Seeking California Hiking Ideas - Part 2

[Homer]

Back in October I made a post looking for info about a trip I wanted to make to California. Thank you all for your suggestions (Poison, I know you just did some of this last summer and I may be PM'ing you for more info). Now after doing some research I've kinda narrowed my schedule down to some things I want to do and I'm looking for some more advice. I'm booked for June 2 - June 11. I have a wedding to attend on the 10th in Napa Valley, and I leave on the 11th. So I fly into San Fran on the 2nd, then plan on sightseeing around there for about a day and a half. I'll probably end up hiking around in Muir Woods, etc just to keep the legs moving. Then as it stands right now, I'm booked for 3 nights at the Yosemite View Lodge, which is the one just outside the park. The day I drive out to Yosemite (Sunday), I'll take a cruise down to Mariposa Grove and check out the sites there. Then I'm looking to hike up Yosemite Falls (Monday) one day. Then I'll do Half Dome (17 miles as a dayhike on Tuesday). Then the plan had me going to Tuolumne Meadows and maybe taking a leisurely hike up Mt. Dana. After that, I'd head down to Lone Pine and stay overnight to further help acclimate with the altitude. Then on Thursday 6/8 attempt a long dayhike up Mt. Whitney (22 miles). Again, stay somewhere that night up near Lee Vining or somewhere around there. Then, on Friday 6/9 drive the 6 hours or so up to Napa Valley for the pre-wedding stuff. Wedding on Saturday. Fly home Sunday 6/11.

My questions are: Does anyone think this is too much to try and cram in? I know there will be some snow still around probably on Mt. Dana and Mt. Whitney. And I also am aware Tioga Pass may still have snow, but more than likely it will be clear and open. I do not currently own any crampons as I only hike 3 seasons for now. However, I think I'll be getting some before this trip and bringing them with me. Don't know about an ice ax? Also, I'm wondering about the altitude. I live in CT right on the water at sea level. I think I've got a decent plan for slowly working my way up to the Mt. Whitney heights. However, I also know eveyone is affected differently by altitude. I'm also wondering about a dayhike of Whitney. I know I'll probably start in the dark. I'm a strong, fairly fast hiker who's done long miles and some decent elevation gains in one day before. I've done all the Bonds from Lincoln Woods in 8 1/2 hours, the Oceola's and Techumseh in about 7 hours, Owl's Head in 7 1/2 hours, and many more greuling days. I will be going solo and feel plenty confident, however looking for input here too. I'm really looking to stick to dayhikes so I don't have to bring all my overnight gear out west and it also lightens the load while hiking. I'm aware of the permit issues with Mt. Whitney and will be submitting one very shortly (before Feb. 14th). I know they allow 100 dayhikers per day and 60 overnighters. They are hard to come by. I know this is a bit long, but any more advice would be greatly appreciated. My time is somewhat limited and I'm trying to move around quite a bit, but I'm not sure when I'll get back out there. It's an agressive schedule, but I think it's doable provided the weather holds up. Thanks again and see you at the April awards dinner for my NH 48.

 

[king tut]

It sounds like a pretty ambitious hiking schedule. It all depends on the person though. I hiked Half Dome early last June, and it had been a record snow year up in the mountains. The trail was all clear of snow up to half dome but the tioga pass road was closed. The half dome hike was 17 miles and 4800 vertical from happy isles, which was the most ambitious hike i had done up to that point. I was a bit concerned about how i would do, but it ended up being a lot easier than i thought it would be. The trail is paved for a few miles at the bottom, and then above the waterfalls it is a very easy grade and gentle on the knees. I would recommend taking the mist trail up and then the john muir trail down. the JM trail is longer but it is a very gentle downhill. If you have done a lot of hiking in the Presidentials, then this will be a lot easier. I hiked adams and madison last year too, and even though it was less distance and vertical, i thought it was a much harder hike. The altitude at 8800 feet didn't effect me at all. The 17 mile hike took about 7 hours.

mariposa grove is cool too. It's better to get there early in the morning though, before the hordes of tourists arrive.

