangers patrolling. Probably gonna raw dog it with no permit and potentially get a ...wait for it....$100 fine!!! (Dr Evil voice).
Posted By: ilyawine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 03:59 PM
Got this in my inbox a few minutes ago. Only wanted to camp there to hike the Mt. again. Pretty far to drive just to camp at the Portal. How bad is it (ethically) to camp there and hike up without a permit?

Important Update for WHITNEY PORTAL

Check in: June 21, 2020
Check out: June 23, 2020


We are looking forward to hosting you soon at one of the fabulous US Forest Service campgrounds we operate in California. However, ahead of your stay, California State law requires us to notify you of changing procedures related to keeping the public safe from COVID-19.

First and foremost, if you or anyone in your household is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, the state of California requires that you reschedule or cancel your reservation. The fees you paid in advance will be refunded to you.

Second, you should expect some changes in the campground and how it operates. For example:

• Campground workers will be wearing gloves and masks when in your presence. If you do not believe our employees are exercising sufficient caution, email our hotline at covid19@camprrm.com to let us know.

• Campground hosts are required to do an online health assessment each day and any employees showing symptoms will be removed from the campground or quarantined.

• Bathrooms are being cleaned more frequently – schedules will be posted on the bathroom door. Other contact areas in the campground are being disinfected as well.

• Our hosts will be strictly enforcing Forest Service campsite occupancy of 8 people and will encourage social distancing between groups from different households.

As a reservation holder via Recreation.gov, you can bypass the fee station and go straight to your site to set up. A campground host will check you in later and bring you a hang tag without ever getting closer than 6 feet.

It is awesome that we can finally open these campgrounds and help Americans who have been cooped up for months enjoy the outdoors. We hope your visit is terrific, and we appreciate your help in following these requirements so that we can continue to stay open.[u][/u]
Posted By: Jim Lasos Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 04:56 PM
I think you’re about to get cancelled. Others have gotten similar messages and got cancelled on the day after.
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 05:17 PM
I called the County Sheriff department and asked whether I could drive all the way up Whitney Portal road for a reservation at the Portal campground. I was told that the all campgrounds were open, so the road should be open, and to check with Inyo Parks & Rec (?!) to confirm.

So I called Parks & Rec and asked whether the road was open all the way to the Portal since the campground was open. The person said "I don't see why not", but said that I should check with the Forest Service.

Calling Inyo Forest Service went as expected (no one picked up), so I tried my luck and called the Inyo Sheriff again. A different person picked up this time and told me to contact the Inyo Roads department since they were the ones in charge of opening that gate. The Roads Department told me that "the gate won't be opening any time soon" and to contact the Forest Service. I was given two numbers, 760-876-6222 and 760-876-6200.

The County (probably the Roads Dept., though it could have been the 2nd call to the Sheriff) also said that "I hope they get moving on this, we've been receiving a lot of calls about that gate." So it seems that the County does share our frustration.
Posted By: ilyawine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 05:46 PM
This is the second email this week. Answering machine message for the facility ( 760-937-6070 ) states that the road up to the Portal will open on the 17th (today) and the campground will open next week.
Posted By: retrofan Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 07:27 PM
Originally Posted by Big Pine
I called the County Sheriff department and asked whether I could drive all the way up Whitney Portal road for a reservation at the Portal campground. I was told that the all campgrounds were open, so the road should be open, and to check with Inyo Parks & Rec (?!) to confirm.

So I called Parks & Rec and asked whether the road was open all the way to the Portal since the campground was open. The person said "I don't see why not", but said that I should check with the Forest Service.

Calling Inyo Forest Service went as expected (no one picked up), so I tried my luck and called the Inyo Sheriff again. A different person picked up this time and told me to contact the Inyo Roads department since they were the ones in charge of opening that gate. The Roads Department told me that "the gate won't be opening any time soon" and to contact the Forest Service. I was given two numbers, 760-876-6222 and 760-876-6200.

