I have a day permit (Mt Whitney) for June 30. I haven't been on the trail before. Can someone tell me if the trail is clearly visible to the top? Do I need any special equipment? Thanks.
My wife summited on the 14th. She said the path is not clearly visible in the snow (i.e., wherever there is snow). She did follow foot prints of previous hikers up the chute. She said the chute was pretty mushy by 9:30 a.m. She said she saw two hikers with micro spikes turn around on the chute because they could not get adequate traction in the mushy snow/ice. She also got lost on the way down (below trail crest) and had to ask directions from campers several times (and the directions were not always accurate!). From my conversations with her (and based only on current conditions) you will need crampons, an ice ax and hiking poles with snow baskets.
I have not been on the mountain and am only reporting what my wife told me.
