Just returned from HST:
7/14: Left Crescent Meadow with 4 adults, 6 scouts. Mehrton Crk. was ankle-deep, and one of our crew had a spill, so we ended up camping at 9-mile creek. There is a bear-box there. We had met a couple of young ice axe bearing hikers telling us they could not get across an ice-bridge at Precipice Lake, but I wasn't sure what they were talking about.
7/15: Lost one adult due to heat exhaustion coming up out of Buck Creek. (we were able to have him ride out with the BPM supply mule train, for a "small fee" . . . ). Last mile between Buck Creek and BPM is pretty steep - but the rest of the HST to Kahweah is pretty much that way. We had to stay at Bearpaw. I think there were 3 maybe 4 bear boxes there. Here, we met *saltydog* - he was on his way back from the gap. It was great meeting him, and talking. I hiked up to the lodge to talk with our fallen comrade, and by the time I got back, saltydog had left. His plan was to catch the shuttle to Visalia, and then rent a van to Lone Pine, and catch a day-pass. I hope he made that.
7/16: Hiked to Lake Hamilton. The waterfall is. . . dicey. You need to stay to the left, on the other side of the fallen log. Hamilton had a big grey bear box, and at least two smaller brown bear boxes. 4 of us hiked with just water snacks up to the gap in the afternoon. The weather was very foggy. We were able to squeeze UNDER the tunnel formed by the ice bridge at the Hamilton Tunnel. (it was about 15' wide, ice at our backs, running water and boulders on our chests). We crossed quite a few smaller snow fields, up to just below the little feeder lake between Hamilton and Precipice, and there was a large snow field. In the fog, we were uncertain that we could find the trail after that, so we turned back.
7/17: Morning was sunny and clear, so 4 of us day-hiked again, attempting the gap. The Hamilton Gorge Tunnel ice bridge had partially collapsed, and we were able to scramble around the boulders below the trail. This would permit backpacks.
In the sun, we were able to pick up the trail, but then it was lost again. Navigation in sunlight was more obvious, and we climbed up a ridgeline/cornice of snow that ran from the outlet stream of Precipice to the base of the peak of Mount Stewart. Following this ridge, we passed Precipice - 100% frozen over, and then followed the gully, about 1/2 mile, filled with snow, (slushy suncups - did not seem undercut), all the way to about 100-200' below the summit of the pass. Up there, it was more clear of snow.
I got a view of the Big Arroyo valley. 9-Lakes Basin is completely frozen over, and the river coming out is clear, but the ground is covered with snow well past the "sane" crossing by the waterfall. Further downstream, it was too hazy, so I couldn't really tell if it was flooded, or snowed-in by the little lake, but the Eastern approach to Eagle Scout Peak was pretty much solid snow. (that was one of our goals).
Since the valley looked do-able, but probably not within our time-frame and at our experience level, we decided to take our information back to the rest of the group and take a vote.
We hiked back down to Hamilton, and found the rest of the ice-bridge pretty much completely collapsed (no more cave, but now, easier to scramble around below).
Another group of 3 hikers, one was a pretty experienced snow camper, and had some snow shoes - was wanting to try the gap on the 18th, headed to Whitney. We told them it was worth a shot.
7/18-19: Hiked back to Crescent Meadow: there are campsites at Mehrton Creek! Only ONE bear box we could find. You need to do some climbing up the boulders to get to them.
I hope that this information is helpful to future hikers attempting to approach Whitney from the West this season. It seems that the assumption I made when I left was pretty much correct:
That conditions are just on the cusp of changing, and are currently in-between passable and impassible, and really depends on your skill-level, and schedule. I can't really say how things are past the Kahweah Gap though. Every single sunny day, the snow and ice melt more.
