Hello out there! I just wanted some advice on my plan for doing a through hike from shepherd pass to mt whitney. I plan on starting my trip june 18th and summiting on june 21st or 22nd. Given the "lighter" snow year....so far, and given all the very experienced mt whitney summiters here on this forum, can i possibly get some advice on whether i may run into snow and ice conditions for this time frame??I of course, expect at least some snow and ice....but hope i dont run into issues with completing the backpack trip, without too many compications... I would appreciate any and all advice anyone has for me. I do have an ice axe, and micro spikes and good waterproof boots. Thanks
Howdy, norcal (yosemiteforlife?)!
Regardless of snow that falls during the winter months, June can still be quite unpredictable, similar to October. 2009 was a low snow year overall, but it snowed in the high country for almost 3 weeks starting that Memorial Day, and only let up over the same weekend you list as your travel dates. That weekend (in 09), I tried to get my dad up the Main trail, and we turned just above the cables due to snow and "I'm past my comfort level" with crampons and such.
Likewise, the Tyndall Basin beyond Shepherds Pass can be a quite loverly suncup ocean, leading to some fun postholing and slip n slide. But who knows?
Steve is right, in that you may not step on snow, but the north facing headwall of Shepherds almost always carries a least a short snow patch with a well-formed boot-track, which may be
icy. I would ONLY recommend microspikes if you have experience using them on varied terrain (you didn't mention here or on SP if you had that sort of experience). Crampons/axe/ability to use them are essential skillz, but risk-taking is a personal option. I hesitate to say that I've started using spikes more often, but its a personal comfort level that aids in the decision making. YMMV.
-L