I think this is what most people are so frustrated about. None of the authorities seem to know who is in charge of what or who is making the decisions. The only information they give is to contact someone else, who then tells you to contact someone else, and on and on. Good on you for actually attempting to navigate the labyrinth, but obviously still no real answers. I will concede that complaining on a message board doesn't really help solve the problem, but it's cathartic!
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 08:42 PM
Originally Posted by ilyawine
Answering machine message for the facility ( 760-937-6070 ) states that the road up to the Portal will open on the 17th (today)
I called that number and was told (by a live person) that the road "won't be open until Friday". Hope it's this Friday and not next Friday!
Posted By: BFR Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/17/20 10:10 PM
Is the right way to think about the Whitney Zone right now as that it's the same as off season conditions? I.e., you can hike past the gate and into the WhitneyZone?
Posted By: bobpickering Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/18/20 01:16 AM
During non-quota season, you can legally walk past the gate and dayhike anything you like. You can also write yourself a wilderness permit and do an overnight trip anywhere you like.

During quota season, you can legally dayhike just about anywhere without a permit, as long as you don’t enter the Whitney Zone. But you can’t enter the Whitney Zone without a permit. Entering the lottery and getting a reservation is one thing. You need the actual permit, issued by Inyo National Forest (not recreation.gov) to enter the Whitney Zone legally.

As Jim Lasos pointed out, you always have the option of deliberately breaking the rules. You may or may not get caught. If you get caught, you will probably be fined, and I heard that the fine was several hundred dollars more 20 years ago. If you need a rescue, they may be extra slow due to COVID-19, and the response for others may be extra slow due to your actions.

Now is not the time to be selfish. We should just follow the rules, and come back next year if we don’t get all our summits this year.
Posted By: penny Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/18/20 02:45 AM
Follow the rules???? What rules???? We should never succumb to being sheep to bureaucrats who are not transparent, Who do not communicate and who exhibit a tremendous sense of incompetence. Are you reading all these posts? People spending hours on the phone being given head fakes? The level of incompetence is mind boggling. Public pressure is what is needed, not get in line and put your head down. These are public lands!!!!!!!!!!
Posted By: Jim Lasos Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/18/20 03:04 AM
Amen. Get lost Bob. In any event it’s opening this Friday.
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/18/20 05:52 AM
Originally Posted by bobpickering
If you need a rescue, they may be extra slow due to COVID-19, and the response for others may be extra slow due to your actions.
At this time of the year, I'd argue that opening the main trail would reduce the odds of rescue, not increase it. Before the monsoon season and just after the snow has melted is one of the safest times to hike. There's plenty of daylight, generally survivable nighttime temps, and little risk of being hit by lightning. Based on past years' reports, this year's below-average snowfall, and the webcam images, it's pretty safe to say that the switchbacks are now open and that crampons and ice axes aren't required anywhere on the main trail. The main hazards now are:
- Not carrying enough food and/or water
- Getting lost between Mirror Lake and Trail Camp
- Altitude sickness and/or exhaustion
- Lingering snow/ice on the mountaineers route

If the main trail is open, you have a chance of obtaining food, water, and directions from other hikers on the trail. They may also be able to help you descend, and there'll be fewer unprepared people trying the MR since they'll have that easier main trail route to the summit. But if the main trail is closed, any rebels who decide to do it anyway would be SOL if they get lost, are too exhausted to descend, or run out of supplies, and those who decide to do things the legal way but are unprepared will likely need rescue on the MR.

Originally Posted by Jim Lasos
In any event it’s opening this Friday.
I never expected the Portal Campground and the road to be open before the upper gate at Horseshoe Meadow Road, but it looks like that is indeed the case:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/inyo/recreation
"Roads closed: Whitney Portal Rd. opening June 19; Horseshoe Meadow road closed at upper gate."
"Whitney Portal Campground Closed to Visitor Opening June 19, 2020"

I don't know what the rationale is for leaving that upper gate closed; it's not a high-risk area or an area that's more crowded than Whitney Portal.
Posted By: Deke Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/18/20 06:07 AM
I'm with you 100%. The lack of information and transparency is just disrespectful at this points. I know of 2 fairly large groups who plan to just show up and hike within the next 2 weeks and I'm certain others will do the same. This could get ugly unless these absent leaders start acting. Something... anything! What absolute incompetence!!!
Posted By: Ian B Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 02:23 AM
Some of this posting has gotten downright toxic. I'm with you, Bob.