 

[Mike P.]

Seems you are missing some time for driving, let me see if I have this straight:

Tuesday Hike Half Dome from West side & get over to east side of park, maybe having to go around the park if the pass is closed. (or are you hiking Dana from the West?)
Wednesday hike Dana (13,053 ft.) & drive down to Lone Pine (distance on I-395? I believe this is not a limited access highway so 65MPH is not likely in many spots)
Thursday then do Whitney (While similar in length to Owl's Head, those who do it as a day hike are in very good shape, are rested & start before first light & often finish near or after sunset.)

Did I factor in sleeping? Have you got a Whitney permit yet?

Up high in Early June likely a lot of snow. 8800 feet on Half Dome likely won't cause more than say 5-10% more heavy breathing but above 10,000 feet people do begin to feel some effects. Dana & Whitney are much higher.

Being an altitude junkie, I'd probably look at doing Dana on Tuesday, taking an off day & then trying Whitney.

There is a former CT resident living in CA currently who has done Dana & Whitney. If you PM me, I can hook you guys up if he does not answer here. (he occasionaly does post here but has other priorities these days - new father)

 

[blacklab2020]

you cant get a whitney permit until march 1st

IF you do whitney via the mountaineers route (class three) you shave off some mileage.

Also Bob Burd's website for the sierra has some good beta on trails... Check out this site.

http://www.snwburd.com/bob/index.html

 

[poison ivy]

That's a whole lot of hiking crammed in... (though I've certainly planned somewhat similar trips.) As is already mentioned, be aware that traveling from one end of the park to the other is a long drive -- especially if you get stuck behind one of those lines of RV's. (I'm particularly thinking of the drive over to Tuolumne after spending the day hiking Half Dome.)

As to looking for a spot to camp before/after Mt. Whitney... I'd highly recommend camping at Whitney Portal, which is just shy of the trailhead. We liked it there a great deal. It's at a little over 8,000 feet so a stay there the night before could help with acclimatizing too.

I don't think you'll have any trouble getting a dayhike permit for Whitney (before I left I was checking the month by month chart they put up daily and there were tons of them left, especially mid-week. It's the overnight permits it's more difficult to snag. When leaving the summit, I crossed paths with many people who were dayhiking the mountain -- most had left the trailhead between midnight and 3 a.m.

Last year was a high snow year in the Sierras and there was still plenty of it on Whitney in mid-July. However, the trails were pretty much clear and we did not need crampons or snowshoes. If it's a low snow-year this year, hopefully you'll be just as fortunate. If you don't bring an ice axe, just don't tempt fate by glissading down instead of taking the switchbacks... someone was killed by doing this last fall.

- Ivy

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Midweek june you shouldhn't have any problem getting a Whitney day permit. You can spend $15 for insurance, and reserve your permit.

I agree... Sleep at Whitney Portal. There is a special area for climbers. Leave at 4:00AM.

At that time in June, there may be considerable snow. Last year I clmibed mid june, and the 100 switchbacks were covered with snow, and it was a crampon-ice axe climb up an 1800 foot bowl. The Mountaineer's route was technical at that time.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I now live about an hour south of Whitney and am arranging an overnight hike of Whitney with some friends in early June. I plan to do a 'scouting hike' the last week of May as a dayhike, and will try to remember to post a brief trip report here as I know many on this board may be interested.

This year is turning into an OK snow year for the Sierras, but it's still a bit early. It's likely you'll encounter snow somewhere enroute in early June - whether you'll need crampons remains to be seen.

The collective wisdom is that it takes most fit hikers about 16 hours of trail time to do Whitney whether you do it as a dayhike or an overnite. For a dayhike of Whitney I prefer to be on the trail around 2:30AM as it gives me an extra margin.

