Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney Main Trail Conditions 2015 (Out-of-Date)

Interesting!

I believe that the smoke is coming from the Cabin Fire in Sequoia.

I found a great fire map here.

SB: Thanks for the fire map info!

Inyo staff sent me another smoke information link:
http://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com/

Whitney Sunrise Sunday August 3rd. Hiked switched backs in the moonlight of the full moon and made it just in time for the sunrise.

I started my hike on the 4th and there was a haze over the whole area in the morning of the 4th. A strong smoke smell as well and people coming down mentioned it was at the summit the previous day. Cleared up in the afternoon, probably due to a shift in the wind.

At the summit the next day, it was clear and I could see the fire smoke to the south-west as shown in the picture. Seemed to be blowing mostly southward at that time.

Hey Whitney Hikers ...

I have a friend heading up Whitney along the main trail from the Portal next week (Aug 20). Trying to give him advice with regards to water availability.

With the weak snowfall this year, is there still water any water on the lower switchbacks ??

Thanks.

The spring was flowing nicely on August 5th when I came down from the summit.

Not gushing, but enough to fill bottles as needed. Think I got a 1 liter bottle filled in less than a minute.

I'd recommend filling up from the streams below Trail Camp and using the spring to top off anything needed coming up or down. Streams are much faster to fill from.

I was just there last week (8/10-8/14/15) for my first time climbing Mt. Whitney. There was plenty of water everywhere I expected to see water (judging by my trail map, and what I had heard others tell me), on most sections of the trail. The highest water source was the spring at the 21-23rd switchbacks (in the upper 97 switchback section before Trail Crest), which was flowing just fine. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't have thought that we are going through a severe drought here in California. I carried 3 normal quart size Nalgene bottles with me on my hike, and most of the time I felt the 3rd one was just going along for the ride. There were plenty of sources to stop and refill along the way.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your hike!

First time on Whitney next week, 8/24, and not sure how to pack. How cold is the summit this time of year? What temp sleeping bag would you recommend? I don't want to carry a lot of winter clothes if I won't be needing them. Thanks!

I found this link useful when planning my climb. I recall that NOAA forecasts corroborated the contents last March, but cannot verify that at this time.

to be blunt, you better take them.

lowest temp IN AUGUST that I have had at 12,000 ft near or on Whitney is 18F. Add wind to that and you better be prepared. You cannot count on a more typical 30-40. Yes, daytime 60 on the summit is nice, I have had that, but 40 F, 30 mph wind, sleet, and no sun and you are frozen. Most days are much, much nicer than that, but what day will you have?

It is worth the extra work and effort to carry some warm duds wth you. Seriously, about 80-90% of the time I was wearing typical summer/fall hiking clothes, during my hike 8/10-8/14. But as soon as I got within less than apx. 1000' of the summit, it got ridiculously cold. I wore a sweatshirt jacket over a t-shirt almost the whole way up, but as soon as I got close to the summit, the chill in the air was noticeable and significant. It felt like February. Sunshine turned to gray ominous-looking clouds. I pulled my down coat out of my day pack and was glad I had bothered to tote it along.

I talked to a US Forest Service Patrol Ranger at Trail Camp the night before I summited, who told me he had met hikers on the trail who turned back in the last lap of the climb to the summit, because it had gotten much colder than they expected to and they weren't prepared.

I carried an old-school sleeping bag which is hard to rate by today's standards. Perhaps it was rated for fall weather at the most, but definitely not winter-rated. Either way, I was not what I would call "comfortable" the night before I summited (at Trail Camp), and I thought I was well-read and knew what I was doing. Hence, what I am suggesting is that it is worth every extra effort you make to carry some warm clothes and bedding along with you, even if you only wear them a small percentage of the time. I was in Lone Pine less than 24 hours from the time I summited, and it was shocking to me how drastically different the temperatures were; the summit felt like February whereas the town most definitely felt like August.

Just my two cents. Hope this helps. Good luck with your hike!

If you know the temperature and elevation at the starting point and the elevation of the summit you can predict (within certain bounds) the temperature of the summit using the adiabatic lapse rate.

For unsaturated air, the rate is about 10 degrees centigrade per Km. Portal to Mt. Whitney summit happens to be very close to 2 Km gain and 20 degrees centigrade change is 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Don't forget to subtract!

So for metric-challenged hikers, it's about 5.5 degrees F. per thousand feet. That's a good rule of thumb, but there are many variables. YMMV.

That predicted temperature is before the wind-chill factor is calculated. That's a whole other post.

Obligatory Wiki and the math is here.

In August you can get by with just a nice lightweight wind jacket that also has a hood and some layer of protection for added warmth. We're talking only about a pound here or less. Just make sure to check the weather forecast (as mentioned above) before you head up.

I hike in mid to late September and so I also bring along an extra sweater and pants (and gloves and a cap). Altogether they weigh about 3 pounds.

Experience had taught us to expect nothing of the weather.
Eric Shipton, Land of Tempest page 753

Dayhiking (and ability to descend rapidly to safety) is one thing, but camping overnight (as poster mentioned), or twisting an ankle or becoming ill and being stuck there, is altogether another situation. I would "err" on the side of taking a bit more. Personal experience tip: don't think that a rain coat is enough and leave the rainpants at home. Think horizontal and especially updrafting wind +/- precip. Go out there enough and these things do happen. Are most August days nice and easy? - yes. All? - no. Play it safe.

If you're dayhiking in August then I think a jacket will be enough. Overnight then you'll need more gear. Regarding pants, I think that depending on the person and their age. When I was in my 30's, I was fine in shorts all the way down to freezing temp. But as I get older my legs get colder a lot more easily. So at my age, I'll bring along all the gear even in August, but 20 years ago...probably leave the leg warmers at home.

I've hiked a handful of 14ers this summer and within 2000 feet of the summit, I have put on a down jacket for all of them. Not only do I keep this down jacket in my pack, but also a synthetic insulated hooded jacket for wet/colder conditions. I've also used this jacket this summer (cold on Mt Tyndall, snow storm on White Mtn, rain on Split Mtn, bivy on Williamson). I also pack light rain shell pants. The extra 2 lbs of clothes is not a big deal, the only other things in my pack are water, food, and first aid.

What I've learned this summer: NEVER underestimate the weather. Be prepared.

goldscott, can you identify the brand and approx. weight of your rain shell pants and that storm jacket? Is the jacket water proof, or just water repellent?

I have the Arc'teryx Aphix hoody, which is by no means stormproof or waterproof, just has a DWR coating, but it's kept me dry so far. Wouldn't want to be caught in a severe downpour for many hours with it. I think it's discontinued now. I primarily use it for skiing. Listed weight 17 oz.

As for the pants, I'm using GORE Fusion 2.0 Gore-Tex Active pants, which are rain pants for cycling, but work great for backcountry skiing and mountaineering. Listed weight 247 g = 8.7 oz. I've glissaded in them and torn the butt, but a small gore-tex repair patch fixed 'em right up.

The down jacket I'm using is the Sierra Designs 800 fill DriDown Gnar Lite, listed weight 11.2 oz. / 317 g. I'm thinking about getting the hooded version...

Just saw a report that the water at Switchback 22 has dried up.

So last water is the Trail Camp pond.

Drought or no drought, I'd die before drinking out of the Trail Camp potty puddle.

Sorry... The WAG Bag Teacup.