We are in the middle of a global pandemic. Local land managers are all trying to not stick out their necks. The Inyo National forest is suffering from decades of underfunding and understaffing. Local politicians make decisions for the health and safety of their local constituents. It sucks, but really, what's with the name-calling and irateness? Find some love and grace.
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 03:32 AM
Originally Posted by Ian B
Some of this posting has gotten downright toxic. I'm with you, Bob.

We are in the middle of a global pandemic. Local land managers are all trying to not stick out their necks. The Inyo National forest is suffering from decades of underfunding and understaffing. Local politicians make decisions for the health and safety of their local constituents. It sucks, but really, what's with the name-calling and irateness? Find some love and grace.
A lot of the frustration comes from not just a lack of communication, but also their inability or unwillingness to go along with the loosening state and county restrictions. If it were April or even early June, I'd agree the right decision would be to keep everything closed, but that is not the right approach now given the current circumstances.

Tomorrow, I can go to a bar, tattoo parlor, nail salon, or casino in LA County, which is one of the most densely populated and hardest hit counties in the state. In Lone Pine, I can eat in a dine-in restaurant, stay in a hotel or campground, and try the risky Mountaineers route up Whitney (as a side note, last June's fatality was from someone descending the MR, not the Main Trail).

So, why can't anyone legally go up Whitney via the Main Trail on June 21 if they already had a permit for that date? If packing 160 people in an area the size of a tennis court is tolerated as long as it's a peaceful protest, why can't that same number of people be spread out over a non-technical 11-mile trail that currently has minimal amounts of snow on it?
Posted By: penny Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 04:25 AM
Big Pine, excellent response.

Ian, you are correct the messages are getting toxic but the toxicity is a direct result of the lack of leadership, communication and transparency by the affected agencies. Are you aware that Country health professionals are being given a great deal of latitude to make decisions? In fact, INF typically referred you to the Inyo County Health Dept. Well about one week ago Inyo County Health Dept moved to a stage 3, allowing campgrounds, bars, restaurants, lodging, wineries, gyms and other services to open. Even Yosemite opened on June 12.

You mention the lack of funding and understaffing. You might be correct but in the age of social media how many resources do you need to post an update on your website????

You also mention political decisions. However if you follow the minutes of several Board of Supervisor hearings you will see a great deal of frustration with the delay in opening recreational sites. Many of the businesses that support the County via tax dollars are on the edge of bankruptcy.

I do not profess to have all the answers. But I will say the lack of leadership and communication by the affected agencies is inexcusable.
Posted By: bobpickering Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 05:39 AM
I’ve been watching this circus for months, but only commenting occasionally. I just got an email from a girl I met on Whitney eight years ago. She encouraged me to “unleash my wisdom”, so here goes:

The problem isn’t the closures, your power-hungry governor, or the local Forest Service employees. It’s the COVID-19 pandemic. In case you haven’t heard, we have enough dead people to reach from the visitor center in Lone Pine to the visitor center in Lee Vining. Some fools don’t care because they think they are invincible. Just open up the economy and give me my Whitney permit. I don’t care how many more people die. But the economy isn’t going to recover until we beat the pandemic. We need testing and contact tracing to do that.

I read a lot of comments about incompetence and lack of leadership. There is plenty of blame to go around, but the real incompetence and lack of leadership begin with the guy who won’t wear a mask and doesn’t want more testing because it makes him look bad. Ignoring the pandemic won’t make it go away.