As for camping at Whitney Portal - you have to actually pitch a tent ($10 last I checked) as they'll roust you for car camping. I usually sleep in my car at a large pullout on the right at around 6K' (the end of the road, or Portal, and a bit over 8K') as I'd rather not fudge with a tent for just a few hours sleep.

Bear precautions are rigorous, and they (the bears) WILL remove the doors/windows of your rental vehicle looking for food, so it's necessary to take precautions. You may have experienced this before, but just in case - there are bear lockers where you can stash food, toiletries, dirty clothes, etc at Whitney Portal, so factor the time needed to put this stuff away. To be on the safe side, put anything else in the truck - the rangers do inspect vehicles regularly and ticket as necessary.

Fortunately, there's lots of water on this hike, but bring a filter. You should be able to filter water up to 11 or 12K' at that time of year on Whitney, and perhaps higher later in the afternoon as the sun will melt some. I drink my fill around 12K' at the high camp area (there's a small brook/pond to the right of the camping area), and filter another 3 quarts to get me up and back to this point. Staying super-hydrated will go a long way to mitigating the effects of altitude.

Finally - you will need a permit, and they do run spot checks regularly. You can pay $15 for a reservation which you can redeem at the ranger station the day before, or you can take your chances with a walk-in. The permit itself is free. I've always been fortunate/lucky and gotten either an overnite or dayhike permit as a walk-in. You probably won't have any problems as a walk-in - it's midweek, and school is still in session.

Hope this helps -

Kevin

 

[sierra]

The only comment I will add, is that, your being optimistic about Tioga pass being open in early June, but I hope your right. Oh one more thing, in addition to Mt. Dana, Mount Conness is one of my favorite peaks in the Tioga pass area, I love Mt Dana but Conness is really primo,imo.

 

[blacklab2020]

Agreed on Mt Conness, far better than Dana...longer approach (from tuolumne, its just as quick from the east though) but still much better,... its one of those peaks I like it so much that I dont like to brag about it... but since Sierra already mentioned it...

In early june, my understanding of the mountaineers route is that it will definately require an ice axe and crampons and tends to freeze more so in the evenings because it is a north-facing snowfield. Only you dont need a permit to climb the peak (only if you descend the same route) and it shaves about 8-10 miles off the round trip mileage. You dont pass Mt. Muir though, if you were looking to climb that as well.

However, with the mountaineers route, you have to factor in additional time for climbing that elevation and if you only spend a few days acclimating, its probably much wiser to stick to the trail where you can judge how you are feeling much more readily and retreat much faster if necessary. A steeper route on the mountain might hinder ability to recognize altitude effects and descend.

 

[Homer]

Thanks for all the input. I have managed to get my day hiking permit for Mt. Whitney (June 8th). I've also got a reservation to stay at the Whitney Portal campsite for the night before (thanks for the suggestion). Now the question remains is, am I going to be prepared enough? Like I said before I do not currently own any crampons or an ice axe. From a lot of the trip reports I've read on Summitpost.com, it looks like there will definitely be snow on some parts of the Mt. Whitney Trail in early June. This is definitely the trail I intend on taking. How much snow remains to be seen. However, I've seen many photos galleries of people hiking there in June where they are just bare booting through the snow all the way up (trekking poles also). I do own some Yaktrax Pros I could bring, and I don't even know if crampons would fit onto my Asolo hiking boots. I can't imagine people who do use crampons there are wearing full winter hiking boots all the way up to the snowfields? Of course I would be planning to start at about 3 or 4 in the morning as suggested by many folks too. I know all about keeping really hydrated to help with effects of the altitude. Right now this snow thing is really my biggest concern. I'm not quite sure how the altitude will affect me, but not too much I can do about that except spend time acclimating. I know I'll be in excellent shape to do the 22 miles and 6200' of elevation gain. One thing is for sure, I will research this thing like crazy right up to the day I hike it. If I'm not comfortable in doing it I just won't do it, or at least not all of it. I do not intend on doing anything risky, taking shortcuts, no glissading, or the like. Doing this alone, I do not intend on becoming a statistic. Anyone who has more advice I would gladly accept it. If Tioga Pass is closed due to snow still then I'll forgo the Mt. Dana hike the day before and drive around and rest. Or I'll just play it safe and not hike Whitney at all.

