OK, so an update on conditions on the Mt Whitney Trail today. Myself and my step-son AJ broke trail from the Portal to Trail Camp in 4 hrs this morning. About 1-2 inches of new snow on the road up to the portal and on the trail for the first 2-3 miles. Really cold temps in the early am!! Snow depth gradually increased as we ascended to TC. Snowshoes NOT needed although we passed quite a few people carrying them! We used micro spikes the whole way.
The snow right now is very dry, soft and fluffy, in other words not consolidated. Have no idea what the conditions on the switchbacks above TC are like but my guess is unconsolidated new snow possibly making for slippery conditions even with crampons!? We made the decision to turn around at 10 am (early?) and got back down to the Portal by 1 pm. There were some campers at TC who said Friday night up there was EXTREMELY cold and also hadn't tried to summit. We also passed a couple of other parties on their way up who where planning on summiting today....don't know if they made it but they were sure leaving it late.
In approximate 8 hrs on the trail we had sun for about 1-1.5 hrs TOPS so if you're planning a trip in the near future please don't plan on the sun for warmth, bring lotsa warm clothes! Hope this helps for anyone trip planning. Enjoy the pics!!