For too many of you, “leadership” and “competence” mean nothing more than giving you your permit so you can take a selfie holding a “Whitney 14,505” sign. Whitney Portal is an overcrowded zoo every summer. People get hurt or lost all the time. Many people leave their crap bags along the trail for the rangers to carry out. Opening it up while making it safe for everyone is no easy task. You haven’t heard anything from INF for one simple reason: They haven’t made a decision, largely because so many stakeholders haven’t agreed. Actually, you HAVE heard from INF. They posted weeks ago how they would handle all permits except the Whitney Zone. They are giving you the information they have.

Penny, you are definitely part of the problem, not part of the solution. You have posted the most toxic comments and done the most name-calling. You even started a thread for the sole purpose of bashing the Forest Service. Yesterday, Ben asked a question about the rules, and I explained the rules. You responded with “Follow the rules???? What rules????” You seemed too hysterical to see the irony. I see from one of your earlier posts that you want to avoid having to learn how to use crampons or an axe. You have no interest in mountaineering; you just want the selfie. That’s too bad. There are literally hundreds of other worthy peaks in the Sierra. While you were obsessing about your Whitney permit and trashing the Forest Service, I tagged 86 other summits, snagged six wilderness permits, and secured two passes to Yosemite. Maybe you should spend more time hiking and less time posting.
Posted By: Anton Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 06:24 AM
Words of wisdom
Posted By: Goose Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 07:15 AM
Thank you for that, Bob.
Posted By: Jammer Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 02:27 PM
Preach on, Bob. There's an entire wilderness out there. The obsession over 10.5 miles of trail is mind boggling.
Posted By: Bob West Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 02:28 PM
Thank you Bob, for a dose of reality. The selfie crowd have ruined the enjoyment of many beautiful places all over the world, just so they can show their friends and relatives what wonderful travelers they are. The last time I visited Paris, the river cruise boat was crowded with people at the rail to get a picture of themselves with a Parisian view as the background to a picture of THEM! The same situation in Russia last year: people from a certain Asian country pushing and shoving to get their selfies. During a performance of the ballet Swan Lake in St Petersburgh (I was a witness to this), Chinese tourists had to be warned against taking selfies and talking loudly. We later learned that this is normal behavior in their home country.

Will most Whitney selfie baggers, and bucket listers, ever do any thing else in the Sierra Nevada range? Probably not. This is the crowd that leaves trash and wag bags along the trail. The whinners and complainers that can't get their permits in time to fit their travel plans.
Posted By: bobpickering Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 03:41 PM
Originally Posted by Jim Lasos
Bob - isn’t your avatar a selfie? HAHAHAHAHA
Yes, that was the first selfie I ever took. I would have asked someone else to take my picture, but I was the only person in the entire Whitney Zone on January 28, 2011. You should read the trip report HERE.
Posted By: Goose Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 03:52 PM
Permit Update: I am on the phone with the Wilderness Permit Office right now, speaking with someone who is both very pleasant and patient. It took 22 minutes of repeated dialing to get a live person and I will admit that the lack of a proper phone tree or hold system is nuts. The only option is to press "0" which yields three possibilities--a message that the line is busy and a transfer back to the beginning, a dozen or so rings before a hang-up, or--eventually--a live person. Also, be warned--the permits need to be located by reservation number, converted to pdfs, have signatures added, be rotated, saved, moved to a folder, and then attached to an email. Not kidding. However, I ultimately succeeded in having all three of my upcoming permits (Shepherd Pass, Cottonwood Lakes, and NFLP Exiting Trail Crest) processed and emailed to me. A small hassle now in exchange for not having to stop at any ranger stations or visitor centers.

I confirmed that the road to the portal and the portal campground will be open today, Friday, June 19th.

I can also confirm that the MWT will not be open until the cables and chute are free of snow which is currently expected to be on or after July 1st.

And finally, I also confirmed that the last, upper-most gate on Horseshoe Meadows road is still closed and that Inyo County has sole authority over its opening. Anyone may park near the gate and hike up, however.


In closing, as one of the old, quieter geezers on the forum, what you misperceive to be an obsession with selfie-takers is a genuine care that people treat each other with respect here and take care of themselves out there.
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 03:56 PM
Let's try to steer this in a more positive (and productive!) direction.