 

[weatherman]

I used to do stuff like this and still do sometimes, though for fewer days, attached to business trips. I would be most concerned (as Mike noted) about getting time to eat and sleep and drive, and trying to avoid sleeping while driving (which, though it saves time, and I've done it before, is not something I'd recommend on a regular basis ).
Good luck, I'm jealous! I'm going to try to hike something when out in CA in early May for a meeting.
-Weatherman

 

[Danielle]

Homer,

We don't have as much experience out west as many who've already posted, but Ryan and I spent a week out in Yosemite a few years ago, and did a few of the hikes you've mentioned. We were there in early July, though, so of course the snow situation was different. We spent a few days camped at Hogdon Meadows and hit North Dome and Half Dome. Although Half Dome was a long day, it wasn't too bad (well, except for the ropes for me! I'm a bit afraid of heights!) and we thought it was definitely worth the hike. Then we spent a few nights camped out in Tuolomne Meadows, and ended up talking to a ranger who suggested Mt. Dana to us--he said it was one of the best. We parked right at the Tuolomne entrance to the park and hiked up. There were a few sections of snow left along the route, but as I said, it was July and we were able to either go around them, or enjoy "telemarking" on them on the way down I would definitely recommend Mt. Dana if you think conditions, time and energy permit! It was wonderful up on the summit.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Whitney

Homer -

I'm taking a group of friends up Whitney as an overnight on 6/1 & 2, and in preparation for that I plan do it as a dayhike about a week before (I now live an hour south of Whitney) so that I know conditions first hand. I know several people on this BB have permits for Whitney, so will post a TR of that dayhike so you should have access to it well before you leave on 6/2. I can't commit to updating after our overnight on 6/1 & 2 as I'll be on the road, heading north for another peak (so many peaks, so little time ...!) until after approx 6/10. But, snow conditions don't change that rapidly in June - if anything, what does change is the snow level moves up. While snow squalls occur anytime of the year in the high Sierra, little real snow is deposited on a regular basis much after June.

When you redeem your Whitney reservation for a permit at the USFS ranger station in Lone Pine, they will go over the various regulations, especially with regards to bears. Bears around Whitney present little threat to humans, but they will and do open up vehicles in search of food. The last thing the rangers want to do is destroy a bear for this behavior, so they have a canned lecture they'll deliver to everyone regarding precautions you need to take. If you have questions for the rangers, I'd suggest you let them deliver the lecture first (am quite sure they're required to do it) before asking your questions - you're more likely to have their undivided attention once they deliver this mandatory spiel.

One more bit on the bears - this early in the season these kids are hungry, and they're smart. They know humans=food, so follow the rules carefully. Put all food and toiletry items in a bear locker, so make sure you have grocery bags or a spare duffel to hold your stuff. You need to label your stuff with the date you'll return, so make sure you have a pen and paper. Dispose of all trash. Put EVERTHING else in the trunk - make the interior look like it did when you saw it on the showroom lot. A locker is about the worse thing you can leave visible. And, the rangers do check vehicles, leaving warnings and in cases, tickets, to enforce these.

I emphasize this about the bears not because people don't follow the rules, because in my observations I think most do. However, getting your car and gear "bear-ready" is time consuming, and most people driving up to Whitney Portal want to hit the trail as soon as possible. So, rather than fumbling around in the dark, wasting an hour you can be hiking, get your vehicle ready the day before, in the daylight.

Hope this helps -

Kevin