Looking forward, is it even remotely possible that Whitney Main Trail permits will be cancelled after June 30? So far, I haven't seen anything to indicate that the closure will last into July and August. I've also been watching Recreation.gov pretty closely over the past week or two and saw several permits pop up for dates in July (some as early as July 5), but nothing in June.

Also, will the Mountaineers Route likely be snow-free by mid July?

Originally Posted by bobpickering
Penny...I see from one of your earlier posts that you want to avoid having to learn how to use crampons or an axe. You have no interest in mountaineering; you just want the selfie. That’s too bad. There are literally hundreds of other worthy peaks in the Sierra.
Are there any notable peaks in the Sierra or elsewhere in California that require crampons or rock climbing equipment? I think that just about any California peak can be day-hiked in boots and poles; it's just a matter of having the right skills and fitness, going at the right times, and picking the right routes. For example, most people think "ice axe and crampons" when Shasta is mentioned (which is true if you go up Avalanche Gulch in June), but it's doable in boots if you go up Clear Creek in late August. I also know someone who comfortably free-soloed the Milk Bottle on Starlight (he can climb 5.13 walls), and I have read reports of people dayhiking all SPS peaks: https://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_reports/table_n1_1.html

Heck, you can even go up Aconcagua in trail runners if you choose the right route and season, and that's at almost 23,000 feet!
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 04:29 PM
Originally Posted by Goose
I can also confirm that the MWT will not be open until the cables and chute are free of snow which is currently expected to be on or after July 1st.
I don't condone breaking the law, but a friend of a friend went up the MWT earlier this week and took the switchbacks. He brought microspikes, but told my friend that you can get through the cables without them by stepping on the rocks to squeeze between the snow pile and the cables. He says that area is currently doable with some caution, but he thinks that pile won't be completely melted out until late July. According to him, the conditions look very similar to this: https://www.timberlinetrails.com/sitebuilder/Photos/Whitney/W137Y.JPG , though the section you have to squeeze through is a bit narrower.

He did the ascent in the dark on a weekday to minimize the risk of being caught, fined, and escorted back down the mountain. He summitted just before sunrise and took the MR back down.
Posted By: Jake J Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 04:49 PM
Since MWT is not open, can anyone recommend other good (challenging, scenic, elevation) hikes out of Whitney Portal? Our permit on 25th was cancelled, but still planning to camp at the Portal campground. Thanks in advance.
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 04:55 PM
Originally Posted by Jake J
Since MWT is not open, can anyone recommend other good (challenging, scenic, elevation) hikes out of Whitney Portal? Our permit on 25th was cancelled, but still planning to camp at the Portal campground. Thanks in advance.
Lone Pine Peak would be a good option. There's also Mt. Russell, but that may be technically illegal as it may (IIRC) involve entering the Whitney Zone.
Posted By: Goose Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 05:13 PM
Mt. Russell is fair game. One the permits I received this morning is for the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek exiting Mt. Whitney at Trail Crest. There are four NFLPC permits available on 6/24 right now.
Posted By: Anton Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 05:14 PM
Since when Mt. Russell became a hike? The East Ridge (the "easiest" way up) can be intimidating even for experienced climbers. It is certainly in a different league than MWMT.
Posted By: Goose Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 05:26 PM
Mt. Langley would easily satisfy the "challenging, scenic, elevation" criteria and you may day hike it without a permit.
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 06:05 PM
Originally Posted by Anton
Since when Mt. Russell became a hike? The East Ridge (the "easiest" way up) can be intimidating even for experienced climbers.
I personally consider anything that isn't a class 4 or 5 to be a hike if done in summer conditions, but, as they say, YMMV. Heck, I've been told that San Jacinto via the tram was a climb and not a hike. When I gave him a confused look and told him to explain, he said that "you can't just walk up to the peak, there are some boulders you need to climb just before the top."

Originally Posted by Anton
It is certainly in a different league than MWMT.
That I agree with, but the poster mentioned that he was looking for something that's challenging, scenic, and has significant elevation. Russell would fit all three.
Posted By: Anton Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 06:38 PM
He was asking for advice due to cancellation of a permit for MWMT. While standards for "challenging" vary from person to person, it was worth mentioning that ER of Mt. Russell is a huge step up from MWMT in terms of route finding, technical difficulty and exposure.
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 06:54 PM
Originally Posted by bobpickering
I just got an email from a girl I met on Whitney eight years ago. She encouraged me to “unleash my wisdom”, so here goes:

The problem isn’t the closures, your power-hungry governor, or the local Forest Service employees. It’s the COVID-19 pandemic. In case you haven’t heard, we have enough dead people to reach from the visitor center in Lone Pine to the visitor center in Lee Vining.
I did the morbid math on this and found that the bolded statement above is literally correct and not just hyperbole. Yikes!

Number of Americans dead from the virus = 118,758 as of this morning
Average adult's height: Five and a half feet (Men are about 5'9", women are about 5'4". The overwhelming majority of deaths have been adults and not children)
118,758 people * 5.5 feet / person = 653,169 feet = 124 miles

The actual distance between the visitor center in Lone Pine and the visitor center in Lee Vining is 125 miles. Words of wisdom, indeed.
Posted By: bruce Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/19/20 09:35 PM
What gets omitted though is the fact that the death rate is declining dramatically. But the media won't mention that because that would undermine their agenda of generating revenue by spreading fear.
Posted By: SoCal Jim Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/20/20 06:30 PM
Bruce: C'mon, the number of people dying every day in the US is the equivalent of two full jumbo airliners crashing. The media is hyping that in order to generate revenue? Please don't tell me you get your news from FB or OAN. The US has about 4.5% of the world population and close to a third of the world total of deaths due to COVID, mostly because politics is driving policy rather than public health guidelines. It's unfortunate and sad how many Americans don't believe the science behind masks, social distancing, and even that the virus exists. I'd suggest that this could lead to Darwinian culling of the population, but ignorant people can infect anyone who they happen to come in contact with. I'd say talk to the previously healthy woman in her 20's who required a double lung transplant because her case of COVID was so severe, but she's probably not up to talking yet. Way too many people in denial out there...
Posted By: BFR Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/20/20 08:08 PM
The average of 5’4 and 5’9 is 5’6.5, not 5’6.
Posted By: bruce Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/21/20 01:40 AM
I think you misunderstood me Jim. The media is hyping cases now, because that is what is going up. But you don't hear about the covid death rate plummeting. From your post, it doesn't seem you are aware of it either. I prefer to look at trends and no trend is more important than people dying from this. Fortunately that most important trend is heading in the right direction.
Posted By: SoCal Jim Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/21/20 05:04 AM
I guess I did miss your point, Bruce. I apologize for that. Yeah, the death rate isn't climbing as fast as it had been, but number of cases ARE rising in almost half the states and even here in sunny San Diego County. An increase in mortality is likely to follow... A couple of the most respected MDs involved in this say it's like we're in the 2nd inning of a ballgame, unfortunately. Gonna be a while before life returns to something like "normal."
Posted By: dbd Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/21/20 07:53 AM
Originally Posted by bruce
I think you misunderstood me Jim. The media is hyping cases now, because that is what is going up. But you don't hear about the covid death rate plummeting. From your post, it doesn't seem you are aware of it either. I prefer to look at trends and no trend is more important than people dying from this. Fortunately that most important trend is heading in the right direction.

The death rate tells us about how well we were doing a few weeks ago. In the last month, national new cases haven't changed. Deaths have dropped. That means that the case to death conversion rate has improved. So we have learned something about how to treat symptoms to reduce fatalities from the first 50,000 deaths But that is not enough. I still think 100,000 dead is too many. The death rate is the product of the new case rate and that conversion rate, so the new case rate matters as well.

The new case rate is our nearest reflection of the effects of what we are doing now. That's why the new case rate should and does lead the news.

If you care about the 'most important trends', let's look at California which surrounds the Whitney Zone. The death rate hasn't changed much in the last month and the new case rate has not stopped rising. That leaves little reason to reduce PPE requirements and social distancing. How do we open up in this situation? Is it appropriate to allow activities that have traditionally been engaged in by groups that cross household boundaries? The federal government has determined to abandon support and control of that and all other reopening decisions to the states. California has a plan that assigns authority to the health officials of each county. Federal agencies have honored that county authority. That means that the Inyo NF will not be able to predict what and when Inyo County's decisions will be.

With no vaccine and no general COVID-19 virus treatment there is a long way to go and the path will continue to be invented one step at a time without much warning.

Dale B. Dalrymple
Posted By: Jim Lasos Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/21/20 01:17 PM
Is this WebMD or WhitneyZone? I just want to know when the trail will open.
Posted By: bruce Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/21/20 01:58 PM
Dale,

California and other states base their reopening criteria primarily on hospitalization and test positivity rates. Those are stable. Governor Newson has said from the beginning that this is a virus that we'll have to live with, and as long as we have stabilization in hospitalization rates, then the reopening phases will continue. The ecomony is livelihoods. It is life itself. That includes tourism and towns that are heavily reliant on tourism.

There will always be cases, and sometimes they will go up and sometimes go down. But if the death rate can be minimized, well like I said, that's the most important thing. And the trend, at least nationwide, is definitely downward.
Posted By: bruce Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/21/20 02:09 PM
I might add that the primary reason cases are increasing in California (and other states as well), it that it is hitting primarily latinos living in poor, dense conditions, AND in areas where masks are not a requirement. In LA and Orange county masks weren't as prevalent as the the Bay Area and other parts of the state. But now that Newsom passed a statewide law requiring masks indoors and outdoors where people can't be 6 feet apart, I think that will go a long way in slowing the case rise and reversing it.

For example, only 14 states have statewide mask laws, and only 2 are seeing rises in cases. California is one of them (Hawaii is the other, but I don't know why cases are rising there despite the mask law), but the statewide law was just passed this week so it'll be a few weeks before we see the effects.

In the other 36 states without mask laws, 23 of them are seeing spikes in cases. Most notably, they are Southern states with a large Hispanic population, and these people are getting slammed.
Posted By: Goose Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/21/20 06:41 PM
Shifting back to the original thread topic, the following update was posted to the "other" forum last night:

Upper gate opened today , we are open at the Portal and Hostel, sorting out the fray, will serve food starting June 26 Mask/ face coverings required now in Calif. We have made many changes as all the other opened buisnesses . We have all outside seating , and will try text /Email/ phone orders and what ever keeps the number of people in the store at a time safe, This should also allow a person to call as they drive up / call/text from the trail or email. Details will follow as the trail opens . Thanks
Posted By: Big Pine Re: Whitney Portal/Trail Opening - 06/22/20 12:30 AM
I went up yesterday (6/20) to check out that area and can confirm that all of the gates on the road are open. Although it's possible to drive right up to the Portal store, I saw at least 5 cars parked in the dirt area just before the lower gate. Perhaps they arrived there earlier in the week when the gate was still closed.

The parking lot just outside the store was a bit less than half full yesterday afternoon and almost completely empty by the evening. The restroom/outhouse that's closest to the trailhead is open. I also noticed that the lights in the Portal store were on, and that there were handwritten paper signs placed on cones outside the store that said "entrance" and "exit". I assume that it's open even though no food is being served at this point, but I didn't investigate further and cannot say for sure.

As far as the trail goes, it's fairly easy to cross both Carillon Creek and the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek without getting your feet wet. There were also some flowers and even a few snow plants along the trail. Pictures are at: http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/galleries/57358/whitney-portal-area-6-20-2020 for those who're interested. I didn't see any rangers that day but chose to respect the closure and turn back at Lone Pine Lake.

edit: Bugs were a problem when standing still but not a big problem. I didn't get bitten or use insect repellent or a head net, but I did wear long pants, hiking gloves, and a hoodie to keep the bugs away.
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